Thread: Week 1 vs Week 4

Eat man. You need the size.

Originally Posted by brian2440

Eat man. You need the size.

Yes I want the size (muscle) but i'd like to lose some fat, i'm not sure what my BF% is but just in my chest/stomache area I can grab alot of skin which I assume is fat? So that can't be good right?

Bulk frist worry about your fat later, and if you bulk clean you can gain muscule and lose fat.

Its up to you on which way you want to go. I was in your position a early in 2004 when I first started workingout/dieting, I had received some misinformation on how much I should eat and ended up going from 150 to 135 by eating 1700 calories a day while running AND lifting everyday! So I ended up in extremely good shape with low body fat, but I was very small. Although I hated being at this weight it did make it very easy for me to track my progress as I was gaining weight.
So all in all, its up to you. I wouldnt cut, because your young seem to have a fast enough matabolism where eating healthy and lifting will do alot of good. I would recommend eating somewhat of a maintenance diet to get a little more toned, then bulk.

Originally Posted by LittleKid

Around a month ago I asked if it would be best if I cut or bulk, I was told to bulk & thats what I intended to do. But I actually went from 146lbs. (Week 1) to 140lbs. (week 4) i'm just wondering if I look better & should I still bulk?


I think my gut is saying to cut.

Don't cut - you don't need to and it is a waste of your valuable time!

I would not 'bulk' per say - just GROW! Eat well, train hard, be active and allow your body to do what it is naturally ment to do at your time in life.

If you give it the right stimulus with the right food then you will grow MUCHO lean tissue and your BF will not increase significantly - infact, your BF increase may be so small (if you do things correctly) that your muscle gains compared to your fat gains mean that your BF will actually DECREASE as you go.

Bulking doesn't mean you have to turn into a squishy mess of blubber!

Hey Emma,
Is it bad to do any sort of cutting when your young? Would it inhibit normal growth in any way?

Originally Posted by XcelKrush

Hey Emma,
Is it bad to do any sort of cutting when your young? Would it inhibit normal growth in any way?

why would it?? If you train really hard and heavy you might cause problems with your bones and growth but cutting?

i think what he(i hope) means is like trying to loose weight instead of naturally letting your body grow at a younger age with hurt your metabolism and your test. levels and things like that.

Originally Posted by XcelKrush

Hey Emma,
Is it bad to do any sort of cutting when your young? Would it inhibit normal growth in any way?

Cutting while young is not ideal, no...

If a young person deprives themselves too much then they can cause hormone disruptions that may limit their growth (low testosterone levels, deceased thyroid hormone levels etc). They can also decrease their nutrient uptake and may disrupt things such as the solidification of their bone mass and full neural (mental) development.

At the extreme, if it gets to a very restrictive point then they can suffer irreversible growth disruptions and alterations in their secondary sexual development (that is - you can disrupt puberty - sometimes to the extent of halting it)... But that is REALLY extreme (I am talking anorexia here).


In my opinion, unless someone is very overweight, it is much more sensible to do a recomposition rather than a 'cut'.

Originally Posted by ReelBigFish

i think what he(i hope) means is like trying to loose weight instead of naturally letting your body grow at a younger age with hurt your metabolism and your test. levels and things like that.

Yes (and I am a she )...

A young body is MENT to grow - it has all the hormonal and metabolic advantages of a system set up to lay down new tissue.

A young MALE body is especially primed for LEAN growth - so you give it the right stimuli and you feed it correctly and you set your body up for the rest of your life - both in terms of muscle/physical characteristics and in terms of metabolic characteristics.

Never again will a person have the opportunity to gain muscle at that rate/extent again - so why waste the opportunity?

lol no i know your a lady Emma, i was talking bout xcel. LOL

Damn.. I think the hardest part for me right now is squeezing 3 good meals into my diet at school, they have so much crap.. Hot line -- basically fast food. greasy pizzas, chicken strips, hotwings Poor line - whatever the hell the school wants to give you.. which is usually really nasty tacos, pizza, and hamburgers. Which i've heard the meat probaly isn't that great for what i'm after and its full of sodium. Theres no nutrient info on this either so I have no idea what my cal. intake @ school is.

