Diet on cycle

[OnceWasFat]

I asked this in the steriod forum but didn't get a response. I must've asked in the wrong place so here goes again...

How does your caloric intake change relative to maintenance calories when on cycle – depending on goals (strength, mass, lean bulk, etc)?

Does your macronutrient profile change or just the calories?

Is there anything else that needs to be different about diet when on cycle one should know?

 

[nano]

well i'm not the most educated, but i can share with you what people have said to me...

on a bulking cycle, people up the calories because your body is at a higher anabolic state. and you need more calories then maintenance ammount to put on mass. also they up the protein carbs and creatine because during steroid use the muscles act like a sponge and can take in more. once body mass has been increased, it would make sense that your maintenance caloric intake is now higher to maintain you mass.

cutting cycle, i eat less then my maintenance ammount, since my body is catabolic and i want to take advantage of burning as many calories as i can without over eating and negating my progress. lowering the carb intake helps with burning the fat, while still eating high protein helps with hunger and muscle loss.

like i said, i'm not the most educated one here, but i thought i'd share with you what i know. and i could be wrong. but it works for me. hope this helps

 

[someanddone]

You'll find that the perfect ratio of carbs, proteins, and good fats is a personal thing that varies from person to person. Pay attention to your body as you tweak the diet and find what works for the intended goal. You should already have a really good idea of what that diet is.
About the calories, obviously, for a bulking cycle you'll need to eat thousands of calories more than the total caloric expenditure each day. For cutting, what was taught to wrestlers in my college days, was instead of reducing calories below maintenance, just increase the total caloric expenditure each day. It may just be a mental thing, but I swear that this helps with keeping strength and energy up.
As for the things to avoid, you already know to avoid simple carbs and saturated fats, but you also need to avoid salt. It can increase bp and make you more bloated than you otherwise would be. You'll get all the sodium you need without adding salt to anything.

 

[kenny1022]

Pick up a body fat caliper (they're cheap) and a scale if you don't use one the one at the gym. Load up your calories 500 - 1000 calories more than your TDEE or just use the simple bulking formula of 15 times your body weight. Keep your macro ratios the same:

1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight
1/2 grams of fat per pound of body weight
the remainder of calories in carbs
5 - 6 meals

If you're gaining weight but your body fat stays the same or less you're G2G.

Caveat: Some people say allowing your body fat to increase while bulking is ok but based on my own experience, I was able to increase lean muscle mass and keep the body fat the same or less. I did a 12-week test only cycle and gained about 18 lbs (Stats: 5'7", 172 lbs, 12% bf, 31 years old).