how can i cram more in?

[torinalth]

all jokes about the title aside, how? I have been making some drastic lifestyle changes since january to get myself in shape permenantly. I quit smoking, quit drinking, quit soft drinks. All I drink is real gains with milk and water (now shock therapy to wash down my pump and M-stak preworkout) now. I have drfastically improved my eating habits, eating very healthy, very clean, and all through the day/night.

My issue is I have gotten my eating in order and finally got my workout in order where I am really making progress in the gym... the issue is that I am doing so well in the gym that I am starting to burn too many calories.... enough that I have dropped nearly 12 lbs in a week. I have a horrid time gaining weight anyhow, so this is not easy. I have been able to halt the weight loss, but cant seem to gain any. I am ~ 4300 calories a day average, with around 260 grams of protein a day. I currently weigh 147 and holding.

MY issue is that I know calories = Lbs... but I cant eat anymore. I am cramming in as much as possible, and drinking real gains 3x a day in between meals and my shake before bed. every 2 hours I cram something into my hole wether its 1/2 a protein bar, part of a steak, an egg or two.. something.... but i am capped out. I am to the point now that I am having constant nausea due to being so full all day long trying to get more calories. Is there anything I can take to speed up digestion/food breakdown/absorbtion?

My workout is now being afected as I am pushing hard enough that I am getting nauseated due to the remaining real gains in my stomache (burping chocolate, nearly vomiting on todays leg press) even though it was 3 hours prior to workout. I need more calories to gain weight... I need less food in my stomache so I cam push higher weight without popping (which is fine, but thats lost calories). Anything I can do?

T

[bobbymart]

What are you doing in the gym where you burn that many calories??? are you body building? are you trying to gain weight? lose weight? what are you'r stats and goals I think more than diet it is how you are training to where you can eat over 4000 calories a day and lose 12lbs in a week just my thoughts. give us you'r stats and what you do in the gym and for how long and we will go from there.

[Pizzalamp]

hey whats your diet like on a training day?

[nofim]

well it sounds like your timing of eating is right but u need to be eating the whole protein bar and the whole steak, just my .02 . oh ya and wondering why your washing down pump with shock

[torinalth]

currentrly doing the split number 3 on the training page. identical save for dropping the deads on leg day and shoulders are moved to friday not sat. Up until this week I was doing 8-12 reps (mostly 12 for the first couple sets and slowly dropping as I increase weight and hit failure). as of this week I have upped the weight and trying for failure every set at ~ rep 8-9. I am trying to add mass/weight.

On training days my died looks mostly like this (adjusts slightly time wise based on my work schedule as I do shift work)

7:30 - 4 eggs and 5 russet potatoes (potatoes around quarter to golf ball size) or 4 eggs and 1 cup of oatmeal about 1/2 the days I can wash down the meal with a protein shake (24 grams of protein)
10:00 - protein bar (20g, 200cal) and a yogurt (100cal, 6g)
12:00 - half pan of hamburger helper made with 93/7 beef (unsure on total protein and cal)
2:30 - Protein bar/yogurt
5:00 - Real gains 2 cups milk, ice
7:00 1/2 Lb steak or 1.5 chicken breasts, salad.
9:30 begin workout
Prebed (11ish)real gains with 2 cups milk (2% BTW).

reciently I changed to stop the losses to this.

7:30 - same
10:00 - Real gains /w 2 cups milk and a yogurt
12:00 - 1/2 lb steak with 6 russett potatoes
3:00 - real gains w/ 2 cups milk and a yogurt
5:30 - begin workout
8:00 - 1.5 chicken breasts or a steak and potatoes or salad.
11:00 real gains w/ 2 cups milk

I take Mstak 45 min pre workout, pump 10min pre workout, torrent immediatly after. when i worked out in the evening I took real gains roughly 45 min after torrent. now I eat within an hour of the torrent.

T

[torinalth]

well it sounds like your timing of eating is right but u need to be eating the whole protein bar and the whole steak, just my .02 . oh ya and wondering why your washing down pump with shock

it is the entire steak, just 1/2 a pound steak typically ribeye or strip :) and in the first routine I was eating the full bar.... I try to cram in something extra as often as possible that is not listed in the second one which is where the 1/2 protein bar is, typically around 9 and 1:30/2 i dont count as i am not sure how much i actually can force in. I'd love to eat the entire thing, but i'm near vomiting as it is cramming in the 1/2 with all the stuff listed.

