maintainance/bulk question

[D Breyer]

hey guys-

i have been cutting for the past couple months, when i first officially started my cut i was 190ish, and now i am 165, but will maintain once i get to 160 in about 2 weeks. i've been pretty focused on cutting, and have not looked into a maintaining or bulking diet much, so i figure before i start anything, i would run it by you, to see if it will give me the results i am looking for. as a side note: I gain fat pretty easily, and i have a pretty slow metabolism, so going and eating everything in sight (which seems to be the going trend of the people my age on the board) is out of the question.

first i need to maintain for 2 weeks, so that i can ween myself into gradually eating more calories.

Maintainance Phase 2 weeks:
2250 Calories
40/40/20

900 from carb/protein
(BIG question mark here... is 40% too much? too little? should i cycle carbs when maintaining? i have been cycling carbs for cutting... and im not sure how to work them into my diet... :help: )
450 from fat

grams (roughly):
225g carbs and protein
50g fat (is this enough, built?)

Bulking Phase:
2750 Calories:
50/30/20

1375 from carb
850 from protein
525 from fat

343.75g carb
212.5g protein
58g fat

is this a good plan?
thanks in advance for the help.

-crunch

[Nongan]

hrm, your calories seem a bit low......Maybe its just your body type, but to maintain at 145 pounds I need to eat 2500, but I have a fast metabolism. If you have an average/fast metabolism, I'd up your calories some, maybe to 2600-2700 maintenance, 3200-3300 for bulk. Otherwise, I'd say it looks good, and good luck!

[Built]

2250 Calories
40/40/20

900 from carb/protein
(BIG question mark here... is 40% too much? too little? should i cycle carbs when maintaining? i have been cycling carbs for cutting... and im not sure how to work them into my diet... :help: )
Who cares what the ratio is? It's meaningless.


450 from fat

grams (roughly):
225g carbs and protein
50g fat (is this enough, built?)
I don't think so. Get away from thinking of ratios. Think of fats and protein as lbm-dependent DOSES.

1.0-1.5g protein per pound LBM
0.5g or more fat per pound LBM
The rest of your calories from anything you like.

This strategy is the same for bulking or cutting. In practice, it generally means that for bulking, carbs go up, and fats can go up if you like. I tend to keep my protein about the same for bulking or cutting - high.



Bulking Phase:
2750 Calories:
50/30/20

1375 from carb
850 from protein
525 from fat

343.75g carb
212.5g protein
58g fat

is this a good plan?
thanks in advance for the help.

-crunch

Dunno what kind of calories you need to maintain/bulk - you'll need to experiment with this. For me, I'd get in my minimums for protein and fat, and add in extra cals from any combination of macronutrients that appealed to me until I found the right level to maintain. If you gain fat easily, you might want to pad your extra calories more with fat than with carbohydrate. I know this works better for me, anyway.

[Built]

I was actually just reading this on Lyle's board: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8777

[D Breyer]

thanks for your help built-

for carbs in my diet... should i mainly eat them before and after my workouts? if so how much before/after? i have heard to eat simple carbs after the workout, is this correct?

also, on the days i am not working out, should i not eat as many carbs?

does any of this even matter?

-crunch

[Built]

It's all a big puzzle. Even the experts don't totally know. You'll just have to fiddle with it and watch the fat gains.

[Sug]

Sorry for bringing an old thread up, but Built are you saying if you pack on more fat easily one should increase fat calories during a bulk?

[muscleup]

Sorry for bringing an old thread up, but Built are you saying if you pack on more fat easily one should increase fat calories during a bulk?
She said if you gain fat easily, you should increase your calories on a bulk with fats rather than carbs.
Excess carbs lead to the conversion of extra calories into stored body fat.
Fat is a better long term energy provider because oxidation takes longer.

Carb cunsumption seems to work best earlier in the day, as well as before and after your workout.

[Sug]

So excess Fat Calories gives your body the indicator that their is plenty of fat available, no need to store it. But more Carbs and low fat tells your body theirs not enough supply and should start storing some?