I’m currently on a bulking diet and I’m trying to maintain a steady 300-500 Calories above maintenance. I have a large appetite and gain weight easily, so I want to avoid unnecessary fat gain. If I slip up one day and consume an excessive number of Calories (2000-2500 above TDEE), what is the best approach to take on subsequent days? Should I try to reduce my intake over the next few days to account for this and keep my running daily average where I want it? Or, should I just accept the additional unnecessary Calories and maintain my bulking diet plan?
I’ve read before that it takes time for the body to switch to an anabolic state when eating above maintenance and this is why most lifters have success with long duration bulking cycles followed by cutting cycles. If this is the case, I would assume that it would be a bad idea to interrupt a bulk with 2-3 days of eating below maintenance. I’m not sure how the body reacts to caloric surpluses and deficits over various time spans. For example, would someone who eats sporadically throughout the week (4000 Cal one day, 2000 the next) but averages 21,000 over the week have fewer gains than the person who religiously consumes 3000 daily?
Thanks