Thread: What is a good, cheap bodybuilding diet?

Originally Posted by larry123

I am a little over weight and I wanted to know if i started a bodybuilding diet if it would make me gain back all the weigh I lost before. Bodybuilding diets are usually high calorie diets with high protein intake, Please help.

Are you looking for a cutting diet or bulking diet?

I don't think you're really overweight. Maybe relative to something you're used to if yo'ure going by numbers on the scale. Maybe you feel a little squishy if you have a higher bodyfat level tho.

I don't think the point is so much "eat a bodybuilding diet" - a "bodybuilding diet" can be a cutter or a bulker depending on your goals. I think a "bodybuilder diet " is one that is clean and doesnt' have processed shit in it, and is coupled w/ a solid training program

At those stats you should toss your scale out the window and not worry about diet, but rather look to change your body composition. Understand that increasing muscle mass will make your fat look better, but also muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are going to judge "progress" only by the scale, you're probably just going to end up scrawny.

Can you give more detail about what you do for physical activity and also a typical day's meal plan - e.g.

Meal 1: 8 am
2 whole eggs + 3 egg whites
1/2 c oatmeal

Meal 2: 11 am
6 oz chicken
1 c salad

etc.

Even better if you can put that all into a food counts program like FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal (easy, free, online, just enter your food you eat & the portions) and then post up the total calories and macro nutrient ratio (%, grams of protein ,fat, carbs.)

The point of all of this is that the diet that succeeds is the one that is really just the typical way you eat, tweaked a little to optimize it to get to the goals you want.

Your question is way to vague to respond w/ anything worthwhile, so please provide more details as above, to help us get u to your goal.

Hi Larry,
If you follow a bodybuilding diet that's high in calories and high in protein as you said, you'll probably end up building more muscle (as long as you are actually doing enough proper body building to use up the protein and the calories, of course) which is a good thing.
And like sassy said, the best bodybuilding diet is a clean one with no processed stuff in it.

costco chicken- $20: 40 servings(about 20 breasts)
costco beef (frozen section)- $20: one bag of 5 1lb rolls p.s. this is more lean then their 80/20
costco ground turkey- $15-$18: albs

Safeway Quick Oats- Usually with safeway card, 2/$5
Safeway Brown Rice- $8-$9 for i think 40 servings(bag on counter...too farrrrrrr EHH!!!)
unfortunately costco doesn't sell brown rice..at least where i live.


thats pretty simple... Orange juice, bananas bags og broccoli and your pretty much set..of course there are many other things you could add. but you said an inexpensive diet. do there you go.

Originally Posted by sassy69

look to change your body composition.

exactly. I'm 5'9" and weight exactly the same allthough I'm sure, by your post,we'd look very different standing next to eachother. I'm not a fan of redundancey so I wont go on as I'd be repeating much of whats been said. Take the advice given and read, read, read.....educate yourself and you will get moving in the right direction. There is a plethera of information on here, start with the stickies. As you can tell by my post count vs time on this board thats what I do; probably any question you could have you can search this site and you'll find more answers than you know what to do with. Good luck stay motivated!

Bags of boneless skinless chicken breast
Eggs
Milk
Oats
Brown rice
Pinto beans

These are all cheap and a good start.

2 tbls Natural Peanut butter (I like Adams in the glass jar) and Squirrelley Bread, I eat it every day, usually with an apple of tangerine.

10lb bag ON Protein $75 (150 servings) morning mixed with 1% milk and after workout. Usually as an apple.

4lb Casein (50 servings) $40, one scoop an hour before bed in 1% milk

1.5 kg of pistachio nuts $17, 45 kernals once per day with apple or 2 tangerine and 4 eggs (2 yolk). The bag of nuts lasts me 2 weeks.

Frozen veggies 1kg bag is a few dollars. I nuke 3 cups on med power and consume with meat.

$6 roast cooked on low in the slow cooker. 5 oz portions go in the fidge and lasts me 3 days, 2 servings per day. I only eat red meat 3X per week, usually 3 days in a row.

Chicken thigh is very cheap and high in protein.

$7 roast chicken, lasts me 3 days. 3-4 servings.

Bag of frozen basa fish, 6 filet. $8. I steam over sliced oranges in a covered pan.

This is pretty well staple for me. I easily get 30-40g of fibre each day. Food is cheap if you do it right!!

When I bulk I eat 500 cals per meal 6X per day.
Cut is 400 Cals per meal 4X - 5X per day.
Food stays the same