Diet to Gain a Few Pounds of Security

T-Nation,

I currently have this diet, I am trying to get down to 5% body fat but at at least 195 lbs. So, I am doing several things. Number one, I have placed myself on a muscle gain plan because if I am going to get to 5% at a desirable weight I wanted to add a little bit of security weight so to speak. Then I started reading some Clay Hyght articles and he was talking about carb/calorie cycling and cardio in an interesting way in that you could get stronger and lose fat that way. So I cycle and am trying to hit both at once. I am doing Chad Waterbury’s Method with two days of HIIT and am going to start five days of cardio, 1/2 hour per session. Check out the diet and let me know if I am in the right direction aside from a few tweaks down the road.

I just want a more muscular appearance and have been in the game a long time and not hit my leanness results though I have gained twenty pounds of muscle over the course and am leaner than before, but not enough damn it. My plan is to do this and then once at about 205-207 (we’ll see where I end up after this) drop my calories to go the other way to hit my ultimate goal. Clay himself said that if you could be at 5% body fat but lose some muscle in the exchange you’re problems might not be physiological.

Ah, and also my medium day is the heavy day without the peri-workout nutrition and on them I do HIIT. I may boost for a high day during leg days.

My Current Diet For 202 Lb
(based primarily around the POWER FOODS which will be BOLD)
Medium Day!

Calculation for Calories to
Gain Muscle(Bodyweight=202 X 16 + 20 percent) 3878

							CAL	   FAT	CARB    PRO

DAILY TOTAL 3854 178.5 302 265

Meal 1 760 22 87 46

Breakfast
3 omega egg omelette 210 12 0 18
2% cheese 70` 4 0 8
w/ shiitake mushrooms, Broccoli,
Onions and Tomatoes

1 cup Oatmeal with Blueberries 300 6 54 10

1 cup Yogurt 180 0 33 10

Meal 2 580 7 66 62

Lunch

1 8oz. Turkey breast 220 1 0 50
1/2 cup Quinoa 360 6 66 12

MEAL 3 and 4: 1300 115.5 34 56
Fat Shake Split across 2 meals

3 servings Natural Peanut Butter 600 54 18 21
3 servings WALNUTS 600 60 12 15
1 serving Low-Carb Metabolic Drive 100 1.5 4 20
Ice and Water

Workout Nutrition 585 0 115 25

Pre and During Workout
Surge Workout Fuel (all 3 servings) 255 0 63 X
Post Workout
Surge Recovery 330 X 52 25

Meal 5 500 32 0 50
Dinner
STEAK
Spinach Salad 380 18 0 50
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegar 120 14 0 0
Lima BEANS, Brocolli and Cauliflower

Protein Boost
1 can Tuna 120 2 0 26

Also, I have my low day, something I have decided to take out of Dr. Hyghts book.

							CAL	   FAT     CARB    PRO

DAILY TOTAL 2850 171 97 243

MEAL 1: Breakfast 430 19 26 31

3 omega egg omelette 210 12 0 18
2% cheese 70 4 0 8
w/ shiitake mushrooms, Broccoli,
Onions and Tomatoes

1/2 cup Oatmeal with Blueberries 150 3 26 5

MEAL 2: Carb Shake 280 1.5 37 30

Water
1 cup Yogurt 180 0 33 10
1 serving Low-Carb Metabolic Drive 100 1.5 4 20

MEAL 3 and 4: 1300 115.5 34 56

3 servings Natural Peanut Butter 600 54 18 21
3 servings WALNUTS 600 60 12 15
1 serving Low-Carb Metabolic Drive 100 1.5 4 20
Ice and Water

MEAL 5 220 1 0 50
1 8oz. Turkey breast 220 1 0 50
Spinach Salad

MEAL 6 500 32 0 50
STEAK 380 18 0 50
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegar 120 14 0 0
Lima BEANS, Brocolli and Cauliflower

Protein Boost
1 can Tuna 120 2 0 26

Oh Yeah, and here is the medium or HIIT day.

							CAL	FAT	CARB    PRO

DAILY TOTAL 3260 178.5 187 240

Meal 1 760 22 87 46

Breakfast
3 omega egg omelette 210 12 0 18
2% cheese 70 4 0 8
w/ shiitake mushrooms, Broccoli,
Onions and Tomatoes

1 cup Oatmeal with Blueberries 300 6 54 10

1 cup Yogurt 180 0 33 10

Meal 2 580 7 66 62

Lunch

1 8oz. Turkey breast 220 1 0 50
1/2 cup Quinoa 360 6 66 12

MEAL 3 and 4: Fat Shake Split across 1300 115.5 34 56
2 meals

3 servings Natural Peanut Butter 600 54 18 21
3 servings WALNUTS 600 60 12 15
1 serving Low-Carb Metabolic Drive 100 1.5 4 20
Ice and Water

Meal 5 500 32 0 50
Dinner
STEAK
Spinach Salad 380 18 0 50
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegar 120 14 0 0
Lima BEANS, Brocolli and Cauliflower

Protein Boost
1 can Tuna 120 2 0 26

And another addition, I do cardio on the High Days (which are 3 days a week on the Waterbury method days) and on the 20 min HIIT/Sprints. The low days have no real exercise. Will it reshape the body?

Why does your ‘high’ day have so much fat? This makes no sense. You need to read more on carbohydrate cycling and why does your low day have so much carbs?

Read and/or buy this guys stuff to understand what I’m talking about, or maybe I’m reading it wrong:

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?tid=139&__N=Justin%20Harris

You have the right idea about “bulking” up a bit before doing your cutting but sadly you are underestimating. You didn’t mention your current bodyfat % from what I saw but the prevailing wisdom is you will loose 15% of your bodyweight going from a normal or “average” bodyfat and ripped to shreds bodybuilding shape which i would think 5% body fat counts as. So that being said… you need to get up to 220-230 to be ripped and still weigh 195-200.

Yea… i am working towards stepping on stage in the under 90kg category. So in order to do this i need to get to around 220lbs and ~12% before i diet down.

Not to mention that if i were natural, i would be better off assuming i would lose more muscle, thus preferably being leaner at 220lbs…

JMO