vegansludge

Nail on the head right there.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but ... isn't it quite difficult to maintain such a low-level in the long-term?

Not yet. However, I turned 23 today and wrote out the goals I want to achieve this year; becoming as strong as possible and entering into powerlifting competitions/meets were my number one and two. Definitely want to see who else is out there already doing it and who is working toward similar goals.

. . .

Without getting too technical, in the newbie stages, it's one of the few times that a body recomp (muscle growth with simultaneous fat loss) is possible without being super obsessive over details/taking forever. If your nutrition and training are in check, you'll make fast gains while also shedding some fat. I wouldn't call it "super fast," but you'll definitely be able to do it better than someone who has been lifting for a long time.

Oh okay! http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/soy_whats_the_big_deal

You hit the nail on the head. Calories in vs. calories out. If you know the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight, you decrease them by 500, keep your protein high (around 1g of LBM) and then set your carb and fat intake to your personal preference so that you're satisfied while still consuming less calories. Keeps you sane while you lose weight.

Yep. I have a 65/35 split and I throw in a tablespoon or two of hemp occasionally.

So true. Newbie gains were the days. It's funny you say you won't miss it but, to be honest, it's one of life's ironies - I definitely miss the soreness I used to feel when I first started lifting even though, at the time, I hated it.

Are you always properly hydrated before and during your workouts? That used to be a problem for me until I started drinking water constantly.

Definitely! It's interesting to me because skateboarding (i.e. Ed himself) and hardcore music are what turned me onto animal rights, and eventually veganism, when I was younger and those were relatively underground things at the time. Now younger kids are able to learn about being vegan in more mainstream ways, which is definitely a positive thing but something that just struck me with your comment. Also, Jon Fitch would be a good addition - he's another vegan UFC fighter.

Ed Templeton! Though he's a pro-skateboarder but I think he'd bring a different audience on board.

Bench and OHP are my two weakest lifts - and when one's numbers goes up, the other stalls. I don't know if it's psychological or what but it is frustrating.

Awesome I'll have a look after your journal. I would usually design my own plans but I found a pretty sweet 5x5 3 day split over at builtfit. Getting some great results using that along with a lifting calculator. I'm de loading atm but the plan round 7 th week has me worried (in a good way) I'll get that Morrocan recipe to you over next couple of days I've been doing a 5x5 routine for about three months now and it's done me pretty well. I've also been considering doing something like PHAT but I think keeping it simple for a while will yield the best results. I'm just coming off of a deload this week so I'll definitely start journalling tomorrow once I hit the gym.

I focus on the big three lifts and only do a few other things at the end of each work out (generally burn sets with light weight) - I was concerned with being ripped when I first got into lifting but now I'm only concerned with getting stronger. In fact, I've been seriously considering doing powerlifting competitions later down the road and, even though that's a long ways away, it's definitely a big motivator for me. I smashed the pasta dinner and followed it up with a peanut butter cup and shake - felt good. And Indian food is always a good reward. I always go for that or Thai.

I totally agree with vegansludge here! here are two ideas i have for you: Idea 1: 2 PB & J sandwiches (quality ingredients) i.e. 100% stoneground bread; either rye, or whole wheat, all natural peanut butter, and 100% (or near to that) fruit jam. Two sandwiches will yeild about 40-60 grams of protein, 15-25 grams of fat, and about 60-70 grams of carbs, depending on the amounts (i.e. weigh your food to get a good indication of how much of what you are getting). When I started to weigh my food i discovered i wasn't getting enough protein, let alone enough calories, that helped me fix it. Now I am a dedicated follower of the ways of the IIFYM crew. Idea 2: 200g (measured dry) of lentils or beans). Cook these and throw in some hot sauce, or spices etc. This alone will provide you with about 0-1 grams of fat, 60 grams of carbs 60 grams of fibre and 60 grams of protein. Oh and this will hit around 740 cals. Agree with everything in this post but especially the part in bold. Weighing your food completely changes the game - especially if you you're following IIFYM. Another suggestion: throw some non-dairy milk and nut butter into your smoothie to bump up the calories.

I only train three times a week for 60 minutes or 75 minutes tops. On training days, though, my appetite is huge - it's the other days that are pretty difficult despite not being sedentary. I'm probably just overthinking it since being a Former Fat Kid makes bulking a huge mindgame for me but I'm working on that, too. On a different note, my girlfriend is super supportive of me bulking - she's currently making a pretty epic whole wheat pasta dish for dinner.

Has your trainer told you why this is important? Because nutrient timing isn't actually as important as people are led to believe. Muscles aren't built immediately after a work out nor is weight lost. Calories in/calories for weight loss and lifting heavy/solid macro breakdown for building muscle/putting on mass.

Long answer: You most definitely need more protein. In fact, you should be hitting at least 155 grams of protein a day if you want to add muscle (though some suggest that you could get up to 1.5xBW of protein a day if you really want to be putting on mass but that's debateable). Taking the average of those two suggestions, you'd be getting about 190 grams of protein a day, or 760 of your calories from protein. You also want your carbohydrates to be equally as high so I'd suggest adding legumes to your lunches and dinners because they're high in both (I recommend lentils as their protein/carb ratio is pretty solid). Then I'd snack on things like nuts, fruit, and nut butter sandwiches throughout the day to finish out your macros. Short answer: Up your protein intake to around 200, hit that every day, and then find foods you like that fill out the rest of your caloric needs and you'll be set.

Appetite between meals is non-existent. I attribute a lot of this to still recovering from severely under-eating for a really long time before trying to bulk and then jumping straight into IF. I'm doing a lot better about eating big at least twice a day and then having "smaller" meals 2-3 times a day.

1.) Carbs are carbs, calorie-wise, so eat mounds of whatever carbs you prefer to hit your macronutrient needs if you're bulking. That said, some foods are more nutrient dense than others and that's why some people favor them more. 2.) Carb/calorie timing really doesn't matter because calories don't just "turn to fat" once you start sleeping so eat whenever you like.

My food scale came in the mail this week, allowing me to find out that I have most definitely been underestimating my intake, explaining my inability to make any gains. However, I also happened to receive a four lb. bag of pea/brown rice protein powder in the mail. Increase in cals + protein powder restock = winning.

Speaking of, I need to incorporate more cookies into my macros - severe lack of those recently.

Gendered meal plans are silly, in my opinion, because it's all about the individual, their stats, and their goals. Of course a 6'6" male is going to have to consume more than a 5'3" woman, you know? To structure your diet plan, just take into account your caloric needs based upon your current stats and tailor them to gaining muscle mass - meaning finding your maintenance and then gradually increasing your intake so that you can start putting on mass. And there's no need to rush that because you want to make sure you're gaining more muscle than you are fat. So, so need to over think it or worry about "eating like a man" - you just gotta eat like a bodybuilder!

I've been doing this for the past 3 months and I love it. I can imagine how awesome it will be to use on a cut as a well.