Offseason Diets

[fitmomma3]

This seems to be the buzz! A lot of us girls seem to have a hard time putting on size... what do you do to gain weight in the offseason? How clean do you keep the diet? What ratios do you use? How much do you up calories?
POST some up!!! This is one I started on in November took me from 116 to 132 staying pretty lean with the occasional one to two cardio sessions a week and two to three cheats. I had Tipsta from MD look it over cause I'm a little rusty LOL and he said it was right on where I needed to be.


Meal 1 7:00
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
w/chive
serving melba toast
orange

Meal 2 10:00
5 whites 1 yolk
1/4 lowfat cheese
english muffin
tbs PB

Meal 3 1:00
Cedar Whole Wheat Wrap
3 oz white tuna w celery
1 tbs oil dressing
1/8 cup lowfat cheese
2 cups brocolli

Meal 4 3:30 (pre workout)
6 oz. Chicken w/ terriyaki
1/3 wild rice packet - 1.5 oz dry rice mix
apple

Meal 5 Post workout
6:00
Metr-x
banana
4 oz 1 % milk

Meal 6
Turkey meatballs
1 cup green beans

TOTAL
Calories : 2,246
FAT: 53
Protein : 222
Carbs: 227
Split is 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, 20% fat

[SBT]

great thread idea steph :awesome:

[bree marsh]

i'd say this is close to my breakdown off-season...

carbs 350g
protein 150g
fat 60g

about 2500 kcals

some days more if i go out!

higher carbs earlier in the day and around workout.

[bree marsh]

i recently heard that milk is a great PWO carb/pro source, so i may start doing that my next off season!

[SBT]

I have also heard that about the milk....

This last off season I did a carb cycle, with high days being

270 carbs
140 protein
40 fats

right around 2000 cals and then a low day was

150 carbs
150 protein
60 fats

right around 1700 cals or so...

[dvsness]

I like a 40/40/20 split or close to it offseason, dropping carbs slightly on off days. Calories hover around 2000.

[Shelly]

i cant post my diet (copywright reasons) but its just a LOT OF EVERYTHING!!!!
lol





i know i know that doesnt say much ;)

[SBT]

i cant post my diet (copywright reasons) but its just a LOT OF EVERYTHING!!!!
lol





i know i know that doesnt say much ;)

I thought it was pizza and ice cream :p

[Ondrea]

I HATE YOU BITCHES WITH CRAZY METABOLISMS. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOU ALL TO BE ABLE TO EAT SO MUCH BUT YOU JUST CAN'T GAIN WEIGHT! I HAVE A TINY FRAME BUT I CAN BULK/THICKEN UP ONCE I START EATING, I CAN PUT IT DOWN...BRING ON THE 40 INCH ASS...NO JOKE. BESIDES COCO, ICE T'S WIFE, I AM THE ONLY OTHER NON FAT WHITE GIRL WITH A 40 IN, I THINK..HA HA. I FEEL SPECIAL.
LOVE YOU ALL..PUNK ASSES!

MY INPUT ON THIS THREAD...JUST EAT MAN, EAT, EAT, EAT. DON'T STRESS ABOUT DIET OR CLEAN FOODS AS MUCH. IF YOU WANT THOSE PANCAKES, BACON AND BISCUITS AND GRAVY GO FOR IT. JUST NOT ALL THE TIME! KEEP DAIRY IN THE MIX TOO AND JUST BULK UP THE PORTION SIZES. DON'T BE SCARED OF CARBS. BE CONSISTENT IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AND DO VERY, VERY LIGHT CARDIO IF YOU FEEL U NEED TO .

[NPCFigure 40]

Hard to remember without my notebook, but I had about 210-250g protein, 70-150g carb, 25-50g fat..cal rotated between 1730-1850...I was allowed 2 cheat meals per week. I did cardio 4x wk for 30 min....I went from 120lbs to 138lbs, and my BMI never went above 16%

[Ondrea]

Hi Jill!! How r u?? How r the cats!!!

[Dawn Melanie]

Oh no she didn't! We got problems too.

My offseason splits were like this:
Cals: ~3,400
Carbs - 20% (170g)
Prot - 30 (255g)
Fat: 50% (190g)

And I could NOT sustain 123lbs. But stayed at 12% b.f.

