Hey everyone,
Three years ago I weighed between 140 lbs. and 150 lbs. which, at 6 foot 3, put me firmly in the Bitchman category. As a matter of fact, the first time I went to the gym, I could only manage 1 eccentric rep of the bar on the bench (It fell on me).
So I did some very bad research and started eating everything I saw, began a 5 day split (I know, but I was brand new. And Arnold did it!), and went to a Personal Training school to learn what I could. I was working as a bartender at the time, so the late hours and excessive alcohol consumption were staples for me.
Plus I’d eat things like peanut butter and pop tart sandwiches. Hey, just eat big, right? Well, I got fat. Dammit. I was 245 lbs. at my max, with a BF around 20%ish.
I stumbled onto T-Nation a few months ago and have been reading as much as I can, learning as much as I can, and making some much needed re-adjustments to my approach to nutrition and training. And may I offer a HUGE thank-you to all the people who put this amazing site together. Y’all rock.
Anyway, I’m about to really begin my first structured nutrition program designed to get me to a single digit BF percentage, and then continue to a slow, clean bulk with a goal of 230 lbs in 18 months, and 250 lbs 18 months after that.
Currently I’m around 215 lbs with a BF of, ehh . . . 12%-16% I’d guess (going by the mirror.) I have some pics from the last few months on my profile. I’ve spent the last few months cleaning up my dies, and slowly restricting calories.
Anyway, here is my nutrition program. I took elements from Precision Nutrition, The Carb Cycling Codex, and Bernardi’s 7 habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs. Suggestions and comments are very much appreciated. I’ll be posting updates as I am able.
6:AM - 4 BCAA’s, 2 Spike, 2 TRIBEX
7:AM - Smoothie made with frozen fruit, oatmeal, a scoop of protein, fat-free plain yogurt, cinnamon, and Metamucil. 1 cup black coffee. GNC Mega Men Sport.
9:45 - Half a Gatorade, 4 BCAA’s, 1 Spike
10:AM - Workout
11:AM - Scoop of Protein, 1 Packet of GNC Power Load, 5 grams creatine, 4 BCAA’s, Bottle of Green Tea
12:PM - 2 TRIBEX, 4 BCAA’s
12:30 - Turkey meat and rice
2:PM - 4 BCAA’s
3:PM - Salmon fillet, and spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
5:PM - 4 BCAA’s
6:PM - Tuna Steak, spinach salad, 4 Flameout capsules
8:PM - ZMA tablets
9:PM - Fat-free cottage cheese, bag of steamed veggies, 5 grams glutamine, 1 gram vit C, 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil.
10:PM - Bed
2:AM - 4 BCAA’s
I won’t bore you with exact amounts and rations, but it comes out to just shy of 2000 kcals, with 203 grams of protein, and a breakdown of about 40-40-20 (P-C-F).
I carry a Nalgene and drink a full one (32 oz) every hour, usually alternating ice water and green tea to keep a steady supply of antioxidants in my system. Oh, and the BCAA’s also contain 12 IU’s of vit E. If I’m feeling hungry between meals, or having a craving for Hawaiian pizza and Corona, I’ll drink some V8 juice and that kills my appetite for a while.
When I go the other direction (gaining), I’ll just begin exchanging the fibrous carbs for starchy ones, the fat-free products for regular, turkey and tuna for red meat, and increase my PWO protein and carb amounts. I haven’t figured amounts and ratios for those changes, but I’ll do the math when the time comes. Maybe drink shakes with the BCAA’s if the calories are too low.
As far as workouts go, I’ll be lifting Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and doing something athletic from 10-11 AM on non-lifting days; backpacking, rock climbing, swimming, or whatever sounds fun at the time. I’ll also be walking 2-4 miles with a backpack with 3 milk jugs full of water (30 lbs) each morning before breakfast everyday except Sunday.
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=927737
This isn’t really meant to be a “diet,” more like a change in dietary habits.
Again, thank you to all the people here at T-Nation, and any suggestions are more than welcome.