How clean do you eat ???

[chris250]

Hey guys,

With the winter months coming up and the end of the year for bodybuiding coming to an end with Nats next weekend...How clean do you guys actully eat ??? Honestly with me, I have pretty much been on a pre-contest diet for most of the last couple of years, I have almost forgot what offseason eating is all about...I know with Nicholls, he recommends eating 60% clean and 40% fatter foods..40% seems like alot to me, but maybe im wrong with this...I know in the past I have bulked up to over 280lbs and was huge, but feel like I lose alot coming down in weight...For the past few years (2006 and on) I have stayed pretty damn lean, around 240lbs, which for me puts me only 12-15lbs away from contest shape...What do you guys do in the offseason? I know this has been discussed in the past, but I do believe guys change things up all the time...

chris250

 

[halflife]

I allow myself one full 'non traditional bodybuilding' meal that isn't planned once a week in 'offseason.' Usually like a fattening pasta at a restaurant or pizza. But is always on my workout days, and try to keep it on leg days. Once a month I might slip another one in there, but also I won't force one you know, like if I'm not feeling it or if my girlfriend doesn't feel like it.

 

[Ashop]

over the last couple of years Ive been eating pretty clean almost year around.

 

[chris250]

I think maybe I misworded what I wanted to say...I guess what Im trying to say is how clean do you eat if your goal is putting on great amount of muscle in a few months (say 3 months)...Do you guys believe that you limit the amount of growth if your eating super clean...(but still eating more than you burn) or do eat more fatting type of protein (whole eggs, steak, fatty fish) ...I have in the past kinda done what Palumbo does in the offseason, and combine pro/carbs/fats all into one meal...But the carbs are still pretty low for offseason...Only 25-50 grams (depending on person size) of carbs per meal...What do you guys think on this ???

chris

 

[Anabolic_Beast]

I think maybe I misworded what I wanted to say...I guess what Im trying to say is how clean do you eat if your goal is putting on great amount of muscle in a few months (say 3 months)...Do you guys believe that you limit the amount of growth if your eating super clean...(but still eating more than you burn) or do eat more fatting type of protein (whole eggs, steak, fatty fish) ...I have in the past kinda done what Palumbo does in the offseason, and combine pro/carbs/fats all into one meal...But the carbs are still pretty low for offseason...Only 25-50 grams (depending on person size) of carbs per meal...What do you guys think on this ???

chris

I love eating 100% clean 100% of the time. It simply makes me feel real good mentally and physically, as well as keep my energized for the most part. I also notice that I am getting leaner and leaner every mornings when I look in front of the mirror.
I don't know what it is...but since I eat 6-8 full meals a day, and basically have my stomach stuffed with clean food, I have absolutely no desire or appetite for anything that resembles junk food. Just thinking about a whopper, a slice of pizza or a piece of cake makes me want to throw up. On top of that, if I slip up and decide to eat, just say a slice of pizza when im on the go, for the whole day, I get edgy and an very mentally upset that I ate that filthy shit.
And by clean food I mean a high protein high fat low carb ratio. Just carb up pre and post workout, and the rest of the day no carbs, except the carbs from the milky, which is probably a whole lot anyways.

 

[SVFootball]

honestly...i dont eat as clean as i wish i did. i try my best...but man that shit gets expensive, especially on a college student's budget. i try to eat as clean as possible...I'd put myself at around that 60% clean 40% fatty that you said earlier...but if I could choose I'd try to go 85-90% clean. i just feel better when I eat better food, healthier with more energy. just because you eat clean doesn't mean you can't get up to 280 then next year you'll be competing a little big bigger haha

 

[TJB]

Well Chris.

I always wash my hands before I eat.... Damn those catholic nuns and their hygiene growing up as a kid ..... I even went through a phase where I had to shower before every meal..... I just felt dirty.... lol:st:r-wars

 

[Blenderate]

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[AWN2004]

The foundation of a bodybuilding lifestyle should be sound nutrition. Paying attention to macros and making sure you are hitting those day in and day out should be the focus if you are going to compete and plan on putting on muscle. I think it's easy for most anyone to grab a burger or something on the go but in place of the meal you are supposed to be eating at that time is not the best idea, for me anyway. After weight training for over half of my life and then bodybuilding, the nutritional aspect is beyond important. I started to realize that making gains and remaining as healthy as possible was impossible if I half assed my diet. For me, if I plan on making sure I need to eat a certain number of protein, fat, and carbohydrate grams per day, it's very hard to eat a crappy meal. I just don't have the appetite after that meal. It just screws up the rest of my day and I don't end up eating my meals. I think establishing what you need to consume and eating that base day in and day out is important. If after that you still have an appetite then have something you enjoy. I try to make it a goal to eat the things I know I should be eating but fail in the off season far more than I should and thus I am not making the gains I should. Diet is the key. Stay consistant and healthy.

