turnupthegas
New member
Hopefully this gets some reads and potentially helps out anyone who reads all the “diet is key” talk and is interested in knowing more or wants to really step there game up in the total change of their physique.
Some background info first;
For starters I experimented with AAS at a young age because people around me were and now looking back and having struggled for many years with addiction, I can see how it was simply me at an early age searching to “fill that void” or become “part of” and not so much that I was into to training like I am today, I simply wanted to be accepted.
Moving on in the teen years with weed and booze, then the ecstasy and club drugs all the way to graduating to amphetamines and my true demise as an IV drug user, let’s just say the first 10 years were me “having fun” and then another 5-7 years of trying to dig out of the hell hole of active addiction.
Enough on that now that you have my background prior to me having an “awakening” of sorts and where I sit today I will talk more about how I’ve changed my life and what I’ve learnt.
So after getting clean and sober 5 years ago and turning to healthy habits and lifestyle choices, I weighed 200lbs and was skinny fat. Strung out with a beer gut and no muscle definition it was time. I worked hard and long for 2-1/2 years before diving back into AAS once I felt like I had hit a wall. Now I’m a small framed guy 6 foot tall and just genetically not the type that will be 230lbs of meanness just not me.
So experimenting at first with some advice and research got me some results but again nothing that ever really stuck and this leads me back to the intent of this post…DIET! Joined MG got active, met some solid people, got great advice and truly believes that how we fuel our bodies alongside timing of it all is the real “magic serum” and not the compounds themselves. I’ve learnt more than anything that the compounds only aid in how we uptake nutrients and burn fat and that’s about it. The actual bulk/cut comes from the food and training with the AAS as an aid to get you past what your body can do on its own.
I’ve bulked before and used the mentality that you hear around from time to time that it’s all about calories. It is, but 4000 calories of McDonalds is not the same as 4000 calories of whole foods. Some people will argue that it doesn’t matter but I’m here to debate that it does. The Macro’s in a BIG MAC don’t tend to balance out with that of whole foods unless your macro ratios are high sat fats and high carbs. To say 1000 calories is 1000 calories no matter what you eat is beyond me, but I digress.
So if you’re interested in really fine tuning things based on your goals here’s a quick way to get to where you need to be.
1. Calculate your TDEE which is how many cals you burn daily simply by being awake. This differs based on your age height and amount of daily activity i.e.…what you do for work like desk job vs carpenter etc.…
2. Decide what your goal is, cut bulk recomp.
3. Find a macro ratio that works for you, mine is currently high protein, moderate healthy fats and I cycle the carbs up and down. Higher on training days and less on off days.
4. Rule of thumb is 300-500 cals less than your TDEE for a cut and 500 cals + on a bulk. This can be tweaked based on how accelerated you want either to be. On a bulk you could eat 2000 extra cals but fat gain will come into play. This is not the same for everyone and experimenting and knowing your body simply comes with time dedication and hard work. No shortcuts here!
5. Come up with a plan, make a shopping list, learn how to meal prep and I suggest initially track what you eat and weigh out portions, it may seem tedious but this is truly what separates the men from the boys. In time the scale will go on the top shelf because you will know portion sizes by heart and your shopping list will become similar week to week and you’ll know what you’re eating without tracking after a short while. It becomes second nature and more of a habit.
6. Have a plan and stick with it. NOTE: All of the above can and should be done before you contemplate AAS use. See what you can obtain naturally and get into healthy eating habits so that when you do dive into AAS your body has the proper fuel for the best results. It’s not worth blasting test and trying to then work out an eating plan mid cycle.
Some of my food choices;
Oats, eggs, veggies, leafy greens, (sweet potato, red potatoes – I only eat these an hour after training on training days only, same with bananas) Fish, Lean Beef or Chicken at every meal besides breakfast. Whey, BCAA’s. I’m currently on a no bread diet but if I wasn’t I would be eating sprouted grain bread like Ezekiel. I recently added back in some dairy and for me again its eggs skim milk low-fat cottage cheese and Cabot low fat Greek yogurt. These are my staples that reside in my fridge/cabinets at all time, you can tweak accordingly, just know what’s in your food. Avoid over processed shit like prepackaged lunch meats and refined sugars like corn syrup.
With the above the potential is limitless. My advice is set yourself up for success prior to AAS and not for failure. In laymen’s terms look at it like this.
Option 1. 500mg of test per week, train 3 days eat what you want and hang out with the boys and drink beer.
Option 2. Know your TDEE, have a solid plan, eat healthy whole foods and know what you’re eating (understand your macro’s), train hard and add 500mg of test per week.
What do you think will yield better results? Even if you’re new to this game it’s safe to bet that 99% of you will say option 2 is best, so why sell yourself short?
God Bless, Turn