Hey all,

Does anyone else have a harder time being perfect on diet as the winter months set in. I dont necessarily get depressed per se, but as the cold hits, the days shorten I definitley find I really enjoy my sweets. It was easy for me to remain lean and good on my diet while the summer was here since Im at the pool a fair amount, and was already lean from a late spring show. But, now Ive found myself indulging here and there in the occasional muffin, sugary creamer in my coffee, pancakes on weekends, etc. Ive never really had a bodyfat problem, and probably can do this and stay about 12% with no cardio. But, my original goal was to remain 9%, which im sure Im above now. I was 157 at 8.5% about four weeks ago. Today i was 166 and gaining. Not all fat, but not all muscle. Anyone have any secrets or things they do. Its so easy for me to balloon back up to the mid 170's, which looks pretty good on a 5'6" guy in clothes, but not so much otherwise. Thanks,

Jason--

Jason Theobald

www.geocities.com/chezburger10/JASONTHEOBALDBIO.html

Jason,

Being from Wisconsin, I can relate to your cold weather desire for bodyfat storage :-) LoL

I do believe it is harder to stay lean during the cold weather in regions that experience it. Most of us become less active outside, I do believe the lack of sun affects our moods & possibly even activates a genetic prehistoric fat storage feed & hybernate mode. (speculation only) Not to mention several signifigant Holidays which historically are celebrated with food fall during this time.

My only advice to you is to have a firm goal set. Possibly a contest mid to late winter or early spring. Without specific leverage in place, during the winter months, its easy to get into the old bulk up & train down pattern :-) rather than staying rather lean all year.

Like you said, in clothes a guy tends to look good a little heavier, but its when you take your shirt off you cringe... The only problem is in winter in cold weather states you don't take your shirt off too often :-)

Tom

Yeah, I had a contest date set. I was planning on the Norhthern and the Battle. But, now as my last year of law school winds down, I think I need to focus my energy on job hunting rather than every little morsel that goes in my mouth. Besides that its gonna set me back a pretty penny to sit for the bar and take a review course. Were talking 2K. Which is probably what Id spend on shows with food and supps and entrance fees all combined. Since Ive been thinking of not doing the show its been real hard to maintain diet. Im doing it fairly well, with just more cheats. May just be the way it is, I like to live too, and like I said I never get too fat anyways. I think as long as I can control it to a certain degree the warm weather of April will be a nice welcome for a little fat burning. Thanks,

Jason

Jason Theobald

www.geocities.com/chezburger10/JASONTHEOBALDBIO.html

You guys are going to laugh at me but I find that if I don't let my bf go up a little when it gets colder I can easily get a chill and even the shivers - and I hate it when that happens! - so I try to stay between 7-9% in the off-season to give myself just a little more natural insulation.

I do think that the trick is to trade off when you cheat too much. For example no sixth meal that day if you know that you took in a few hundred extra calories of things that you would not normally eat. Another thing that I do is to decrease the portion sizes of a regular meal so as to still get the meal in but to offset overindulging earlier or later in the day.

In the long run it is ok, and probably healthy and perfectly normal to have a few extra cheat meals and cheat days in the off season - just don't let it get out of hand or you will have to pay the piper come your next contest prep or next summer when the long sleeve shirts and long pants get hung back up in the closet!

Now fitdoc probably only gets up to 5.5% in the off season, he keeps lean chasing the nurses around - or are they chasing him?

VA MadDog

ROFL...you're funny VA!

In all thy getting, get understanding

ROFL?

Lets see what could that stand for...

Really Only Fitdoc's Language - no that's not it

oh I get it - Roll On The Floor Laughing?

This alphbet soup stuff throws us old guys - are you trying to confuse me cause it ain't hard to do! Someone is going to report you to AARP for picking on old peole.

VA MadDog