Question regarding to importance of diet?

[bradleyt1]

Hey guys, so I know this is the anabolic section however I wanted everyone’s input on diet and how to keep progressing with muscle gains without becoming a mess.. back when I competed and had a contest prep diet. When all was said and done with the shows and we transitioned into offseason, it was basically my contest prep diet except slightly upping portions of carbohydrates so it was slow quality gains with minimal fat gain. For example 10 egg whites 1/2 (half) cup oats dry was now the same 10 egg white with 1 cup dry.. 8oz chicken Breast with 1.5 cups green veggies was now the same 8oz chicken with a 6 oz potato.. at first o had been a little disappointed because this coach in the past had a lot more food added in the offseason like 2 cups of rice per meal.. but he said there is no reason to add so much excess calories because you don’t build any muscle faster just water and fat.. any input guys?

 

[Chados]

You're asking a question without really giving any information how big you are and how much cardio you do etc etc.. Impossible to know what works for you. Right now I'm eating low carb high fat and I don't feel as bulky but more lean. Diet is 80% in my opinion.

And yeah I don't count calories, I just have some sort of idea how much I eat and I 3at carbs before and right after workout, rest of the day is omega 3s and protein.

You have to go by the mirror man, if you gain too much fat you need to cut down a bit, if you're not gaining anything you need more food.

Whats your height weight age, workout routine, daily diet?

 

[AntM1564]

Hey guys, so I know this is the anabolic section however I wanted everyone’s input on diet and how to keep progressing with muscle gains without becoming a mess.. back when I competed and had a contest prep diet. When all was said and done with the shows and we transitioned into offseason, it was basically my contest prep diet except slightly upping portions of carbohydrates so it was slow quality gains with minimal fat gain. For example 10 egg whites 1/2 (half) cup oats dry was now the same 10 egg white with 1 cup dry.. 8oz chicken Breast with 1.5 cups green veggies was now the same 8oz chicken with a 6 oz potato.. at first o had been a little disappointed because this coach in the past had a lot more food added in the offseason like 2 cups of rice per meal.. but he said there is no reason to add so much excess calories because you don’t build any muscle faster just water and fat.. any input guys?

It sounds like your coach is spot on. When in a caloric deficit, one does not want to jump right back into bulking calories. Instead, one would slowly increase their caloric intake. It is called reverse dieting. This method does not just apply to competitors, but anyone who diets. Give these a read.

Progressive overload applies to dieting. Just like with lifting, gradual increases in calories will help you take control of your gains without gaining excess fat.

If you've been dieting you shouldn't start a traditional bulk. Hitting your body with excess calories after being in a caloric deficit will lead to fat gain.

The body wants to maintain homeostasis. So fast increases or decreases in calories will cause problems.

Use reverse dieting to build muscle. Whether you're starting from maintenance or from a diet, you can increase your food intake to build muscle, not fat.

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/how-to-bulk-and-keep-your-abs

Reverse dieting is the process of ramping calories back up to maintenance levels without gaining fat. See, your body wants to stay in equilibrium. When you reduce calories your metabolism does everything it can to go back to that equilibrium. Once you're there, that's when the weight loss stops and you want to smash the scale and hide those lack-of-progress photos.

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-eat-more-get-ripped

 

[The Express 42]

After cutting a quality reverse diet is going to be the best way to find your sweet spot so you’re putting on quality lean mass while retaining a lean physique. Sound like coach got it right. The dirty bulk ain’t worth it haha