+ 42 I know my TDEE… NOW what do I do with it to get big & NOT fat?
Well, maybe you don’t know your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) or caloric needs, so here is link to figure it out:
When you are trying to put on some quality muscle it is a pretty well known fact that you have to eat a surplus of calories. Eat more calories than your TDEE and you WILL gain weight. They key to this is gaining the maximum amount of muscle and minimum amount of fat. So the traditional way to do this is typically eat 500+ cals above your TDEE and boom!! Weight gain. The problem with doing it this way is if you are continually eating the same amount of calories above your TDEE you are either going to gain too much unwanted fat or hit a plateau and stop gaining. The reason you may be hitting a plateau is that after a while of eating like this (it may take a few weeks or a few months) your metabolism is going to adjust and you will just be burning all the calories you consume with none left over to grow.
This is the best way that I have found so far to keep the excess fat off and avoid plateaus while gaining muscle at a steady rate. The whole idea behind this is to cycle your calories on a weekly progression. By slowly cycling and increasing your calories each week, you are supplying your body with the surplus of calories it needs to grow but you are not overloading it so much that you start to gain unwanted fat. Here is how it works using my TDEE as an example (adjust accordingly for your TDEE):
My TDEE is 2500cal/day. At the start of every month I consume my TDEE for the first week. The following week I up the calories by 250/day. The third week my calories will be 500 above TDEE and the final week of the month my calories will be 750 above my TDEE. Then at the start of the second month I will readjust my calories to my new lean body mass and start the same progression over again at my new TDEE. So it looks like this:
Week 1 TDEE (2500 cal)
Week 2 2500 + 250 = 2750 cal/day
Week 3 2500 + 500 = 3000 cal/day
Week 4 2500 + 750 = 3250 cal/day
Week 5 recalculate TDEE
week 6 New TDEE + 250 cal/day
Week 7 New TDEE + 500/day
etc.......
If you are not happy with how much weight you gained after the first month cycle (not gaining fast enough), add an EXTRA 250 calories on top of your new TDEE for the following month and continue with the progression. This should really pile the weight on. If you are getting close to the weight you would like to be or if you noticed you gained more fat than you wanted, just go back to the normal progression. You are supplying your body with the surplus of calories it needs to gain mass with this protocol but not too much so you don't gain any unnecessary fat. The real key to this is dropping your calories back to down to your new TDEE for the start of the new month. This helps to shock your metabolism and keep it revved up.
Where this type of diet cycling really shines is if you are also following a weekly progressive overload training routine. As your weekly training demands are increasing, you are also increasing your calories to match your increased training level and subsequent demand for additional calories.
Ironically, this diet cycling can also be used to lose weight even though for most of it you are consuming above your TDEE. By feeding your body more calories than it needs, you are preventing your metabolism from shutting down and keeping it in high gear. Here is how you do it. On the start of your second month, drop your calories to 250 BELOW your new TDEE and then continue with the progression. The 1,000 calorie drop from week 4 to the next week is where you will see the fat melt away.
Whether bulking or cutting I recommend that protein should be a minimum of 1.5 grams/lb. My macro split is usually around 45/35/20 Protein/carbs/Fat
I have been following this cycle diet for the last 2 months and I have gained 6lbs of lean mass and dropped my body fat from 12.5% to 11.3%. All of this has been without the use of any AAS or fat burners. Hopefully you guys (and girls) can give this a shot and give some feedback on your results too.
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Bump. Back at it again. Been so long I gotta refresh myself on some stuff
Jay1987Great post thanks makwa
AnonI wanted to post an update regarding this diet. I ran this plan for 16 weeks during a Test C cycle of 500mg/ week with a 2-week taper up and taper down at 250mg/ week. With this one compound and following Makwa's plan consistently, I went from 162 lbs to 179 with my final weigh-in at the end of my cycle. After PCT and dropping some water weight, I was still holding a solid 175 lbs and only gained a little extra body fat. I'd say this was a solid plan.
Now Makwa, I have a question for you since I'm now utilizing your plan to cut as well. I am at the point where I'm about to start a new month and I've already dropped my cals by 1,000 after reaching my max intake. Tp keep the cut going, do I reassess my TDEE and run that for a week, then continue my drops of 250 cals/ week for weeks 2-4 then reassess again? I'm curious because I know that reassessing my TDEE will raise my calories from where I currently stand almost like a week of re-feed, then continue with my 250 cal drops for the next 3 weeks.
Any input would be appreciated, thank you.
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PermalinkThis is how I would run it if doing it for a serious cut. If looking for more of a recomp/cut then after wk 5 instead of keeping on reducing cals you would go back to wk 1 and repeat the cycle.
Wk 1 TDEE
Wk 2 TDEE +250
3 TDEE +500
4 TDEE + 750
5 TDEE - 250
6 TDEE -500
7 TDEE - 750
8 TDEE + 250
Then keep repeating wks 5-8 until desired body comp is reached. This kind of a bastardized cyclic cut but is very effective in keeping the metabo revved up and burning preferentially fat.
