@lou_smeets Wow! This is a lot of digest and truly thankful you took the time to write it out. Really, it means a lot. Also, It seems like you’ve done quote a bit of research and some points you make fall directly in line with what @Christian_Thibaudeau says in his podcasts. Where can I learn more about practical nutrition… things like how much caffeine to take? How much vitamin D / sunlight… mindset etc? I think it would be amazing to max out everything (or at least try)… or maybe that’s just the type1 personality in my always trying to full throttle everything. … anyway, I don’t expect you to respond to everything in about to say here since you probably have things to do etc but this is just me responding since you put a lot into my last reponse… cheers to that!
Got it. So since cortisol mobilizes stored glycogen… increasing carbs should decrease the need for cortisol. Since cortisol is made from dopamine… you basically get to preserve more dopamine. Great explanation.
I mentioned this in a reply a few months ago and some people DMd me saying I was being negative. I basically said “a lot of people in this forum who are type 3 view themselves as anxious / unconfident people because they keep reading and reinforcing that type 3 is supposed to be like that”. Perception can be a huge deal but it is what it is.
But I’ve also read somewhere that the brain works best with glucose / carbs. So skipping carbs in the morning might make perform less than optimally. This is something I’ll have to try to for a few weeks and report back… because I’ve noticed, if I go super low carbs, the drive / motivation is there to do physical activities, but if it involves using my brain/anything mental… there is no drive or energy at all. It’s like I’m primed to workout but my career performance drops.
I did not know that sweet potatoes have lots of tryptophan. Hmm. Also, my current serving of rice is 200g / day (usually combined with salmon)… I also did not know that meal “size” matters… not just calories. So basically you could go low calorie but high fiber and still get that sluggish effect. Good to know!
Okay. Even through you’re a type 3 and it appears and not … I’m still willing to give it a shot. I usually have some blue berries here and there but I may try other fruits to increase my carb intake and see what happens. Will also experiment with Oats and other types of carbs. My ultimate goal is to have 0… okay maybe 1 sluggish day per week. It would be great to have above average to high motivation / drive 6 days out of 7… instead of 3-4 which it currently is.
You’re right. I think I need to be more realistic. I have no one to compare to and also have no real compass for this type of stuff…so I tend to go all out with tunnel vision and view solutions as if it’s all or nothing. Which probably isn’t healthy.
“The internet isn’t healthy”… damn right. I literally built my physique on fumes. Good training but shitty nutrition. Not even sure how I’m here today. I followed random videos on YouTube saying low carb is the only way. For 2 years I ate pork, eggs, when protein, 1 cup of veggies and an occasional potatoe. Disgraceful haha. When you say combining carbs and fats is dangerous, what does that mean/ why? Does it immediately trigger something in the body… or it is a slow build up over time!?
Again, I wasn’t expecting this level of insight and I highly appreciate the precise feedback. It beats trying to figure random things out by going on YouTube and guessing. I’ve made huge changes ever since finding this forum and I feel lucky.
Hey, umm, you’re fucking jacked dude. Could you stick around? Always nice to have huge dudes hanging around the place to guide people in the right direction.
Yes, the last six years of my life I have spent literally thousands of hours researching and educating myself on the science and practical applications of nutrition, sleep, training and stress management. I used to be a totally different person before I became a health & fitness fanatic but ever since I got faced with depression and my first burnout, I changed my life 180 degrees. I hated feeling like a victim of something that I didn’t understand. That’s why I decided to put in the work and understand as much as I could about human physiology and psychology from reputable sources.
Coach Thib has been and still is one of my biggest mentors when it comes to training and understanding the link between food/training and hormones like cortisol, adrenaline & growth factors.
