TT Eric diet log 2014

[TT Eric]

Whey can raise insulin pretty much I've read. I take it year round, usually 4x per day. A little in the morning with raw milk/eggs/berries/avocado in a smoothie, pre and post workout and before bed in raw milk. Pretty much the same on diet, without the carbs and with less fat.

I've been using the same whey isolate protein for the last 10 years (best tasting ever), very high quality and sometime I throw a odd random whey Isolate from another manufacturer to add a little variety. I still cannot be 100% sure they had carbs in it, but the clerk said to my training partner (learned this 2 days ago) they only got this protein for a one shot deal sale promo and he said it's absolute crap! A huge oversight of me vs my habits.

The problem with me starting with a higher BF% this year is due to last year diet: I've failed royally. Last year, I started at 197lbs and it was going so bad that I had to call it off after 2 months, ended-up with me starting to resume off season diet at 193lbs. So it was hard to stay lean when I did not actually got lean, insulin sensibility was far from being optimal. This year dieting went much better, even better then in 2012 (I went down to 173lbs that year) and will be able to start my off season leaner, so it will easier to stay leaner. I already looking forward next year's diet to lean even more.

Also I will try a different carb protocol this year and I think it will help me lean even better next year.

Yes I agree it all comes down to what the mirror says and this is why I've asked about BF% because the mirror says I should have leaned more then when I actually have, suggesting my LBM went down.

Eric

[steve_d]

The problem with me starting with a higher BF% this year is due to last year diet: I've failed royally. Last year, I started at 197lbs and it was going so bad that I had to call it off after 2 months, ended-up with me starting to resume off season diet at 193lbs. So it was hard to stay lean when I did not actually got lean, insulin sensibility was far from being optimal. This year dieting went much better, even better then in 2012 (I went down to 173lbs that year) and will be able to start my off season leaner, so it will easier to stay leaner. I already looking forward next year's diet to lean even more.

Also I will try a different carb protocol this year and I think it will help me lean even better next year.

Eric

The problem might be that you might be over-complicating your offseason diet. Just because you didn't end up in the 170s to 'start' offseason, doesn't mean you need to go up the same number of pounds from your starting point. If you start at 170 and have a plan to eat x amount for y months, it doesn't mean you should still gain x if you started at 195 rather than 170! Of course, anyone is free to disagree with me, but the way to grow isn't restricted to yo-yo year after year. People who compete every year don't gain more muscle than people who just stay fat and compete every 2 years, or people who stay relatively lean and compete every 2-3 years. Take it from me. I've competed year after year, yo-yo. I've also competed every 2 years, and have also had 3-5 year lay-offs from competing. Sometimes I've been focused 100% on building muscle 'optimally' by the books. Other times I've just enjoyed life and food and ate when I felt like it.

When were my best gains? When I didn't diet for a while, and when I stayed at a comfortable level of bodyfat where my lifts and workouts were great - & when I didn't suffer from acid reflux because of eating too much junk. My best gains came after my body fat levels stabilized, NOT when I was going from lean to getting less lean, transitioning into off-season. Going from single digit bodyfat % to double digits body fat % to me is an adjustment period, rather than a time to enjoy post competition rebound, or insulin sensitivities, etc etc. That time is getting my strength back to what it once was. It isn't until I have normalized where my lifts are back to par, and it isn't until then I start breaking PRs, and gaining muscle. It's a process, and I don't think you can divide your year into leaning out, and gaining, or however many phases you want to split the year into... Why split it by 1 year chunks? The year is simply a calendar function. Your body doesn't go through yearly phases other than your age going up by 1. Similar to weekly training phases... Why should every monday be the same workout? Maybe you're better on a 5 day routine, or a 9 day. or whatever... Why do you need a cheat every 7 days... perhaps every 6 is best? Maybe every 10... Food for thought.

