Hi all. I have had a hard time eating enough, mostly due to lack of preparation. So I crunched some number and pieced together what I think looks good, but would appreciate any input. Also, sometimes I find a wide range of calorie totals among different sources. One site will say 200 cals, another will say 300. I checked as many as I could, and I think I have most of them right, but let me know if something doesn't look right.

Meal 1:
1/2 cup oats (280 cals)
48 g. whey (240)
12 oz milk (120)
640

Meal 2:
1 cup brown rice (216)
6 oz chicken (255)
1 cup carrots (50)
521

Meal 3:
1 cup brown rice (216)
6 oz chicken (255)
1 oz cheese (110)
581

Meal 4: (workout days)
72 g dextrose (270)
48 g whey (240)
510

Meal 4: (non-workout days)
1 banana (125)
1 apple (80)
48 g whey (240)
445

Meal 5:
3 cups mixed lettuces (20)
4 oz chicken (170)
2 tbsp olive oil (240)
432

Meal 6:
16 oz milk (160)
4 eggs (300)
2 tbsp. PB (190)
650

That comes out to 3,334 cals on workout days, and 3,269 on non-workout days. It works out to about 38% protein, 33% carbs, and 29% fats. I have stats in my sig, but I weigh 184, so I came out with needing about 3,300 calories to add tissue. Does this seem OK? Any changes? I just started it yesterday, but of course tweaking is not a problem. Thanks!!!!

It depends on the intensity of your workout, but the difference in calories burned should be more than 100 (which it around the difference between the two diets). I'm bulking, and I try to eat about 500 calories more on workout days. You should try to add some extra fruit right after your workout it will help your body break down and take the protein you consume to your muscles. You can also take whey protein before your workout, or split up the 45g into two 22.5 g servings.

What's your workout consist of, MarkMyWords.......

I'm pretty sure half a cup of oats is only 150 cals, at least for all the oatmeals I have eaten. You should check that one.

Thanks for the input spicypumpkin!

Chillen, I do FBWs 3 times a week. 4 x 6 set/reps

Squats
Dips
Pullups
Woodchops

Deadlifts
Flat BB Bench
Renegade Rows

Lunges
Incline DB Bench
Face Pulls
Sit-Ups

Yeah, amp, I see Quaker Oats advertises that a 1/2 cup has 150 cals, that was what I always though it worked out. Other sites say 280-300. Then I saw that Quaker Oats 1/2 had 40 grams in () and the other sites had 75 grams in (), so they must be packing it tight on the other sites, and it must be a loose pack on the Quaker Oats. Either way, I'm gonna do 75 grams so it works out to 280 cals.

MMW, It looks like you might be a bit shy on the veg. On meal 2 for example, you could go with less chicken and add say 250+ grams of veg. I also tried the 'moderate' carb higher protein for a while, but I didn't feel too good so ended I up going back to 30f/40c/30p.

Also, what's the strategy behind keeping the fat for the last two meals rather than spreading them out through the day? Are you sure that's 29% fat you've got there? Without having done the math, it looks like less than that to me.

So you think I could afford to cut out some chicken and replace with veggies? I like and dislike that idea for one reason each. I like the idea of getting rid of some of the chicken, because eating a pound of it a day can be a little expensive. I dislike it though, because in order to fulfill the calories with veggies, I would have to eat so much. I think a can of green beans is 70 calories, so I would need 3 cans of those to make up for 4 ounces of chicken!!! Damn.

I get some fats in with the cheese and meat early, but yes, the bulk of my fats come from the olive oil dressing and the peanut butter, as my last 2 meals. I have read somewhere that keeping fats in the latter meals is optimal. It was a prescription for fat loss (by theleip) but I figured it would be OK for a bulk plan as well. The 29% was what I got from plugging my foods into Fitday.

OK, this is my first structured bulk ever and this is my 5th day only. I've noticed a couple things. It takes a long time to prep food!!! Holy crap, I mean I'm used to it even with a deficit diet, but this is nuts. I cook a pan FULL of chicken and it lasts me 2 days. I'm cooking and eating so much rice I dream about the ****! Ahh, I am hoping a couple weeks of this will already start my lifts to increase. I really need a good reason to spend this much time making food and spend this much time eating it. I have never felt the lack of hunger for so long, it's just unusual to me. Otherwise, I have been sticking to my plan, and getting it all in everyday. I am still open to changes, I just want to make sure it's what I can and want to do before I implement it.

1/4 cup is about 150 for most oats, so 300 or so for 1/2 cup

38% protein sounds pretty high. With your caloric intake, that's over 300 grams, correct?

Yeah, it is 310 grams. Come to think of it, that's freakin nuts. I also get 295 grams of carbs, and 103 grams of fats. I would love to cut out 4 ounces of chicken and replace with something. I eat so much damn chicken everyday, it's almost making me tired of it already, and that sucks, cause it's my favorite meat. Would removing 4 ounces of chicken, and replacing with some nuts and veggies be a good idea? Even more than 4 ounces of chicken?

I used to eat that much protein and more, but this site helped me realize it was too much

This is hotly debated, but most scientific research says you need one gram of protein per lb of bodyweight AT MOST ( I get a little more because it's actually hard to get that little when you eat a lot of calories like us) Then eat 20-30% fats and the rest is carbs. You're burning a lot of energy so why not burn the body's preferred fuel.

i think you should build a "menu #2" that will accomplish the same nutritional dynamics with differet flavors, then you can exchange the two here and there to keep things "fresh and exciting." hahahahaah like completely controlling yourself can be exciting!

the results definatey will be exciting though.


ALSO-- it is cool to soo you, who helps so many, laying yourself out there. As I stay here longer I get to see that this really is a COMMUNITY!! not a hiarchy!

Very nice.

FF

Yeah man, I'm a dummy. I've read plenty of times that 1 gram per pound of body weight is plenty. I think your statement in parenthesis is dead on what happened to me. I just wanted to hit 3300 cals, so I managed to overdo the protein part. OK, so I need to reduce my protein significantly and replace with carbs, I can do that. Would you suggest more fruit, veggies, or more rice, oats, bread even?

You know, I considered making an additional menu, but it can work against me. Yes, repitition gets old, and most people hate to eat the same thing everyday, but it helps me to stick to it 100%, ya know? I at least want to get this first one down pat before I think up some alternatives.

I am absolutely excited about the results, I just hope I don't gain too much fat with this, I'm trying to be clean.

I like to lay myself out here, criticism is great, helps to set things straight. Just think, if I hadn't posted this here, I'd be eating over 300 grams of protein for nothin! I love to be a part of this community, it's freakin great!!!!

Woot, time to eat again!

I just noticed that you don't have any Omega-3's in your diet. Think about having some flax seed or fish oil caplets. Unless your doing that already! But those omega-3's are definitely something you want to fit in there.

Oh good call man. I think I can add in a tbsp of flax seeds in my breakfast shake, and have some fish oil capsules during the day.