Coach Frank den Blanken (one of the most succesful personal training & business coaches in the Netherlands) has been my biggest mentor on nutrition. Mainly because his nutrition courses (which are literally called ‘practical nutrition’ level 1 & 2) teach you how to mold all the theory and science of nutrition into practical applications that are actually useful for personal trainers to use with their clients or for fitness enthousiasts who want to gain more control over their own nutrition depending on their goals. His courses are in Dutch (I’m Belgian) but he frequently travels to the States and Dubai to give seminars on developing your own PT business, maximizing your income as an online PT & nutrition. You can try to send him a personal message via his socials.
No. Cortisol is made from pregnenolone, the same precursor to all other steroids. That also explains why your testosterone can plummet when you are chronically stressed out because more pregnenolone is used to produce cortisol. The reason why you preserve more dopamine via the ingestion of carbs is because carbs increase blood sugar levels. So there is less of a need to produce cortisol. Cortisol increases the activity of an enzyme that converts noradrenaline, which is made from dopamine, to adrenaline. Reducing cortisol automatically reduces this conversion, leaving you with more precursor material for dopamine and noradrenaline. The increase in serotonin activity counteracts the conversion of dopamine to adrenaline as well.
It is a huge deal, no doubt. How you perceive yourself and how you interpret your thoughts definitely impact how you feel and respond to your internal and external environment. Becoming conscious of your own destructive thought patterns and improving mindfulness is the first step towards progress and change. When people respond by saying you’re being negative, it often means they themselves are in denial and not ready to change because they’re stuck by their own limiting beliefs. Mindset and belief systems play a big role in how well your respond psychologically to food composition and training. Also note that people tend to take neurotyping way too seriously. Even CT said that the system was developed to help coaches make general recommendations for their clients based on their personality in an effort to get better results with them. But his system gets misinterpreted all the time. I refer to myself as being a type 3 BUT I only use it to tweak certain aspects of my life that help me improve and reach my goals. The type 3 profile and the associated recommendations CT makes for training, nutrition etc. simply suit me the best. I do not live by the ‘type 3 code’ the entire time. Everyone has characteristics of every neurotype. Some characteristics are simply more dominant than others. It’s not necessary to be obsessive about it, that’s actually unhealthy and limits your freedom of thought.
There’s definitely some truth to that. The brain works on ketones but it performs best on glucose. Low carbs makes you feel energetic and motivated due to increases in dopamine and adrenaline. But going low carb or keto all the time or for the rest of your life is literally a recipe to become dumb. Neurons need glucose to produce energy, especially during periods of high stress/high arousal (which increases lactic acid production in the brain as well). It’s the same story as with energy systems. Going low carb on a training plan that involves a lot of lactic acid training is doomed to fail because fats can’t be used properly in an anaerobic environment, carbs can. Glucose also gets broken down faster than triglycerides, another important variable for fast communication and response times. Fats ARE important for the brain though, especially omega 3’s and 6’s because they help build and maintain the myelin sheet around the axons that connect neurons to each other.
Combining white rice with fatty fish or veggies won’t be a problem because it lowers the glycemic load and insulin response. Your insulin wont go up as high as it would if you were to eat the rice separately thanks to the fats and fiber. No, low calorie and high fiber normally won’t be an issue, just big meals, with or without a lot of fiber. Simply because digesting and absorbing a lot of food is energy consuming.
Refer back to my comments on neurotyping. Fruits are good for everyone, your neurotype has nothing to do with it. How much you eat and what you combine fruits with determines how you’ll respond physically and psychologically.
You’re right but the all or nothing mentality is a personality trait, influenced by neurological makeup. It’s hard to unlearn this type of behavior when it is a core characteristic. It is possible though.