T

[Thetasteofink69]

Damn.. You metabolism must be fast as hell..

Here's something that helped me smash through a plateau.. It's a shake, and it doesn't really make you feel all that full, so you could continue eating shortly after

I can't afford Real Gains.. But since you have it, you might want to consider adding a scoop to this shake..

1 & 1/2 cups of milk
1 & 1/3 cup of oats
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
3 Ice cubes
1 scoop real gains (in your case)

It usually tastes something like a reeses peanut butter cup.. Blend at high.. The longer you blend it the better.. And you'll probably wanna chug it, or else the oats will settle to the bottom, which isn't a very pleasant experience when you drink those last couple of gulps

Good luck

[Fury317]

Jesus how are you losing weight with that diet? I would say your "problem" (NOT A PROBLEM REALLY) is too much volume in your workouts. Slow the pace and up the weight while lowering the reps. My 2 cents

[torinalth]

now you see why i was absolutley terrafied when i was losing weight, it just shouldn't be feasable with what I was eating. I just changed my workout this week to do more weight and less reps so that is still to be determined on how it will affect me.

as far as the shake, I used to add oats to it before hand in the first listing, was good.. added peanut butter and or bananas at various times, however adding them made it very hard to drink (paletable) and i just couldnt stand the taste with PB or the banana. I dont have a blender at work so I just do real gains in the second/current setup with som cinnimon (HIGHLY suggest the cinnimon for added taste/change) and sadly no oats. and I do add ice whenever I am home and can use the blender... the colder it is the faster i can down it...

my final shake of the night was ~1500 calories with the banana, PB, oats, milk, RG, and a touch of added strawberry protein. but after 2-3 of them i couldnt stomache the PB or banana anymore, so had to go to strait RG and milk with som cinnimon. ~760 calories now.

T

[k1usa]

eating is harder than training...wish I had a tube in my stomach and was able to just inject the mixed food in and get it over with......fucking eating

[gjn5002]

shit man thats a good problem to have. if i start getting a lil sloppy in my diet or take in too many carbs i can tel on my gut. I agree with less volume i workouts, more rest less sets. No cardio at all. Tablespoons of natty peanut butter and handfulls of almonds wont make you very full but will pack in calories. Try to drink more milk.
Maybe all the real gains is bloating you or not aggreing with your digestive system and you dont even know it. I usually eat that much when bulking and it just makes my appetite grow when i eat a lot.

[Thetasteofink69]

as far as the shake, I used to add oats to it before hand in the first listing, was good.. added peanut butter and or bananas at various times, however adding them made it very hard to drink (paletable) and i just couldnt stand the taste with PB or the banana. I dont have a blender at work so I just do real gains in the second/current setup with som cinnimon (HIGHLY suggest the cinnimon for added taste/change) and sadly no oats. and I do add ice whenever I am home and can use the blender... the colder it is the faster i can down it...

If I were you I would wake up in the morning, go straight to the blender and start blending the shake, then go about your morning routine.. By the time you're done with taking a shower and what not, the shake should be really thin and easy to drink.. Keep it to peanut butter and not a banana.. You can add a banana if you'd like, but the peanut butter is a must.. As far as the taste goes, I'm not sure what to tell you.. I just suck it up and chug it.. That's really the only thing you can do if you're eating something for the calories and not the taste

[Bigchrome]

You're just not eating enough! You need twice that much steak, and twice that much chicken at least! Add some mayo to it while you're at it for some more calories. Ditch one of the real gains if it will help you eat some more solid food. It might seem hard but you gotta do it! I'm at 151lbs now and cutting and I would be starving on that little a day!

[torinalth]

You're just not eating enough! You need twice that much steak, and twice that much chicken at least! Add some mayo to it while you're at it for some more calories. Ditch one of the real gains if it will help you eat some more solid food. It might seem hard but you gotta do it! I'm at 151lbs now and cutting and I would be starving on that little a day!

5k calories would be starving? well damn, ended last night with 4970. I am trying hard to cram everything in. I can skip the real gains and go for solid food, but i will be taking in less calories and protein total. Which si why I was asking if there was anythnig that will speed up digestion or emptying of the stomache so I coud do just that.

T

[Thetasteofink69]

something isnt adding up here.. At a buck fifty you should be growing.. Let's see your training routine, including cardio

[RenegadeRows]

wow! does jay cutler even eat that much? lol

Jokes aside, I dont think there is any way on earth that you can shuffle all that down unless you are a world class eater dude, I mean damn! you must be getting the cardio just preparing and chewing that food.

