Nutrition help in my members pics please!

ERandICU-RN

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Hey guys, if anyone with cutting experience and nutrition expertise can give me some advice in the members pics, it would be much appreciated! I posted here because my title on that thread isn’t really asking for help. Thanks!
 

CJ

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Generic advice, since I don't know what you're currently doing...

Start with upping cardio, not by taking away food. You need the food for productive workouts, and that will help retain muscle, and possibly build a little. Yes, you can build muscle in a small deficit. Not as much as in a surplus, but you can do it.

When it comes time to drop some calories, start by taking away about 250 calories, mostly from fats. Not that fats are bad, but carbs are better for training, and fats are more Cals per gram, so you will be taking away less food volume.

You have multiple levers to pull, it's not just pulling food. Do NOT pull them all at once, leave yourself some moves to make.

If you want more in depth advice, we'll need more info from you.
 
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eazy

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I don't know what you're currently doing


So I’m at a comfortable bf, I think I’m gonna start my tren/test cycle soon. Coming off this keto cut, I want to keep my bf low and start building some muscle. I’m trying to decide between staying on keto and trying to build DRY mass, or working carbs back in. I’m at 1890 cals currently and burning 1000 a day in exercise (bmr 1940). What do y’all think I should do with my Cals and macros? I’ve never cut before and could use some help coming off of it. I’ll post a picture of my goal. I doubt it’s obtainable on a 10 week cycle, but just what I’m working towards

 

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Ok, from a prior conversation we had, you said that this is what you were doing... "Currently eating 1890 cals per day and burning 1000 thru exercise/daily activity at work. My bmr is 1990. Protein intake is at 250g/day 100g fat, and 20g crabs (keto diet) for the last 2.5 months."

What has been your rate of weight loss the past 3-4 weeks? How has your gym performance been?

You're already eating a very low calorie amount, so I wouldn't pull any food. It will hurt your workout performance, and your metabolism will adapt downward even further. I also believe that the Keto diet is not helping you at all, but if you're determined to stick with it, fine. That's your choice.

I'd suggest adding in an extra 10-20 minutes of cardio per day, if time allows. I'd also suggest dropping some dietary fats and replacing those calories with carbs, preferably in the pre + post workout period. But that depends upon how married you are to the ketogenic diet.

How are you feeling on that level of calories? How's your sleep? How's your libido? How's your daily energy level outside of the gym?
 
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ERandICU-RN

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Ok, from a prior conversation we had, you said that this is what you were doing... "Currently eating 1890 cals per day and burning 1000 thru exercise/daily activity at work. My bmr is 1990. Protein intake is at 250g/day 100g fat, and 20g crabs (keto diet) for the last 2.5 months."

What has been your rate of weight loss the past 3-4 weeks? How has your gym performance been?

You're already eating a very low calorie amount, so I wouldn't pull any food. It will hurt your workout performance, and your metabolism will adapt downward even further. I also believe that the Keto diet is not helping you at all, but if you're determined to stick with it, fine. That's your choice.

I'd suggest adding in an extra 10-20 minutes of cardio per day, if time allows. I'd also suggest dropping some dietary fats and replacing those calories with carbs, preferably in the pre + post workout period. But that depends upon how married you are to the ketogenic diet.

How are you feeling on that level of calories? How's your sleep? How's your libido? How's your daily energy level outside of the gym?
I dont feel low energy at all. I am decently ok with my bf percent. Maybe drop 1 more percent. But I really need to build some muscle so I can see the benefits of my low bf percent. According to multiple Inbody scans I’m at 8.3-8.5%. I’m not opposed to coming off keto, I just don’t want to add all these carbs back in and gain fat back due to insulin spikes. I know the tren decreases those spikes, but I’m not sure as to what degree. I’ve only used it for bulking in the past. My fat loss is about 1.5 lbs per week for the past 4 weeks.
 

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I’m not opposed to coming off keto, I just don’t want to add all these carbs back in and gain fat back due to insulin spikes.
That's not how it works at all, you are VERY misinformed. I can get more in depth with you on the topic, if you like, and are open to learning.
I know the tren decreases those spikes,
Tren will not decrease insulin spikes. It will, however, blunt chronic cortisol, which is a big plus during dieting.
 

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For example, @ERandICU-RN , vegans have a VERY high carbohydrate diet. So why aren't they all obese? That example alone should throw some serious doubt into your belief as to what insulin does.

Also, did you know that insulin is not even needed for the body to store bodyfat in adipose tissue? It's true.

Protein also causes an insulin spike. So why aren't you afraid of getting fat from eating protein?