I want to figure out how to bring my own stuff that'll last me throughout the day but can't figure out how to keep it heated??? All I can think of is steak, beans, pasta, and chicken breast.

Originally Posted by ReelBigFish

lol no i know your a lady Emma, i was talking bout xcel. LOL

Ok - I wasn't sure!

Originally Posted by LittleKid

Damn.. I think the hardest part for me right now is squeezing 3 good meals into my diet at school, they have so much crap.. Hot line -- basically fast food. greasy pizzas, chicken strips, hotwings Poor line - whatever the hell the school wants to give you.. which is usually really nasty tacos, pizza, and hamburgers. Which i've heard the meat probaly isn't that great for what i'm after and its full of sodium. Theres no nutrient info on this either so I have no idea what my cal. intake @ school is.

Don't touch any of this. None of it will do you any good.

I want to figure out how to bring my own stuff that'll last me throughout the day but can't figure out how to keep it heated??? All I can think of is steak, beans, pasta, and chicken breast.

Just eat your meats cold! It is simple to take your own meals!! If you check out this thread here: Snack attack... It will give you some meal ideas that you can take with you.

Originally Posted by LittleKid

Damn.. I think the hardest part for me right now is squeezing 3 good meals into my diet at school, they have so much crap.. Hot line -- basically fast food. greasy pizzas, chicken strips, hotwings Poor line - whatever the hell the school wants to give you.. which is usually really nasty tacos, pizza, and hamburgers. Which i've heard the meat probaly isn't that great for what i'm after and its full of sodium. Theres no nutrient info on this either so I have no idea what my cal. intake @ school is.

I want to figure out how to bring my own stuff that'll last me throughout the day but can't figure out how to keep it heated??? All I can think of is steak, beans, pasta, and chicken breast.

You just have to be creative ... Bring some meals at school . Honestly , I wouldn't touch any of the food that is sold at your school. I'm currently studing (university student) and I have a few 3 hours classes. I just bring food to class , I prepared it at home , and I have my back pac full of food. It goes from whole wheat sandwhiches (turkey/chicken/ fat free cheese) to yogourt with cottage cheese , almonds ... And it goes on. Just be creative. Bring a shake if you want , put some water in it at school ... There are so many ways to eat even if you're on the go.

Oh ya , for you going down in weight (your concerned). Don't be concerned about that . Just bulk and you'll loose fat anyways. If you're really concerned about fat , just throw in a few days of cardio (20-30 mins each session) at moderate intensity. I went from a fat 200 pounds to a pretty lean 170 ... Even though I lost some weight , I actually gained a lot in strenght as well as muscle. But the basics remains , if you want to gain mass , you have to eat , and eat a lot.

As for the cutting while you're still growing , I don't see anything wrong with it on 1 condition. You just need a slow cut. So when you eventually decide to cut , just dont go to the extreme . For someone with your weight right now , I would eat around 2.2k cals if I would want to cut and make it safe.

So pack like some beef/turkey/chicken/ham sandwhiches in my backpack and go to my locker after every 2-3 periods (2 hours) and munch on one is basically what your saying?

Originally Posted by LittleKid

So pack like some beef/turkey/chicken/ham sandwhiches in my backpack and go to my locker after every 2-3 periods (2 hours) and munch on one is basically what your saying?

Or just bring it in your back pack if you bring it to class with ya. Yes , it is what I am saying . If you want good results , you'll have to eat each and every 2-3 hours .

Well you don't have to eat exactly every 2 - 3 hours
You can go up to 3.5 hours MAX 4 if you have too.
All I do is eat before heading to school (8am) , then I bring my lunch with me and eat that at around 11:40am , then again after school at 3-3:30pm
Also just choose your foods carefully if your concerned about the time. Since both meals are 3.5 hours apart instead of eating something like Whey , I eat some CC , almond butter / PB and some fiber 1.
Whats your schedule like?

I eat a protein shake in the morning, and then fourth period I have natural pb sandwhich on wheat, and then sixth I have my lunch and then after school I eat some tuna and then I workout and drink my protein shake and a banana.