[TT Eric]

I hear you and I agree, I already gave some thought to this some time ago, I felt that it 'could' be more beneficial to me to cheat every 5 days since I cannot shovel a lot of food at once, but on the another hand, socially it's easier to have your cheat meal the weekend when you can have a good time with friends rather then cheating most of the time in the week days (avoiding conflict at home also when you cannot eat the same food you give to your guests). Also thought about having some flexibility about when dieting, but again I do not have much flexibility since we have 5 weeks of vacation per year and we travel usually 3x per year, one week usually around March (spring break), one at falls, usually November near her birthday or in the Holidays and 3 weeks in August. So the only time I can have 4 months in a row for sure is between April and August and also it's the best time to walk outside when the sun is out. Same for the routine splits, I keep Saturday off for family time, so it's also more functional to do a 7 day schedule to keep Saturday off limit.

As for my weight I agree, trying to stay as lean as I can while packing muscle is definitely a goal for me. I think it will be easier this year to stay lean, as I've learned a bit more and will start my off-season leaner, I also look back at the last 2-3 years as a time I needed to get acquainted with my 40+ y/o body and how it react to training and diet, it is surely not the same as back in the time when I was young and I was not packing fat easily even when eating insane amount of foods, it's like my 'settings' needed to be updated with new parameters. In fact I would even say I'll need another off season or 2 to be 'fine-tuned'. Like I said this year I want to try a completely different carb protocol, so it will be another year to experiment. I'm confident it will improve things, but we will see.

Like you I like to re-think things and try different avenues, improving here and there. I do not try to re-invent the wheel, but let say I like to try different wheels and tires and learn on the way.

Thanks

Eric

[steve_d]

Also thought about having some flexibility about when dieting, but again I do not have much flexibility since we have 5 weeks of vacation per year and we travel usually 3x per year, one week usually around March (spring break), one at falls, usually November near her birthday or in the Holidays and 3 weeks in August. So the only time I can have 4 months in a row for sure is between April and August and also it's the best time to walk outside when the sun is out. Same for the routine splits, I keep Saturday off for family time, so it's also more functional to do a 7 day schedule to keep Saturday off limit.

With Saturday off gym, that doesn't mean you need to have a 7 day split. If you have 3 workout days, then yes, that's the way it will end up, (ex monday will always be a squat day). But If you have 4 or 5 workout days, they just end up rotating each week, no matter which day you have off.

If you are dieting for a show, and you are focused completely on having an unselfish prep, then you'd probably want to have the show at the end of the period where you have those 4 months in a row. But I guess my point above, was more so that you don't actually need to be doing the yo-yo, and having 4 months of leaning out, and the rest gaining. I think one can easily gain properly without a 'cut' and 'bulk' cycle approach. I think you'd find it a hell of a lot easier if you didn't have months where your lifts are all going down and months where they were going up (completely due to diet).

1. You mentioned doing it for insulin sensitivity post diet, maximizing gains. Even if there is any truth to it, the net effect is quite small, and I'd favor an approach that keeps you in an optimal bodyfat level ALL the time, rather than yoyo. My analogy here is this... In a cycling race (time trial), do people get off their bike at the bottom of the hill so that they are rested to get up the top faster? Or do they pace themselves the whole way? Sure, the time for the climb might be slower, but they've made up for it by doing everything else better. My point is that all this time dieting might be setting yourself up for a nice rebound, but how are the gains coming right now?

2. You mentioned before this might be just a trial to see how you might respond in the future to a diet for a bodybuilding contest. My analogy can be like this... how many parents practice being a parent before having kids? How many are actually ready for it? None... you just do it. After your next show, you'll learn a few things and might want to do it again, and you'll be better prepared each and every time. But like kids, each show and prep will be different.

Don't get me wrong, even without bodybuilding shows, its still fun to push your body to limits, and get ripped from time to time... but don't do it because you think it might be optimal for 'gains' or as a practice run!

[TT Eric]

True I don't need a 7 day split, it just suits me well actually, but if I could see a benefit from changing to a different split I would not mind changing.

But how can one gain without being in a caloric surplus ? Eating maintenance like I tried to do for the 20 last years or so helped me maintain a decent waist line, but while training to gain, I don't see how I could gain with maintenance ? If you have a way I don't know, please share!