[HardGainer369]

Bro it takes alot for me to grow...and ive figured out that i need a shitload of carbs during the day to gain weight...so instead of concentrating on the protein intake, concentrate on the amount of carbs...trust me, you'll grow. i think its like 3 x bodyweight = the amount of carbs in a day...

[FourThirty]

What about adding a TBSP of flax seed oil to each of your shakes?

[torinalth]

I had a few things to do after my workout.

ok. I will give a shot of oil in my shakes and see what happens... though how does it affect the taste/mixability/consistancy (just so I know how to work around it).

I honestly do not know how many carbs I am taking in, really havnt tracked it, just cals and protein. I'll give a shot at carb cramming and see what happens. would be easier to do oatmeal or cereal in the morning instead of cooking :).

As far as my weight... today I weighed a suprising 152... very happy but after my best leg day ever and 5k cals i better :) One oddity, I am growing... just not in weight. MY chest is rounding out, quads are REALLY exploding FAST, coworkers said my forearms and shoulders are bigger however I havn't seen it, calves are ok... triceps are more defined yet not larger, biceps are odd... biceps are getting wider, not taller... that supposed to happen? but any progress is good progress. havn't noticed anything on my back yet... but its hard to see.. ya know?

This is my exact workout for the past week:
Monday:05/26/08
Dumbell Press - 45x12, 45x12, 50x8, 50x6, 35x14(pump)
Flat bench - 95x10, 95x10, 95x8, 95x8
Dumbell Flyes - 15x12, 15x12, 17.5x10
Cable crossovers - 30x12, 30x12, 40x10, 40x9
Barbell Curls - 50x12, 50x8, 50x7
Close grip EZ bar curls - 45x12, 45x9, 45x11, 25x18

Tuesday - 05/27/08
Leg Curls - 110x6, 95x8, 95x7, 90x8, 70x12
Leg extensions - 160x8, 165x9, 170x8, 175x7
plate loaded leg press - 180x12, 230x9, 250x7, 270x6, 180x14(pump set)
Squats - 95x12, 115x9, 125x7, 95x10 - I fuckin suck at squats for some reason.

Thursday - Today
Barbell Shrugs - 80x20, 100x14, 100x15, 110x12 (next week I need to use a olympic bar)
Rear Barbell Shrugs - 110x15, 110x12, 110x11
Barbell bent rows - 110x12, 110x9, 110x8, 70x17(squeeze and hold for 3 count every 5 last set)
Lat pull down machine - 8x12, 9x9, 9x7
Deadlift - 160x8, 180x7, 180x8(spaced them out slightly on this set) my grip sucks ass I can deadlift more but my forearms are on fire and I just cant grip the damned bar anymore.

Friday - 05/23/08
Dumbell Shoulder Press- 15x12, 20x10, 25x8
Dumbell lateral raises - 12.5x12, 15x11, 15x10
Dumbell Side raises - 10x12, 12.5x10, 12.5x8
rope pull downs - 4x12, 5x10, 7x6.
dumbell kickbacks - 15x10, 15x7, 10x12
Tomorrow I will be adding skullcrushers.

This was my last week, today to last week. and incase anyone missed it I do NO cardio. My heart is racing most days when blasting through my movements.. mostly chest and leg day... others a not as much.

T

[Joey D]

Tori,

I had s imilar problem.And I told my Dr. who is a serious lifter himself. He told me stop everything and just eat real food.Cut the shakes for a while.you need a break! Your gettin sick man! It worked for me and I adjusted accordingly once I felt better>

Joe D

[Chin]

What about adding a TBSP of flax seed oil to each of your shakes?

You are right Thirty... might be a lack of EFA supplementation... I know when I was bulking I was hitting upwards of 7000 Cals... I am down to about 4000 Cals and I am cutting...

I would biff the protein bars and Yogurt and put down Cottege Cheese and with Trail mix... High Protein and high EFA in the nuts... cals are there...

But honestly you are at 5k cals you should be growing on it... I think you are either leaving something out or you are grossly overestimating you calories....

