In this thread I will post some misc. info regarding my nutrition approach, supplements I use, etc.

It can also be used to ask nutrition/supplements questions (and the Thibs zone can be used for training matters).

My current diet approach is what I would call a "bell diet" in that I gradually increased my caloric intake over 3-4 months then I am gradually decreasing it over 4-5 months. The gradual increase allows my body to get used to handling more food (especially more carbs and fats... my protein stays pretty much the same since the body has a limited capacity to use it to build muscle) and as my body grows, I do need more energy to fuel my needs.

Gradually decreasing the caloric intake allows you to prevent any serious fat loss plateau and will also make holding on to my muscle mass much easier. This is the approach I used with Amit Sapir for his preparation for the world championships.

Here is the general plan:

September: 4250kcals on training days, 3750kcals on off days

October: 4750kcals on training days, 4250kcals on off days

November: 5000kcals on training days and 4500kcals on off days

December: 4250kcals on training days and 3750kcals on off days

January and February: 3750kcals on training days and 3400kcals on off days

March and April: 3500kcals on training days and 3000kcals on off days

May and June: 3250kcals on training days and 2700kcals on off days

Protein intake is pretty stable at 370-400g per day (around 1.5 - 1.7g per pound since I'm 237 right now)

Carbs constitute 60% of my energetic nutritonal intake (caloric intake minus protein intake) and fat 40%. For example if I ingest 4000kcals on one day, 1600 of those are from protein so I have 2400kcals left for energetic nutrients... 60% for carbs = 1440kcals (or 360g) and 40% for fat = 960kcals (or 106g).

Right now I'm sitting at 237lbs upon waking up... I reached a high of 242 but really felt uncomfortable at that weight. I still had a 6-pack and obliques but felt sluggish. I added a bit of cardio, flushed some water and I feel much better.

I was around 210 in september but I had not been training for something like 3 months, so some of the huge weight gain was from regained muscle mass (plus, prior to stopping training I had been severely dieting for 6 months).

My goal is to reach 215-220lbs in contest shape. Last year I competed at 190, but that's because I overdieted and lost 10lbs of muscle in the last 6 weeks of my preparation. 6 weeks before the show I was 207lbs and in better condition. This year I wont make the same mistake.

Well I first established the basic amount of calories I needed to grow optimally. I did this by calculating my BMR, then daily caloric expenditure.

When I started my preparation I established that my BMR (basal metabolic rate) was 2092kcals and my daily caloric expenditure (BMR x activity level factor of 1.6 ... see my Dr.Jekyll for more details) was 3343kcals/day.

When I work with my clients I establish their caloric intake this way:

1) Average muscle growth with no (or minimal) fat gain = Energy expenditure x 105-110%

2) Significant muscle growth with a small fat gain = Energy expenditure x 115-120%

3) Maximum growth with a significant gain in fat = Energy expenditure x 125-130%

Taking myself as an example these goals would put my caloric intake are:

1) 3514 to 3680kcals (the lower amount would be for non-training days and the higher amount for training days)

2) 3849 to 4020kcals

3) 4183 to 4350kcals

Since I was very lean when I started this diet and that I had some muscle to regain I decided to go right between option 2 and 3 at the start. So I did set my caloric intake at 4250kcals, but to avoid gaining too much fat too fast, I decreased my calories on "off" days slightly (3750 instead of 3800-4000).

From there I would gradually increase my caloric intake each month to accomodate the added muscle tissue. Each month I would establish if I could (or not) increase caloric intake (was I still in good condition). If I found that my body fat was still in acceptable range I would increase my calories. If I found that fat was gained too fast, I would not increase calories.

On the second week of november I noticed that I was gaining fat at an unacceptable rate (for me) and wasn't gaining more size or strength compared to the previous caloric intake, so I decided to start my gradual descent.

At my "new" bodyweight I know (from the same calculations) that my BMR is now around 2200kcals and my daily energy expenditure is around 3600kcals/day. So as long as I do not go below 3600kcals/day I can maintain and even increase my level of muscularity and that I will need to go below that to lose fat.

I carry something like 28-30lbs of fat. To get down to competition shape I will need to lose around 22-24lbs. Normally this would take around 12-14 weeks to do so without losing mass. But I decided to play it safe an alocate 16 weeks for my fat loss phase, hence the four months where I'll be on a relative caloric deficit (as opposed to an absolute caloric deficit...).

A relative caloric deficit means eating less calories than you use per day. So consuming less than your daily energy expenditure.

An absolute deficit means eating less calories than your body's basic needs each day. That means eating less than your BMR each day (this option is catabolic and will lead to muscle loss).


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