No major changes pre-contest and dropped to 8.4%. Got 5 weeks to NOT drop below 7%. Arrrggghhhhh! See, we got major probems too. :popcorn:

[NPCFigure 40]

Hi Jill!! How r u?? How r the cats!!!

Hey Andrea!!!! Doing great! Trying to catch up on the boards. The cats are AWESOME!!!!! Spoiled as ever. Cole's newest kick is to meow at the fridge for chicken or filet mignon, and If I am not careful when I open the door to the fridge, he will jump in!! Nut case! So I am forever cleaning it!

How are your babies? I am going to check on your training in a sec! Back to the thread! :)

[Ondrea]

Oh no she didn't! We got problems too.

My offseason splits were like this:
Cals: ~3,400
Carbs - 20% (170g)
Prot - 30 (255g)
Fat: 50% (190g)

And I could NOT sustain 123lbs. But stayed at 12% b.f.

No major changes pre-contest and dropped to 8.4%. Got 5 weeks to NOT drop below 7%. Arrrggghhhhh! See, we got major probems too. :popcorn:


ha ha...u know i love you all. maybe a lil envious of you crazy metabolisms!! from the looks of your pics you will come in fine..no stress for you lil lady.

[Dawn Melanie]

Thanks Ondrea! I'm just constantly feeding my muscles - particularly the re-habbed leg ones. BUT - I got 'em both bigger than pre-injury status. :)

[SBT]

ha ha...u know i love you all. maybe a lil envious of you crazy metabolisms!! from the looks of your pics you will come in fine..no stress for you lil lady.

Yeah I am a little jealous of the crazy metabolisms myself :rolleyes:

[Ondrea]

Thanks Ondrea! I'm just constantly feeding my muscles - particularly the re-habbed leg ones. BUT - I got 'em both bigger than pre-injury status. :)


i give u mad props and respect for coming out with bigger muscles after surgery! you are a tough cookie!
:respect::respect::respect::bowdown:

[Rainy]

Great idea for a thread :awesome: I am currently doing my first proper bulk, so I will be hovering around this thread like a hawk looking for info for my diet. Do you guys use a dietitian for off-season too?

[frannyfran]

Yeah I am a little jealous of the crazy metabolisms myself :rolleyes:

God no kidding, I can look at food and I get fat!!!!!!

[Ondrea]

Great idea for a thread :awesome: I am currently doing my first proper bulk, so I will be hovering around this thread like a hawk looking for info for my diet. Do you guys use a dietitian for off-season too?

i brought ur md thread over here under the same title, it lists me as the one who started it though no u. u have ur own thread here silly!

[dvsness]

Great idea for a thread :awesome: I am currently doing my first proper bulk, so I will be hovering around this thread like a hawk looking for info for my diet. Do you guys use a dietitian for off-season too?

I do my own diet year-round.

[bree marsh]

man, you all keep your carbs LOW off season!!!

[DanielleA]

Hey Andrea!!!! Doing great! Trying to catch up on the boards. The cats are AWESOME!!!!! Spoiled as ever. Cole's newest kick is to meow at the fridge for chicken or filet mignon, and If I am not careful when I open the door to the fridge, he will jump in!! Nut case! So I am forever cleaning it!

How are your babies? I am going to check on your training in a sec! Back to the thread! :)

My cat Gizmo jumps in the fridge too. Why do they do that?? One time he jumped in without me knowing and as I was sitting on the couch, all of a sudden I see a light coming from the kitchen - he pushed open the door and came hopping out! Crazy kitty!!

[Dawn Melanie]

HehehHEheEHhehE! thx Andrea. I'm just ridiculously stubborn. NO one is gonna' tell me what I can NOT do.:D

[KP DIVA]

I HATE YOU BITCHES WITH CRAZY METABOLISMS. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOU ALL TO BE ABLE TO EAT SO MUCH BUT YOU JUST CAN'T GAIN WEIGHT! I HAVE A TINY FRAME BUT I CAN BULK/THICKEN UP ONCE I START EATING, I CAN PUT IT DOWN...BRING ON THE 40 INCH ASS...NO JOKE. BESIDES COCO, ICE T'S WIFE, I AM THE ONLY OTHER NON FAT WHITE GIRL WITH A 40 IN


You are in rare form today Missy!! LOL!

