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The Lean Gains / IF learning and Discussion Log

AldrichAStern said:
It's been years since I've posted on AM (I used to be a decently active member in 2006 or so... all the way since 2004). I left because there was a lot of elite bro-ness going on and I never thought anyone would adapt something like Leangains. Amazing to know that this has changed!!! :)

As a present, I'd like to point out a blog that has dozens of gourmet LG recipes. Enjoy :) Invalid Link Removed
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Thanks for the present! Man that stuff looks amazing. I am sure there is still some of the elite bro stuff is still going on but we also have a pretty tight group of people that are more about learning and sharing as much as possible. Not being the most popular or sought out on the board. Hopefully we see you in some of our logs. The 4 logs that Iposted earlier are all very open conversation logs so might be right up your alley.
 
i got another quesiton regarding lean gains....is it something u have to do for an extended tiem because id liek to experiement with it but riht now the honly way i coudl really do it is on the weekends because otherwise during the week my big fast breaking post workout meal would have to be a reheated meal from a tupperwear container eaten in a lecturea hall during class lol and I just dont liek the idea of that i want to enjoy those meals
 
mkretz said:
i got another quesiton regarding lean gains....is it something u have to do for an extended tiem because id liek to experiement with it but riht now the honly way i coudl really do it is on the weekends because otherwise during the week my big fast breaking post workout meal would have to be a reheated meal from a tupperwear container eaten in a lecturea hall during class lol and I just dont liek the idea of that i want to enjoy those meals
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There might be some benefit to fasting on the weekends vs. not but to get the full benefit of this it really needs to be an every day thing IMO
 
AldrichAStern said:
It's been years since I've posted on AM (I used to be a decently active member in 2006 or so... all the way since 2004). I left because there was a lot of elite bro-ness going on and I never thought anyone would adapt something like Leangains. Amazing to know that this has changed!!! :)

As a present, I'd like to point out a blog that has dozens of gourmet LG recipes. Enjoy :) Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...


Those are some great looking recipes!
 
jhern216 said:
Would including a probiotic or digestive enzymes be any beneficial in IF?
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I do both, helps with nutrient absorption and processing food.
 
Red Dog said:
I think the inclusion of either would be beneficial in most settings -- including IF.
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How about utilizing both or is it overkill? I've been having some constipation problems on IF and I wanna see if this can help? My fiber is pretty normal..around 25 to 30 grams a day so I don't think that's the problem
 
jhern216 said:
How about utilizing both or is it overkill? I've been having some constipation problems on IF and I wanna see if this can help? My fiber is pretty normal..around 25 to 30 grams a day so I don't think that's the problem
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Utilizing both would be great and may solve your problem! :toilet:
 
Oh yeah, it'll clear you right out! It'll take a good couple weeks to re-establish a new equilibrium, until then you may have stinky gas and loose BM as you clear out the crud.
 
jhern216 said:
How about utilizing both or is it overkill? I've been having some constipation problems on IF and I wanna see if this can help? My fiber is pretty normal..around 25 to 30 grams a day so I don't think that's the problem
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I agree with the other guys -- if you have the money then both would be solid investments. I'm not sure if you use it already, but taking a couple TBSP of flax oil can really help with constipation as well. You get the added health benefits of flax (rich in omega 3s), plus it will help things progress through the colon without the urgency that comes with taking a traditional laxative.
 
This week's Trivia Question will take place today, Monday, June 27th at 4:00pm Eastern Standard time! And the price will be one bottle of ALC + CLA.

Invalid Link Removed​
 
anyone use uni-liver post workout instead of straight BCAAs? Seems easier to pop a few of those instead of the powder. Easier to me at least.
 
I use both BCAA and Uni-Liver or Beef Aminos. I like AI Sports RecoverPro Raspberry 4:1:1 BCAA, tastes refreshing, I enjoy drinking it.
 
Milas said:
I use both BCAA and Uni-Liver or Beef Aminos. I like AI Sports RecoverPro Raspberry 4:1:1 BCAA, tastes refreshing, I enjoy drinking it.
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Yah nice tasting stuff to be sure... I should be getting my lemon any day now, the strike is over!! ... and my prize money should be in...
 
ok, starting LG today. I'm going with the 1 meal preworkout approach since I wake up @ 5am and workout about 3pm. Just need some info on rest day macro split...can anyone help a brother out? Too many pages to comb in this monster thread.

