My Jettisoned Ponderings

Bulking diets are rarely a problem for me because they’re fairly clean and I’ve always gained some good weight on them. My problem is freaking out when I start to gain a little bit of bodyfat. I think part of my problem is that I don’t stay bulking quite long enough to retain the results and condition my body to being more comfortable at its newly attained weight. I don’t have a problem eating for maintenance, so that’s a good thing. My problem is if I screw up the macros I lose the weight really quickly. So I’m in a bit of a paradox. I want to stay lean, but want to gain. Yes, very hard to do, and unfortunately my work and life schedule doesn’t permit for me to eat that immaculately and timely. There isn’t a lot of purpose in cutting for winter, unless its for a show, and I’m not doing one this year. I’m undecided about novice and amateur shows early next year, and I can’t do natural shows because I’ve used multiple products that are on the banned list. So I keep telling myself to push through this and keep bulking for a few months, which is not going to be easy for me. I hate when I start losing my abs and get up over 13% bodyfat, which I’m at now. Probably even more frustrating is that I can say, "At one point I WAS 6%…" Perhaps in a way it feels like its a bit of a back-slide, but at the same time I know better. Urgh…

At least to curb my fix a little bit I wrote up a draft for my diet when it does come time to use it eventually. After doing a good amount of reading recently, examining the traditional hypocaloric methods, low carb/keto theories, etc. and thinking back to what worked best in the past, I’ve come up with using ratios around 3:1:1.5 (Pro:Carb:Fats). Its not a full on keto of no carbs, but its also nowhere near what I’m eating now presently. Going on the idea that bulking I go for 20 calories per 1lb of bodyweight and cutting drop from 20 to 15, that puts me right at 3000 calories (Assuming I hold around 200lbs) for 300g Protein, 100g carbs, 150g fats. (Exact macros I ended up with in the diet draft are 2982 cal, 304.8 pro, 99.4g carb, 154.5g fat)

The reasoning here is I think back to what I did when I was really leaned out… Arguably, it was more of a "What was I doing wrong?" because I wasn’t counting calories. I wasn’t getting nearly enough protein, so my only goal was to increase that and I avoided fats so I really tanked my calories. Particularly, though, I was going for protein shakes only, not meal replacements with more balanced nutritional profiles. Now I have a much better understanding of nutrition, calories, metabolism, etc. and think this diet should work quite well. When GJ and I were both doing depletes for a while (Hey, poor figure girl wife can’t feel like she’s the only one suffering!) I recall that my energy was actually higher without the carbs… Makes me believe all the more in "carb crashing" when I get too much. So… I’ll let the anticipation simmer for a couple months and see what happens after hopefully slapping on a few more pounds of beef.

Don’t get me wrong, I love goin out to Old Chicago and getting a "Meat Me" with a nice dark porter or stout to compliment it. Though, GJ had a co-worker who just didn’t believe that a beer was a couple hundred calories (he drinks dark, apparently) which was my guess. Took a look and proved him wrong. It doesn’t have all the micros that I like, but this site has a pretty darn good collection. See if your favorite is on there, then just remember that next time you’re weighing in the calories for your cheat meal!

Domestics:http://www.beer100.com/beercalories.htm

Imports: http://www.beer100.com/beercaloriesimports.htm

In the spirit of vblogs, just thought I’d make this one up while I was making my meals yesterday.

Part 2:

Prompted by another blog I just read, I hunted down what the heck Michael Phelps possibly eats to his this much food. Of course, lots of fats are in it. Here’s the article:

August 13, 2008
Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has an Olympic recipe for success - and it involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day.

"Eat, sleep and swim. That’s all I can do," Phelps, who won two more gold medals today, told NBC when asked what he needs to win medals. "Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can."

By comparison, the average man of the same age needs to ingest about 2,000 calories a day.

Phelps, 23, will swim 17 times over nine days of competition at the Beijing Games - meaning that he will need all the calories he can shovel in his mouth in order to keep his energy levels high.

Phelps’ diet - which involves ingesting 4,000 calories every time he sits down for a meal - resembles that of a reckless overeater rather than an Olympian.

Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase "Breakfast of Champions" by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

At lunch, Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs - what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza.