It’s not that combining carbs and fats is dangerous. Combining HIGH amounts of both in the same meal and doing it often can be dangerous. It has to do with insulin, insulin resistance and storage capacities of your cells. When you eat a lot of fats and carbs in the same meal, the amount of energy you consume can exceed the energy you can store in your liver and muscles. When there is an excess amount of carbs and fats (energy) in the blood stream, your pancreas will produce more insulin to try and store all that energy inside your liver and muscle cells. When there’s no more room, all those leftover carbs and fats need to be converted to triglycerides. Your body doesn’t want prolonged high blood sugar levels and when the liver can’t store any more fatty acids, all the excess fatty acids end up in the bloodstream, increasing the amount of LDL, thickening the blood and increasing your risk of developing cardiovascular issues overtime due to plaque buildup. Too much saturated fatty acids, consumed alone or combined with carbs are especially hazardous because research has shown that they can significantly worsen insulin resistance. This leaves you with high sugar and fatty acid levels in the blood, not a good physiological state to be in.
I admire the dedication to being a true expert … & still trying to learn more
I actually looked him up and watched some videos after reading this. Seems like a very successful guy and extremely knowledgeable. Not very mainstream (which I like) and I can tell he’s at the cutting edge … because what ppl talk about today, he seems to have been talking about it ages ago!
100%. I’ve been working on this for the last year. My goal is to change my perception of pain and reframe it as something that is good / necessary for progress. I Don’t want to end up soft like we’re seeing in our current generation.
Literally my experience. When I was on low carbs I made rash decisions and had a very short temper.
… and apparently (I could be wrong here)…we need 4-5 grams of omega 3s. That is 400% more than what most people think is optimal.
This is something I’ve had issues with. Need to find a way to place my meals in parts of the day where it doesn’t impact mental performance. Right now it’s ok, but there’s always a window around lunch time where I’m completely floored mentally and can’t perform until 2 hours after I eat. I think I’ll try to push the meals out further into the day
eye opener here. So basically people who indulge in those EPIC cheat meal days … even if they are lean… are shooting themselves in the foot because no matter what, insulin can only store so much at once. It would be interesting to find out if this acute blood sugar spike is dangerous in the immediate term… or if it only is when done over and over for may months / years.
I planning on getting a full panel blood test once / twice a year just to be safe because being lean and fit doesn’t always mean you have bulletproof health. Better to be safe than sorry.
Once again @lou_smeets . I appreciate this useful information. I will def check out some more content on frank den blanken!
Yes, there is some research pointing out that a higher dose of Omega-3’s could be beneficial for our health but honestly I think that’s unrealistic and highly unpractical for most people. Omega 3’s are a bit overrated. As long as you adhere to principles like the 80/20 rule in nutrition and you’re getting enough zzz’s, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients alongside protein, healthy fats (including but not limited to those omega 3’s), you’ll be just fine. There’s no need to spend so much money on omega 3 supplements, unless you can afford it and want to spend your money on it. Otherwise just have fatty fish 2-3x a week or take a supplement 2-3 grams for 2-3x a week and you’ll be alright.
This might also be your circadian rhythm getting in the way of your daily groove. Under normal circumstances your cortisol levels drop for a brief period somewhere around 7 hours post wake up time. The slight decrease in core body temperature and the adenosine that has already been accumulated from the day can trigger melatonin production. Melatonin doesn’t make you tired, it’s the messenger that activates parts of your brain that initiate the sleeping process.
Simple way to combat this: go outside, get that sunlight/daylight into your eyes (DO NOT stare directly into the sun, that’s never a good idea). The yellow/blue light spectrum, fresh oxygen and slight increase in core body temperature from walking (daylight completely halts melatonin production) can get you out of your early afternoon funk real quick.
Otherwise, just have a quick powernap for max 20 mins, eat smaller meals and lastly, but only if you must because I don’t like to recommend that people use stimulants, have a cup of coffee. Use the coffee sparingly and never after 2 PM. That’s what I would recommend.
I don’t think that’s the case or at least it has to be subjective to specific circumstances. I’m more inclined to believe that it will be destructive for your health in the mid- to long term. Just like stress basically, you’re fine in the beginning but it slowly creeps up on you until you finally burn out. Better to avoid that state at all cost. Does that mean you can never indulge in EPIC cheat meals or junk food? Of course not! Have some fun in life, enjoy but be mindful about it and have some balance.
