Diet setup critique

[nordan]

This is a good question, but I think you might be over thinking it a bit. You were losing weight, your brought your calories up on rest days. Then the next sentance you ask if you want to drop your calories down on training days to offset the increase (or reverting back). Both of these options look like they are only going to put you back into an overall deficit.

If I my be so bold, and without any insult. Looks to be your bad experience with your rebound has made you a little gun shy as far as adding calories. You are already stating you are losing weight and extremely hungry, yet your overall goal to is gain weight, all bit it slowly. Your statement at your goals are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

I would simply keep adding calories (next increase should be on your training day) until you get to a stable weight and you aren't suffering day to day from hunger. From there make minor tweaks and see what the results are. (be it calorie amounts, macros, etc)


For myself personally, when training FT. I find I need A LOT of calories on training days. Far more than I need on rest days. So while I would not consider this a "deficit" I would consider the difference fairly wide. I also keep my rest days at trace carbs. I can pack on fat semi easily, and all of this sort of keeps things in check. I'm finding now personally with my experiement in DC training, and the one reduced training day, that I am probably going to have to increase my rest day calories as I now have 4 of them, one or two of them active.

For one final thought. And again not a critisim, but perhaps just to get you thinking differently? I personally think the whole "XX"kcal per pound measurement is not exactly useful. metabolisms vary tremenously. On 20kcal per lb on training days, I would be dead and losing weight rapidly. Doing the math very quickly, I'm at 24kcal right now, in a reverse deit, and I'm still not putting weight on the scale. Point being, I would go by calories that you have set for you, and forget the whole "XX"kcal as a starting point, just track your calories and go from there.

Thanks for the response Altamir..

My whole thinking around this is that I want to be in a 2-300 kcal surplus so that I facilitate muscle growth without excess fat gain.. yes fat gain is inevitble but if I can keep it at bay and stop packing it on as quick then in turn my off-season / gaining phase will be hella more productive, lengthy and more successful. The last thing I want to do is 2 blasts and have to mini cut to bring things back in line such as insulin sensitivity etc.

Also in regards to the kcal per lb equations they were just listed so that whoever read this had an indication as to where they were at relative to body weight.

I have been gaining weight @ approx .5lb a week throughout my blast however LOSING weight throughout the cruise (no training period) which indicates my surplus is coming from training days hence the loss of weight during the cruise. The surplus itself is obviously quite high to offset the deficit on a rest day and I am curious as to whether I would be better off bringing them more in line with one another rather than sitting at one end of the spectrum on a training day (surplus) and the other on a rest day (deficit).

Essentially would I be better off by doing the following:

Sitting at a 300kcal surplus overall on a training day and sat at maintenance on a rest day which in turn gives me 1200 kcal surplus across the week.

or....

Doing what I am doing now which is sitting at a 700 kcal surplus on a training day and a 400 kcal deficit on a rest day which in turn gives me a 1200 kcal surplus across the week.


You can see that the weekly surplus is exactly the same come the end of the week but is there a benefit to doing one over the other?

What is the most optimal way ?

Sorry if it didnt come across that way throughout my OG post.