Hey guys, so a lot of people that I know fall short on their cycles and don’t experience the real benefits because they either are too lazy to eat right or just have no clue how to. This goes for bodybuilding in general on or off gear! So if this helps atleast one person get to where they need to be then I’ll be content. (LONG READ)

Mind Set towards dieting- everything needs to be set in a “long term” or a very gradual process. Anything that is done fast comes with sacrifice. Last thing you want to do is sacrifice hard earned muscle or carry much more fat just in order to chase a number on the scale. When dieting it should be as slow as 1lb per week at the fastest pace to allow your body to adjust, keep hormone levels stable, prevent muscle breakdown for energy, and to preserve energy so you can workout harder and longer. When attempting to put on quality mass it needs to be the exact opposite. Focus on increasing calories slowly and giving your body time to adjust so that you use most or the excess calories to your benefit vs being stored as fat so you would think maybe gaining 1lb every 2 weeks as a goal.

How I do things-Now all this info im giving does not exactly pertain to some of us. It is easier for some to maintain a good “off season weight” without closely tracking macros or calories. If I am not dieting for a show I generally eat the same amounts of foods daily then when weight drops I just add in a few extra cheat meals or add to meals I already have to get myself back up. This is how I do things, not everyone else and for the most part all my foods are nutrient dense and high quality sources. If you find you tend to gain weight easily or it is jumping all over the place it might be a good idea to track what you are taking in daily and monitor.
Starting point of trying to build or diet down- first you will need to track the amount of calories needed to maintain weight. How this is done is eating like you normally would do but track how many calories it is and keep it the same for 2 weeks. This can be easily done by using an app such as Myfitnesspal. For example= I track all my calories on a normal day and it comes out to 3000 calories. I then run this amount of calories for 2 weeks and if my weight does not change it is a good starting point. If it drops I will start a diet 200 or 300 calories above this base. If I gain weight I might start 100 or 200 calories below.
If your goal is to lose weight- I always suggest having (high) day and (Low) days. The purpose of the high day is to consume more calories to keep energy up and to sort of refuel you for the next few workouts. The purpose of the low days is to get you in a calorie deficit to burn fat. After two weeks of finding your base calories to maintain weight you will take away 100 calories and it will be considered your (low) day for example 2800 – 100=2700. So I use this number as my low days. This amount of calories will be consumed for an entire week but 1 day. The one day you are not on a low day will be a high day preferably on the hardest training day such as legs or back. Using 2800 calories as a base I would simply add 300 calories and consider it a high day number so 3100 and consume this many 1 day per week. Then its easy after that you run these numbers for 2 weeks then weigh yourself. If weight drops you don’t change anything and when it stays the same you simple reduce 100calories from each and keep going. For example 2700 (low) 3100(high) for 2 weeks and I lost 1lb I don’t change, 2 weeks later I do not loose weight I go to 2600 (low) 3000(high).

Gaining weight- With gaining weight you want to do the exact opposite and can even go slower like 50 calories every 2 weeks but there is no need for a high or low day just keep calories the same.

Choosing what macros- basic macronutrients are your protein, carbs, and fats. I personally have found you get more bang for your buck keeping the majority of your calorie intake with protein and carbs. Protein of course is to rebuild and repair muscle and carbs is a very efficient source or energy. Fats will then give you a more sustainable energy or slow burning. So typically 1.5 g per bodyweight for protein and then keep fats around 50 to 80g per day and then fill the rest of calories with carbs. I suggest sticking with high fibrous carbs such as brown rice, sweet potato, oats. Proteins-chicken, salmon, turkey, flank steak, tuna, egg whites, and of course your whey proteins.
Supplements- Don’t get caught up in the hype with what supplement brands are popular with joe cool in the gym or the “next” best thing. I find 90% of it is straight advertisement and money makers when all you need is basic shit.
-Protein- I tend to go with MTS Whey, Core Nutritionals Whey-you get what you buy and they do not do protein spiking which is basically put fillers and claim it as protein. There are other companies that are good but honestly I just stick between the two of these. Post workout is good just to add to regular food to get protein intake up.
-BCAAs- Should always have a good BCAA to sip on throughout the day such as core nutritionals core ABC, or scivation extend is good.- I typically do 1-2 scoops during workout and 1 to 2 during the day
-creatine monohydrate- I make sure I have 5g before and after workouts. I typically get core nutrtionals plain creatine monohydrate. Just add it to my shake.
-Pre workout- basically are big mental sellers for kids but can have some good qualities. I don’t get too particular with these but just use them if you feel you need the extra energy.
Workout nutrition-I am a big fan of getting sugar in around my workouts. I typically drink 60g of carbs in a Gatorade during a workout to keep me full mixed with BCAAs. I then have protein powder and 5 g creatine after.

Everyone has their own “go-to brand” I’m not an advertiser, just giving suggestions and my personal experience. Hopefully this helps anyone who has trouble in the kitchen, because if you can’t dial that in you’re truly missing out on all the hard work you’re putting into the gym!