Smart idea. Being fit and/or lean does not necessarily equal being healthy. I think enough pro bodybuilders and even top atletes in sport disciplines like soccer, baseball, hockey etc. have died to prove this point.
I can only recommend it. He truly is underrated, he offers so much free value and the content he puts out is almost always so practical that you can apply it right away. It’s a really good channel.
I switched to oatmeal for a few of my meals here n there but I find it very bland. Maybe I need to season it better for find recipes. Also, it’s seems like it has a lot of fiber … which I’m already getting lots of, so I was a bit bloated from time to time… otherwise, it definitely helped with not feeling sluggish.
I’ve also implemented daily walking after lunch/ being out in the sun. Seems ti help quite a lot with not feeling sleepy… & infact, I feel happier and sometimes want to just stay out longer and go to the beach or something.
I’ve noticed that I very sensitive to caffeine and can’t drink it everyday. However, what’s the sweet spot? / is there any? … say, half a cup everyday that will not lead to side effects? Curious about this.
btw, I decided to get a blood test (rkesulta below) to be sure I’m not eating too much protein and that my cholesterol is ok. It seems like I need to decrease protein & salt intake (according to google / YouTube videos I’ve watched)… also my t3 is kind of high. Not sure what it means but I’m at 2800~2900 cals per day and trying to lean bulk. Pushing workout intensity slightly higher.
Anyone else on here know why t3 might be high???
Should I be worried? (Creatinine is also high but that’s probably bcz I love eating fish/meat… which I will cut back on.
Not sure what the rest of the scores mean but everything else seems “normal”
You could try adding things like plain old cinnamon (which is actually a good thing strategically speaking. Cinnamon not only enhances flavor but it has a direct positive effect on insulin sensitivity after supplementing with it for a few weeks), maple syrup (grade C please, Horizon is an awesome brand), peanut butter (powder form is also an option but better to stick to minimally processed variations) or simply add fruits like an apple or a pear (which not only makes your oats taste sweeter but also adds a little crunch in the mix).
This is awesome, I’m glad you took the advice. We humans are diurnal creatures after all and science has now shown many times over that there is a very strong correlation between sunlight/daylight, fresh air and their effect on your daily wellbeing. Simply going for a walk outside is such a great and easy way to tick off many health benefits at once. I’m now at the point where I’m walking daily for at least one hour total but I divide my walking time into 10-20 minute sessions. It’s more sustainable for me that way. Every now and then I’ll make multiple hour walks when the weather is nice or when I’m in an adventurous mood and want to do some exploring in new wooded areas.
This is simply trial and error. My advise would be to experiment with quantity as well as frequency. See how your body responds to caffeine and make tiny adjustments until you find that ‘sweet’ spot.
For a guy your size and amount of muscle mass, this caloric number seems to be on the low side, especially with high t3 levels. I do see a possible correlation with your blood carbon dioxide levels being high though. If you’re having issues with excreting carbon dioxide from the body, that could be linked to kidney or lung problems. Your body might be trying to solve this issue by increasing t3 levels in order to produce more energy so these two vital organs have more reserves to do their job. But this is purely theoretical, I am not a doctor. It’s best to go see your doctor and get it checked out.
That’s probably due to meat/fish consumption indeed. Anyway, your levels are not that far above the reference range and if you’re using a creatine supplement you will automatically have elevated creatinine levels.
The higher levels of creatine, t3 and carbon dioxide could point to kidney issues and might also explain why you have been feeling more fatigued and demotivated lately. There’s no reason to worry yet but I would get it checked out just to make sure everything’s okay.
I’ll give those recipes a shot! I remember having the same issues 2 years ago when I was on 60g of carbs and trying to bump it up with rice. I found rice extremely boring until I tried different sauces and seasoning.
I can relate! I think I may tie walking with my photography hobby. It doesn’t have to be boring like many people think it is.