 

[w8tlifterty]

Clean year round, splurge a little during thanksgiving and christmas

 

[the_warrior]

oatmeal (with berries in the offseason), sweet potatoe, brown rice, ezekiel bread for carbs
eggs, fish oil, and almonds, and natty pb for fats
lean ground beef (rinsed), protein powder, london broil (steak or ground up), and top sirloin if its a pro/fat meal

I stick to these foods during the offseason, sometimes allowing myself a roastbeef sandwich, or some tuna sushi here and there. I put on fat rather easily so it is more or less a necessity.

 

[abolish the weak]

"Do you guys believe that you limit the amount of growth if your eating super clean...(but still eating more than you burn)"


Honest answer, fuck yes! I dont care what anybody says, nobody ever got huge off just skinless chicken and rice all year. For me I HAVE TO throw in a cheat a couple times/wk during a growth phase. I've just recently made some of the best gains in my life and it was on a minimal amount of juice. I ate cereal, 12" chicken breast subs w/ honey mustard and provolone cheese everyday, and a McSkillet Burrito from McDonalds here and there. Dont egt me wrong now, I still ate clean about 70% of the time. But it doesnt hurt to spike your diet with some high calorie fattening foods here and there. When I'm trying to stay conditioned (not necessarily contest shape, but visible abs and separation) I cheat once every 3 days. The best gains in size and weight I've made were actually when I quit eating around the clock, only ate when I was hungry, and ate whatever it was that I felt like my body needed. However, I only do this sort of thing for 4-6 wks or so. Get my abs back really good, then maybe do it again. This type of training has allowed me to put on good muscle while not getting too out of shape to where I need to diet another 6 -8 wks or anything

 

[tenny]

I guess it depends on your definition of clean. The three foods you gave as examples of unclean (whole eggs, steak, fatty fish), I consider to be completely clean foods.

Clean to me is any whole, natural food, excluding perhaps soy. Meat, eggs, dairy, fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, oils.

I also use this rule of thumb: If it has an ingredient list, it's not clean.

agreed 100%

i simply eat whatever i want.....which is not a dozen krispy kremes everymeal

24oz ribeye and steakfries on a sat night is "clean" to me

now add a chocolate thunder form downunder and your pushin it

 

[Sesshomaru]

I think maybe I misworded what I wanted to say...I guess what Im trying to say is how clean do you eat if your goal is putting on great amount of muscle in a few months (say 3 months)...Do you guys believe that you limit the amount of growth if your eating super clean...(but still eating more than you burn) or do eat more fatting type of protein (whole eggs, steak, fatty fish) ...I have in the past kinda done what Palumbo does in the offseason, and combine pro/carbs/fats all into one meal...But the carbs are still pretty low for offseason...Only 25-50 grams (depending on person size) of carbs per meal...What do you guys think on this ???

chris

I wash all my food to make sure its clean

Nah but really, if youre getting enough protein and enough EFA's, the rest of your diet is basically calories in vs calories out (esp on a bulk).

The only reason 'dirty' foods will make you more fat is because youre not measuring properly and thus eating more than your target cals.

Additionally, nutrient combining isnt going to do much unless 1) youre trying to incorporate refeeds, 2) do a type of ketogenic diet (i.e. cyclical, targeted, etc.) or some other diet (i.e. Intermittent Fasting, etc.), 3) are using insulin or something thats dependent on nutrient timing, 4) mental sanity, etc. Otherwise, if youre just generally bulking, it really doesnt matter if you combine F+C.

