[EasyEJL]

probably ok at PWO really.

[snookl187]

Is it easier for you to put on muscle then loose fat? If so you really don't need the Post carbs.

[C0rk]

Originally Posted by snookl187

Is it easier for you to put on muscle then loose fat? If so you really don't need the Post carbs.

Yeah, I'm an endo.

I went out to dinner tonight after a group technical meeting. Chinese food...so good, but so bad.

I'm really killin' myself here, haha. Ah, well, I'll suffer tomorrow for it.

[C0rk]

Well, I'm visiting my parents for the week, and this weekend was a smorgasborg of bad food. I did do some grocery shopping yesterday, though, and bought good foods, in order to avoid eating all bad stuff all week. I'm also going to go to my cousin's gym all week to keep up with the exercise.

My brother has some personal training experience, and he told me that taking the creatine on my recomp might not be a good idea. Considering I don't plan on being really low BF% when I start, the water retention might not be very aesthetically pleasing, particularly after I worked for weeks/months trying to cut.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Perhaps I should stick with food, BCAA, and maybe beta-alanine?

[EasyEJL]

well, water retention on creatine is an individual thing, doesnt' affect everyone. Also, being at a higher bodyfat also means you are less likely to notice the bloating if there is any. I mean its not like your ab lines will disappear.

[C0rk]

My routine is pretty screwed up from staying @ my parents this week. I've been able to get to the gym once, cuz my cousin can sneak me into a local one, and will go again before I head back. I make some of my food, but the meals my parents make are far from ideal--their idea of healthy has been chicken with white rice and cauliflower covered in cheese, steak and potatoes with buttered covered greens, etc.

I think I'll just do the best I can and give myself another 2 weeks when I get back to get down to 160, or close to it. The only silver lining is that many of my lifts went up, probably due to building some muscle but also maxing out my glycogen stores by eating higher than normal carbs.

[snookl187]

Originally Posted by C0rk

My routine is pretty screwed up from staying @ my parents this week. I've been able to get to the gym once, cuz my cousin can sneak me into a local one, and will go again before I head back. I make some of my food, but the meals my parents make are far from ideal--their idea of healthy has been chicken with white rice and cauliflower covered in cheese, steak and potatoes with buttered covered greens, etc.

I think I'll just do the best I can and give myself another 2 weeks when I get back to get down to 160, or close to it. The only silver lining is that many of my lifts went up, probably due to building some muscle but also maxing out my glycogen stores by eating higher than normal carbs.

Tell me about it! Went to visit the rents over the long weekend and came back 5 lbs heavier with 1/2 an inch added to my waist measurement. Totally my fault for lack of planning and discipline (same old story). Set me back like two weeks for 4 days of horrible diet. It just makes me feel like I'm throwing money away on supps when i pull sh*t off like that.

[C0rk]

Originally Posted by snookl187

Tell me about it! Went to visit the rents over the long weekend and came back 5 lbs heavier with 1/2 an inch added to my waist measurement. Totally my fault for lack of planning and discipline (same old story). Set me back like two weeks for 4 days of horrible diet. It just makes me feel like I'm throwing money away on supps when i pull sh*t off like that.

That is verbatim what just happened to me. I'm back to where I started (169). What a waste. I feel like I let myself, and people who have taken time to post, down...

My only solace is that I got to the gym twice last week and my lifts were all the same or better. Hopefully some of the increase in weight is due to muscle mass.

Gonna attempt a 2 week, 100% clean regimen, to get me back on track.

[orangejuice07]

Originally Posted by C0rk

Weighed in this morning @ 167.

So, my sleep cycle has been all effed up (6am to 1 pm???) so I've really felt like crap lately. Diet has been okay. Lifting has been okay.

I'm going out tonight for my friend's 30th birthday, so I'm bound to add a decent amount of alcohol calories. Any suggestions for a night out with friends? I figure I'll cut out the bread @ dinner, drink only hard-liquor w/no mixers (martini's 4tw), and drink plenty of water when I get home.

Also, I don't know how y'all bear to take supplements multiple times a day every day. I just took 1 dose of Sesamin, 1 cap paravol and leviathan, 2 caps each of CLA, Fish Oil, DCP...that's 4 gulps of supps right there. Plus, whenever I burp I get that gelcap taste in my mouth. Ugh, lol.

Hey man, the log looks good. I just now saw it and it might be a little late but I thought i'd tell you anyway. If you freeze those fish oil pills you won't have that bad taste in your mouth when you burp.

[C0rk]

I think I'm burned out, haha. Although I have been going to the gym, my diet is not that good and I partied this weekend.

So, I'm still hovering between 165-167 and this just isn't fun anymore. I think I just might start my recomp anyway, so that I can at least enjoy making more sizeable gains than I am now. This will at least, mentally, allow myself a greater variety of foods (whole grain breads, etc) and maybe help me stay motivated.

What do you guys do to stay focused on your goals?

[EasyEJL]

look at pictures of myself from 2006

[snookl187]

I use supps. I feel if I'm spending my hard earned dough on them I better do all I can to make sure they work. Still, focus is a work in progress especially diet! Also the best thing really is to do what your doing. Use AM as your network to stay motivated. Real world people in real world situations. Look at easy's transformation logs. If a guy his age with his test levels can do it. We sure as hell can!

[EasyEJL]

One trick when you plateau at something for a while is to purposefully do a 1 week or 2 week "minibulk". still stay towards low carbs and most of them early in the day, but feel free to raise your protein + fat intake (healthy fats). Gain 2-3 lbs in 2 weeks, then go back to loosing. I've done that a few times over the last 60lbs

[C0rk]

Well, I haven't exactly plateaued. I'm not even close to my potential. I just let something like going home for a week distract me from doing the right things, which was to be prepared for a house full of goodies and tasty, not-so-healthy, cooking, haha.

Weighed in @ 165 this morning, so I guess I really didn't lose my gains...I've just been doing my diet half-assedly and partying a bit too much.

Switched up my workout regimen today. I had been doing 2x/1x week upper/lower circuit training. I'm thinking about doing a chest/shoulders/bis, back/tris, legs 1x week split. So today, for example, I did:

4x8-10 dumbbell press
4x8-10 dumbbell military press
4x8-10 bicep curls (with easy-curl bar)
4x8-10 incline dumbbell press
4x10-12 upright shoulder rows

Followed by 20 mins of 80% pace elliptical. I also think I'm going to try to start HIIT, now that the weather is starting to get nice here.

[C0rk]

Originally Posted by snookl187

I use supps. I feel if I'm spending my hard earned dough on them I better do all I can to make sure they work. Still, focus is a work in progress especially diet! Also the best thing really is to do what your doing. Use AM as your network to stay motivated. Real world people in real world situations. Look at easy's transformation logs. If a guy his age with his test levels can do it. We sure as hell can!

The problem isn't that I don't think I'm capable of doing it. I used to be 4% BF @ 140 lbs and ripped. (Okay, I was 18 and wrestling, but still ) I just find myself side-tracked and having difficultly getting back into it.

I think the key is to chalk-up any failures in diet/exercise as things that "just happen" and not for me to think of them as the end of the world. Idk if any of y'all have the same effed up thought process, but once I eat a crap meal, I feel like the entire day is wasted so I might as well not go to the gym, continue to eat like crap the rest of the day, and chose to "restart" my program in the next day or so. I actually got passed that today, when I had some cake and nachos for my buddies work "baby shower" and still ended up going to the gym afterwards...I just chose to skip my protein shake to offset the calories.