Worried about eating more...

[Triple Joe]

Hey guys I was just after some opinions and experiences members of Intense Muscle have had with coming off a contest diet...

I have been dieting for 16 weeks now and gotten into the best shape of my life. The only problem is that I didn't compete this year so my dieting was purely to see the improvements I have made since my previous contest and also because I was uncomfortable with the extra chub I was carrying.

But even though I am satisfied with how I look, I want to make more improvements and also feel drained from dieting and cardio, plus constant training.

I feel it has taken a toll on my relationship with my fiance and is stopping me from enjoying life to the fullest at times. I question why being lean is important to me if I feel crap while I try to achieve this.

Then I feel like I'm being a pussy and tell myself to get it together, but I feel drained. I want to add muscle and transition into a moderate offseason diet before dieting down again for my next show in September 2012 but don't like the feeling of turning fat and feeling uncomfortable about the way I look.

Does anyone else here struggle with the notion of going into an offseason program and losing definition and the look that has taken so long to achieve?

Thanks guys and sorry for long post...

[darkguitars2000]

I think it would be worth it for you to hire someone to help you with offseason progress if you're looking to stay lean. If you didn't mind getting smooth, that's a different story,but you gotta be kinda meticulous with things if you wanna stay lean and get big at the same time. (For me anyway. Some of these vets on here can probably do it themselves).

[Heckman]

I feel it has taken a toll on my relationship with my fiance and is stopping me from enjoying life to the fullest at times. I question why being lean is important to me if I feel crap while I try to achieve this.

If that right there isnt enough to make you say, "I need to put the brakes on and re-evaluate what is important in my life" you are heading for disaster. Our lives are all about balance, and from the looks of this, you have none..

Family,friends and living a good balanced life should top your priority list...We all have goals, and constantly get challenged by them..This is where balance come in to play. I think you know what you need to do. Putting this stuff into persective usually results in a well rounded life..IMO

[Doberman]

I think it would be worth it for you to hire someone to help you with offseason progress if you're looking to stay lean. If you didn't mind getting smooth, that's a different story,but you gotta be kinda meticulous with things if you wanna stay lean and get big at the same time. (For me anyway. Some of these vets on here can probably do it themselves).

I'm working with Shelby Starnes currently, and it's been worth every penny.

x2

Also, you might want to look into the type of dieting I do. Most of our competitive clients are using the UP DAY/DOWN DAY Diet. We use three versions of it (off season, pre-season, and in-season). I have a video in the Quest Bar section giving a short explanation. It's very out of the box for bodybuilders, but after doing it for over a year I will never go back. I rarely do cardio, I eat many of my favorite foods all year (in fact most of the year you can't tell I'm dieting), and I stay lean. The most important thing is that it is highly effective, but also keeps me social. The highest I got in the offseason was 11.8% bodyfat @ 200lbs. I'm now 189 at 6%. I'm 13 weeks out from a show and we just started to really tight things up. I still have a 1000 calorie "Whatever Meal" every 4th day. Last night it was Cheryl's cookies brownies, Peach Cobbler, and a small protein shake. Sounds crazy, but look into it. Obviously this is just one way to skin a cat, but I thought I'd throw it out since I've been so happy with it.

[Duro]

Does anyone else here struggle with the notion of going into an offseason program and losing definition and the look that has taken so long to achieve?

I know exactly how you feel... every time I diet down I feel like shit, lose strength, and wonder why I even care about being lean as I don't compete. On the flip side when I bring the calories back up I feel better and make progress in the gym, but put start freaking out when my pants get tighter... Still searching for a solution as I've really just been spinning my wheels going back and forth lately. I think I'm just gonna have to suck it up and keep some fat for a couple years to really move forward.

[Sammich]

My first instinct was to ruthlessly mock you for not wanting to eat, but then I realized if I just got done being in contest condition I'd be so reluctant to eat I'd probably develop anorexia.