Fat storage is a net gain. We are constantly both burning and storing fat throughout the day, and it can even happen at the same time!!! What we want when attempting to lean out, is to burn more fat during the day that we store, resulting in a net bodyfat loss. This is where the Cals in vs Cals out factors in. We want to eat in a deficit so the extra calories are pulled from stored energy, aka bodyfat

And think of insulin as a regulatory hormone, not a storage hormone. It's primary function is to regulate blood sugar. In the body, any carbs you eat will be used to fill liver and glycogen stores first, before any is converted to bodyfat.

And bodybuilders inject large amounts of insulin, both during the off season and prep phases. It's literally their livelihoods not to get fat, yet they utilize insulin. If insulin really caused fat gain, bodybuilders would avoid it like the plague. I myself used it, humalog, and quite a bit of it. Two separate runs. I didn't get fat, I'm fact, I leaned out a little. And no, not because of the insulin, it doesn't do that either, but rather from a proper diet.
 
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ERandICU-RN

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For example, @ERandICU-RN , vegans have a VERY high carbohydrate diet. So why aren't they all obese? That example alone should throw some serious doubt into your belief as to what insulin does.

Also, did you know that insulin is not even needed for the body to store bodyfat in adipose tissue? It's true.

Protein also causes an insulin spike. So why aren't you afraid of getting fat from eating protein?

Fat storage is a net gain. We are constantly both burning and storing fat throughout the day, and it can even happen at the same time!!! What we want when attempting to lean out, is to burn more fat during the day that we store, resulting in a net bodyfat loss. This is where the Cals in vs Cals out factors in. We want to eat in a deficit so the extra calories are pulled from stored energy, aka bodyfat

And think of insulin as a regulatory hormone, not a storage hormone. It's primary function is to regulate blood sugar. In the body, any carbs you eat will be used to fill liver and glycogen stores first, before any is converted to bodyfat.

And bodybuilders inject large amounts of insulin, both during the off season and prep phases. It's literally their livelihoods not to get fat, yet they utilize insulin. If insulin really caused fat gain, bodybuilders would avoid it like the plague. I myself used it, humalog, and quite a bit of it. Two separate runs. I didn't get fat, I'm fact, I leaned out a little. And no, not because of the insulin, it doesn't do that either, but rather from a proper diet.
I am 100% open to learning. And I appreciate you going into such detail. So you’re saying the “fat burning” effects of the tren come from cortisol blunting and more of the calories being used for muscle building? Because I’ve seen some people eat like absolute shit and barely do cardio and still burn fat on tren
 

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I am 100% open to learning. And I appreciate you going into such detail. So you’re saying the “fat burning” effects of the tren come from cortisol blunting and more of the calories being used for muscle building? Because I’ve seen some people eat like absolute shit and barely do cardio and still burn fat on tren

Yes, Tren can accelerate weight loss a little, as it does bump up the metabolism slightly... Slightly. But there are other drugs that do this at a higher degree, though, like clen, ephedrine, etc.. Tren shouldn't be looked at as a 'weight loss' drug. You absolutely can still get fat while taking Tren. No drug can overcome the laws of thermodynamics, not even DNP.

Tren shines, however, in preventing muscle loss during fat loss phases by blunting cortisol, which if chronically elevated, will break down lean tissue. Cortisol spikes are not the enemy, but chronic elevation of it, is. What causes chronic elevation of cortisol? Long term diets, being in a deficit, are stressful to the body. That elevates cortisol. That's the reason it used 99% of the time in prep and not so much in a growth phase.

And by the way, not much Tren is needed to accomplish this. A little goes a long way. Yoid be better off using 175 mg Tren and 175 mg NPP, vs 350 mg of Tren, as Tren is great at preventing muscle protein breakdown, and nandrolone is good for nitrogen retention. And less unwanted side effects, like poor sleep, which will also help fat loss and training
 
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ERandICU-RN

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Yes, Tren can accelerate weight loss a little, as it does bump up the metabolism slightly... Slightly. But there are other drugs that do this at a higher degree, though, like clen, ephedrine, etc.. Tren shouldn't be looked at as a 'weight loss' drug. You absolutely can still get fat while taking Tren. No drug can overcome the laws of thermodynamics, not even DNP.

Tren shines, however, in preventing muscle loss during fat loss phases by blunting cortisol, which if chronically elevated, will break down lean tissue. Cortisol spikes are not the enemy, but chronic elevation of it, is. What causes chronic elevation of cortisol? Long term diets, being in a deficit, are stressful to the body. That elevates cortisol. That's the reason it used 99% of the time in prep and not so much in a growth phase.