Great post brother
AnonOn non-training days, do you maintain the same intake or reduce any specific part of it?
For simplicities sake here, I would just maintain the same intake for non-training days. Recently I have began tracking my daily calorie burn with my new fitness watch and have been adjusting cals on a daily basis based on that which has been very effective. Either way will produce results.
AnonThank you Sir. I’ve just finished my first month of this diet protocol and have followed it religiously, as well as maintained a solid training schedule. So far I have been seeing great results and very minimal fat gain. Acquired my new TDEE today and will continue to run this cycle for a while.
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PermalinkI see that it’s recommended to start the progression with my TDEE but what if I’m coming out of a cut? For example, my TDEE is between 3000-3300 cal daily but since I’m coming out of a cut my starting calories are only 2250. Wouldn’t the initial shock of 750 more calories from to 3000 b too much? Or should I start with 250 cal over what I’m eating now?
The reason I’m asking is because I upped my volume and am doing leg specialization and I’ve never been so hungry with only a 250 cal increase. But I’m concerned that’s not enough to grow since I’m more hungry now than ever while cutting. I’m also concerned going straight up 750 calories will put on too much fat if my body doesn’t adapt quick enough.
Anyone it any experience with diet during transition phase?
Your body is primed for bulk when coming out of a cut. Nutrient partitioning should be off the charts after a cut and now with lower body fat. Skimp on calories now and you are blowing an opportunity for significant gains. If your TDEE is 3000-3300 cals I would be starting out at close to 4K right off the bat. Wasted opportunity othwerwise. You are doing more of a cyclic bulking approach when coming out of a cut so hit the cals hard right away for a couple of weeks and then go back to the calorie progression routine i have outlined here.
I’m far from a diet expert, but in my experience coming out of a cut is the best time to bulk. Especially if it was a long one with carbs complex and on the low side, Insulin sensitivity should be at its best and muscle tissue should be super begging for nutrients. Making fat gain minimum to almost none for the first couple weeks.
Especially if you upped your volume drastically, that means you upped your TDEE, so that 250 cals may not even cover the increase to your TDEE if you’ve upped volume that much.
I’d readjust TDEE, and go right into the bulk as Makwa described above, and a If for some reason you think fat comes on too fast in the beginning, you can always dial back and adjust.
at minimum I’d go right to maintenance and test my new TDEE. The calculator is a good starting point but varies from person to person. Maintenance is maintenance for a reason. Whether it’s a drastic increase from where you are currently or not, you should maintain where you are Physique wise at maintenance. That’s why they call it maintenance. You know?
That being said everyone is different, and if you know you respond better to a slow increase maybe up your cals 250 every 3-4 days until you’re at your maintenance or bulk cals.
Thanks for the input. I tried upping them only 250 at first from where I was at the end of my cut while upping volume and I’ve never been so hungry. I started tapering them up towards my maintainence because of the hunger. I just wanted to make sure I’m not gonna overload it and put the fat right back on or the opposite and just not grow while that’s my current goal. I’m gonna set it at maintenance (750) above what I was eating and see how it goes
AnonGood morning Sir. I have a question about this post in conjunction with another where you mentioned completing a series of mini bulks/ cuts. In that post, you suggested completing a 4 week bulk followed with a 2 week cut, then repeat. Would you consider combining these two methods or keep the diets separate? I understand that this current protocol can be used for cutting as well, I'm just curious what you would consider to be the most ideal setup for a well-managed, lean bulk.
Another question I have is where you would prefer to add these 250 calories per week from? I know that a 250 calorie increase is just a hair over 60g additional carbs. Adding/ subtracting carbs is easy. However, at what point would you add the calories from fat and/ or protein while still mitigating fat gain? I know that at some point, probably by the beginning of month two I'm assuming, additional calories will need to come from elsewhere besides just more carbs.
My curiosity in this is related to my potential first cycle for when I return from some traveling work duty. I have been carb cycling for the past month or so and it has done wonders for dropping body fat. However, as I mentioned, I am planning my first cycle and this progressive bulking diet is intriguing. Just curious about your thoughts.
Please reference my post about my current carb cycling protocol and proposed cycle if you have questions. I know you commented on it before, but here is the link for reference. Thank you for taking the time to read this Sir.
https://www.eroids.com/forum/steroids-qa/steroid-cycles/proposed-first-c...
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PermalinkThose are two different protocols for gaining muscle and limiting fat. Can't combine them. Two different ways for you to experiment with to see what works best for you when trying to gain mass. Lately I have been using the bulk/mini cut approach when on cycle. This gives me the freedom to continue on the bulking phase portion for quite an extended time due to the effect of the AAS. I could get in say 8+ wks before doing a short mini-cut to reset. Gives me an extended time on high cals for superior growth. Both approaches work, just try them both and see what one you like.
