I’m tired of looking like a marshmallow after a bulk. Anyone found the sweet spot for clean calories and gains? Meal plans, macros, cheat meals what actually works in the real world not some Instagram influencer fantasy.
Honestly the sweet spot for me was just running a small surplus instead of going full send. Like +250 cals, protein around 1g/lb, fats moderate, carbs higher around workouts. I stopped doing ‘dirty bulks’ and just stuck to mostly whole foods with some flexibility so I didn’t binge.
Big thing too—kept my steps in (~8–10k) and added a bit of cardio so I didn’t turn soft. No crazy meal plan, just consistent meals (eggs/oats, chicken/rice, beef/potatoes, yogurt, etc).
Cheat meals kinda overrated tbh, I just fit stuff into my macros.
Gains were a bit slower but I stayed way leaner and didn’t hate my life after lol.
I’m tired of looking like a marshmallow after a bulk. Anyone found the sweet spot for clean calories and gains? Meal plans, macros, cheat meals what actually works in the real world not some Instagram influencer fantasy.
Thanks for the advice man definitely gives me a plan to avoid looking like a marshmallow after a bulk I like the idea of a small surplus + keeping steps/cardio in check makes sense.
Gonna stick to mostly clean foods and flexible meals appreciate the breakdown man. I have started doing some sprints,push-ups and jump squats back to back atlunch time for 15 mins hope it works 🙌🏻