I have to watch my diet PERIOD!! Doesn't matter what season: off or contest prep. I don't have a BULK period!! I can put on the muscle and I can put on the fat just as fast if not faster than the muscle. My body is super sensitive to carbs, and it's nothing for me to eat pizza for dinner and be 5 pounds heavier the next morning..For me, it likes starchy carbs make me retain water and it bloats me really bad. To be honest, in the off season I really can't get away w/ eating carbs unless it's oatmeal, potatoes, and fruit. And I need to be consuming those early in the day.

Those of you with the supersonic metabolism, be happy. At least you don't have to be in the starving business like myself!! It gets old having to eat a crap load of protein to get full in the off season!!



Oh no she didn't! We got problems too.

My offseason splits were like this:
Cals: ~3,400
Carbs - 20% (170g)
Prot - 30 (255g)
Fat: 50% (190g)

And I could NOT sustain 123lbs. But stayed at 12% b.f.

No major changes pre-contest and dropped to 8.4%. Got 5 weeks to NOT drop below 7%. Arrrggghhhhh! See, we got major probems too. :popcorn:

Melanie!! I can not believe how fast your metabolism is!! I am so jealous!!

[KP DIVA]

Trust me!! I'd luv 2 eat the all the carbs..been there done that!! I was fat, fat, fat!! And I was lifting regularly, just not doing the cardio!!!

man, you all keep your carbs LOW off season!!!

[fitmomma3]

WoW Dawn you get the fast metabolism AWARD!!!!!!!!
Holy cow!!

I got stuck at 132 and I have to say I may have uppped a bit too much LOL...its like when your dieting and you freak out and get too strict, well I was ending my bulk and wasn't feeling like I had gained enough and may have over indulged a bit too much... all of a sudden I was like WHOA where did that come from?!?!

And now I'm working to get back down...but the first week I was down 4 pounds so I know it will come off...now I have to struggle to keep everything good I've gained while stripping away the bad...story of a competitor's life! Good thing we're all up for it!!!!:awesome::D

[Ondrea]

Kenyatta, I am like you. i can put on the muscle and the fat! I am carb sensitive, and hell yeah I wil put on 5-7 pounds the next morning after eating pizza. i eat mainly clean carbs in offseason but i just go overboard on them...you all know I can put away the dry oats on a binge!:awesome:

[Dawn Melanie]

HAH Ladies! I accept the fast metabolism "award"... or shall I say "curse". 5-7lbs morning after? I wish. Fri's whole medium bumped me up 1/2 lb. to 116.0. Took the pancakes amd hashbrowns to get me back to 117lbs. ;)

[KP DIVA]

Kenyatta, I am like you. i can put on the muscle and the fat! I am carb sensitive, and hell yeah I wil put on 5-7 pounds thw next morning after eating pizza. i eat mainly clean carbs in offseason but i just go overboard on them...you all know I can put away the dry oats on a binge!:awesome:

I want your oats recipe...I had never heard of that...but sounds yummy!!

HAH Ladies! I accept the fast metabolism "award"... or shall I say "curse". 5-7lbs morning after? I wish. Fri's whole medium bumped me up 1/2 lb. to 116.0. Took the pancakes amd hashbrowns to get me back to 117lbs. ;)

Wow!! That is amazing!!! And it's like I've never really thought that some one would have as hard of time gaining/maintaining the weight. Where my strugle is losing and maintaining a decent BF. I look at slim people and think they got it made....but I'm sure slim ppl trying to gain weight/muscle look at us faster gainers and think we got it made. Just goes to show, regardless, we're all striving and fighting w/ the genetics that the good Lord gave us!!! Sometimes are genetics can be a blessing and/or a curse...just depends on the day and what we're trying to accomplish!

[Dawn Melanie]

I jokingly used that term, but I believe mine are all a Blessing. *smile*

[ripitupbaby]

Wow, you guys diet in the off-season?!?! :p

The only way to acheive growth is by two things...lots of calories and heavy lifting.

