Gaining By Just Eating High Protein

Just curious on your opinion on if its possible to make LBM gains by just eating mostly clean, and high protein. I don’t want to go through a bulk cycle, so i’ve been just eating a a high protein/fat/lower carb diet and lifting heavy.

Even though i m not in a surplus i am still getting stronger, and each session i am adding more reps and/or weight.

Is it possible to make gains by not going through bulk/cut cycles?

In answer to your first question: yes, but I dont think you will make anywhere near the gains you would if you include more carbohydrates in your diet. Especially post workout, you really dont wanna be in ketosis for LBM.

2nd: yes, many articles recommend not bulking b/c of the fat it puts on, and instead simply eating right and at about 10-20% more calories than you normally would.

That’s right. If you find you are putting on a little fat, just cycle down your carbs on your non working days until you’re happy. Always eat a little more than you need on your workout days and follow a long term sustainable diet.

Yes but this is a slower method, and generally you do want to have carbs at specific periods during your day, regardless. But Octane is right, your gains will be limited so you’ll have to workout with more intensity. Drop-Sets, Super-Sets, forced reps with spotter, negative reps. You’ll have to as one author aptly said here, give your muscles a reason to grow.

[quote]Octane wrote:
2nd: yes, many articles recommend not bulking b/c of the fat it puts on, and instead simply eating right and at about 10-20% more calories than you normally would. [/quote]

Personally I’d say a 20% calorie surplus qualifies as a bulk, but I know someone people feel that bulk only means “dirty insane calorie intake bulk”, which I agree is not optimum. Bulking is not an excuse to eat like crap.

Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.

I haven’t really been eating in a surplus. Just eating around maintenance, making sure i get enough protein, and eating clean.

Isn’t it true that if you get stronger, that the muscle will come eventually?

I don’t really care how long it takes. But I’d rather do it without the fat gain.

As of now, my goal is to just get stronger each session.

[quote]roofus_5 wrote:
Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.[/quote]

[quote]DoubleSidedTape wrote:
roofus_5 wrote:
Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.

[/quote]

My current carb intake is anywhere from 40-100g. Sometimes at night i feel like having some fruits and thats what bumps it to 100g. I’ve thought about the keto diet, and it is possible. I’ve thought about the keto diet,but since i live with my family, i don
t see how i can eat beef chicken, eggs, etc everyday and make it last without making the shopping bill go through the roof. For now I’ve just been minimizing my grain intake.

But, isn’t it true, that if you get stronger that muscle will come regardless of whether your in a surplus or not?

[quote]Phate89 wrote:
DoubleSidedTape wrote:
roofus_5 wrote:
Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.

My current carb intake is anywhere from 40-100g. Sometimes at night i feel like having some fruits and thats what bumps it to 100g. I’ve thought about the keto diet, and it is possible. I’ve thought about the keto diet,but since i live with my family, i don
t see how i can eat beef chicken, eggs, etc everyday and make it last without making the shopping bill go through the roof. For now I’ve just been minimizing my grain intake.

But, isn’t it true, that if you get stronger that muscle will come regardless of whether your in a surplus or not?[/quote]

Its true, if you have the caloric surplus to build that extra muscle and enough protein. How’s your fat intake, I hope you know that fat (as in the fat you eat) shouldn’t be something to be afraid of.

[quote]Vasa wrote:
Phate89 wrote:
DoubleSidedTape wrote:
roofus_5 wrote:
Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.

My current carb intake is anywhere from 40-100g. Sometimes at night i feel like having some fruits and thats what bumps it to 100g. I’ve thought about the keto diet, and it is possible. I’ve thought about the keto diet,but since i live with my family, i don
t see how i can eat beef chicken, eggs, etc everyday and make it last without making the shopping bill go through the roof. For now I’ve just been minimizing my grain intake.

But, isn’t it true, that if you get stronger that muscle will come regardless of whether your in a surplus or not?

Its true, if you have the caloric surplus to build that extra muscle and enough protein. How’s your fat intake, I hope you know that fat (as in the fat you eat) shouldn’t be something to be afraid of.
[/quote]

My protein and fat intake is pretty high.
I eat 5 boiled eggs a day

[quote]stuward wrote:
That’s right. If you find you are putting on a little fat, just cycle down your carbs on your non working days until you’re happy. Always eat a little more than you need on your workout days and follow a long term sustainable diet.[/quote]

I would have to disagree - if you are putting on “a little fat”, then I think you are doing something right. I simply don’t see anyone putting on exclusively muscle when trying to add weight and getting anywhere at anything faster than a snail’s pace.

