Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
Ok, so I have a couple of questions but let me start with the stats.
I'm 6', 175 lbs., and am 20 years old. Today was my usual day off (or two) during the week after my biceps/triceps/shoulders/abs workout day yesterday.
I have been taking Creatine for about a week and notice how great it is working for me. I had a feeling I would be a good responder because I don't eat that much red meat.
I am on a slow clean bulk/want to lose fat and put on muscle phase (aren't we all).
So, I tracked my caloric intake with fitday today and wanted to know what you guys think. Am I eating enough, or too little for my goals, etc?
PS: By the way, I take a Multi Vitamin in the morning, with L-Carnitine. Throughout the day I take 6 Fish Oil Capsules which are included in my daily totals above. I read in Men's Fitness L-Carnitine was supposed to burn fat stored for energy and was wondering what you guys thought about that and if it has worked for anyone.
PSS: I usually take in 400 more calories on my workout days.
IMO you are not eating enough, even for an off day, considering your height, weight, and goals(bulking).
You prolly want to bump those calories close to 3000 a day on your training days and slightly less on your off days. But dont do this all in one day....slowly up your intake over a few weeks.
Ripstone is right, you need to eat more to put on some size.
Keep your off day calories pretty close to your training day nutrition, protein synthesis is elevated for ~36 hours after a workout, take advantage of it.
Here's the thing, I really do not, and I mean DO NOT want to gain fat. I say this because I gain fat easily and want to keep my six pack. So, if you think if I stick to clean foods and slowly build up the cals that I gain seriously minimalize fat gain?
Also, how does Creatine play into all of this. Won't I be able to keep cals a little lower than usual because I am taking it? Thanks for the replies guys.
Clark- I used to be in your boat. I was afraid if I ate a "massive" 3000 calorie diet I would get fat. I was wrong. I have been eating around 3000 cals for the past 4 weeks now and I have gained 7-8 pounds of almost all muscle. I know it's almost all muscle cus I just got my bf% tested and it did not go up at all. If you are eating clean and excersisng you won't get fat eating 3000 cals a day. You have to get over the mental hurdle of thinking you are gonna get fat...its not gonna happen.
Yeah, that hurdle is a pretty big one.... It's so damn mental isn't it?!?!?! However I never have eaten that much and have stopped gaining muscle and strength pretty much (until the Creatine about a week ago). I guess now would be the best time, it's still a few months before Spring Break and when I need to do that uber-cut for the beach come the break I can do that for a month after really clean bulking for a few months. Now, I just need to get the whole clean living part of this equation down....
Yup it's a mental barrier but if I can get over it, so can you. This time last year I was on the verge of anorexia. I counted all my calories and was upset if I ate more then 1500 per day. Now, I am eating 3000 per day, feeling and looking great.
Clark, I'm in the same boat, being a FFB (former fat boy), and like Rip, I've been able to overcome it and see some real growth. I've put on almost 10 lbs. of lean body mass in about 6 weeks eating about 3000 clean cals per day. It's a huge mental hurdle. The way I got over it was to change my focus from getting "cut" and keeping off bodyfat to getting stronger and bigger. That little mental switch allowed me to eat more without feeling guilty (I stopped counting calories as well). Also as an added bonus all my lifts have gone up about 15% in weight.
Try increasing your cals by 500 for a week, and check yourself at the end of the week for weight gain. If you don't gain about 1lb, add 500 more the next week. Believe me, it's actually pretty tough to get fat eating clean. And those abs won't disappear (mine have actually gotten more defined!)
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Train for a better life.
'You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." -Charles Poliquin-
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Nice, Clark. Give it a week at around that number and see if your weight changes, or more importantly gauge how you feel. If you feel stronger, and you gained a pound or two, stay at that level. If not, increase it another 500 cals. Good luck man, and believe me. It pays off.
__________________
Train for a better life.
'You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." -Charles Poliquin-
->I want stronger friends.
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