Originally Posted by ph0bia.

I have been on Rippetoe's proram for a while now and have made considerable progress with all the lifts till mid-August. I took a 6-week break after that for some personal reasons. I started lifting again in mid-October by tweaking my diet a bit. But I seem to have gone a bit higer on the caloric side. Maybe you guys can help me out.

I weigh 85.5 kgs with a bodyfat of 19%. At mid-August I weighed 81 kgs and bodyfat of 19%. Obviously, the bodyfat doesn't look accurate. And, I still fit into the same trouser just with a lil' difficulty now. And, my lifts are getting back to where I left 'em.

This is my diet now:
Breakfast
6 egg whites (instead of 5)+ 1 whole egg with 2 slices of bread
1 cup oats + 2 cups milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 protein shake - 2 scoops (instead of 1)

Meal 1
2 slices of bread with cheese
1 cup of pasta (instead of 1.5)
1 piece of fruit
add a protein...chicken or something

Pre-workout
50g of Dextrose
1/2 cup oats (instead of 1)
1 protein shake - 1 scoop
3g creatine
go with oats OR dex, don't need both, I would go oats

PWO
1 protein shake (2 scoops) with 1 cup of milk
50 g dextrose
3 g creatine
no need for milk here, won't hurt you, but no need

Meal 2
2 chicken breasts
Veggies

Meal 3 - before bed
1 can of Tuna (instead of 2, it was drying up my mouth and i seemed to be reacting to it weirdly :S so i just upped by protein by adding in another scoop in the morning shake)
Veggies
1 cup of milk

calories 3133
carbs 329
protein 341
fat 72

But before "un-tweaking" it, it the macros looked like this:
Calories - 3,328
Protein - 342.7
Carbs - 370
Fat - 77


Till mid-August it was:
Calories 3010
Carbs 280
Protein 348
Fat 72

I fit easily into my 32-inch jeans easily then, it's just getting a bit tight now. And, for me it's kinda :S I remember I hit 86 kgs in 2006 but my waist shot up to 36 then.

1. So I don't get it, have I actually put on more muscle now than I did last time?
2. Should I actually tweak my diet up a bit again because I've only run it for a week, I have reduced the calories and the carbs, but if I know i'm on the right track, I don't mind waiting. Probably this is just the fat I put on during my time off..?

thank you.