How do you come up with calorie numbers / how does that relate to t3??? (How do you determine how many calories someone needs)… I used a calculator on legion’s website and got 2800…
& Honesty, I have never eaten more than 3000 cals for 3 or more consecutive days. I typically end up not feeling hungry on day 3 and it drops back to ~2700. As I write this, I am struggling to comprehend how I will go above 2900 everyday. Maybe if lift heavier it’ll force give my body no choice but to need the calories. Idk.
I do take 5g of creatine monohdrate on workout days. The feelings of fatigue isn’t necessarily real fatigue / lack or motivation. I’m just searching for a way to feel that caffeine type of high everyday (which is probably not possible). I want my baseline to be high; it’s like when you drive a very fast car everyday …the day that you take an Uber, you feel like it sucks because in comparison it’s very slow (even though it’s normal for an Uber)
Exactly. These are carb sources that need variation in condiments in order to stay interesting and tasty. I never eat plain oats, never. Another worthy addition is to mix some dark chocolate (70% cacao minimum) into your oats. Brake off a piece, weigh it on the scale and divide it into little pieces that can be thrown into your oats. It’s delicious and healthy as long as you don’t overdo it on the dark chocolate. I personally (at 84 kg BW) don’t go above 30 grams, otherwise the meal becomes too high in both fat and carbs.
The most accurate method that I use to determine someone’s energy balance is called “the correlation method”.
You basically always start with an estimation of someone’s caloric intake, how many calories they would need to eat to maintain their weight. This is usually calculated by a TDEE calculator or by using a BMR formula and multiplying your BMR with your activity factor (which is usually somewhere between 1.4-1.6 for most people).
The next step is eating that estimated caloric intake for 2 weeks straight whilst also weighing yourself daily for 2 weeks straight. By the end of these 2 weeks you calculate your average daily caloric intake of the past 14 days and compare it to the difference in average bodyweight from week 1 to week 2. That’s why this method is called “the correlation method” because you are looking at the correlation between your average daily caloric intake and the changes in average bodyweight from week 1 and week 2.
For example:
I’m a 31 year old male, 178 cm tall and weighing 84 kilos. My BMR is 1970 and activity factor is 1.5 —> 1970 x 1.5 = 2955 → this is an estimation of the amount of calories I need to eat in order to maintain my weight.
To find my accurate maintenance calories I’m going to eat 2955 calories for the next two weeks. In order for this method to work you would need to drink about the same amount of water each day and keep sodium levels consistent also. Small fluctuations are okay, it’s more about not drinking 6 liters of water one day and 3 liters the next or eating 1 gram of sodium and 5 grams on separate days.
At the same time I’m going to weigh myself every morning after waking up for the next 2 weeks (always in the same conditions, for example after I wake up I go the the toilet and weigh myself in my underwear). At the end of each week I calculate my weekly average BW.
So, 2 weeks have gone by. I ate around 2955 calories every day. My average BW from week 1 was 83.9 kg. My average BW from week 2 was 84.3 kg → this means I gained 0.4 kg on average by eating 2955 calories on average.
We know that 1 kg of fat is 7700 calories → 0.4 (the amount of weight that you gained) x 7700 (1 kg of fat) = 3080 —> this means I ate 3080 calories too much on average over one week —> 3080/7 (the amount of days in a week) = 440 → this means I ate around 440 calories above my true maintenance calories each day.
Now we can accurately calculate my maintance calories by subtracting 440 calories from what I ate on average over the past 2 weeks which was 2955 calories → 2955 - 440 = 2515 calories which is close to my true maintance.
Note: you will never know your exact maintenance calories because there are so many factors involved than can change your maintenance from day to day. But this method will get you into a close range → so your true caloric maintenance could be somewhere between 2415 - 2615 if you are somewhat consistent with your food intake, hydration and daily movement. If you decide to go on a mountain hike of 8 hours then of course your maintenance will be a lot higher that day. You have to put things into perspective.