The off-season is for rest and growth. Rest is both physical and mental.
Physical - cut back on the cardio significantly, and reduce the grueling hours in the gym...refocus the effort on the gym on lower volume, MUCH heavier lifting, more rest in between sets, etc.
Mental - get off the fkn diet!! Stop worrying about what you eat, how many carbs versus fat, and just EAT!! You're not going to sit on the couch and eat french fries and ice cream and pizza ALL the time for months...it just doesn't happen when you are still training. And believe me, you will eventually get sick of shit food lol. But hey, if you want the pizza, eat the freakin' pizza...it's calories!! You'll learn to just eat as much as you can of whatever FOOD (not shit) you can, and enjoy it and grow. Don't worry about water weight either...that all balances out. Just keep eating and keep training heavy.
Yes, you will put on fat, but you KNOW how to take it off..that's what the on-season is for. And if you don't give yourself the physical and mental rest, you won't grow AND you won't be as successful with your contest diet.

Just my two cents. :D

[Ondrea]

i'm with ya rip! i dont think diet then. obviously im not eating mcds every day, but i don't worry about the food/portions. and i definitly have fun with my sweet tooth and carbs..even with all the water weight..ha ha.

[Badgergrl]

I'm currently in a bulk phase. Cals are at about 2300. I'm not sure of the exact macro breakdown, but it's about 40% protein, 30% carb, 30% fat. My carbs are divided into 4 out of my 6 meals, and I center those meals around my training. I stick to basically the same foods I would eat while dieting, just larger portions, more carbs, and a little wiggle room.

I have to have a game plan, otherwise I go totally off track. I'm just an all or nothin type of girl.

[IslandGirl]

Wow, we're talking "Off-season" right??? That is not alot of food for off-season. I'm talking 3500-4000!!! Yeehaw! LOL! :awesome: Let the OFF-SEASON ROCK!

When I am at home, I typically eat clean. I eat alot of rice so that is where alot of my cals come from. My protein is pretty high. Average is 250-280 g.

When I go out to eat...I just order what I want. :p

[Dawn Melanie]

Ditto Tracy! :eat:

[IslandGirl]

Ditto Tracy! :eat:

Oh yea! :D

[Hakan]

I think the best way is to EAT and never go to bed hungry.... Just eat clean and have one day off to "enjoy" life (enjoy life every day) and eat what ever and back to clean food and if you what to do gainers do them your self to get the good stuff you need!!! never get more off than you can see your muscles.... I bet you will still gain muscle without getting to off... this is my plan for the next off-season in one week(only 18weeks of off season)

[bree marsh]

totally agreed that most of ya'lls cals/carbs are too LOW!!! i thought my cals @ 2500-2800 was low...EAT ladies! still eat the good stuff though...healthy carbs, whole grains, lean meats, lots of fruits/veggies, low-fat dairy, unsaturated fats, and work hard in the gym! keep the intensity up and don't worry so much! then when the diet rolls around, the fat will come off easier!

[Hakan]

totally agreed that most of ya'lls cals/carbs are too LOW!!! i thought my cals @ 2500-2800 was low...EAT ladies! still eat the good stuff though...healthy carbs, whole grains, lean meats, lots of fruits/veggies, low-fat dairy, unsaturated fats, and work hard in the gym! keep the intensity up and don't worry so much! then when the diet rolls around, the fat will come off easier!

So right you are Bree

[bree marsh]

I think the best way is to EAT and never go to bed hungry.... Just eat clean and have one day off to "enjoy" life (enjoy life every day) and eat what ever and back to clean food and if you what to do gainers do them your self to get the good stuff you need!!! never get more off than you can see your muscles.... I bet you will still gain muscle without getting to off... this is my plan for the next off-season in one week(only 18weeks of off season)

yea, i pretty much repeated what you just said! and yes, give yourself one day to not worry about anything food related! and remember to fuel your time in the gym with nutrition, it is so crucial...

[Betsy]

Wow, you guys diet in the off-season?!?! :p

The only way to acheive growth is by two things...lots of calories and heavy lifting.