If you are putting on more than a little fat, then by all means adjust your caloric intake accordingly, but withholding calories from yourself simply because you are starting to blur your 6-pack seems like a surefire way to cut yourself off at the knees if you goal is to get through a muscle building marathon.

I’m also not completely understanding the whole “restricted calories on off-days” concept…isn’t that a good time to get in nutrients in order to, you know, recover?

I get what you’re saying about eating more on workout days, but the period of growth DOES extend well beyond that.

[quote]Phate89 wrote:
But, isn’t it true, that if you get stronger that muscle will come regardless of whether your in a surplus or not?[/quote]

Where, pray tell, would you get the nutrients to build that extra tissue from, if you’re not eating enough calories to maintain even your current weight in the first place?

[quote]Phate89 wrote:
DoubleSidedTape wrote:
roofus_5 wrote:
Check out DiPasqual’s Anabolic or Metabolic Diet. When I first used it as a relative beginner I put on 20 lbs while losing 1" off my waist in about 8 weeks.

My current carb intake is anywhere from 40-100g. Sometimes at night i feel like having some fruits and thats what bumps it to 100g. I’ve thought about the keto diet, and it is possible. I’ve thought about the keto diet,but since i live with my family, i don
t see how i can eat beef chicken, eggs, etc everyday and make it last without making the shopping bill go through the roof. For now I’ve just been minimizing my grain intake.

But, isn’t it true, that if you get stronger that muscle will come regardless of whether your in a surplus or not?[/quote]

First, the AD is NOT a keto diet.

Second, there are tons of cheap protein/fat sources.

All you need to do is stay under 30g CHO per day during the week and load up on carbs during the weekend. Remember, fat should be about 60% of your total calories on PF days.

Okay will try it

whats the difference between keto and the anabolic diet? Are they both not the same thing of eating to a state of ketosis then carbing up on the weekends?

I had like 13 ounces of chicken today, gonna have some eggs + PB to get my fat intake over my protein intake.

[quote]Phate89 wrote:

I had like 13 ounces of chicken today, gonna have some eggs + PB to get my fat intake over my protein intake. [/quote]

That chicken and eggs amounts to ~100g protein. Is that one meal or all day?

Maybe you should start a food log, we could help a lot more that way.

-Sab

[quote]
Ketosis. The goal on the Atkins Diet is to get you in a state called Ketosis. To get you in ketosis you need to eat less than 20g carbs daily.

On the Anabolic Diet: 30g of carbs a day, with carb loading, you’re not in ketosis. Dr. Di Pasquale, author of the Anabolic Diet, said in an Interview on Testosterone Nation:

“Staying in a ketogenic state means you haven’t adapted to the diet. If ketones are being excreted in the urine (which is how you determine ketosis by using “keto-sticks”) then you’re not utilizing ketones for energy efficiently. Someone using fat for fuel shouldn’t have ketones in their urine.[…] Ketosis is very catabolic.”[/quote]

From: http://stronglifts.com/differences-between-the-anabolic-diet-the-atkins-diet/

From everything i’ve read before, it contradicts that “ketosis is catabolic” many people seem to use it effectively.

Sabastian: It was not all in one meal, lol no.
At the end of the day i ended up eating 18-20oz chicken breast, 6 whole boiled eggs, and table spoons of PB
But one question, does fat intake HAVE to be at 60% or higher.
My intake ended up being 49%fat/47%protein.
As for the “strength to gain muscle” thing i said earlier. Christian Thibaudeau has just released a article http://www.T-Nation.com/article/most_recent/lets_get_nasty
stating the opposite

Does Christian Thibaudeau have a thread around here where he answers questions, maybe i can ask him and see what he personally thinks.

[quote]Phate89 wrote:

Sabastian: It was not all in one meal, lol no.
At the end of the day i ended up eating 18-20oz chicken breast, 6 whole boiled eggs, and table spoons of PB[/quote]

Let me try to break down your diet based on your posts:
200g protein
90g fat (assuming 50/50 calories, not grams)
100g carbs
=2010 kcal

Which is a decent muscle-gaining diet if you weigh about 100 pounds.

I’m not trying to be an ass, just trying to put some numbers to your actions. There’s no sense in measuring 47.6458% fat when you might be undereating by 1000 kcal. Let’s tackle the big issues first.

How much do you weigh? How much do you WANT to weigh?

-Sab

I weigh around 152ish. I’d like to gain LBM with the most minimal fat gain possible, I want to get as big as i can get with the minimal fat gain, thats why i haven’t been a big fan of bulks/cuts, been recently just trying to eat clean, high protein, and gain strength.

You will put on very little fat while on the AD. The best thing you could do is add another 100g fat.

Then, on the weekend, load up on the carbs. Its OK if you go up to 5/6/7k kcals.