It's real easy.

Originally Posted by ReelBigFish

lol no i know your a lady Emma, i was talking bout xcel. LOL

Im a he.

Anyways, all my teachers say not to eat in class but I do anyways. If your eating a sandwich just set it in your lap under your desk and just break off peices. But 2 days a week I have a spanish teacher who is the biggest jerk I have ever met, so all I can sneak in there is a protein bar. Bars are convenient for school but real food is ALWAYS a better choice.

Originally Posted by LittleKid

So pack like some beef/turkey/chicken/ham sandwhiches in my backpack and go to my locker after every 2-3 periods (2 hours) and munch on one is basically what your saying?

Make your sandwiched the previous night and put them in the fridge. Take them to school in an airtight container placed in one of those lunch boxes that helps maintain temp longer to keep them cool. Prepared food lying around for several hours at room temp is not a good idea,IMO.

You could also consider getting your cals from homemade shakes. Ground oats+protein powder+ground flax seeds in a leakproof container. Add water and shake vigourously and drink. Ok, so it is not going to taste like a McFlurry, but it is a quick and healthy option.

I'm going to start drinking shakes after my w/o's (lift at school) just buy some whey or creatine, put that in with some oats, add some water and shake?

If so can you pick up whey or creatine at your local grocery store?

Originally Posted by LittleKid

I'm going to start drinking shakes after my w/o's (lift at school) just buy some whey or creatine, put that in with some oats, add some water and shake?

Whey OR creatine??

I would certainly go for whey there! The creatine might be overkill at this stage... Just add some carbs. These are more important than the protein in terms of muscle recovery. If you are young, active and trying to grow then some skim milk and a banana would be fine as examples for PWO carbs.

If so can you pick up whey or creatine at your local grocery store?

Whey - it is possible, but I doubt it.. I highly doubt creatine will be there...

You can find whey or creatine at sgrocery stores, but its MUCH more expensive.

www.dpsnutrition.com one of the cheapest sites i have come across

my morning schedule usually goes like this :

wakeup @ 7:30
go to school @ 8:00
lift weights (mon & wednesday) starting at 8:45 to 9:30 usually.. cardio on tues & thurs

so from what i've learned so far I want a shake right after I wake up OR before I go to bed OR both? And I also want a shake after my W/O? I want a shake after cardio?

right now i'm just eating cookies post w/o (read in a mag. its good)

Originally Posted by LittleKid

my morning schedule usually goes like this :

wakeup @ 7:30
go to school @ 8:00
lift weights (mon & wednesday) starting at 8:45 to 9:30 usually.. cardio on tues & thurs

so from what i've learned so far I want a shake right after I wake up OR before I go to bed OR both? And I also want a shake after my W/O? I want a shake after cardio?

You don't 'need' a shake when you wake up or before you go to bed. At all times except around your workouts your best option is real food. But you certainly want whey after your workouts.

Just have a good breakfast before you go to school - Something like a bowl of oats with some eggs/egg whites and cottage cheese. If you don't have enough time then get up earlier!

Either that or make a shake with banana + oats + protein powder.

If you workout at about 8.45am then eating a solid meal for breakfast at about 7.30-7.45am is perfect. This gives you about 1 hr before you workout for your food to digest.

Before bed some real food is better too - some protein and healthy fats.

right now i'm just eating cookies post w/o (read in a mag. its good)

Argg! Cookies?? Where in gods name did you read that??

You want a shake after you workout with Whey + good carbs. Here some skim milk, banana, thinly rolled oats are all examples of good carbs.

Then, about 45 mins to 1.5 hrs later you want a good solid meal with carbs + lean proteins + some vegetables and healthy fats (like some sweet tato, chicken, broccoli and a few fish oil caps).

Originally Posted by Emma-Leigh

At all times except around your workouts your best option is real food. But you certainly want whey after your workouts.

totally disagree...for a person who's main concern is increasing anabolism and minimizing catabolism during a sleep a blended protein is far superior than consuming whole food. example: a blended protein of caesin/WPC/egg protein has far more nutritional value than say a chicken breast.