T3 is the active thyroid hormone that regulates metabolism. The higher your T3 is, the more energy you burn. If you feel good on 2900 and you’re making progress then there’s no need to up your caloric intake. Only make slight adjustments when it is necessary to do so. Otherwise just stick to what you’re doing. With your physique, you are obviously doing the right thing and shouldn’t worry so much about the details. You got the basics down and probably even more than that. Otherwise you wouldn’t be looking like that. Unless you take drugs, have great genetics and work hard in the gym.
The closest you can come imo is taking care of your gut health, getting enough quality sleep, keeping your stress levels in check and planning strategic time off from the gym or at least deloading to resensitize your dopamine and beta-adrenergic receptors.
That caffeine type of high you’re referring to only occurs in the beginning. Almost everybody builds up a tolerance when they have been drinking coffee or taking caffeine supplements daily. Eventually your receptors will become less and less sensitive, which is also the reason why people will drink or supplement more to chase that stimulating effect they got when they first drank coffee or took caffeine.
From a physiological standpoint, it is impossible to feel that way all the time. Your brain and heart would simply explode (figuratively speaking) when your adrenaline levels are always high. Your body wants to maintain homeostasis and will always find ways to fight you when you’re trying to level up or bypass this process. That’s why your receptors desensitize in the first place. It is a protective mechanism to protect your from yourself so to speak.
Trying this tonight since I bought some dark chocolate today… !
I will stick to 2900 for two more weeks and see what happens. Right now I’m running ia bit hot and keep sweating… so my body definitely doesn’t like this and is turning into a furnace.
Your calculation also seems more realistic. Those online calculators seem a bit high.
Thanks. Promptly attribute it to hard work. Probably too much in my first 3 years bcz the guy I followed on YouTube advocated for super high volume… being ignorant I just did it. No diet advice. Just train till u want to pass out and eat like “a warrior”… no one in my family lifts / my brother tried but gave up and stick with soccer. So no real way to know about genetics.
Never tried drugs but I’d assume I’d blow up if I did try some. And there a side effects …just like excessive caffeine … so I’d rather be 188lbs and lean… than be 250lbs and get a heart attack. (Also heard many pro bodybuilders have died recently because of drugs)
Yea. Thanks the pointers! I will put them to the test and see what happens the next few weeks !
@Andrewgen_Receptors ;
mostly fish, grass fed beef, eggs, potatoes, some veggies, some rice…recently oatmeal (shout out to @lou_smeets ). Avocados… nothing too strict. Blue berries… pineapple…dark chocolate…
Yesterday was day 3 of my attempt to hit 3000 cals. Even tried to eat a loaded bagel (600cals) just for the f*k of it. Almost threw up 20 mins after the bagel. Ended up at 2800 for the day and felt bloated.
Haven’t tried bacon because I read it’s very unhealthy / low quality (but I’m willing to give it a go)
Here’s my plan for today. I still have 300 cals that I need to fill in from somewhere. It’s starting to feel like a chore. I Might just throw in a burger or something.
I think it might be fiber in the sweet potatoe, avocado and veggies combined that is too high. I wonder how pro bodybuilders eat 4000 cals as if it’s nothing.
I would call these more calorically dense than nutrient dense, no? I think of nutrient dense as high micronutrient content for a low caloric intake (bell peppers, mushrooms).
Not that your point is lost in the above; I just know how much we like to argue definitions around here.
Started off at 185-187 lbs (morning weight), now currently at 191~192 lbs (morning weight)
Struggled with ingesting carbs the first 3 weeks, now currently consistent hitting 280-320 g of carbs / day.
Minimized bloating by including rice and bagels (always pairing these carbs with protein/ fats to mimimize insulin spikes and the resulting headaches.
Threw in some icecream here & there to balance out the savory with some sweetness.