How much lower do I take the carbs, how much do I raise the fat, and do I lower overall cals on rest days?
 
monstermash said:
ok, starting LG today. I'm going with the 1 meal preworkout approach since I wake up @ 5am and workout about 3pm. Just need some info on rest day macro split...can anyone help a brother out? Too many pages to comb in this monster thread.

How much lower do I take the carbs, how much do I raise the fat, and do I lower overall cals on rest days?
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Only "requirement" on off days is 20% below maintenance calories. I think you want to keep protein high, so your macros will naturally tend toward that. I think generally speaking my off days are 40-50% protein and ~20% carbs with the balance in fats. Adding in some cardio also helps, then you can eat a little more ;)

I like my Miracle Noodles on off days, Zero calories and I can flavor and add to meat and veggies. Feels like Asian Noodles, but without the carbs or calories! I also eat a lot of PowerChews on off days to keep me feeling fuller (and get aminos).
 
Milas said:
Only "requirement" on off days is 20% below maintenance calories. I think you want to keep protein high, so your macros will naturally tend toward that. I think generally speaking my off days are 40-50% protein and ~20% carbs with the balance in fats. Adding in some cardio also helps, then you can eat a little more ;)

I like my Miracle Noodles on off days, Zero calories and I can flavor and add to meat and veggies. Feels like Asian Noodles, but without the carbs or calories! I also eat a lot of PowerChews on off days to keep me feeling fuller (and get aminos).
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Where can I get some "Miracle Noodles" that sounds AMAZING, I have never heard of that before, a noodle with zero carbs and zero calories, truly does sound miraculous!
 
ScottyDoc said:
Where can I get some "Miracle Noodles" that sounds AMAZING, I have never heard of that before, a noodle with zero carbs and zero calories, truly does sound miraculous!
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I got mine on Amazon. You can Subscribe and Save to get 15% off and free shipping, and you can cancel anytime. I got it when there was an additional 15% off, but it's still best deal I can find.

The noodles are made from Glucomannan (sp?), so plant root fiber that actually makes you feel fuller and has no caloric value (perfect diet/pre-contest food). It's been around a long time in Asia, just never made it mainstream. The noodles come in bags with liquid in it, and when you open it they smell like fish, but once you rinse and boil it, just add it in a frying pan with meat, veggies, and sauce and it's great!
 
Milas said:
I got mine on Amazon. You can Subscribe and Save to get 15% off and free shipping, and you can cancel anytime. I got it when there was an additional 15% off, but it's still best deal I can find.

The noodles are made from Glucomannan (sp?), so plant root fiber that actually makes you feel fuller and has no caloric value (perfect diet/pre-contest food). It's been around a long time in Asia, just never made it mainstream. The noodles come in bags with liquid in it, and when you open it they smell like fish, but once you rinse and boil it, just add it in a frying pan with meat, veggies, and sauce and it's great!
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I already send an email for them trying to know where is the shop in europe.

If i can buy it, i will thank u 4ever! :D
 
ScottyDoc said:
Where can I get some "Miracle Noodles" that sounds AMAZING, I have never heard of that before, a noodle with zero carbs and zero calories, truly does sound miraculous!
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X2 These sound amazing for dieting!!

Milas said:
I got mine on Amazon. You can Subscribe and Save to get 15% off and free shipping, and you can cancel anytime. I got it when there was an additional 15% off, but it's still best deal I can find.

The noodles are made from Glucomannan (sp?), so plant root fiber that actually makes you feel fuller and has no caloric value (perfect diet/pre-contest food). It's been around a long time in Asia, just never made it mainstream. The noodles come in bags with liquid in it, and when you open it they smell like fish, but once you rinse and boil it, just add it in a frying pan with meat, veggies, and sauce and it's great!
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Now sells Glucomannan in caps but I've never seen a noodle made from it. Thanks for the LG info and telling us about these noodles! REPS

EDIT: must spread reputation around before giving to MILAS again
 
OK, one more quick question about meal beakdown...


is meal 1 10% of cals / postw/o meal 80% of cals / 2nd post w/o 10% the only split I should do or can I do something like 20/ 60/ 20?
 
monstermash said:
OK, one more quick question about meal beakdown...


is meal 1 10% of cals / postw/o meal 80% of cals / 2nd post w/o 10% the only split I should do or can I do something like 20/ 60/ 20?
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You can do 20/60/20 if you llike. Play around with it and find what works best for you. Start with the 10 and try it out, then keep bumping it up until you find YOUR sweet spot.
 