 

[Blenderate]

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[buselmo]

Hey guys,

With the winter months coming up and the end of the year for bodybuiding coming to an end with Nats next weekend...How clean do you guys actully eat ??? Honestly with me, I have pretty much been on a pre-contest diet for most of the last couple of years, I have almost forgot what offseason eating is all about...I know with Nicholls, he recommends eating 60% clean and 40% fatter foods..40% seems like alot to me, but maybe im wrong with this...I know in the past I have bulked up to over 280lbs and was huge, but feel like I lose alot coming down in weight...For the past few years (2006 and on) I have stayed pretty damn lean, around 240lbs, which for me puts me only 12-15lbs away from contest shape...What do you guys do in the offseason? I know this has been discussed in the past, but I do believe guys change things up all the time...

chris250

Chris,
how did you get up to that lean 240 lbs in the first place?
now ask yourself, in the past two years, how many lbs of lean mass did you put on. then ask yourself how many lbs of lean mass did you put on from 2004-2006?

you're bound to lose some mass preparing for a contest. but after the contest if you eat clean and up the calories, you should get back all the muscle you lost. If you don't, it wasn't muscle in the first place.

 

[Sesshomaru]

What about micronutrients? Don't you think somebody who eats some fruits and veggies is going to be healthier than the guy who eats nothing but oatmeal for carbs?

True, but we're not talking about micronutrient nourishment, we're talking about macronutrients for muscle gain and minimal fat gain.

What about glycemic load? With all due respect, a bowl of candy is not the same thing as as a bowl of strawberries, even if they have the same number of calories. High glycemic load foods cause insulin resistance, which causes fat gain.

First off, no one is suggesting extremes (either pure crap or pure 'clean' foods). Next, Dan Duchaine said it best "there are no bad carbohydrates, only mistimed applications." In practicality, if he really wanted to eat candy, it might be more useful to eat them before his workout rather than another point in the day, but its not going to break the diet if he has it at some other point.

The glycemic load is, by itself, a controversial measure. But assuming that it might even matter, theres still the fact that insulin resistance (IR) is adaptive and it depends on whats being IR. Given that Chris is pretty lean to begin with, he's got room to spare before worrying about IR in muscle tissue.

Read this research review which shows that low GI foods release a lower glucose response because it yields a HIGHER insulin response (among other things):

**broken link removed**

As for 'is a calorie is a calorie' quesiton, read this:
**broken link removed**

 

[chris250]

Chris,
how did you get up to that lean 240 lbs in the first place?
now ask yourself, in the past two years, how many lbs of lean mass did you put on. then ask yourself how many lbs of lean mass did you put on from 2004-2006?

you're bound to lose some mass preparing for a contest. but after the contest if you eat clean and up the calories, you should get back all the muscle you lost. If you don't, it wasn't muscle in the first place.

Buselmo,

You know actully when I was trying to get ready for shows this year (throughout most of this year) I actully was growing really well, but maybe limited myself from more growth (cause limit on cals)...I noticed when I had a few high carb days in a row, I seem to really fill out nice, and looked and felt like my body wanted to just grow like crazy...I was eating 6- 8 meals a day, with good proteins, healthy fats, and a few carbs...(morning, pre/post workouts)...My weight would hit almost 240lbs and I looked really good...

Right now, im around 250lbs and have abs, with good conditioning all around...I think I could get leaner at this weight (245-250lbs) or try to hit 255-260lbs with this conditioning...Honestly right now, it probably only take me 5-6 weeks to get back the conditioning I carried most of this year...But, I also believe that if I limit my cals, I will hurt my growth and not make great gains...So im just trying to find that fine line, where I grow good, but not get fat...

chris

 

[abolish the weak]

Well Chris, here is what my best freind and training partner once told me, and I think this is the best advice I could pass on to anyone else. If you cannot see your abs, then obviously your body is storing fat and your eating enough to grow. So what we both do now is try and hold a leaner look year round, but take little 4-6 wk blocks where we eat excessively and stray off the diet a bit. Train heavy, make whatever gains(improvements in lifts) you can in that short time frame, then evaluate your look in the mirror. The abs should always be there, even if they're blurry. If you cannot see the outlines anymore it's too much fat. After the 4-6 wks of eating I'll go back to leaning out. I'll diet for an additional 8-10 wks, and then go back to eating again for 4-6 wks. This type of eating primes your body for growth. Also, staying leaner year round helps you see what is actual development rather than just bulk. Gaining 10 lbs doesn't mean shit if your arms aren't any bigger or waist is 3" larger

 

[Mr_Magoo]

i try to eat clean year round for many reasons mentioned such as i feel better mentallhy and physically but something is missing from the argument...

For starters there is the issue of health and eating crappy foods with trans fats, high sugar foods damages ur insulin sensitivity which is not good for bodybuilding and overall health

don't underestimate how important a stong immune system is for bodybuilding