Chin

[torinalth]

i think you may be right, my body is all jacked up... today i felt just horrid and honestly i think I started to decline when i stopped my weight loss with the 5k a day diet change. One of my coworkers suggested I change to lactos free milk for a bit and see if I am lactos intollerant (taking in 6 cups of milk a day could be what is bringing me down) and to be honest I have been really tired since changing my diet. and still getting 8 hrs of sleep (though in 4 hr segments because I always have to piss at 2:30am)

one thing I have to do is get my water intake back. in the first diet I used to be on (losing weight) I was taking in easily a gallon and a half a day. since the new diet started I was having a hard time taking in more then a 1/2 gallon. due to sheer bloating with the packed stomache. I might just screw my diet for a bit and see what happens... I guess my one concern is that everyone suggests massivly raising caloric intake when on Mstak... maybe I went too far? I'm going to try and keep the diet i am on, just remove the shakes for the next week, replace with whole food and see if I can get my water intake above a gallon again.

I might have been looking at the wrong problem the entire time... or am I just an idiot for changing the course? Sigh... something is just not right, I just don't know what.

T

[Spartan_32]

Ok as I read your post I see..

5'9"
148lbs - Updated 5/28/08
Bench - 135x7, DB press - 60x12; Squat - 125x10 (ATG), Leg press machine - 280x6, deadlift - 210x7
Leg extension - 175x7, barbell curl - 50x12, BB shrug - 80x11, BB bent row - 115x11, seated calf raises - 55x16
I am new. I am small. I am weak. Why do you think I came here? Change


at that body weight your just over doing it... I wouldnt push more then 3000cals & near 200 on the protein. Start in lil steps find food that is dense.. but easy to eat. Right now Im just working on eating 6 times a day. Real food.. I cut way back on the shakes. went with tuna.. chicken.. found it was easier on my stomach. The constant whey is just hard on a body good but hard. Its like eating Steak & eggs every two hours without any of the naturals that help break down the food. So cut back on the shakes... hell cut back on the cals .. sounds like you may need to move to a low rep.. Heavy (for you) workout.

Thers a good one of in the training.. something called the Basics or such..
Also remember Squat till you puke .. no ones going to laugh then.. lolol good place to be quesy.

Good luck man.

[torinalth]

well, today was an interesting day. around 3200 calories today, 3 meals, no snacks, and finishing a glass to make my 100 oz of water today. I got the best sleep I had in weeks
(didn't have my pre bed shake), felt great, was not tired at all, had energy and plenty of mental focus. I wasnt on the toilet all damned day and I just felt strong. I didnt really change how I ate, just removed the shakes... and I got to thinking...

could all my issues have been that I am lactos intollerant and my body just thew in the towel taking in 3 shakes a day? I want to get my calories back up, even if slightly... with just 1 shake a day. think taking lactaid prior to my shakes would be a good idea? The only thing I changed was removing the shakes and had a drastic change... just kinda got me thinking.

T

[FourThirty]

ok. I will give a shot of oil in my shakes and see what happens... though how does it affect the taste/mixability/consistancy (just so I know how to work around it).



T

If you buy a good brand of flax oil you won't taste much of a difference. I buy the good refrigerated oil at a local health food market. In a vanilla shake it may add a slight nutty flavor, in a chocolate shake or one blended with some fruit I don't even taste it.

I also add it to my cottage cheese. Good way to get EFAs with protein. Plus there are some theories that this is a good anti-cancer combination.

Good luck man!

[FourThirty]

Forgot to mention - you could also try Animal Omega. Good mix of Fish/Flax oils (Omega 3) and some Omega 6 too.

[Ajack]

I have two possible suggestions.

1. You're in a state of overtraining and your body is fighting you.

2. You may just have to eat like crap to gain. (i.e. add ice cream and kids cereal after every meal or something). Some people just won't grow until they start eating junk food.




Edit: Well looks like you figured something out, nevermind. =)

[basketcase]

could all my issues have been that I am lactos intollerant and my body just thew in the towel taking in 3 shakes a day? I want to get my calories back up, even if slightly... with just 1 shake a day. think taking lactaid prior to my shakes would be a good idea? The only thing I changed was removing the shakes and had a drastic change... just kinda got me thinking.

T


I recently went from my current shake (3 shakes a day) that I thought upset my stomach to an ISO Whey and my stomach is all better!

Not to say that isn't your problem, but the last time I made my morning shake with 12oz of Milk and had 2 other shakes that day, the end result was brutal! I tried to take the Milk out of those particular shakes, but it was that protein shake itself that was doing it to me...so the switch to ISO whey was great.

Something to think about. I'll be ordering Ultra ISO Whey here shortly.

Good luck!