View Full Version : First Post...Bulking Question!
Hello,
This is my first post, how is everyone doing?
I have been training for a few years on and off. This past year I got pretty serious about it, and have packed on about 35-40 pounds. Right now I am at 6'1, 197 pounds...I have been at this wall for a couple of months now so i decided to switch to the 5x5, start some creatine, and just change things up a little bit. My current issue is that I am only getting about 3000-3500 calories a day.
I know this is not quite cutting it. With my current diet, I am getting a good amount of protein/carbs with the normal stuff (lean meat, chicken, fish, peanut butter, milk, whole grain bread, potatos, sweet potatos, some veggies/fruit, protein shake, protein bar, etc, etc)
I think based on my current diet, I can afford to add a little bit of fat (preferably not saturated).
I guess my biggest question is, what bulking foods do you guys add in that are high in calories when you are not too worried about the fat content? Obviously I want to stay away from saturated, but I want to add in another 500-700 calories a day of something that has some good protein/fat. I already get a sufficient amount of peanut butter too so i was looking for something else.
My current diet is pretty bland in that I eat the same foods week in and week out with 1 maybe 2 cheat meals max a week. I have read over a good deal of posts on here, and generally see the same suggestions in terms of recipes and eating.
One additional question....When you guys are bulking, do you worry much about sodium? I was looking at wendys chili, and that seems high in protein, a bit high in fat, but super high in sodium.
Any ideas? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Littlefry
03-10-09, 12:49 pm
If your bulking while running the 5x5 routine I suggest to get in some extra cals you take a weight gain shake 1-2x a day. As for some foods that are high in calories with good protein conten try eating almonds, peanuts, peanut butter etc...When I was running 5x5 and bulking I also had a cheat meal 2-3x a week, but it depends on how fast your metabolism is.
TigerAce01
03-10-09, 12:58 pm
A great way to add a tremendous amount of calories and protein while being economically friendly is simple, old school whole milk. Drink a gallon a day, and I promise you'll gain plenty of weight without having to worry about buying even more supplements. Our economy is going down the tubes right now, so if you're like me, you want to keep things simple. Milk, cheap whey protein, Pak, and Uni Liver is all you need. Cheap, effective, simple.
-Ace
might want to start in this thread : 10 best foods for slamming on mass??? (http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=19919)
might want to start in this thread : 10 best foods for slamming on mass??? (http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=19919)
Thanks for the responses everyone.
My metabolism is pretty fast, and always has been.
I did browse that thread, and from what I saw it had the typical foods I already eat. Im really looking to add a semi cheat meal (whole food) each day instead of supplements, as I already drink a decent amount of milk, and have a whey/casein shake post workout. The only fats I eat throughout the day come from my dairy (milk, little bit of cheese) and peanuts/peanut butter, so i figured i have some room to expand in terms of fat calories a day.
Today I supplemented my lunch with a couple junior hamburgers and a small frosty from Wendys. This had a total of about 760 calories/16g of fat (8 saturated)/34g of protein...This is exactly the type of addition I am looking for so maybe I answered my own question, but I was hoping for something similar in the non fast food realm.
I appreciate the responses!
natty pb, whole milk, eggs, AVOCADOS mmmmm
Thanks for the responses everyone.
My metabolism is pretty fast, and always has been.
I did browse that thread, and from what I saw it had the typical foods I already eat. Im really looking to add a semi cheat meal (whole food) each day instead of supplements, as I already drink a decent amount of milk, and have a whey/casein shake post workout. The only fats I eat throughout the day come from my dairy (milk, little bit of cheese) and peanuts/peanut butter, so i figured i have some room to expand in terms of fat calories a day.
Today I supplemented my lunch with a couple junior hamburgers and a small frosty from Wendys. This had a total of about 760 calories/16g of fat (8 saturated)/34g of protein...This is exactly the type of addition I am looking for so maybe I answered my own question, but I was hoping for something similar in the non fast food realm.
I appreciate the responses!
add whole eggs (hard boiled if need be) into the mix...you wont regret it...and you can get a lot of them down for 500-700 extra cals.
they packed full of vitamins/mineral and Arachidonic Acid (70mg per large egg!)...its a supplement in and of itself!
