This is my second week of my bulk. Up to this point, I’ve just been eating plenty of calories: plenty of protein, carbs and some EFAs, monos, polys, and a little saturated. I’ve been having protein rich meals, most with carbs and some fat all together. Fat’s been about 20% of calories and the balance has been an even split between protein and carbs or protein-heavy.
But I want to switch to a Massive Eating plan. I had a couple questions. On non-workout days, I believe you’re supposed to eat the same amount of calories. Do you follow the same timing of P + C meals and P + F meals? Is the only difference no PWO shake? Also, if i was to work out in the afternoon or mid-afternoon as opposed to morning or night, is eating P + F meals the best thing to do until workout. This would probably be 2-3 meals depending on time of the workout. Then obviously P + C meals. And finish with a P + F meal before bed?
Finally, could I have a P + C meal as my pre-workout meal for energy? unecessary? detrimental? Any help with these questions is much appreciated. Thanks.
Yes, you can have a pre-workout meal w/ carbs for energy. Regarding all of your questions, do what works for you and your life. The rules are not set in stone, and people are way too anal about the whole guidelines. Combining fat&carbs in a meal really isn’t that bad, given the 2 are wise choices. The exception is PWO when fat isn’t preferable.
For example, in the morning you can eat a bowl of oatmeal w/ some nuts or natural PB thrown in even though this “breaks the rules”. You should look @ Dan John’s article on the history of dieting. Also, read JB’s article on the 7 Habits of Effective nutrition programs. Those are good reads for you.
vandalay15 gave good advice when saying not all the rules are set in stone. It will probably take some trial & error on your part. I eat only fruits and veggies as carbs unless it’s during/post workout. However, if I am “Massive Eating” I will have more P + C meals throughout the day. I can get away w/ this w/o much (if any) fat gain. If I couldn’t get away with it, I would follow “the rules” more strictly. So see what you can get away with (so to speak) and you’ll find out what works best for you.
GL,
Danny
Dr. B is the man. Read ALL of his stuff, digest it, then start reading others. You’ll find that nutritional choices around the workouts are the most important. So no matter when you train, eat some P + C for the next at least two hours after training.
Other then that P + C early and P + F late. It’s not that complicated really, Dr. B has done all the geek work, all you need to do is implement what he writes about.
Also, you’ll find Dr. L backs up quite a bit of what Dr. B writes, so I’d read him next. After a good foundation, read others.
Rolo
Thanks for the input guys. I plan to follow everything very strictly except for eating a P + C meal before lifting. As eating this way becomes old hat and I see how my bulk’s continuing, I feel like I’ll be able to tweak it a little more as I learn what’s best for me.
jsbrook, you do not need to follow the guidelines strictly while bulking. if you really want to gain some muscle, strictly following these guidelines won’t be practical or as beneficial as it could be. Yes, follow the general principles but keep in mind JB himself doesn’t always adhere to these guidelines. Don’t become a victim of obsessing about Protein/carb meals and protein/fat meals. Have some balance and variety. It’s most important to eat healthy foods. If you’re going to have an omelette w/ steak&cheese, does this mean you can’t have an apple along with the meal because its a carb? If it gets to this point, you have a problem. The times when the guidelines matter most is around the workout, when you should minimize fats
Thanks vandalay. After considering a little bit more, I’ve been thinking along the same lines myself. I will stick to the general principles, but I won’t obsess over it. I have been very careful with with PWO shake and my other post and pre-workout nutrition up to this point. I think the most important thing for me to be doing is getting enough protein and calories. It seems like Berardi’s principles are designed to achieve this and be able to get in plenty of good carbs and healthy fat without adding too much bodyfat. As everyone tells me when I posted my pics, I’m a skinny bastard, so I’m not too worried about putting on a little fat. I’m also young. I feel like my metabolism is stoked since I’ve both stepped up my training and started eating to bulk. I’ll see where the current bulk takes me. Thanks!
I wouldn’t obsess over it, becuase it is likely that you will adhere to the plan in the long-term.
The food combining/nutrient timing ideas are more important hypercaloric than they are hypocaloric. Partially because they don’t allow for silly food choices that will preferentially be stored as fat (doughnuts, ice cream, pizza, fast food) meanning you are only putting quality nutrients in your body to fuel growth.
To reiterate what others have said: P+F can have some carbs from naturally high fiber/fructose sources (fruit, beans, definitely vegetables) because insulin responds to those very much like protein.
Yes, that makes sense to me Sammy. I agree. That’s about what I’ll be doing. Thanks.