Implemented short daily walks / sunlight after big meals to mimimize feeling sleepy and get that good ol vitamin D
** honestly, I’m psychologically tired of bulking. I miss my old self (high adrenaline / drive)… these days I’m more mellow and have a slightly nonchalant vibe. Probably because of high carbs.
Workouts have been good though. Strength is way way up. I actually have more empathy & patience with people with people which is helping some relationships. My tendency to be a leader & set up events with friends has gone up (probably because I have so much energy and don’t know what else to do with it)… in the past I’d have 0 patience for people that didn’t fit my way of life.
Overall I may give this bulking another 2 weeks or so. Maybe even lower carbs just a bit and increase fats. ill probably treat this forum / post as a mini journal so anyone that doesn’t like long posts… beware ha
I should probably start taking progress photos so that I don’t psyche myself out and get fat. For what it’s worth, hamstrings / back seem to be blowing up growing like weeds in an unkept garden.
*** I could be wrong … but I have also discovered that l-tyrosine doesn’t necessarily “increase dopamine”… it seems to be refilling it. Caffeine then pulls the trigger and lets it loose. hmm… I’ll need to check about this some more but that’s my experience this past year (and I only drink 2 cups per week …max)
*** I instinctively feel like I’m doing too much volume (especially on leg days…)but I have no one to compare with. I get results but something tells me I could get results with less…
Here is a sample workout (quad focus leg day)…maybe someone here can tell me if it’s too much…
——————-/-/-/————-
Leg extension (4 sets X 15 reps)
Superset with Body weight squats
Heavy… barbell Front squat (2 sets x 5 reps )
Heavy…Incline Leg press…… (3 sets x 8,7,6 reps )
Heavy.,…Bulgarian Dumbell split squat (3 sets X 6 reps)
Leg extension… (3 set x 20 reps)
Superset with walking DB lunge…(3 sets x 6 steps per leg)
Seated calf raise … (3 sets x 25 reps)
**nothing to failure. Everything with 2 reps left in the tank
—————————————-
Perhaps I should just buy one of @Christian_Thibaudeau program and see what a normal workout should look like… or maybe someone on YouTube might be a good example. (Can’t count on YouTube bodybuilders because they keep getting exposed for drugs … and if someone is enhanced, it’s probably a bad idea to copy them)
2 full months into bulk.
-starting weight 185~187
-current weight 194~197
-body fat: estimate 12-14% ish
10lbs in 2 months… huge fluctuations in weight on some days tells me lots of it is likely water weight (from more carbs), food weight, and some muscle / fat.
Observations:
-not gaining too much fat around belly/Lower back. Most of excess body weight seems to be evenly distributed with the bulk of it going to legs / glutes.
-15 mins post workout cardio (low intensity) seems to be keeping the fat gain in check.
-noticed that when I go out and end up sleeping late (past 11pm)…next day performance drops a bit… even though I still got 8 hrs (sometimes even 9) of sleep… this tells me that going to be earlier is helps waaaay more than going to bed late… even if you sleep the same amount of hours…or a bit less.
-strength going up. Explosiveness on prowler push/med ball excercises going up (as long as I rest enough)
-lots of energy / can’t sit still. I find myself always doing something… be it organizing stuff at home, hitting up friends to go out… rarely any negative thoughts…etc. so hormonally I’m probably in a better place and feeling great.
**overall. Content with my first ever real bulk. Not sure how long I’ll keep pushing but I think 3100cals/ day seems to be my new maintenance.
**bagels, and peanut butter seem to be helping a lot with staying above 3000 cals / day… otherwise, I struggle a lot with eating so much food.
** it will be interesting doing a cut on 2700~2500 cals/ day when that used to be my previous maintenance. Long gone are the days of eating 2000cals / day and expecting to function properly.
… anyway, I don’t expect you to respond to everything in about to say here since you probably have things to do etc but this is just me responding since you put a lot into my last reponse… cheers to that!