[Doberman]

Although I may not win any public speaking awards here is a brief overview of what I was talking about.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFLRAl9rQjQ&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]

[funmetal]

I don't think it's bad to have gone "too far" into your eating habits and discipline to take a step back and re-evaluate and re-configure things for the 80% maximum benefit and keeping that balance. I am sure you can find ways to combine both. I don't think it's bad to have experienced "too much".

funmetal

[mister69]

I am no vet but have been on.both ends.


Too strict and it impacted my life
Not strict at all and then my body composition suffered.

This was all a few years ago.

Best.of luck

[Knickerbocker24]

You may also just be over-reaching in your training. It's common to see a lowering of motivation, energy, recovery ability after long bouts of consistent intense training. Take a few weeks to back off the training somewhat. Either lower your training intensity (load %), reduce your training volume, and/or reduce your training frequency. I personally prefer to cut back on volume and frequency and keep intensity up, but you can manipulate it however you want as long as you scale back. Also I'd cut cardio from days you strength train, only do it on non-strength training days or cut it all together for a few weeks. And, try to follow a diet enough so that you don't lose what you've built, but leave yourself some freedom in there to go out with the significant other and have a little more flexibility. After a few of weeks of recovery then re-evaluate and re-assess and see how you feel and write out some concrete goals. I wouldn't try to over think it too much when you aren't feeling particularly mentally sharp because that can sometimes lead you to bad decisions. As John Maxwell wrote in "The Difference Maker":

"Many people make decisions when things aren’t going well. They look for relief in the despair of the valley instead of waiting for the clarity that comes from being on the mountaintop. Why? Because it takes a lot of effort to get to the mountaintop. And when you’re experiencing the darkness of the valley, it’s always tempting to make changes that you hope will relieve the discomfort."

[Triple Joe]

Guys I just want to say thank you for the info u guys have shared i really appreciate it.
Heckman you are right in the fact that life and partners are the priority and that you can't get too consumed in training.
Also Doberman the info in the vid you provided made a lot of sense.

Please keep the information and opinions coming guys love it

[Triple Joe]

You may also just be over-reaching in your training. It's common to see a lowering of motivation, energy, recovery ability after long bouts of consistent intense training. Take a few weeks to back off the training somewhat. Either lower your training intensity (load %), reduce your training volume, and/or reduce your training frequency. I personally prefer to cut back on volume and frequency and keep intensity up, but you can manipulate it however you want as long as you scale back. Also I'd cut cardio from days you strength train, only do it on non-strength training days or cut it all together for a few weeks. And, try to follow a diet enough so that you don't lose what you've built, but leave yourself some freedom in there to go out with the significant other and have a little more flexibility. After a few of weeks of recovery then re-evaluate and re-assess and see how you feel and write out some concrete goals. I wouldn't try to over think it too much when you aren't feeling particularly mentally sharp because that can sometimes lead you to bad decisions. As John Maxwell wrote in "The Difference Maker":

"Many people make decisions when things aren’t going well. They look for relief in the despair of the valley instead of waiting for the clarity that comes from being on the mountaintop. Why? Because it takes a lot of effort to get to the mountaintop. And when you’re experiencing the darkness of the valley, it’s always tempting to make changes that you hope will relieve the discomfort."

I think this might be a great idea for me. For 16 weeks I have only missed cardio on 2 days and weight train 5-6 times a week.
A break would probably increase my mental and physical drive

[strewwwth]

I think this might be a great idea for me. For 16 weeks I have only missed cardio on 2 days and weight train 5-6 times a week.
A break would probably increase my mental and physical drive

Give yourself 2 weeks with very little to no training. Shout your girl a couple of romantic dinners, then write down some goals with her. When the two weeks is up look back at the progress in your log, then give it another crack.

[NZ RABBIT]

Can we take a peek at your diet mate?

Lower duration cardio and skiploads do wonders for me

[5spotbullseye]

Balance man, balance. Get your priorities straight, and THEN figure out how to find that middle ground. Don't let it consume you.......it's supposed to be fun, right?