Milas said:
You can do 20/60/20 if you llike. Play around with it and find what works best for you. Start with the 10 and try it out, then keep bumping it up until you find YOUR sweet spot.
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Thanks again, just needed to check if the breakdown was "set in stone". Good to know I can play around with numbers a little. I have high hopes for my current cut!
 
Milas said:
I got mine on Amazon. You can Subscribe and Save to get 15% off and free shipping, and you can cancel anytime. I got it when there was an additional 15% off, but it's still best deal I can find.

The noodles are made from Glucomannan (sp?), so plant root fiber that actually makes you feel fuller and has no caloric value (perfect diet/pre-contest food). It's been around a long time in Asia, just never made it mainstream. The noodles come in bags with liquid in it, and when you open it they smell like fish, but once you rinse and boil it, just add it in a frying pan with meat, veggies, and sauce and it's great!
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Here in Atlanta, GA Farmer's markets are very popular and we have quite a few that are Asian owned/run, so we have a large variety of Asian products, I wonder if I can find it at one of those, also the food at these markets are DIRT-CHEAP, can't hurt to look. I'll just ask the clerk if they have any Glucomannan noodles/pasta and see if they know what I am talking about, if not I'll just search around on my own! Thanks for the info Bro!
 
ScottyDoc said:
Here in Atlanta, GA Farmer's markets are very popular and we have quite a few that are Asian owned/run, so we have a large variety of Asian products, I wonder if I can find it at one of those, also the food at these markets are DIRT-CHEAP, can't hurt to look. I'll just ask the clerk if they have any Glucomannan noodles/pasta and see if they know what I am talking about, if not I'll just search around on my own! Thanks for the info Bro!
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They're referred to as Shirataki noodles IIRC. You can google and see if you can find it cheaper. There are Asian markets all around me in Virginia, but I like to shop online! :)
 
Interesting on the noodles. I am a cheapo so I will probably never get to taste these bad boys. Maybe on a contest diet as Milas mentioned. Otherwise I just save the noodles for my build days, or just one serving on a burn day. Doing them with 100-150 grams of carbs on burn days still allows me a bit of leniency to have 50 grams of carbs in the form of noodles, breads, pasta or rice. Especially if I have extended my fast. If only eating 2 meals, 75 grams of carbs each is pretty high per meal but still keeps me to 150 grams.

Something to consider, and I will be giving it a shot is not having many carbs at all throughout the day then having a meal with a good amount of carbs. Kind of going of the study I posted in here from Lean Gains stating that abstaining from carbs the first part of the day and then having all your carbs with the last meal increased the amount of fat burned over not having carbs at all.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Interesting on the noodles. I am a cheapo so I will probably never get to taste these bad boys. Maybe on a contest diet as Milas mentioned. Otherwise I just save the noodles for my build days, or just one serving on a burn day. Doing them with 100-150 grams of carbs on burn days still allows me a bit of leniency to have 50 grams of carbs in the form of noodles, breads, pasta or rice. Especially if I have extended my fast. If only eating 2 meals, 75 grams of carbs each is pretty high per meal but still keeps me to 150 grams.

Something to consider, and I will be giving it a shot is not having many carbs at all throughout the day then having a meal with a good amount of carbs. Kind of going of the study I posted in here from Lean Gains stating that abstaining from carbs the first part of the day and then having all your carbs with the last meal increased the amount of fat burned over not having carbs at all.
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That's a good point. Gonna have to try that out.
 
New log for "anabolic" LeanGains!

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How are you guys breaking down your daily macros?

for example I'm doing everything in 2-3 meals meal 1 is 20%, Postw/o is 60% or 80%, and the last meal before the fast will be 20% again.

So what do you think is the best guideline for macro distribution on a workout day (not low-carb)?

I know there's a lot of play in this type of diet but... Would I still do a 40/40/20 split for macros per meal?
 
monstermash said:
How are you guys breaking down your daily macros?

for example I'm doing everything in 2-3 meals meal 1 is 20%, Postw/o is 60% or 80%, and the last meal before the fast will be 20% again.

So what do you think is the best guideline for macro distribution on a workout day (not low-carb)?