He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

Phelps remains on course to at least equal Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals won at the 1972 Munich Games.

At these Summer Games, a typical day for Phelps starts with a 5 a.m. wake-up call. Most of his races have taken place between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET when in China - 12 hours ahead of East Coast time."

Source: Here’s The Original Article

With this bulk I’ve tried diet runs out for about a week at a time trying to find where the best ratios are. There’s also the ongoing debate about how much protein to ingest. I’ve played with it a bit and decided to hold to the 1.5g/1lb of bodyweight. Carbs and fats are the next challenge as too many carbs make me tired and lethargic, and making up the calories with more fats also has its obvious cons. Below is what seems to be the best overall for sustained energy, adequate recovery, and surplus for growth. So, for workout days this is what it looks like:

Meal 1
Max Muscle: Big Max 50 Gainer: 4 scoops
Water: 500mL

Meal 2
Whole Egg (Large ~50g): 5
Picante Sauce: 3 tbsp
Grits: 1/2 cup or 2 packets
Milk (Skim): 10oz
Shredded Cheese (Med Cheddar): 1/2 cup
Xango: 1oz

Meal 3
Max Muscle: Big Max 50 Gainer: 4 scoops
Water: 500mL

Meal 4
Ground Turkey (93/7, fat simmered off): 8oz (6oz cooked/drained)
Pasta Sauce (Red): 1 cup
Pasta (wheat, uncooked): 1 cup
Yogurt (Yoplait Original): 1 "Cup"

Meal 5
Sesame Oil: 1-2 tsp
Sirloin (Choice, Top, separable lean/ fat, trimmed to 0" fat): 8oz
White Rice w/Veggies (Frozen/Steam In Bag): 1 Bag
Xango: 1oz

Workout
Full Blown Xtreme: 1 scoop
Max ACM: 2 scoops
Water: 1.5L

Meal 6 (Lifting Days Only)
Max Muscle: Big Max 50 Gainer: 4 scoops
Water: 500mL

Totals: 4320 Calories, 303g Protein, 536g Carbs, 92g fats

Non-lifting days, omitting the last shake and workout supps brings the calories down to 3492. So far that seems to be sufficient. If not, I’ll add in one more PM protein shake with milk, but not a gainer, to bump it up a couple hundred. Of course, there are other supplements being used, but these are the only that contribute and significant calories.

I may as well post this. All shakes are with water and I get an additional 2 litres down daily:

Meal 1
Big Max 50 Gainer    3 scoops
Xango    1oz

Pre/During Workout
Full Blown Xtreme    1 scoop
GlycoMaize    1 scoop

Meal 2
Whole Eggs (AA Grade, Medium)    2
Egg Whites International    1 cup
Shredded Cheese    1/4 cup
Yogurt (Yoplait Original)    1 "Cup"

Meal 3
Big Max 50 Gainer    3 scoops

Meal 4
Raw Spinach    2 cups
Walnuts    1/4 cup
Tuna Packet    3oz
Shredded Cheese    1/4 cup
Kroger Light Asian Dressing    2 tbsp
Yogurt (Yoplait Original)    1 "Cup"

Meal 5
Chicken Breast (Grilled)    8oz
Asparagus (grilled w/VERY little extra virgin olive oil)    4 spears
Xango    1oz

