I know we all hate on the bodybuilding bros, but I've been following my version of a traditional bodybuilding diet recently with great results.
I think of the traditional bodybuilding diet as high carb, moderate protein, low fat (~55%/30%/15%) and high calorie (3,500-5,000). The only non-"Peaty" aspects are that it's high starch and that I include casein protein shakes around my workout window. But I've always done well on high starch diets.
I've been feeling really good for the last year or so (see my comments in the Temperature Reset thread), but since increasing my calories and increasing strength training from about 1x weekly to 3x, I've gone from about 180lbs to +190lbs over the last few months while maintaining my six pack. I'm still warm, sleeping well, good libido, good hair, good digestion, only peeing every 4-5 hours, and I've gotten a confidence boost from walking around with the extra muscle. To be fair, I was a similar weight and body comp while playing sports in undergrad 8 years ago, but I've never put on muscle this effortlessly before.
Here's a sample eating log for a training day:
Breakfast 6am
Bone broth soup with starch (rice, potatoes, or lentils), protein (eggs, liver, oysters, beef, or shrimp), a sugar based sauce (salsa or bbq, etc.), and sometimes a vegetable (lettuce, mushrooms, etc.). This meal has been a game changer for me. I batch cook rice, lentils, boiled eggs, mushrooms, etc. in advance, and then it takes just 5 minutes to throw everything in a pot and warm a little. Since I'm always varying the starch, protein, and sauce, every meal tastes different and delicious.
Latte 7am
Heated fat free milk mixed with maple syrup, coconut oil, honey, and coffee. I'll also include some gelatin powder if I'm not having much bone broth soup that day.
Raw carrot salad 9am
Lunch 1pm
Bone broth soup with starch, protein, a sugar based sauce, and sometimes a vegetable
~16oz Orange juice or lemonade
Honey
Scoop of casein powder
I think of the traditional bodybuilding diet as high carb, moderate protein, low fat (~55%/30%/15%) and high calorie (3,500-5,000). The only non-"Peaty" aspects are that it's high starch and that I include casein protein shakes around my workout window. But I've always done well on high starch diets.
I've been feeling really good for the last year or so (see my comments in the Temperature Reset thread), but since increasing my calories and increasing strength training from about 1x weekly to 3x, I've gone from about 180lbs to +190lbs over the last few months while maintaining my six pack. I'm still warm, sleeping well, good libido, good hair, good digestion, only peeing every 4-5 hours, and I've gotten a confidence boost from walking around with the extra muscle. To be fair, I was a similar weight and body comp while playing sports in undergrad 8 years ago, but I've never put on muscle this effortlessly before.
Here's a sample eating log for a training day:
Breakfast 6am
Bone broth soup with starch (rice, potatoes, or lentils), protein (eggs, liver, oysters, beef, or shrimp), a sugar based sauce (salsa or bbq, etc.), and sometimes a vegetable (lettuce, mushrooms, etc.). This meal has been a game changer for me. I batch cook rice, lentils, boiled eggs, mushrooms, etc. in advance, and then it takes just 5 minutes to throw everything in a pot and warm a little. Since I'm always varying the starch, protein, and sauce, every meal tastes different and delicious.
Latte 7am
Heated fat free milk mixed with maple syrup, coconut oil, honey, and coffee. I'll also include some gelatin powder if I'm not having much bone broth soup that day.
Raw carrot salad 9am
Lunch 1pm
Bone broth soup with starch, protein, a sugar based sauce, and sometimes a vegetable
Latte 3pm
Pre-workout shake 5pm
~16oz Orange juice or lemonade
Honey
Scoop of casein powder
During-workout shake 5:30pm
Post-workout shake 6:30pm
Dinner 7:30pm
Bone broth soup with starch, protein, a sugar based sauce, and sometimes a vegetable
Bed-time 10pm
~4oz OJ
Honey
On a day like this, I'll get in well over 4,000 calories while keeping PUFAs and other fats low, while still enjoying every meal. On non-workout days, I'll skip the shakes and maybe have bigger servings of the soups and more OJ throughout the day. I eat out a decent amount and have alcohol around 2x a week.
Post-workout shake 6:30pm
Dinner 7:30pm
Bone broth soup with starch, protein, a sugar based sauce, and sometimes a vegetable
Bed-time 10pm
~4oz OJ
Honey
On a day like this, I'll get in well over 4,000 calories while keeping PUFAs and other fats low, while still enjoying every meal. On non-workout days, I'll skip the shakes and maybe have bigger servings of the soups and more OJ throughout the day. I eat out a decent amount and have alcohol around 2x a week.