It make look like it, but I don't see myself playing yo-yo in the sense that I don't do rebound, after the diet I just resume eating in a caloric surplus and my weight doesn't bounce, beside the water since I've gone back using carbs for fuel. For me 'cut & bulk' means eating like almost like pork off season to add weight as much as possible and cutting drastically, this is not what I do, I try to eat enough to be in a slight surplus and gain the less fat possible, aiming for LBM gain.

I see a lot of competitors dieting and then when it's over, eating way too much and bloat like crazy, re-gaining their weight. I think it's unhealthy and a huge waste. This is not what I do! I think I'll start a off season log after the diet and I will post my diet, my weight, pictures and stuff regularly, you'll see by yourself how I do and I'm very open to suggestion and I appreciate people's comments.

As for insulin sensibility, I'm no expert, but I would tend to believe insulin sensibility is better when lean, it just make sense. I might be wrong, but after having talked with guys like Ted and SS, for now I think getting lean is optimal for making gain.

And like I said earlier, I don't see the bad in dieting to know better my body and be ready for competing, the last 2 runs if I was doing it to compete I would have failed, so it's a good thing I did it when it didn't really matter IMO. I see this as a time to learn (often by my mistake) and get better at it.

Eric

[steve_d]

Competing isn't too bad... Any diet works, as long as your consistent. The only difference is how you enjoy that specific diet. Some are just harder psychologically. That's why I don't think there is anything like doing a real prep to learn your body. Eat less, do more, get shredded! If you're committed to competing you won't fail. The diet you're on now will not lead to failure, if you can follow it. Any diet is the same way - you just need an objective eye to say whether or not your progressing at the right pace. And by show time, if you're not ready, you've just learned you might need to start a couple weeks sooner, etc etc.

When I say rebound, I don't mean eating junk, I mean in general, the time from when you're shredded to when you've gotten back to where you were. There is NO way I believe that had you stayed constant, you wouldn't have gained just as much muscle, if not maybe even more. Dieting to me is counter productive to muscle gain.

Gaining muscle while not in a caloric surplus. My answer won't be popular, but I believe it is possible. Natural or not. However, that doesn't mean eating 1000 calories over maintenance. 50 calories over maintenance is still over maintenance, and its not as simple as that. you're body doesn't just decide "I ate 50 calories less than yesterday, therefore I can't gain muscle today". It's a process. It's over months and years, not days. Besides, your body also has to distinguish macros, so is there an 'over maintenance' protein definition, fat, carbs? What about nutrient timing? If you do everything correctly, then it's possible to gain more muscle on less calories than someone else eating 'over maintenance'. My argument is that if one person decides they can gain and cut over a period of a year in different periods, than why not use the same theory over say 1 month gain, 1 month cut, or push it further to this week I am gaining, next I am cutting... Or daily, this day I gain, tomorrow I am cutting. I know it sounds silly, but I truly think it is WAY over-simplified when people go and do the bulk cut cycles. I don't think it's necessary, and I've gained muscle over a year while eating low calories. in 1 year I went from 170 at approx 12-13% to 170 at approx 9-10%. I was very very meticulous with calories, and weighing myself, and it was simply time and consistent training allowing me to gain muscle at the rate my body wanted to gain. I got leaner in the process. This was natural, this wasn't when I was in puberty, and this was not after a layoff from the gym. I just wanted to see if it was possible, and I basically weighed myself daily and trained hard, ate perfect and if my weight went up, I ate cleaner for a couple days. So technically, I was gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

[cog]

Competing isn't too bad... Any diet works, as long as your consistent. The only difference is how you enjoy that specific diet. Some are just harder psychologically. That's why I don't think there is anything like doing a real prep to learn your body. Eat less, do more, get shredded! If you're committed to competing you won't fail. The diet you're on now will not lead to failure, if you can follow it. Any diet is the same way - you just need an objective eye to say whether or not your progressing at the right pace. And by show time, if you're not ready, you've just learned you might need to start a couple weeks sooner, etc etc.

When I say rebound, I don't mean eating junk, I mean in general, the time from when you're shredded to when you've gotten back to where you were. There is NO way I believe that had you stayed constant, you wouldn't have gained just as much muscle, if not maybe even more. Dieting to me is counter productive to muscle gain.

