Hey Thrax, seeing as how I am very new to Icrontic I don't know you at all, but I found this thread really encouraging as I am about to start my own exercise regimen come this Monday.
Only my goal is to add weight (via muscle mass) for once in my life!
Alright, back on the treadmill. Squat, bench and DL are holding steady, and I've confirmed my weight at 181.6. Here's to those last 6-8 pounds. Home stretch.
I've been following your thread closely, good sir! You've been making great progress!
And speaking of progress, I have moved a smidge closer to my goal with a 1 pound drop to 180.6. HUZZAH. I am starting to get vascularity in both of my arms, and I can see the faint shadow of the veins in my biceps... MUST LOSE MOAR FAT.
Damn, dude. You're doing great at losing weight. I'd refer my coworker to you (since he's got a gut he wants to lose), but he's not internet-enabled (or even overly PC-enabled, to my knowledge).
Weight fluctuates up and down in the neighborhood of 2-5 pounds daily depending on water retention and amount of food consumed that hasn't been "processed" yet. Particularly if you've had a day heavy on salt, water retention can temporarily add a lot to your weight.
Right. Going into the LAN, for example, I weighed exactly 183 pounds. On the final day of the LAN, I weighed 190.3 pounds. 48 hours after the LAN, I was back to 183.
This means that I was carrying approximately 7 pounds of water, food and whatnot. This is also why I systematically weigh myself in specific conditions:
1. I weigh myself Saturday morning.
2. I must have 8 hours of sleep from the night prior.
3. My last meal can be no sooner than 3 hours prior to sleep the night before.
4. My last meal before sleeping must always be the same.
5. Friday must be a day where I have cycled exactly 9.6 miles.
These conditions assure that the weight measurements will be relatively accurate and free of fluctuation week to week.
Good call on the consistency. That's probably the best way to keep an accurate log of it.
Since I'm trying to go the opposite direction (currently 130 pounds and gradually climbing), I don't keep very careful track of mine. I only weigh myself once in a while to make sure it isn't trending down. I'm pretty sure it's not, though, because I can see the new muscle growing onto me.
Yeah, when I was bulking (I went from 171 to 200 lbs), I stepped on the scale every two weeks or so. I didn't really care much, because I knew it would go at the pace it wanted, and my diet was clean.
I made the fortunate discovery that my initial thoughts on whey protein (that it upset my stomach) were not in fact correct. Since I have a good 2/3 of a kilo of it still, I mixed a glass and drank it... and lo and behold... nothing happened. I felt like I'd drank a glass of koolaid.
This is very good, since my stomach often refuses to contain as much food as I'd like it to after a workout. Carbs don't cause much trouble, but my belly's very finicky with protein/fat/salt, or any combination of the 3. Has made my diet rather more interesting to figure out than a normal bodybuilder.
All in all, I think I'm definitely going to add anywhere between 8-15 pounds to my frame when I resume mass-building. There are a few areas that did not turn out as well as I wanted, and my overall size is going to be smaller than my original goal. So I'll get to that goal throughout this winter, and then see where I stand.
174.4. It appears that it's working. I've been pondering the +10-15 pounds idea since I last posted, and I'm pretty resolved in the notion.
I'm already certain I'm gonna go with a 4 day split, on/on/off/on/on/off/off, and try high-calorie carb cycling throughout my bulk phase to minimize fat generation.
I've also been considering my programming: I am most certainly going to add some form of forearm exercise -- hammer curl or reverse curls -- and bring the pain on my chest, possibly with a pec deck.
As this is my last BIG chance to get everything in proportion, I have to make sure this goes right. I don't want to spend months playing fiddly games later on, so I'm gonna keep my October/November bulk start go super clean.
My musculature is starting to show, but not in the dimensions I had hoped for when I began this time last year. That said, I also knew this would be a 2+ year process, and the first year is just drawing to a close. I am pleased that I was able to put on about 20 pounds of lean muscle in just 7 months; that's very good progress. Sue me for wanting more.
Discipline will get me to my goals, so discipline it is.
Today was the best day at the gym I've had in a very long time. I moved all of my lifts up either by reps or by weight, and everything just felt easier. I cannot even begin to express how good it feels to have some carbs back in my system.
It's pretty early on, but I think this carb cycling business was a fantastic idea, and I wish I had done it sooner.
From a guy that nearly killed himself losing weight, you've been a great inspiration to me and getting my arse back where I was in the military. I look forward to ICOK to discuss our biceps
I think 174.4 was a fluke of the scale. THe lowest I've seen it since is 175.8, and that is today. Looks like carb cycling may have jumpstarted my metabolism? We'll see.
20 pounds of lean muscle in 7 months is amazing. If I can match that I'll be at my initial 150-pound target by february. Keep poking me to make sure I'm following through in my thread prz!