Eggs is one thing that is not currently in my diet. For some reason I keep trying to go back to them, but they give me like extremely painful/large amounts of gas lol. Not sure what the issue is..
I did browse that thread, and from what I saw it had the typical foods I already eat. Im really looking to add a semi cheat meal (whole food) each day instead of supplements, as I already drink a decent amount of milk, and have a whey/casein shake post workout. The only fats I eat throughout the day come from my dairy (milk, little bit of cheese) and peanuts/peanut butter, so i figured i have some room to expand in terms of fat calories a day.
Today I supplemented my lunch with a couple junior hamburgers and a small frosty from Wendys. This had a total of about 760 calories/16g of fat (8 saturated)/34g of protein...This is exactly the type of addition I am looking for so maybe I answered my own question, but I was hoping for something similar in the non fast food realm.
I appreciate the responses!
Why semi-cheats? (Which is a contradiction in and of itself.) Just eat more of the healthy food you're already eating. If you can't eat more per meal, add in a 7th meal and shorten your meal intervals. And if you're really just looking for bulk calories, you can't go wrong with Real Gains.
The cleaner you eat, the cleaner you'll gain.
Italianmuscle08
03-10-09, 5:08 pm
Eggs is one thing that is not currently in my diet. For some reason I keep trying to go back to them, but they give me like extremely painful/large amounts of gas lol. Not sure what the issue is..
eggs give me the worst most rancid smelling gas in the world. but they also slam mass on and IMO are an absolute necessity.
mritter3
03-10-09, 7:34 pm
eggs are a necessity in every diet as far as i am concerned, i never feel as good as i do after eating 8 eggs for breakfast...
I think I am going to add more eggs into the mix. Im not a big fan of eggs in general, but I figure I will hard boil them and just down them.
theharjmann
03-11-09, 11:04 am
I think I am going to add more eggs into the mix. Im not a big fan of eggs in general, but I figure I will hard boil them and just down them.
either that or toss a few into the blender with your mass shake.
ironbound
03-11-09, 11:29 am
Hey bro, I get boxes of these bars at Costco called Vel bars. They're basically a bunch of nuts and seeds with a few raisins all smashed together into bars. They make a good little snack and are good for adding some quality fats and calories to your diet.
MILK! 1 gallon a day is a shit load of extra calories. I used to drink a glass of milk with at least 3 or 4 of my meals a day and I definitely noticed size gains.
Also, red meat is calorie dense, and should be your best friend.
T o m m Y
03-11-09, 5:04 pm
Few tbsp of olive oil
ironbound
03-11-09, 9:44 pm
Oh yeah and full fat yogurt. Delicious.
rocket1
03-11-09, 10:46 pm
Olive oil and almonds. Cashews are pretty good too. Nuts have a bit of added protein to go with the fat, which is just kind of a bonus. If your metabolism is fast, you have to eat more than it can consume. Some people's metabolism just gets faster and faster the more they work out and eat. For these people, they have to eat as much as possible. No worries about gaining too much fat because you can easily burn it off later. You could also try eating extra carbs because they will be stored as fat if not used.
Thanks for the responses everyone.
I think I am going to add some eggs, and maybe a few more healthy fats. Im a little reluctant to add too much fat, as I am starting to get a bit too much of a mid section. But I did just buy a big container of olive oil. Im also going to start taking some fish oil again.
jdubkrew
03-12-09, 4:03 pm
Cdub,
I myself am also a hardgainer, so when im bulking, i do what your doing. But your total calories seem low. Your at 200lbs, and only eating 3-3500 calories? bump it to 4-5000. Eat the same things, but more! The whole milk idea is great! A whole gallon a day for some people is pushing it, but drink it up! Eggs, cheap and easy. But when bulking, its the normals for me...good ol' meat and taters! Since its a bulk, i dont worry about it being "clean" so i get the cheap ground beef 70/30, its fattier. And right before bed, eat dairy, they digest slow and pack protein. ((cottage cheese, milk, ice cream))
dont over think it. it is a bulk after all. so if what you doing now isnt enough. EAT MORE!
and...go get yourself a gallon of water. and make sure its empty before you lay down for bed. fill it up, and open it again in the morning! WATER WATER WATER
PS, i see your down in the natti, im an hour north of you in lima. PM me