And by the way, not much Tren is needed to accomplish this. A little goes a long way. Yoid be better off using 175 mg Tren and 175 mg NPP, vs 350 mg of Tren, as Tren is great at preventing muscle protein breakdown, and nandrolone is good for nitrogen retention. And less unwanted side effects, like poor sleep, which will also help fat loss and training
So let’s say I eat in a 200 cal/day deficit (tdee), is there any lean mass growth with the tren or is it all going to muscle preservation and it’s truly going to only be 1400cals/ week of fat loss?
 

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@CJ can you take a look at the last 2 pics I posted and tell me what you think would be my best route to get to my goal? I really want whatever will take my from my current picture closet to my goal (in the members picture forum- the goal picture is last). I’ll eat in whatever deficit I need to, or eat in a slight surplus, I don’t care, whatever it takes. I just can’t take any “fat burners” due to drug testing. They specifically test for clen and other “fat burners randomly” because ampethamine addicts have abused them in the program before
 

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So let’s say I eat in a 200 cal/day deficit (tdee), is there any lean mass growth with the tren or is it all going to muscle preservation and it’s truly going to only be 1400cals/ week of fat loss?

Well, if there was lean mass growth, it would be impossible to assign which part was due to the Tren vs the other drugs. It's not the correct way to look at it, either. You're trying to pair up compounds that will work synergistically towards your goal.

To have the possibility of lean tissue added, a, small calorie deficit is required. If you get into moderate to larger deficits, the likelihood of adding lean mass greatly decreaes, if not erases.
 

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I really want whatever will take my from my current picture closet to my goal (in the members picture forum- the goal picture is last). I’ll eat in whatever deficit I need to, or eat in a slight surplus, I don’t care, whatever it takes. I just can’t take any “fat burners” due to drug testing. They specifically test for clen and other “fat burners randomly” because ampethamine addicts have abused them in the program before…

Well, if there was lean mass growth, it would be impossible to assign which part was due to the Tren vs the other drugs. It's not the correct way to look at it, either. You're trying to pair up compounds that will work synergistically towards your goal.

To have the possibility of lean tissue added, a, small calorie deficit is required. If you get into moderate to larger deficits, the likelihood of adding lean mass greatly decreaes, if not erases.
Cj man thank you so much for all the info. I truly appreciate it. Take a look at my other request from you above and that’s the last I’ll bother you 🤣
 
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CJ

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@CJ can you take a look at the last 2 pics I posted and tell me what you think would be my best route to get to my goal? I really want whatever will take my from my current picture closet to my goal (in the members picture forum- the goal picture is last). I’ll eat in whatever deficit I need to, or eat in a slight surplus, I don’t care, whatever it takes. I just can’t take any “fat burners” due to drug testing. They specifically test for clen and other “fat burners randomly” because ampethamine addicts have abused them in the program before

Well clenbuterol isn't an amphetamine, it's a beta 2 agonist/bronchodilator, an asthma medication. Neither is caffeine. Nor yohimbine. Ephedrine is, though.
 

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Cj man thank you so much for all the info. I truly appreciate it. Take a look at my other request from you above and that’s the last I’ll bother you 🤣

Just looked. While it's a realistic goal eventually, I think you'll need more than just one fat loss cycle to achieve that level. He's both bigger and leaner than your current physique.

You can, however, get comparably lean if you do things right, then build up some more muscle after that.

You're built similarly to that guy, you just need time and dedication to get to his level. After all it took him a lot longer than one year.
 

ERandICU-RN

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Just looked. While it's a realistic goal, I think you'll need more than just one fat loss cycle to achieve that level. He's both bigger and leaner than your current physique.

You can, however, get comparably lean if you do things right, then build up some more muscle after that.
So you think deficit or surplus for the first cycle? And how much of each? Thanks again cj, I can’t tell you how much help you’ve been
 

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So you think deficit or surplus for the first cycle? And how much of each? Thanks again cj, I can’t tell you how much help you’ve been

Is this your first cycle ever?
 

ERandICU-RN

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@CJ No way. It’s my first low bf cycle though. I’ve done 1)test 500, 2) deca/test, 3)test/eq,tren, 4) tren/test
 

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@CJ No way. It’s my first low bf cycle though. I’ve done 1)test 500, 2) deca/test, 3)test/eq,tren, 4) tren/test

Which drugs or combos have worked well for you, caused the least problems?
 

ERandICU-RN

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I just don’t want to fuck up my low bf as this is the lowest I’ve ever been, and I’m super nervous about fucking it up. Every other cycle if was just eat as much as I could
 
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