I can't believe how well this is working. Not only do I have more energy for lifting (I AM FINALLY MAKING GAINS ON SQUATS AGAIN OMG), I am still losing weight and not busting my ass on the bike. I LOVE CARB CYCLING.
I seem to have tapered out around 172.8 pounds super dry, but between labor day and time with friends, my diet has not been the best.
To compensate for the short amount of time I have before ICOK where I desperately hope I can use my main costume idea, I am reconfiguring my diet to lose approximately 2 pounds per week, if my calculations are right.
Here are my numbers, and what I'm eating:
Sunday: Low carb (2000 calories)
Monday: No carb (1420 calories)
Tuesday: High carb (2364 calories)
Friday: No carb (1420 calories)
Thursday: Low carb (2000 calories)
Friday: No carb (1420 calories)
Saturday: High carb (3000 calories)
Meal 1: Protein shake
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 6oz Chicken
Meal 3: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 1 can Green Beans
Meal 4: Protein shake
Meal 5: 6 oz. chicken
Low Carb 235g protein/189g carb/33g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 1 can green beans
Meal 4: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 5: 8oz chicken
High Carb 248g protein/261g carb/39g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 4: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 5: 8oz chicken + green beans
High Carb+ At least 248g protein/261g carb/39g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 2: 452g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 4: Dinner with someone
Meal 5: 8oz chicken + 1 can green beans
NOTES:
Each day consists of five meals, without exception.
Each day is supplemented with 1 gallon of water and 20-30g of Omega 3 fish oil.
My low carb days are backed by 10mi of cycling. Let's do this.
My protein shakes provide 4 cups of water and approx. 40g of protein.
Meal 4 on Tues/Thurs/Sun. is my post-workout meal.
Oatmeal volume is in dry oats.
My calorie intake is determined by the following formulas:
Protein: (WEIGHT*1.4) in grams, divided across five meals.
Ex: I am 172 pounds. 172 * 1.4 = 240g in protein, or an ideal of 48g of protein for every meal.
Carbs: (WEIGHT/2) in grams per direct carb meal.
Ex: I am 172 pounds. 172/2 = 86g of oatmeal/brown rice/sweet potato carb grams per carb meal.
Fat: As little as possible.
"Direct carb" means you're specifically eating a carbohydrate. Protein powders, turkey, 0% fat cottage cheese and fruits all have incidental carbohydrates that don't count towards the total
THEORY:
Eating a piece of fruit with each carbohydrate meal will elevate liver glycogen and promote weight loss.
The zero carb days will provide tremendous fat burning due to cardio, pseudo-ketogenic insulin/glycogen levels and an extreme caloric deficit.
Sandwiching low-calorie/zero carb days between calorie and carbohydrate-rich days should avoid the penalties of starvation mode.
Maintaining 4 days with heightened carbohydrate intake should elevate my overall metabolism, and promote superior gym performance.
This plan is psychologically--and nutritionally--satisfying, as it provides high protein (>200g), extremely low fat (<40g), and variable carbohydrate to keep it exciting.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
You weirdo texture people who are squicked out at the thought of cottage cheese and/or dairy may replace it with any low or zero-fat protein source.
Green beans may be replaced with 1.5 cups of any green vegetable: Asparagus, broccoli and spinach are good examples.
Oatmeal may be replaced with: 100% ground durum wheat noodles, sweet potatoes or brown rice.
People who will be slowly driven insane by 7 days/week of chicken are free to replace it with white turkey meat or bison.
People who don't like apples may replace them: Plums, pears and oranges are acceptable. Bananas, kiwi and berries are not.
Is there any other protein source besides chicken you can recommend? most people don't have the psychological capability to eat nothing but chicken as a protein source, especially when they have other people living with them.
Tuna is the only lean protein source I can eat that is a "meat". Mmmmm mercury!
Thrax, what brand of 0% cottage cheese do you eat? I have had a lot of trouble finding one that I find palatable due to flavor. I never mind the texture of cottage cheese, though. I've taken to eating the 2% stuff but it's still got a bunch of saturated fat in it.
Comments
Only my goal is to add weight (via muscle mass) for once in my life!
Anyway, keep at it and good luck.
Check out my progress as well, I have really broken my plateau. Back on track
And speaking of progress, I have moved a smidge closer to my goal with a 1 pound drop to 180.6. HUZZAH. I am starting to get vascularity in both of my arms, and I can see the faint shadow of the veins in my biceps... MUST LOSE MOAR FAT.
THIS GUY.
This is the first time I've been under 180 pounds in nearly a year. SO FUCKING CLOSE.
Weight fluctuates up and down in the neighborhood of 2-5 pounds daily depending on water retention and amount of food consumed that hasn't been "processed" yet. Particularly if you've had a day heavy on salt, water retention can temporarily add a lot to your weight.
