[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
First, congrats on your weight loss. Now, a few things to keep in mind. First, your “maintenance” calories are most likely not what you think they are. Everyone’s metabolism takes a hit when dieting, no matter how intelligently you attend to details. Take a guess at your #s, and keep in mind that there will be some initial weight gain from water and glycogen (not muscle, nor fat). Give yourself a couple of weeks to not just go by the scale, but the mirror, and be realistic about your caloric range.
The ‘Rebound Effect’ is grossly overestimated by most trainers. A depressed metabolic rate, and depleted levels in the body will not set you up for a magic increase in your genetically determined protein synthesis rate. It will however allow you to store a ridiculous amount of bodyfat at a rate you previously would not have. I’ve seen many trainers and competitors (and been guilty myself myself) try to bank on that rebound, only to diet down the next year and be a whole pound heavier, if not the same weight as before. Taking advantage of your body’s heightened insulin sensitivity post diet will allow you to work your #s up in incremental steps, allowing your metabolism to pick up speed, while your body puts on muscle as a realistic pace, leading to a much more impressive body composition (205 lbs post diet done correctly is going to look much bigger and leaner than 205 lbs on the way down during the actual diet)
S[/quote]
Awesome info Stu, thanks. What’s the best way to estimate my maintenance calories? There are a bunch of different calculators out there. When I did my diet I used BW x 15 and subtracted 500 cals initially and adjusted from there.
Also, what’s your opinion on carb cycling while bulking?