Been Lifting For a Year - Looking for Dietary Advice

[tommyj1998]

Hello all!

I started my journey about a year ago. I came into college weighing 150, super scrawny. Did a dirty bulk, drinking, eating what I wanted, and slowly got my weight up. I started working out more consistently, and I am proud to say I have not missed a day in about 5 months. I'm at a point now where I weigh 187, and I feel as if I am close to my genetic potential. I was going to bulk, but I'm unsure if its worth it for the muscle that I would gain. Attached is an image of what I currently look like. I have the following questions:

1. Should I bulk or maintain?

2. If I have a diet where I am at a caloric surplus, but in a Ketogenic state (so high fat high protein but close to 0 carbs) what happens to my body?

3. Is there a way where I can time carbs to give me enough energy to go hard during sessions, and avoid the fat gain from carbs during rest periods?

4. Would a lean bulk be a better approach? If I were to do this, assuming my maintenance level is 3000 cal, what would my diet be like, divided up over 4 meals? (how many I can eat a day given my schedule)

Looking for insight, I am currently at a loss as to how I should approach my diet to supplement my training - advice would be amazing!

Thank you in advance

[Mikeez0]

1. Should I bulk or maintain?
2. If I have a diet where I am at a caloric surplus, but in a Ketogenic state (so high fat high protein but close to 0 carbs) what happens to my body?

3. Is there a way where I can time carbs to give me enough energy to go hard during sessions, and avoid the fat gain from carbs during rest periods?

4. Would a lean bulk be a better approach? If I were to do this, assuming my maintenance level is 3000 cal, what would my diet be like, divided up over 4 meals? (how many I can eat a day given my schedule)

1. Lean bulk.
2. You will gain weight.
3. No, meal timing has 0 effect on your bodycomposition.
4. 100-200calories above TDEE. Amount of meals is irrelevant, you could go with 15 snacks a day, but ~4 meals high in protein is your way to go to maximize protein synthesis.

[GoldenEraDanny]

1. You should lean bulk

2. your brain functions of purely carbohydrates and it doesnt really enjoy running on a ketostate so i dont advice it lol

3 yes there is correct timing actually i believe. For starters to avoid fst storage you should be eating mainly complex carbs to keep stable insulin levels to not store fats. Say you train at 6pm...id split the majority of my carbs between first breakfast, around 2 hours before training and an hour after training. If you have any simple carbs ie white rice or fruit its best ingested first thing in the morning or post workout because your body is depleted of resources.

4 what id do is for example is your maintenence is 3000 calories, id go with 3100 and see how much weight i gain. If i dont gain no weight up it to 3200. If you gain more than half a pound a week then lower it. If your gaining around half a pound a week then thats a nice steady rate of building muscle i believe. I eat around 7 meals a day. Getting most my carbs morning pre and post workout through complex carbs. I divide my proteins and fats and eat small meals through the day roughly 3 hours a part from when i wake. Last meal i have a casein protein, high fats and zero carbs

Hope this helpz

[gbullock32]

2. your brain functions of purely carbohydrates and it doesnt really enjoy running on a ketostate so i dont advice it lol

3 yes there is correct timing actually i believe. For starters to avoid fst storage you should be eating mainly complex carbs to keep stable insulin levels to not store fats. Say you train at 6pm...id split the majority of my carbs between first breakfast, around 2 hours before training and an hour after training. If you have any simple carbs ie white rice or fruit its best ingested first thing in the morning or post workout because your body is depleted of resources.

4 what id do is for example is your maintenence is 3000 calories, id go with 3100 and see how much weight i gain. If i dont gain no weight up it to 3200. If you gain more than half a pound a week then lower it. If your gaining around half a pound a week then thats a nice steady rate of building muscle i believe. I eat around 7 meals a day. Getting most my carbs morning pre and post workout through complex carbs. I divide my proteins and fats and eat small meals through the day roughly 3 hours a part from when i wake. Last meal i have a casein protein, high fats and zero carbs

Hope this helpz

This is poor advice and incorrect.

[TheGymJim]

3 yes there is correct timing actually i believe. For starters to avoid fst storage you should be eating mainly complex carbs to keep stable insulin levels to not store fats. Say you train at 6pm...id split the majority of my carbs between first breakfast, around 2 hours before training and an hour after training. If you have any simple carbs ie white rice or fruit its best ingested first thing in the morning or post workout because your body is depleted of resources.

This post wins the daily Nobel Prize in Bro-Science.

[Mrpb]

You've been lifting for one year and you feel like you're close to your genetic potential? How would that be possible?

[tommyj1998]

1. Lean bulk.
2. You will gain weight.
3. No, meal timing has 0 effect on your bodycomposition.
4. 100-200calories above TDEE. Amount of meals is irrelevant, you could go with 15 snacks a day, but ~4 meals high in protein is your way to go to maximize protein synthesis.

This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you!

[Mrpb]

3. Is there a way where I can time carbs to give me enough energy to go hard during sessions?

Yes having carbs pre workout can help performance, both intensity and volume.

The idea that nutrient timing has zero effect on body composition is false. Here's a better answer: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/arti...970-017-0189-4