I know there's a lot of play in this type of diet but... Would I still do a 40/40/20 split for macros per meal?
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I am 50 30 20 on wd's p c f and 50 20 30 on nwd's this is an individual thing as the lower carbs seem to suit me better. This can also change on situations, protein may go down in percentage when on higher calories and not using anabolics. I will not bother going above 350 grams in a situation like that. Basically apply the macros you prefer.. and seem to work the best for you.
 
DreamWeaver said:
I am 50 30 20 on wd's p c f and 50 20 30 on nwd's this is an individual thing as the lower carbs seem to suit me better. This can also change on situations, protein may go down in percentage when on higher calories and not using anabolics. I will not bother going above 350 grams in a situation like that. Basically apply the macros you prefer.. and seem to work the best for you.
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This is a pretty good outline as I don't want my diet to get too complicated.

Thank you DW, I'm still learning the particulars of this one. I'm gonna post before and after pics to show my progress by the end of the summer.
 
monstermash said:
This is a pretty good outline as I don't want my diet to get too complicated.

Thank you DW, I'm still learning the particulars of this one. I'm gonna post before and after pics to show my progress by the end of the summer.
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If you like big feeds and don't mind fasting then this is the way to go...
 
DreamWeaver said:
If you like big feeds and don't mind fasting then this is the way to go...
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two days deep and I don't mind the fasting one bit. The big meal postworkout is pretty damn awesome today was 300g shredded beef, a scoop of guacamole, two cups lime seasoned rice, diced tomato and onion and 1scoop vanilla isolate with a scoop of lemon creme pie UP 2.0 :)
 
RickRock13 said:
I agree. Fast,...gorge....repeat!! :food:

I love this way of eating. I've really adapted to it.
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It took me a couple weeks to adjust to it but I don't have any problems fasting now (besides less productive gym performance) and I can eat like a beast afterwards, where before I ate half and felt sick!
 
monstermash said:
two days deep and I don't mind the fasting one bit. The big meal postworkout is pretty damn awesome today was 300g shredded beef, a scoop of guacamole, two cups lime seasoned rice, diced tomato and onion and 1scoop vanilla isolate with a scoop of lemon creme pie UP 2.0 :)
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Nice, yah I love my post workout meals!! Tonight I'll be having 3 large lean ground beef patties and 3 flat bread whole wheat buns and 2 cups frozen yogurt, oh and will have to throw in a can of tuna to get my protein levels up. Nothing like hoovering 3 burgers though...

Saturday is 24 oz Sirloin day whoo hoo!!
 
DreamWeaver said:
Nice, yah I love my post workout meals!! Tonight I'll be having 3 large lean ground beef patties and 3 flat bread whole wheat buns and 2 cups frozen yogurt, oh and will have to throw in a can of tuna to get my protein levels up. Nothing like hoovering 3 burgers though...

Saturday is 24 oz Sirloin day whoo hoo!!
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This has me drooling at work haha I'm gonna copy ya on that. My weekends are for grilling so Fri and Sat are gonna be epic with this diet.
 
soontobbeast said:
on burn days its actually tough for me to break down and eat lol. i wanna keep fasting.
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I wish I had that problem on burn days. I always look forward to meals and extending the fast is a chore sometimes
 
soontobbeast said:
on burn days its actually tough for me to break down and eat lol. i wanna keep fasting.
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I am pretty much the same way. I tend to break fast around 4 or even 7 on burn days.
DreamWeaver said:
I am pretty anabolic right now so the appetite is a bit crazy....
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Yeah you are!
RickRock13 said:
I wish I had that problem on burn days. I always look forward to meals and extending the fast is a chore sometimes
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Man your abs are looking sick now. You should put up comparison pics from when you started Lean Gains until now. The changes have been impressive. Dougs are phenominal too. I have done pretty damn well for not counting anything and allowing myself a lot of freedoms. I will buckle down a little more over the next 2.5 weeks and see what I bring to the table in my after pics for the 1-Andro run.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I will buckle down a little more over the next 2.5 weeks and see what I bring to the table in my after pics for the 1-Andro run.
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I think we are all looking forward to that my Brotha!!!
 