This means that I was carrying approximately 7 pounds of water, food and whatnot. This is also why I systematically weigh myself in specific conditions:
1. I weigh myself Saturday morning.
2. I must have 8 hours of sleep from the night prior.
3. My last meal can be no sooner than 3 hours prior to sleep the night before.
4. My last meal before sleeping must always be the same.
5. Friday must be a day where I have cycled exactly 9.6 miles.
These conditions assure that the weight measurements will be relatively accurate and free of fluctuation week to week.
Since I'm trying to go the opposite direction (currently 130 pounds and gradually climbing), I don't keep very careful track of mine. I only weigh myself once in a while to make sure it isn't trending down. I'm pretty sure it's not, though, because I can see the new muscle growing onto me.
This is very good, since my stomach often refuses to contain as much food as I'd like it to after a workout. Carbs don't cause much trouble, but my belly's very finicky with protein/fat/salt, or any combination of the 3. Has made my diet rather more interesting to figure out than a normal bodybuilder.
I'm making about a pound every 7-10 days, but I think it can be a little faster.
I'm going to see how this week pans out, then give carb cycling a shot if I stalled.
TL;DR VERSION:
Saturday: Carb+
Sunday: low carb
Monday: no carb
Tuesday: low carb
Wednesday: High carb
Thursday: Low carb
Friday: No carb
HIGH CARB+:
Three meals with unlimited carbohydrates of any source
HIGH CARB:
Clean carb breakfast
1 pre-workout clean carb meal
1 post-workout clean carb meal
LOW CARB:
89g Clean carb breakfast
89g Clean carb post-workout meal
NO CARB:
Current carb-free
All in all, I think I'm definitely going to add anywhere between 8-15 pounds to my frame when I resume mass-building. There are a few areas that did not turn out as well as I wanted, and my overall size is going to be smaller than my original goal. So I'll get to that goal throughout this winter, and then see where I stand.
I'm already certain I'm gonna go with a 4 day split, on/on/off/on/on/off/off, and try high-calorie carb cycling throughout my bulk phase to minimize fat generation.
I've also been considering my programming: I am most certainly going to add some form of forearm exercise -- hammer curl or reverse curls -- and bring the pain on my chest, possibly with a pec deck.
As this is my last BIG chance to get everything in proportion, I have to make sure this goes right. I don't want to spend months playing fiddly games later on, so I'm gonna keep my October/November bulk start go super clean.
My musculature is starting to show, but not in the dimensions I had hoped for when I began this time last year. That said, I also knew this would be a 2+ year process, and the first year is just drawing to a close. I am pleased that I was able to put on about 20 pounds of lean muscle in just 7 months; that's very good progress. Sue me for wanting more.
Discipline will get me to my goals, so discipline it is.
It's pretty early on, but I think this carb cycling business was a fantastic idea, and I wish I had done it sooner.
That's 1 pound per week with no cardio. That's the same results I was getting with no carbs 6 days a week, and 3 days of cardio to boot.
As for me, I have no need for it. I can stuff carbs down my throat all day without gaining fat. ^.^
To compensate for the short amount of time I have before ICOK where I desperately hope I can use my main costume idea, I am reconfiguring my diet to lose approximately 2 pounds per week, if my calculations are right.
Here are my numbers, and what I'm eating:
Sunday: Low carb (2000 calories)
Monday: No carb (1420 calories)
Tuesday: High carb (2364 calories)
Friday: No carb (1420 calories)
Thursday: Low carb (2000 calories)
Friday: No carb (1420 calories)
Saturday: High carb (3000 calories)
Weekly burn (Est. 3100*7): 21700
Weekly intake: 13624
Deficit: 8076 (2.3lbs)
No carb
244g protein/45g carb/27g fat
Meal 1: Protein shake
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 6oz Chicken
Meal 3: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 1 can Green Beans
Meal 4: Protein shake
Meal 5: 6 oz. chicken
Low Carb
235g protein/189g carb/33g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese + 1 can green beans
Meal 4: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 5: 8oz chicken
High Carb
248g protein/261g carb/39g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 2: 226g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 4: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 5: 8oz chicken + green beans
High Carb+
At least 248g protein/261g carb/39g fat
Meal 1: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 2: 452g 0% fat cottage cheese
Meal 3: 1 cup oatmeal + apple + protein shake
Meal 4: Dinner with someone
Meal 5: 8oz chicken + 1 can green beans
NOTES:
THEORY:
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Thrax, what brand of 0% cottage cheese do you eat? I have had a lot of trouble finding one that I find palatable due to flavor. I never mind the texture of cottage cheese, though. I've taken to eating the 2% stuff but it's still got a bunch of saturated fat in it.