As far as where to increase cals, that is pretty much up to you. I'll usually try to stay with my macro split when adding cals. So if my macros are 40/40/20 that is how I will divey up cals as I am increasing. If you want to just bump up carbs or protein I really don't see a problem with that either.
AnonThank you Sir, your clarification and advice is always appreciated. I’m looking forward to trying this bulk in conjunction with my first cycle when I return.
- CM
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PermalinkAwesome post bro
Going to modify this for myself for my next recomp, without a doubt a great recomp diet
The BEST ever I have read on TDEE, macros and adjustments for bulking/cutting. Thanks!!
Awesome post Makwa!!! Great link you provided us with.
Never caught this post back when you posted it until I saw your link on another thread. Golden info here makwa. Great stuff +1
This guy knows his shit! Thanks MAKWA!
Makwa strikes again! Extremely valuable post, marking for my favs folder. Really appreciate you taking the time to share and explain. Makes a ton of sense. Any suggestion on some good reads for Carb Cycling? I have my own way of going about it but know it could use some fine tuning.
Thanks again.
You know what, carb cycling is something that I am somewhat unfamiliar with unfortunately. I have done pretty well cycling calories for the most part. I do think for this next upcoming prep diet that I will be doing I will be incorporating more carb cycling. I have usually just slowly cut carbs as needed to keep weight loss consistant but I want to try more a carb cycling approach also this go around. So, I am also on the hunt for some carb cycling knowledge.
I have incorporated carb cycling when I had a lot of fat and weight to loose. I found it pretty effective. It dropped me from anout 95kg at 20%BF down to 83kg and 11% at one point. Took it too low in the end but putting some quality mass back on using your advise (cyclical bulking) was awesome. Basically at the end I was running in a deficit of around 2200 calories per day. For 4 days a week I was on 200g protein, 130g carbs and 85g fat. For 2 days (leg days for me) I was on 200g protein, 200g carbs and 65g fat. I had a refeed one day a week of 180g protein 400g carbs and 45g fat. Diet was very clean. I dropped to these calories (started around 3100 calories per day) and macros mainly by cutting carbs and some fat. I started around 220g of protein so didn't cut much from this.
Lately oven been researching the Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyle McDonald. The link to this book can be found in this post - https://www.eroids.com/forum/general/general-talk/i-thought-i-would-cont.... Basically it is a pretty extreme form of carb cycling which is meant to be very effective for dropping body fat and maintaining muscle mass. The "science" sounds interesting enough and a couple of natty body builders I know swear by this. I'm going to give it a try for 5/6 weeks at the start of Feb once my PCT is well over.
Thanks for sharing the details. Will plan on looking into this book and look forward to hearing the details of your experience with it. Much appreciated.
You were looking for more info on carb cycling.Take a look at KAPSIZE's reply in the following forum post for an excellent practical description of how to set-up a carb cycling plan for a cut - https://www.eroids.com/forum/steroids-qa/anabolic-steroids/help-i-want-t....
Thanks for the feedback, please let me know if you come across anything you find promising. Calculating all of my calorie projections for my upcoming Cycle based on your suggested layout here, thanks in advance for the many additional lean gains to come!
After seeing this, I switched up my cycle up to this theory. I've been almost one week on it, will bump up the add'l 250 Monday and will continue to report back as my cycle goes. For misc info I was at 160 before I started this, as of today I'm at 167. My wife commented on the size of my arms last night so there must be noticeable difference.
If anyone has followed this protocol, could you give a recap whether or not it worked for you.
Good post ,+1
Awesome! Thank you bro
I had a couple of people mention to me that the TDEE calculator wasn't working so I have updated it with a new link.
Awesome post and great read+1
Great read thanks for sharing this strategy makwa.
Thank you makwa! I needed this info! Rusty was just tellin me I need to hit you up! I fuckin LOVE fuckin eroids!!!
The program is working pretty good for me. Dropped 3.5% BF and gained over 6lbs of lean mass over the last 3 months, WITHOUT any AAS. That would be an impressive recomp for even an actual cycle so I am looking forward to what I can do with that diet program once I am on cycle.
Thanks for the link, i was following already this way to lean bulk, now i'm sure i don't need to go for the 4000/5000 kcals as many say to be best for a bulk ( maybe it is but not for a LEAN bulk ) +1
Awesome post +1
Great Stuff!! Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine!!
This is great! I am going to give it a try my next bulk..
What is your strategy when or if you were to take a week off for example, just stay at your bmr all week ?
That is what I would do. Doing it that way you should be able to maintain your current weight until you are ready to go again.
Makes a whole lot of sense mate, cheers.
This is awesome thanks a lot!
RustyhookerLove it! Hope this gets stickied!!
its says i burn 38 calories a day lol don't think thats right
lol. I think you entered something wrong.
gender: male
age: 26
height: 5'11"
weight: 227
extremely active
says i burn 38 calories a day idk lol
I just entered your info and your BMR is 3,864 cals. If more people are having a problem with the link I'll put a new one up.