The off-season is for rest and growth. Rest is both physical and mental.
Physical - cut back on the cardio significantly, and reduce the grueling hours in the gym...refocus the effort on the gym on lower volume, MUCH heavier lifting, more rest in between sets, etc.
Mental - get off the fkn diet!! Stop worrying about what you eat, how many carbs versus fat, and just EAT!! You're not going to sit on the couch and eat french fries and ice cream and pizza ALL the time for months...it just doesn't happen when you are still training. And believe me, you will eventually get sick of shit food lol. But hey, if you want the pizza, eat the freakin' pizza...it's calories!! You'll learn to just eat as much as you can of whatever FOOD (not shit) you can, and enjoy it and grow. Don't worry about water weight either...that all balances out. Just keep eating and keep training heavy.
Yes, you will put on fat, but you KNOW how to take it off..that's what the on-season is for. And if you don't give yourself the physical and mental rest, you won't grow AND you won't be as successful with your contest diet.

Just my two cents. :D

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is EXACTLY my philosophy, and it works!! :bowdown:

[JenFerFigure]

I try to keep it clean all year round -- high protein -- moderate low glycemic carbs and essential fats... but I'm not going to say I NEVER indulge because that would be a uhhh "a fantasy" ;).

[fitness_runner]

I'm bumping an old thread here but have to say thanks for this one. I've just entered my first off-season & was admittedly a bit nervous. My coach just asks that I keep high protein, moderate carbs & lower fats with 2-3 cheat meals a week. I am only following macros loosely & allowing for "open" weekends where I'll get my protein in & take my cheat meals.

Reading this thread was a huge help to hear what others do & to be reassured that my head is in the right place in regards to this time. I'm taking the rest of the year off to make improvements.

Anyway, love the information shared on this site!

[Siouxcountry]

I'm bumping an old thread here but have to say thanks for this one. I've just entered my first off-season & was admittedly a bit nervous. My coach just asks that I keep high protein, moderate carbs & lower fats with 2-3 cheat meals a week. I am only following macros loosely & allowing for "open" weekends where I'll get my protein in & take my cheat meals.

Reading this thread was a huge help to hear what others do & to be reassured that my head is in the right place in regards to this time. I'm taking the rest of the year off to make improvements.

Anyway, love the information shared on this site!

Hey Heather good to see you unlurk here! Hope you stick around, have a great day! :waving:

[Shelly]

I'm bumping an old thread here but have to say thanks for this one. I've just entered my first off-season & was admittedly a bit nervous. My coach just asks that I keep high protein, moderate carbs & lower fats with 2-3 cheat meals a week. I am only following macros loosely & allowing for "open" weekends where I'll get my protein in & take my cheat meals.

Reading this thread was a huge help to hear what others do & to be reassured that my head is in the right place in regards to this time. I'm taking the rest of the year off to make improvements.

Anyway, love the information shared on this site!

i know its a hard transition but its necessary to make improvments!

Embrace your offseason ;)

[iron_angel]

I HATE YOU BITCHES WITH CRAZY METABOLISMS. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOU ALL TO BE ABLE TO EAT SO MUCH BUT YOU JUST CAN'T GAIN WEIGHT! I HAVE A TINY FRAME BUT I CAN BULK/THICKEN UP ONCE I START EATING, I CAN PUT IT DOWN...BRING ON THE 40 INCH ASS...NO JOKE. BESIDES COCO, ICE T'S WIFE, I AM THE ONLY OTHER NON FAT WHITE GIRL WITH A 40 IN, I THINK..HA HA. I FEEL SPECIAL.
LOVE YOU ALL..PUNK ASSES!


aaaahahaha!! I feel your pain sista! I am the same way--major GHETTO booty in my off-season if I am not careful! Thank god my man is an "ass guy", LMAO! :ass:

[Lisa]

Wow, you guys diet in the off-season?!?! :p

The only way to acheive growth is by two things...lots of calories and heavy lifting.

