ok well i just finished a 7 week hellacious cutting cycle (see photo section), and now I am going to do a recovery/ slightly above maintenance calorie regimen. Here’s my problem: I don’t lack the knowledge, I know there’s not some secret pill to answer all my question, my problem is purely psychological. When I try to gain lean mass; somewhere between 3-6 pm, my body goes into “binge” mode. I dont know why. It never happens while Im cutting (7 weeks w/ no cheat meal or beer), but some switch gets flipped in my brain that says “your trying to gain WEIGHT; eat all you want”). I know the final answer is straight up WILLPOWER, but there has to be some way to lessen the urge to eat sweets when trying to gain weight (ie: increase insulin sensitivity?), and tryiing to remind yourself you’re trying to gain LEAN mass, not weight?
Are you bingeing on carbs? If so, your body might be seeking some type of serotonin surge (either that or it’s not very comfortable with the weight youve lost, maybe an issue with leptin). I’d suggest a small dose of 5-HTP in the afternoon to help with the carb cravings, I’ve found it works wonders for me.
its not physiological its psychological… im just looking for any mind tricks some one else has had success with. thank you anyway
the Jedi mind trick always seems to work well for me.
would you come to my house and have your hand in front of my face and say the magic words… but do not forget the three kisses.
obviously someone has gone throught this or something like it… id rather hear some advice than spen 6 months n trial and error.
ok i just reread that 5am post… ignore it completely…
sugar free jello + sugar free whipped cream.
Manja tuti, lol.
I bet that’s the “down time” in your day. You get home from school, or from work, it’s before dinner, and you aren’t going to BJJ practice until later that night.
I like the idea of sugar free jello and some (real) whipped cream, and Crystal Light is also a good idea, but I bet you’re not very busy that time of day.
So make yourself busy. Set that time to do something else, anything else, but eat. That time that you would normally binge, you’re going to read, go take a walk in the park, go to the video, music or book store, fix your car, practice BJJ (mentally, if training partners aren’t available), take a nap, do homework or whatever. Engage in YOUR hobbies.The rule of thumb though is that you shouldn’t sit still long enough and in close enough proximity to your fridge to binge. This means no TV, no internet surfing (at least not at your place, where eating is convienent). Reading can also be a bad idea if done within a 50’ radius of the evil machine.
Anyway, what’s wrong with a few extra calories during a bulking phase? Call me out of line, but I’m just thinking about that line from the POW diet where Peter Loux says:
“I urge you to take an 8 1/2” by 11" sheet of paper and on one side write the following at the top: 5 Day Log. Underneath, make two columns: Calorie Intake and Protein Intake. Underneath, write, in large block letters ‘NOT ENOUGH’ and ‘MORE.’ Keep this log with you and refer to it when planning your meals."
"Do you think the train ride from ripped at 160 to ripped at 225 involves whistle stops at ripped at 165, ripped at 170 and so forth? NO! It involves a big fat detour to the town of beefy 250 before we reach our final destination. "
I mean, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe, with proper calorie partitioning, we can skip the detour to “beefy 250” before we’re ripped at 225 or whatever. This is what JB wants us to think, at least.
Anyway, this post is too long as it is.
Dan “beefy 235” McVicker