Gaining muscle while not in a caloric surplus. My answer won't be popular, but I believe it is possible. Natural or not. However, that doesn't mean eating 1000 calories over maintenance. 50 calories over maintenance is still over maintenance, and its not as simple as that. you're body doesn't just decide "I ate 50 calories less than yesterday, therefore I can't gain muscle today". It's a process. It's over months and years, not days. Besides, your body also has to distinguish macros, so is there an 'over maintenance' protein definition, fat, carbs? What about nutrient timing? If you do everything correctly, then it's possible to gain more muscle on less calories than someone else eating 'over maintenance'. My argument is that if one person decides they can gain and cut over a period of a year in different periods, than why not use the same theory over say 1 month gain, 1 month cut, or push it further to this week I am gaining, next I am cutting... Or daily, this day I gain, tomorrow I am cutting. I know it sounds silly, but I truly think it is WAY over-simplified when people go and do the bulk cut cycles. I don't think it's necessary, and I've gained muscle over a year while eating low calories. in 1 year I went from 170 at approx 12-13% to 170 at approx 9-10%. I was very very meticulous with calories, and weighing myself, and it was simply time and consistent training allowing me to gain muscle at the rate my body wanted to gain. I got leaner in the process. This was natural, this wasn't when I was in puberty, and this was not after a layoff from the gym. I just wanted to see if it was possible, and I basically weighed myself daily and trained hard, ate perfect and if my weight went up, I ate cleaner for a couple days. So technically, I was gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

Believe this to be correct.Its just a smaller ledge you're treading,and not the spectacular gains some people expect.

[Praetorian]

I agree with Steve yes you can gain muscle while losing fat but what confuses people is the phrase "at the same time" technically its not at the same moment in time...but it depends what time frame you are speaking about. If the time frame is a week then yes you can use a protocol similar to what Dr Mauro Dipasquale spoke of and lose fat mon to fri and gain muscle sat and sun. Its not overly efficient but in the end i would agree some muscle would be built. The most important aspect is to use a nutrition program that works well and to get as lean as possible with the least amount of overall stress. Once dieted down use an off season program that maximizes muscle growth and minimizes fat gain...to me this means not going over 10-12% BF..this is not that difficult. Most people struggle because they make simple mistakes that make fat loss and muscle gain difficult. Years ago after one precontest diet working with DP I learned more in 4 months and went from getting lean to striated glutes...doing nothing more stopping the mistakes i was making. One thing that Ive learned and what usually determine a clients success or failure is how they respond to carbs and why. Most people either demonize carbs or think they cant live without them..the truth is it something more in the middle.

P

[TT Eric]

Ok I see your point it make sense. I will definitely start an after diet log and will keep things available to suggestions. I already have a good idea of what I want to try peri-workout and I had already planned to aim for a smaller caloric surplus then what I have done last year. I wish to stay leaner year round and be closer to be competition ready.

Eric

[TT Eric]

I agree with Steve yes you can gain muscle while losing fat but what confuses people is the phrase "at the same time" technically its not at the same moment in time...but it depends what time frame you are speaking about. If the time frame is a week then yes you can use a protocol similar to what Dr Mauro Dipasquale spoke of and lose fat mon to fri and gain muscle sat and sun. Its not overly efficient but in the end i would agree some muscle would be built. The most important aspect is to use a nutrition program that works well and to get as lean as possible with the least amount of overall stress. Once dieted down use an off season program that maximizes muscle growth and minimizes fat gain...to me this means not going over 10-12% BF..this is not that difficult. Most people struggle because they make simple mistakes that make fat loss and muscle gain difficult. Years ago after one precontest diet working with DP I learned more in 4 months and went from getting lean to striated glutes...doing nothing more stopping the mistakes i was making. One thing that Ive learned and what usually determine a clients success or failure is how they respond to carbs and why. Most people either demonize carbs or think they cant live without them..the truth is it something more in the middle.

P

Nice that you confirm what Steve was saying! I'm still in a learning process and learning through trial and mistakes, you guys help me doing less mistakes and I thank you for that! I might not reach a competition ready state again this year because of the 20 weeks time limitation I have, but I think I'll be close and next year it will be easier to get there.

Eric