The off-season is for rest and growth. Rest is both physical and mental.
Physical - cut back on the cardio significantly, and reduce the grueling hours in the gym...refocus the effort on the gym on lower volume, MUCH heavier lifting, more rest in between sets, etc.
Mental - get off the fkn diet!! Stop worrying about what you eat, how many carbs versus fat, and just EAT!! You're not going to sit on the couch and eat french fries and ice cream and pizza ALL the time for months...it just doesn't happen when you are still training. And believe me, you will eventually get sick of shit food lol. But hey, if you want the pizza, eat the freakin' pizza...it's calories!! You'll learn to just eat as much as you can of whatever FOOD (not shit) you can, and enjoy it and grow. Don't worry about water weight either...that all balances out. Just keep eating and keep training heavy.
Yes, you will put on fat, but you KNOW how to take it off..that's what the on-season is for. And if you don't give yourself the physical and mental rest, you won't grow AND you won't be as successful with your contest diet.

Just my two cents. :D

Right ther with ya baby! I am eating everything in sight and am strong as sh*t since my contest-gained 30 pounds just like THAT! BUT I set some squat PR's the other day...I am sronger than ever which =lean mass developing.

You cannot grow lean mass with out excess calories (fat), imo, so ya might as well get a bi fat cuz we KNOW how to get ripped again so stop trippin...(I am teling this to myself too..lol!)

No cardio here either, thank God...enjoy....I diet nearly 4-6 mos out of the year....

Lisa

[fitness_runner]

Saying thanks again seems redundant but I'm saying it anyway. After re-reading this thread, I realized that my brain is still dieting even though I'm trying to eat. I had target macros in mind & was working to stay within those without realizing it. I really want to grow during this time & not screw myself.

New off-season plan....eat when hungry, no counting & get over the the mental mind f*ck (which comes from being formerly obese.)

How did you guys handle the first off-season to get past that mind game?

Any tips are GREATLY appreciated! I also put on my big girl panties & started a journal so any input, feedback or slaps up side the head there are equally appreciated! lol

[Gin]

How did you guys handle the first off-season to get past that mind game?

Any tips are GREATLY appreciated! I also put on my big girl panties & started a journal so any input, feedback or slaps up side the head there are equally appreciated! lol
Hello gorgeous! I think what got me to get off the diet train was seriously asking myself whether I wanted maintain my comp weight/appearance or if I wanted to compete next year and actually make some improvements. I knew maintaining comp weight wasn't realistic but it's hard to ease off! I'm a competitor at heart. I knew I wanted to get better and make improvements. To do that I HAD to eat more and change my training structure. I took a little while to adjust but just like when you start to cut, you see the changes you had in mind and suddenly you're motivated by the new goal, in my case--muscular development. You'll get there! We're all here to back you up. You made amazing accomplishments in your prep and I know you'll do the same in your offseason. You're strong in mind, body, and spirit. You can do it!

[fitness_runner]

Gin, you are my voice of reason & I love you for that :o I re-read your post more than a few times today to let it sink in & you are so spot on. Do I want to not give this my 100% to grow & make the physique improvements that I need to make? Do I want to hit the stage in the spring looking the same as I did this year? We both know the answers to both is a big "hell no!"

I did much better today about not fixating on everything that went into my mouth. I know how to control that & also know what to do to scale things back if the gains become too much. I really have to remember what you've said & the philosophy that ripitupbaby also posted. In fact, they should be hanging on my fridge for reminders.

I will not fear food, I will eat, I will grow & I will present a better package in the spring.

Game on!!!!!!

[Gin]

Gin, you are my voice of reason & I love you for that :o I re-read your post more than a few times today to let it sink in & you are so spot on. Do I want to not give this my 100% to grow & make the physique improvements that I need to make? Do I want to hit the stage in the spring looking the same as I did this year? We both know the answers to both is a big "hell no!"

I did much better today about not fixating on everything that went into my mouth. I know how to control that & also know what to do to scale things back if the gains become too much. I really have to remember what you've said & the philosophy that ripitupbaby also posted. In fact, they should be hanging on my fridge for reminders.

I will not fear food, I will eat, I will grow & I will present a better package in the spring.

Game on!!!!!!

Love ya!

[jenscats5]

I'm not given macros by my coach but am told what to eat......I haven't been totally following it but I'm trying to stick to the majority of clean foods with scheduled cheating as opposed to just an all out gorge fest every day like I did post show.....still am 40lb over contest weight which is hard to get my head around....

