texasaggie2015 said:

---

Okay- maybe I'm wrong. Sorry for the bad info.

Personally I try my best to avoid both as much as possible.

---

I too try to not have too many (sugar free sodas-or sodas in general). But they do get me through some of the more boring meals I have to eat. Eating healthy can be fun. When my wife makes cod, it's great and the marcos are fantastic. Steak or beef have fat so it tastes good. But chicken breast? 99% low fat turkey? At times I need SOMETHING to wash it all down. I purposefully leaned down for the summer and I just can't get myself to try to "bulk" b/c, I hate eating the amount of food I have to eat to stay bigger. I can live with lower calories most days anyway. I am encouraged with new evidence that one doesn't necessarily need to do a major bulk to get muscle growth. So gaining 20-30 lbs is probably overkill. Thank God if true. I was at 205 for about a year to a year and a half. Not fat by any stretch. 15 % BF. But at 175-180, I am lean, still getting muscle and stronger and have abs. I am sure if I went to the dark side I could maintain the same BF% and be at 210 or more, but it's just not worth it for side effects.

Capitol Ag said:

---

texasaggie2015 said:

---

Okay- maybe I'm wrong. Sorry for the bad info.

Personally I try my best to avoid both as much as possible.

---

I too try to not have too many (sugar free sodas-or sodas in general). But they do get me through some of the more boring meals I have to eat. Eating healthy can be fun. When my wife makes cod, it's great and the marcos are fantastic. Steak or beef have fat so it tastes good. But chicken breast? 99% low fat turkey? At times I need SOMETHING to wash it all down. I purposefully leaned down for the summer and I just can't get myself to try to "bulk" b/c, I hate eating the amount of food I have to eat to stay bigger. I can live with lower calories most days anyway. I am encouraged with new evidence that one doesn't necessarily need to do a major bulk to get muscle growth. So gaining 20-30 lbs is probably overkill. Thank God if true. I was at 205 for about a year to a year and a half. Not fat by any stretch. 15 % BF. But at 175-180, I am lean, still getting muscle and stronger and have abs. I am sure if I went to the dark side I could maintain the same BF% and be at 210 or more, but it's just not worth it for side effects.

---

lol I feel like we're living the same experience

For what it's worth, I find just playing around with my training volumes in the gym is helping more with muscle retention/growth, even if i'm close to a calorie maintenance. I'll also never go to the dark side for a multitude of reasons, but I can definitely see why guys do it just to make the getting leaner/bigger situation easier to deal with