STS and NUTRITION

[hawgwild]

Hello! I am going to start STS the first Monday in November. I already eat clean, and I am wondering about calorie, fat, carb and protein intake. I have a pretty good understanding about this, but Cathe's workouts are pretty demanding. I am trying to lose about ten more pounds of fat, and gain some muscle (aren't we all! lol!) Anyhow, I know how tough Cathe's workouts can be and even though i want to shed a few pounds still, I am also quite concerned about eating too few calories. I am in no RUSH to lose the weight, but it MUST come off, nonetheless! Does anyone have any good tips or recommended calorie intake?
I am 5'6", weigh about 154 pounds, I gain muscle fairly easily, and have a HEALTHY appetite!

 

[Shadowpup]

Hi Hawgwild, nice to see you starting STS!

I rebalanced my macros when I started STS, and made sure I was within the 0.8-1g protein per lean body fat pound when I started. I was ravenous, especially at first and upped calories from around 1600 to average around 1900. I'm 5'7", and stay in the 126-129 range most of the time. Size 2/4, if that matters.

It looks as though I've dropped two percent body fat during STS and my active recovery weeks afterwards, as well as getting much stronger, btw. My overall weight is about the same. That was my goal - hold weight steady and drop body fat - so I'm really pleased I started on the six month plan, which was good for Meso 1 but more than my body liked during Meso 2 - I started getting sick, sleepless, other signs of overtraining - so I added in more rest days and longer active rest breaks between mesos, and restarted Meso 2 on the three month cycle. That worked well.

Also BTW, STS activity alone isn't what pushed my calorie needs higher; I had an overall increase in activity. Meso 1 was the highest STS calorie burner, but about the time I started Meso 2 I picked up my GWF and that helped me burn more throughout the day, so I kept my calories at meso 1 levels.

 

[hawgwild]

Oh! Thanks, SHADOWPUP. I think I'm just gonna try the 3 1/2 month program. I'm eating about 1800-1900 calories right now (night snacking) and not losing anything. Although, even if I eat 2400 calories a day, I also do not GAIN anything, so I guess that is good.
Do you think that the days I do cardio I should try eating LESS calories (fat burning days) and on strength training days (STS) I should eat more calories? I had heard somewhere that that may be effective. A little calorie cycling. I guess all I can do is TRY! I think if I can get the night snacking under control, it will be easier to see WHAT is working, huh? LOL!
Thanks again!

 

[Shadowpup]

Night snacking, eek! Definitely a program wrecker! We kind of fixed that issue by moving dinner very, very late Fortunately it does not wake me up

I end up in a natural calorie cycling pattern, but it's not deliberate or planned out. It happens because I always have pre/post workout snacks on strength training days (built into those 1900 calories), and also because I don't let my calorie deficit for the day drop below a few hundred. When I was in diet mode, that number was 500. Nowadays, it is 200. After strength training, I make sure that my calories are on the high end of my average for about 12hours, usually meaning a larger dinner and a larger breakfast. After cardio, I don't worry about extra meals (though I still have that 100-200 snack) unless my deficit gets too big. This seems to work for me, but then I'm looking for (slow) lean body mass increase this year. When I was in weight loss mode I still made sure that the half day after strength training is calorie neutral, and saved my calorie deficit days for cardio. None of the studies I've read apply too well to my specific case, so instead I've been relying on watching my body and how it is changing

BTW, used to be I had to eat 1400 calories a day to maintain, so having the extra breathing room is a big help and made me a true believer in the importance of increasing muscle mass! STS has been a big help.

I'll be interested in hearing what you do, and how STS works for you! Am thinking I will be starting a new rotation soon. I miss the program!

 

[hawgwild]

Thanks SHADOW. I will keep you posted.