[fluteangel]

So how many of you have an off-season coach? Having just done my first competition one week ago, I'm still in the rebounding phase, holding 9 lbs. of water, down from 12 lbs. :) I want to see that definition I worked so hard to get again! In any case, I want to start my off-season and am looking for a coach - looking at Amy Peters and Jenny Lynn. Has anyone worked with them? If I'm going to have a true off season and build some serious muscle, I want to do it right and would love the guidance! I'm all about the eating once I get my metabolism back on track (slowly upping the calories) but honestly, I am afraid to just eat all out whatever and whenever. I feel like I definitely need a plan because if not, I'll just gain a ton of weight and too much of it will be fat and I worked too hard to get it off! I want to stay relatively lean (is this possible?) while gaining muscle. In other words, build muscle with minimal amount of fat gain. I feel like the best way to do that is eat a ton of protein and clean carbs and healthy fats, but in a certain ratio, which I don't know what that is, while lifting heavy. Yeah, those are the basics, but I want specifics, so that's why I'm looking for a coach.

Amy sent me a sample of her current diet and I was almost jumping up and down with excitement. She's two weeks out from the Europa and eating a zone bar, mixed nuts and dried fruit and light ice cream every day?!? And she looks like THAT?!?! Yes please! :respect:

What do you all think I should do?

[FitDancer]

I HATE YOU BITCHES WITH CRAZY METABOLISMS. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOU ALL TO BE ABLE TO EAT SO MUCH BUT YOU JUST CAN'T GAIN WEIGHT! I HAVE A TINY FRAME BUT I CAN BULK/THICKEN UP ONCE I START EATING, I CAN PUT IT DOWN...BRING ON THE 40 INCH ASS...NO JOKE. BESIDES COCO, ICE T'S WIFE, I AM THE ONLY OTHER NON FAT WHITE GIRL WITH A 40 IN, I THINK..HA HA. I FEEL SPECIAL.
LOVE YOU ALL..PUNK ASSES!

MY INPUT ON THIS THREAD...JUST EAT MAN, EAT, EAT, EAT. DON'T STRESS ABOUT DIET OR CLEAN FOODS AS MUCH. IF YOU WANT THOSE PANCAKES, BACON AND BISCUITS AND GRAVY GO FOR IT. JUST NOT ALL THE TIME! KEEP DAIRY IN THE MIX TOO AND JUST BULK UP THE PORTION SIZES. DON'T BE SCARED OF CARBS. BE CONSISTENT IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AND DO VERY, VERY LIGHT CARDIO IF YOU FEEL U NEED TO .

You are so funny! Coco's ass is huge. Its got to be at least 50 inches.

[FitDancer]

Wow, you guys diet in the off-season?!?! :p

The only way to acheive growth is by two things...lots of calories and heavy lifting.

The off-season is for rest and growth. Rest is both physical and mental.
Physical - cut back on the cardio significantly, and reduce the grueling hours in the gym...refocus the effort on the gym on lower volume, MUCH heavier lifting, more rest in between sets, etc.
Mental - get off the fkn diet!! Stop worrying about what you eat, how many carbs versus fat, and just EAT!! You're not going to sit on the couch and eat french fries and ice cream and pizza ALL the time for months...it just doesn't happen when you are still training. And believe me, you will eventually get sick of shit food lol. But hey, if you want the pizza, eat the freakin' pizza...it's calories!! You'll learn to just eat as much as you can of whatever FOOD (not shit) you can, and enjoy it and grow. Don't worry about water weight either...that all balances out. Just keep eating and keep training heavy.
Yes, you will put on fat, but you KNOW how to take it off..that's what the on-season is for. And if you don't give yourself the physical and mental rest, you won't grow AND you won't be as successful with your contest diet.

Just my two cents. :D
This is exactly what I do. I eat during the off season but I continue to do at least one cardio session 5-6 days a week and I lift consistently. When I see the fat coming on, I make some adjustments because I don't want to have to start from scatch when prep time rolls around. My goal as a BB is to pack on more muscle. When I stop thinking about dieting, it relieves so much stress and I feel so much more relaxed. I had chicken fettucine last night. It was good as hell too.

[teri]

I agree w/everything that ripitupbaby has said above....no "diet" in off season just watch what u eat -and train as hard as u do any other time-just cut back on cardio...:waving::D