northernmusician's Logboek, 03 feb 15

no more bodybuilding? :( 

Yep. Just no long bulks. I don't know that I believe in them. I think as a natural I'd be far better to get the gain and trim the fat. A two or three day cut every two to three weeks should have the hormonal system more capable of retaining whatever muscle gains happen over those two to three week periods of time. It's worth a trial, and I'd rather stay fairly stable in calories rather than getting used to eating a lot over an extended period of time. As a non-juicer (not talking quizinart here) I think it may be more effective. Thoughts? 

That could be a good approach. We will have to see. I will tell you, I have been very successful so far. You're right though the fat gains are very discouraging. Going from being able to see muscle separation and abs starting to appear, back to being squishy was no fun. But now that I'm back to that place again, only with visible muscle gain....I would do it again in a heartbeat. (and likely will).  

I have been interested in refeeds for a while. I follow the paleo diet and I have been dabbling the idea of refeeds maybe every 2 weeks? I feel a refeed would help me stick to my diet better... good progress though! 

Awww! Tika needs a new collar! She is going to be a big girl! Happy that you are happy with your "re-feed". :) 

@Chad I'm really pleased. Last time at this weight what I had was flab where my triceps were supposed to be. This time, they're triceps. Back definition is different too. @ Paniagle. I've been doing one refeed once a week. I make sure to ge carbs and I actually go over maintenance calories. If there's such a thing as starvation mode, which I'm not sure about, that should let the brain think 'Okay, lots of food. Relax, body'. That being said, I could be cutting the rest of the week by about 700 calories. Heck, I had cheesecake last time. (Shh, don't tell anyone.) 

Panigale... sorry for the typo.  

Well I hope it was some crazy cheesecake factory type of cheese cake (omg and I loooooove cheese cake don't get me started) but hey! maybe I will give that a try but for now I am getting back on track :) 

Nice weight loss :-) 

Yeah. We have to get it under control first. (And it was two pieces :blush: ) 

Don't worry. two pieces is nothing....sometimes I go for seconds (so embarrassing) 

Thanks, snow. :) 

Hey man - I tend to do the refeeds during a cut as well - and I've seen the same weight fluctuation for a few days afterwards. Wanted to comment here because it seems more rare to find the bodybuilding types of dieters around here. What macros are you trying to hit - or do you have a goal?  

I've tried a few different approaches. There are so many different opinions on it. First I should say that, at 56, I'm not likely to see massive gains. Complex carbs are the bane of my existence. Once I start hitting those it can easily get out of control. I lift heavy and intense for two workouts a week. The majority are compound movements. Those sessions are a mere half hour a piece. That said, I never fail to get DOMs out of the deal. Since the energy expenditure isn't sustained for a long time, I'm thinking I'm not tearing down as much as I would if I was lifting 3 or 4 times a week. Macros. I try to ensure that my protein intake is 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. The fats I keep relatively high compared to a lot of people since my system just functions better with them. After that, simple carbs in an unprocessed form. When I do have complex carbs like today, (spaghetti - 1 cup) I make sure I have lots of protein with it. I eat 3 times a day. Light lunch, heavy supper and then a snack that usually includes carbs so that I can sleep. The exception to the 3 meals is on lifting day when I'll have a protein shake complete with blended fruit to help the creatine absorption. I'm actually feeling quite well with this regimen.  

I should likely also say that the fat in the diet slows the absorption of carbs which reduces my post meal carb cravings. 

Awesome man sounds great. I've recently gone back to simple basics as well - 3 days a week, legs / chest+tris/back+bis. Each day is focused around a compound - squats, bench or deads. Interesting that you said you can get out of control with complex crabs, I always thought those were the tough ones to choke down :) brown rice, oats, and sweet potatoes you know? I've been going on a 40/40/20 percentage on protein /carbs/fat and keeping þe calorie range restricted. I find I really need to force myself to eat small 300 calorie portions about 6 times a day to bump up my metabolism... otherwise mine slows down and I get lazy. Good luck! Will keep up with your updates!!!!  

Well, here we go. Now or never... 

I know what you mean! 

I only re-feed once a week I have to much flab, and very little muscle, but I'm on my way to changing that. I started walking again 3 days ago 👍. My body is a little sore, so I know it's working. 😃 

I'm experiencing similar changes. I'm really bad at remembering to take measurements before I start new phases, but I did measure my arms last time I was 170, and they were 14.5 inches pumped. Right now without a pump my arms are 15 inches exactly. And you wouldn't believe how much my back has changed. All will be seen in 6 weeks though when I post my progress pictures.