How to Gain Weight and Stay Lean

I don't think 12 ounces of water have 0.40g of carbs!

I have the opposite problem. I need to lose pounds as I train. So I'm eating as much in proteins and as little in carbs and sugars as possible.

This has been a very helpful and timely thread!

Matt

 

Staying cut and gaining is always hard because the body needs during the two phases are diametrically opposed.

I have been trying a program to do just this. It is sometimes called carb cycling, I call my version, calorie cycling.

M - Hard day at gym - 400 cal, 1.5 hrs of HARD workout, 32 exercises. I eat 1800-2000 cal
T - Easier day at gym - 300 cal 1hr. I eat 1600 cal
W - Hard day at gym - 350 cal 1.5hrs. I eat 1800 - 2000 cal
T - Medium day at gym - 320 cal 1.15 hr. I eat 1600 cal
F - Lighter day, but 9 exercises or 36 sets! - 350 cal. I eat 1300-1400 cal
S - Cardio day - 350 cal. I eat 1500 cal
Sunday - No workout - I eat 1000 cal

Always Target: 50% Protein : 25% Fat : 25% Carb
My carbs are mostly good; brown rice, wheat, veggies, etc.

No desserts, no sugar (apart from whats in the veggies and fruit). *I avoid high sugar fruit like Bananas. Strawberries are fine in moderation.

NO ALCOHOL!!!! Its 7cal / gram, and you cant even squeeze in a 180 cal shocktop on Sunday when your total cal are 1000. I still drink every once and a while, but I plan it in advance by skipping real food. It sux, but it keeps the drinking alcohol in perspective. I find Malibu coconut rum + water to be about the lowest cal at ~70 for 1.5oz.

My BMR is 1600. I rarely eat my BMR+BurntCalFromExercise

I track every peanut using MyFitnessPal.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

I've been trying to build up a considerable amount of strength for the past two years while also trying to maintain sub 10% body fat. I'm not so much going to go into the fundamentals of doing so since much of the information provided here and in the tread entitled "The single best fitness thing I've seen:" provided great insight on the matter.

I am concerned however with the fact that I haven't seen anyone suggest High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Low Intensity steady state cardio (LISS) as a means to accomplish this and the lack of emphasis placed on programming ones diet and lifting regime into the mix.

I would like to stress the following points

-As your weight decreases you need to constantly recalculate for macros. The slower the progress the less likely you will be to lose muscle mass. So if you are losing 3lb a week and your lifts are getting weaker then you are losing weight too fast and thus cutting into muscle. You need to find the balance where you are still losing weight and maintaining the same amount of strength.

-Scheduling your cadio and being selective about the type of cardio you are doing is very important for those trying to get lean. There is no need to run 5+ miles a week. A combination of HIIT and LISS in the proper amounts will get the job done.

-Someone mentioned increased protein consumption and i couldn't agree more. I would go on to say that 1.5g per pound of body weight is ideal.

-Finally continuing to do heavy intense workouts are keep. You body always wants to return to state of equilibrium. "muscle is expensive" you body rather not carry tons of excess muscle, fat is essential for cell health muscle isn't. In a caloric deficit your muscles are the first place your body is going to run to transform into glucose for energy. The only way to limit this is to continue to train heavy, thus "tricking" the body to pull from fat stores instead.

In regards to the programming i mentioned earlier, the only way to make this work is to treat your body like a function of inputs and outputs.

I personally wouldn't be able to achieve my goals without tracking these processes in excel. Each week on Friday i wake up same time, use the bathroom and weigh in. I take that number and plug it into my excel formula and boom pops out my new calories for the week. I've attached some screen shots that hopeful help in understand where i'm coming from.

The first image is my Cardio routine, I speed skate during the winter so where it says skating im doing quick burst and then pacing.

The second is my workout routine, Wendler 5/3/1
JimWendler.com - Jim Wendler's Homepage

And finally my diet, Carb Cycling.
T NATION | Carb Cycling Codex



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