Quick question from an IF newbie - I understand the meal calorie ratio of 20/60/20, but I still dont get the carb/fat/protein ratio that I have to maintain overall (my particular goal is to lose weight more than gain muscle). I could'nt find nutrient ratios anywhere for this diet, could one of you guys help me out on how to plan each meal. I use livestrong to measure nutrient ratios in my food.
 
sandys said:
Quick question from an IF newbie - I understand the meal calorie ratio of 20/60/20, but I still dont get the carb/fat/protein ratio that I have to maintain overall (my particular goal is to lose weight more than gain muscle). I could'nt find nutrient ratios anywhere for this diet, could one of you guys help me out on how to plan each meal. I use livestrong to measure nutrient ratios in my food.
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I used a macro ratio that would work well for me being very carbs sensitive, 50 25 25
 
sandys said:
Quick question from an IF newbie - I understand the meal calorie ratio of 20/60/20, but I still dont get the carb/fat/protein ratio that I have to maintain overall (my particular goal is to lose weight more than gain muscle). I could'nt find nutrient ratios anywhere for this diet, could one of you guys help me out on how to plan each meal. I use livestrong to measure nutrient ratios in my food.
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There is not any macros suggested in lean gains. I wouldn't really call Lean Gains a diet, moreso a way of eating. The 20/60/20 is also depending on when you actually workout. Mine would be 50/25/25, I train fasted in the morning. The 20/60/20 would be for working out during lunch or in the middle of your feeding window. However when it comes to macros what ever macros seem to work best for you in general will still hold true here. The biggest thing though is that there is not really any need to cut carbs down to the levels of a keto diet. I am pretty carb sensitive and do really well with 200-250 grams of carbs on training days and 100-150 on non training days. However on a normal eating pattern I would start getting fat on 200 grams of carbs a day.

That I know of no one here actually knows the recomendations for a true cutting diet the way Martin would have us do it. So we are all trying to learn together by discussing it here. One method has been to eat good on Build /training days and very minimal intake on Burn days. Not exactly a Lean Gains approach more of an IF in general approach. Others still keep the full 8 hour window on Burn days and simply cut the cals from training days in half. Something I might recommend is do maintenance + 10% on build days and -30% on Burn days.

That being said DreamWeaver has come down a lot in weight using the exact +20/-20 that is prescribed for recomp. So you can easily follow that and drop fat quickly.
 
MrKleen73 said:
There is not any macros suggested in lean gains. I wouldn't really call Lean Gains a diet, moreso a way of eating. The 20/60/20 is also depending on when you actually workout. Mine would be 50/25/25, I train fasted in the morning. The 20/60/20 would be for working out during lunch or in the middle of your feeding window. However when it comes to macros what ever macros seem to work best for you in general will still hold true here. The biggest thing though is that there is not really any need to cut carbs down to the levels of a keto diet. I am pretty carb sensitive and do really well with 200-250 grams of carbs on training days and 100-150 on non training days. However on a normal eating pattern I would start getting fat on 200 grams of carbs a day.

That I know of no one here actually knows the recomendations for a true cutting diet the way Martin would have us do it. So we are all trying to learn together by discussing it here. One method has been to eat good on Build /training days and very minimal intake on Burn days. Not exactly a Lean Gains approach more of an IF in general approach. Others still keep the full 8 hour window on Burn days and simply cut the cals from training days in half. Something I might recommend is do maintenance + 10% on build days and -30% on Burn days.

That being said DreamWeaver has come down a lot in weight using the exact +20/-20 that is prescribed for recomp. So you can easily follow that and drop fat quickly.
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@MrKleen73 - thanks for the reply.
My schedule is a little crazy these days, so I have no option but to workout at around 6 in the evening - which is why (as you correctly guessed), I am opting for the 20/60/20 schedule.
I am now planning to use the following worksheet (inspired by Dreamweaver):
BMR X 13 + 20% calories at 50/25/25 (prot/carb/fat) on workout days with a 20/60/20 schedule for working out in the evenings.
BMR X 13 - 20% calories at 50/20/30 (prot/carb/fat) on rest days
 
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sandys said:
@MrKleen73 - thanks for the reply.
My schedule is a little crazy these days, so I have no option but to workout at around 6 in the evening - which is why (as you correctly guessed), I am opting for the 20/60/20 schedule.
I am now planning to use the following worksheet (inspired by Dreamweaver):
BMR X 13 + 20% calories at 50/25/25 (prot/carb/fat) on workout days with a 20/60/20 schedule for working out in the evenings.
BMR X 13 - 20% calories at 50/20/30 (prot/carb/fat) on rest days
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That sounds pretty good to start and you might have to adjust some as time goes on. I certainly had to keep adjusting things until I found the right numbers.
 
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