Meal 6
MaxPro Chocolate    1 scoop

Totals: 2675 calories, 254g Protein, 286.5g Carbs, 56.5g Fat

This week has been a pretty good one overall as my energy has been back up and workouts are going great. I’ve backed my calories down to just over 2600 for the time being on a lifting day and around 2400 on an off day. I’m not sticking 100% to this, but its my baseline. If I start to crash I’ll add in an extra yogurt, some oats, etc. to get me through the next meal. I’m trying to find out where I feel the best overall and still maintain my weight since its a completely different game now with an extra 20+lbs. The upside of backing down the carbs, too, is that my appetite is back up and its easier to get the water in that I should be drinking. Carbs on a lifting day are around 250 and on an off day closer to 200. I’m still getting about 60g of good fats on both days for my sustained energy, mostly from whole eggs, ground flax seeds, and cheese. Whole milk is out for the time being to keep the sugars lower, but as I mentioned the yogurt is still on the table. Visually I’m looking a bit leaner and certainly feeling the thermogenic kicks throughout the day and I get much warmer in my workouts (all be it with the help of a little ephedra and evodiamine). I want to keep this up until GJ is done with her show then gradually bring the calories up a little more and see at what points I maintain and bulk. I think as PulgasStrongMan has reiterated a few times, I was probably throwing a wet log on the fire with too much protein, though I’m thinking it was just flat out too many calories and my body was spending most of its fuel just to try and digest everything I was feeding it. All part of the learning process, but I’m liking what I’m feeling thus far. Still keeping most of the carbs and fats earlier in the day, increased my greens, and avoiding many carbs after about 4pm in the day (more salads with tuna or chicken and broccoli). Time will tell as always.

The pasta is killing me. I’ve lost an appetite for it and somehow I’m getting tired of the ground beef… Yes, I know, something’s wrong with me. Still addicted to the moo juice, just not the moo meat. Also, I know that pasta causes a more full/bloated appearance. The occasional pasta meal is good, but I need to find something else for a while. The other good option is brown rice or sweet potatoes. Now, I’ve got a fantastic recipe for sweet potato casserole that is easy to portion out and best yet I find its good served cold so in a rush I don’t have to find something to heat it first. Unfortunately, it takes over an hour from start to finish by the time the potatoes are cut, boiled, etc. So its nice once in a while, but just takes some work. As for the rice, I don’t have a lot of good recipes with it. Especially since brown rice doesn’t keep as well. So, I have another idea. I’m contracting the services of a chef. His name Joe. Tokyo Joe.

Yes, I’m cheating and bringing in some "fast food" and resorting to stocking up on Tokyo Joe’s Oyako Bowl. Its nutritional profile actually isn’t bad at all in terms of macronutrient ratios. If I really need extra for bulk, like on a Leg day, I can go Big Size. Plus, at least I can fill up the punch cards for free ones quicker, too. So this will replace my beef/pasta meals on lifting days. Everything else will stay the same.

Got everything I needed and GJ is starting up her Gaspari stack next week. So with that we’ll be changing gears and going a bit heavier for a while then probably come back and finish off with the same workout we’ve been doing the past few weeks. So, on that note I plan to absolutely push myself as hard as possible. The cycle will be another 45 days followed by 4 weeks of PCT.

As a side note, I need to vent how much I hate the damn FDA. I loved the Tren I used last cycle and I found out yesterday that it will be being pulled off the market in about 6 weeks along with two other ACL products (one of which, the Mass Xtreme, I’m using this cycle). The product worked fantastic and no ill sides at all. Then I saw a forum post, "Yeah, but it says on the label it contains ingredients known to cause cancer in CA". Ok, what the hell doesn’t cause cancer these days!? A friggin pack of gum or anything artificially sweetened says the same thing. You don’t see the FDA rushing to pull packs of gum or cigarettes off the market do you? Why should supps be any different? I don’t want to hear all the crap about minors being able to use them and what not. That’s the fault of poor vendors that want a quick sale instead of being concerned for their customers. Its like any other substance out there that’s got an age limit on it. If someone wants it bad enough, they’ll get it. Just slap a warning label on there then they can sit back later and say, "Told ya so, but it was your choice. That’s what this country is SUPPOSED to be founded on, isn’t it?". I’m getting off my soap box now. Bottom like, if you wanna give the Tren, Mass, or MMA3 a try anytime you better order it now before it gets yanked. Ok, moving on…

I’m gonna need a lot of calories to make the gains I want, so this time around I’ve tweaked the diet a bit. Not going quite as high on the protein or fats as I did with the Tren. The diet will look like this for workout days:

Meal 1 - 6:00am
Whole Milk    16oz
Big Max 50 Gainer    3 scoops

[Cardio]

Meal 2 - 8:15am
Frozen Shredded Potatoes    15oz
Whole Egg (Large ~63g Raw)    4 eggs
Ketchup    5 tbsp
Picante Sauce    2 tbsp
Shredded Cheese    1/4 cup

