yakuzaboss

I'm 5'7" and 140lbs. My goal is to gain 20-25lbs of lean muscle mass over the next 12 to 18 months.

My caloric intake for bulking, using the Harris-Benedict formula, is 3765 calories per day. Does this sound right to you guys? Seems a little high to me? Anyways, here's my current meal plan:

Meal 1
- 6 Egg Whites & 2 Whole Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Banana
- Protein Shake

Meal 2
- Fruit
- 2 Slices 100% Whole Wheat Bread w/half Can of Tuna in Water
- Protein Bar and/or Protein Shake

Meal 3
- 6 to 8oz Chicken or Turkey Breast
- 3/4 Cup Rice or Pasta
- 3/4 Cup Steamed Vegetables
- Protein Shake

Meal 4
- 1 Cup Raw Vegetables 1-2 tbsp of light Dressing
- 2 Slices 100% Whole Wheat Bread w/Peanut Butter
- Protein Shake

Meal 5
- 6 to 8oz Chicken or Turkey Breast
- 3/4 Cup Rice or Pasta
- 3/4 Cup Steamed Vegetables
- Protein Shake

Meal 6
- 2 Slices 100% Whole Wheat Bread w/half Can of Tuna in Water
- Protein Bar
- Protein Shake

Please feel free to critique, make suggestions, rip apart my meal plan and recommend an alternative. Thanks guys.

Irons77

That is a lot of shakes for one day. Try to get your protein thru your foods. 3700 cals is a lot for 140lb person, are you that active?

Soreness is weakness exiting the body.

yakuzaboss

that does sound like alot of calories, doesnt it? i work 2 full-time jobs. at one job, work in a warehouse handstacking pallets with items weighing 20-80lbs. i do this constantly for 8 hours. at my other job, i work with contractors on various job sites building new homes.

sakbar

Yaku, 6 shakes a day?! Mighty expensive too, assuming that you are taking 1+ scoop for each serving.

yakuzaboss

each serving is 1 scoop. ideally i would like to get most of my protein from real food but since the time i actually have to sit down and eat most meals, is very limited. its more of a convenience fthing for me to have a quick protein shake.

vortrit

I don't know why anyone would take a protein shake, and eat a chicken breast. Your body can only absorb so much protein at one time anyway.

My Journal!

Built

How do you figure that, vortrit?

tomuchgear

correct me if i am wrong built, and i am sure you will school me. i thought your body can only process so much protien for muscle fuel at a time. taking in to muchcan cause fat to store. at least that is what i was lead to believe.

i bet in the world you live in every one is a pony, eats rainbows, and craps butterflys.
there is no damn justice in the world.

Irons77

Are you ready for a flamin bro, here she comes

Soreness is weakness exiting the body.

tomuchgear

nah built does not flame people. she just schools em, and i am all to glad to read what she has to say. her knowledge by far exceeds my own. also she is one hell of a impressive person.

i bet in the world you live in every one is a pony, eats rainbows, and craps butterflys.
there is no damn justice in the world.

Irons77

She is a great person and knows her shit

Soreness is weakness exiting the body.

tomuchgear

well before i get schooled here is what is to my knowledge. i thought unless your body is in a increased anabolic state excess protien will turn to fat. when the anabolic state is increased better protien synthesis is achieved. so more protien equals more muscle if your body can process it.

i bet in the world you live in every one is a pony, eats rainbows, and craps butterflys.
there is no damn justice in the world.

Built

I've heard this - and thanks for the props folks - that the excess gets peed out, that you just store it as fat, yada yada yada.

I have yet to read a credible source that backs this one up.

Tell you what. You find me a peer-reviewed journal article that suggests you don't get anything out of "excess" protein, or that you get fat from "excess" protein, and I'll read it.

The "you'll pee it out" argument is easy: the only people who pee out protein in any quantity are in renal failure.

The other one... well, it's food. We store and retrieve calories all day. That's why we HAVE fat - it's a way to clear excess glucose from the blood and store energy for when we're low.

If you'll just get fat from excess protein, how about "excess" carb, or "excess" fat?

If it's in "excess" for one meal, but you go under in your calories for the day, do you still get fat?

Hell, if that were true, do I have an easy diet plan: eat all day! Just make sure you never eat in excess of what you are using at that exact moment.

Sure, you'll need to be hooked up to your bodybugg and have constant monitoring for your blood sugar, but won't you have the last laugh when you're all ripped to shreds in a few months!

Seriously, I'm funnin' here, not flaming. Find me a credible source for this rumour and I'll re-evaluate.

That being said, there's no real NEED for that much protein. I eat a pretty high protein diet because it's SATIATING and makes it easier for me to stick to a calorie limit. On a bulk, this is NOT your problem! Just be sure to hit your minimums for protein (at least a gram per pound LBM) and fat (at least half a gram per pound LBM) and eat anything you like to bring the calories up to whatever target you set.

And with that... I am off to train.

yakuzaboss

great post, built! excellent information there. i think i'm going to limit the number of protein shakes i take and strive for 1.5g of protein per pound of body weight. i'm learning alot from the other posters and throughout the forum.