Please review my Diet/Supp Regiment for Natural Show

[Selfbeneath]

Hi Everyone,

My name is John and I'm 26 and competing in my first bodybuilding competition. I'm currently working with a 30 year natural pro competitor who put together a really comprehensive lifting plan and I'm looking to get some guidance from those who have competed naturally. First off, I'm 5'6 and currently at 154 at my last weigh in. I'm going to compete at bantam weight (145) and my competition is a little over 10 weeks away (October 1st). With that in mind, I've been doing a modified version of the Palumbo diet right now which basically has me doing 7 days of keto dieting at around 2000-2200 calories before a refeed in the way of a cheat meal. I find that I'm taking in around 180g of protein a day, 120g of fat, and 30-50 grams of trace carbs from vegetables and nuts. My diet basically consists of the following:

Meal 1: 5 eggs cooked with coconut oil
Alternate: Isopure zero card + 2 TBSP of Organic Peanut Butter of Almond Butter

Meal 2: Isopure zero card + 1 pack of just-a-handful almonds from trader joes

Meal 3: 4 oz of cooked chicken breast, 85g of broccoli, green beans, or asparagus, 1 TBSP of EVOO

Meal 4: 3-4oz of ground bison or top round sirloin, 85g of broccoli, green beans, or asparagus

Meal 5: Isopure zero card + 2 TBSP of Organic Peanut Butter of Almond Butter

Meal 6: Vanilla Bodytech Protein Pudding with 2 TBSP of Organic Peanut Butter of Almond Butter

Any recommendations for diet plan?


Cheat Meal:I am giving myself one cheat meal a week which is usually Italian food. I'll usually get something a lot of starchy carbs and then have desert (ice cream). The problem is that I always feel terrible after eating this junk though I know it is important for keeping my metabolism going and also curbing cravings. I find that I hold a lot of water and bloat for a few days but eventually return to normal weight within 3 days. I just hate the way I look the day AFTER the cheats. Could I be overdoing it on the carb ups? The most I can withstand is around 250-300 carbs before I literally feel sick. If anyone has suggestions on how to handle this, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a ton of trouble regulating my cheat meals and not overdoing it.

As far as supps go, I'm taking Xtend with my cardio sessions (doing 50 minutes a day in addition to lifting sessions and will gradually increase to around 1.5 hrs closer to competition). I take 5g of glutamine with protein shakes, fish oil (4-6g a day), joint supplement, Alive Multi (double dose), Vitamin C, probiotic at night, ZMA at night, GABA 2g at night, Melatonin 3g at night, and will be introducing CLA, Green Tea Extract, and Cellucor T7 for dieting. How do my supplements look?


As for training, I'm doing a lot of volume thought the weight has decreased while on keto diet and now we've thrown in supersets. I usually do 4 days of lifting (back/hams, chest/bi, legs/abs, delts/traps/tris) and two days of LISS cardio for 60 min (one with some abs).

If anyone has recommendations or want to help me fine tune this I would appreciate it.

 

[PNC]

why keto? you are drug free?

 

[GJN5002]

If youre doing keto, more weight less reps rather than more volume. Volume work is better when you are eating carbs in my opinion, you have more glycogen. Heavy weight will help you keep your muscle mass a little bette ron keto. I've done palumbos keto several times with decent success.

 

[Linda Albert]

Almost all i am using the same diet plan, what happen with that?

 

[AustrianOakJr]

As I just commented on another thread, I dont like to be locked into certain foods. When I see a "critique my diet thread" and I see specific foods selected, I wonder if you plan on eating that day in and day out? If so, that makes me cringe. I couldnt imagine. My advice is to do some trial and error with calorie counting and trying different ratios of carbs/fat to find a sweet spot for FAT loss (not weight loss, like a keto diet will give you). Then, change your foods around to include variety in your diet. Different starches, fruits, veggies, meats, etc. Switch it up!! But track your calories/macros diligently so scientific adjustments can be made to your diet.

As for a "cheat" meal. I think this is another spot for a potential problem. As you get leaner and leaner and dip well below your natural set point for body fat storage, the hunger signals do not turn off. Your brain will prompt you to eat and eat.....and eat. IF you sit down to a "cheat" meal you can literally pack on a pound or more of fat in a single sitting with the right foods....especially fat-laden italian foods. My advice is to read up on "re-feeds" or controlled, regulated carb-loads. This way your calories are tracked and there is a strategic limit to your food intake on your "cheat" day.