Meal 3 - 10:30am
Whole Milk    16oz
Big Max 50 Gainer    3 scoops

Meal 4 - 1:00pm
Pasta w/Red Sauce     10oz
Coleman Ground Sirloin (91/9)    8oz (pre-cooked weight)
Yoplait Original    1 "Cup"

Meal 5 - 4:00pm
Chicken Breast (Grilled)    8oz (pre-cooked weight)
Frozen Green Beans    1 cup
Medium Apple (3" Diameter)    1

Meal 6 - 7:00pm
Whole Milk    16oz
Big Max 50 Gainer    3 scoops

[Workout]

Meal 7 - Post-Workout/9:30pm
Probolic-SR    2 scoops

Totals: 5158 Calories, 380.5g Protein, 583.5g Carbs, 136.5g Fat

Non-workout days I’ll back down the carbs switching out the potatoes for 1c oats and eliminating the yogurt and apple to bring down the carbs a bit and also most likely make my gainer shakes with water instead of milk.

Supps will include the following:
ACL Mass Xtreme - 2 capsules (1 AM, 1 PM)
ACL VNS-9 - 2 capsules (1AM, 1PM)
Vibe - 1oz
Anabolic Innovations Cycle Support - 2 servings (AM/PM)
Cranberry Extract - 4×1 softgell
ACL Livr Xtreme - 1 capsule
Zinc 50mg - 1 capsule
ZMA - 3 capsules before bed
Norwegian Cod Liver Oil - 4×1 softgell
Anabolic Pro Line Kre-Alkalyn - 3×2 capsules
Optimum GlycoMaize - 1 scoop during workouts
Full Blown Extreme - 1 scoop pre-workout
BCAAs - 7g pre-workout, 14g during
GABA - 3g pre-workout
Glutamine - 10g During Workouts
Anabol EXT (PCT; bridged last 5 days on cycle)

So all in all, hopefully I’ll be good and blown up by the time this is all done! Not like its a problem but absolutely no alcohol while I’m on this cycle. The Mass and VNS-9 are both methylated, so they’re harder on the liver, hence using both the Cycle Support and Livr Xtreme together. As needed I’ll take some Max Cleanse also to keep the rest of my system in working order. Gonna be a fun ride!

I’m so glad to be done with the off week! I seriously was getting to be quite lethargic and the lack of activity was not benefiting me considering I was trying to get my body acclimated again to ingesting massive amounts of food. Weight has been hovering between 191-194 most days. All together not bad at all considering I was consistently stuck around 173 or so in January. Slight bodyfat increase the last couple weeks, too. Hopefully that’ll change soon with the new diet being more restricted on the fats. I hate skim milk, but that’s the only way I can stay close to my goals and still be able to take in the eggs and beef.

Hit chest late last night and back this morning. I’ve switched a couple exercises from free-weight barbells to using the Smith machine. Chest is one of my weakest areas and I firmly believe its due to using my anterior delts too much. Also, the incline benches at my gym are 45 degrees, so by using the Smith and one of the adjustable benches that isn’t fixed to the floor I can use it lower at around 30-35 degrees. Plus, with the fixed range of motion I don’t have to worry so much about keeping stability and as a result bring the bar down lower and focus the work on the pec minor more. I really felt the difference last night with the more strict form and lower weight. I still have free weight dumbell incline flyes as well, so there’s still some non-machine work being done.

For back, I’m opting to use the Smith also for bent rows. Again, lighter weight to focus on having a more bent over form and really isolate the upper back while not putting emphasis on the rear delt (that’s for shoulder day later in the week). Agian, less weight, but focusing on form again. Given the higher rep volume it should work out better in the end. I do really wish the Smith at my gym was vertical and not angled, but alas gotta make the best of what’s available.

Supps… still working to master and conquer the BCAA powder dilema. I’ve gotten to where I can put a heaping tbsp in my Full Blown Extreme and chug that and still get some in my water with the glyco-maize and plenty of flavoring. Total I’m still getting about 20g in at the moment. Hopefully I can figure out something to let me get up to 25-30 total between the combined pre/during workout mixtures.

Enough for now, my heap of eggy goodness appears to be done cooking. Time to shovel more yum yum food and go masticate (those of you who know your anatomy will understand that one ^_^).