Trying for a solid bulking diet

[TheWolf]

I have tried this before and I think I'm closer. I'm 33, 202 lbs looking to put together a solid diet to bulk. I'm hoping someone can take a look at what I have so far and comment. It seems like a lot of food, but the numbers don't add up to what I was looking for. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I was shooting for around 3,000 calories. Macros 40\40\20 fat. I didn't quite reach any of those.

It was in excel, but you can't upload spreadsheets so I just copied it to a word doc.

 

[CowPimp]

That's not enough food. That is the number of calories I might suggest to you if you were trying to cut. I suggest starting at about 18 calories per pound of bodyweight. Adjust from there. I stay somewhere in the range of 18-22 while on a lean bulk, depending on various factors.

Another couple of suggestions:

Meal 4 is not cutting it. Where are the carbs? Also, 130 calories is not what I call a meal.

Eat more vegetables. You only have one cup of mixed veggies for the whole day. I try to eat 3 servings of veggies per day, at least.

The whey shake before bed is a very poor choice. You should replace the whey with some sort of fat to slow down the digestion of the food so that it will last you through more of the nighit.

Eat more carbs. That is considered a low carb diet if you exercise regularly.

If you lift weights, then you need to get a specialized post workout meal in there consisting of almost purely carbohydrates and protein (Preferably whey because of it's property of quick assimilation). You don't want fat to slow down the digestion of the food.

 

[TheWolf]

Pimp,
I have the shake in there as #6 because I work out around 7:00 p.m. So I thought I should have the shake right after my workout. Then before bed, eat the cottage cheese. I don't eat them together, about an hour and a half or two hours apart.

So it looks like you think I'm about 1000 cals short...damn! Do you think my macros are OK 40 ?

This diet thing has always had my perplexed. Let me re-work it and get more in there.

Hope to hear more from you after I adjust. Thanks

 

[TheWolf]

Do the Macros need to be consistent for each meal? Or should they be adjusted depending on the time of day? Should I shoot for 40% Carbs 40% Protein and 20% Fat for each meal?

 

[TheWolf]

I'm gonna need a bigger lunch box.

 

[TheWolf]

OK, CowPimp ... and anyone else.
Here is my 2nd try. Do you have any ideas for meal #6. Remember that I'll be coming home from the gym around 8:30 or so. I still need about 200-300 more calories looks like meal #6 could use something. What's best later at night?

 

[CowPimp]

Pimp,
I have the shake in there as #6 because I work out around 7:00 p.m. So I thought I should have the shake right after my workout. Then before bed, eat the cottage cheese. I don't eat them together, about an hour and a half or two hours apart.

So it looks like you think I'm about 1000 cals short...damn! Do you think my macros are OK 40 ?

This diet thing has always had my perplexed. Let me re-work it and get more in there.

Hope to hear more from you after I adjust. Thanks

I understand. Well, in that case you need to be eating carbs with the shake right after your workout. You needs carbs to shuttle that protein to skeletal muscle. Then, before bed eat the cottage cheese and some fat source. I usually eat a cup of cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 30 minutes or so before bed.

Macros are probably fine. If you add those 1000 calories or so, then you will be getting a sufficient amount of carbs. I try not to fret over exact macros too much.

 

[CowPimp]

Do the Macros need to be consistent for each meal? Or should they be adjusted depending on the time of day? Should I shoot for 40% Carbs 40% Protein and 20% Fat for each meal?

They should be fairly consistent with a few exceptions. For example, I skip on carbs right before bed; however, I don't necessarily recommend doing this on a bulk. I skip on fat right after a workout. This should definitely be done to make sure your body can digest that post workout meal quickly and get nutrients to your catabolic body as soon as possible. Besides those meals, I try to make sure I have a fair balance of fats, protein, and carbs.

 

[CowPimp]

OK, CowPimp ... and anyone else.
Here is my 2nd try. Do you have any ideas for meal #6. Remember that I'll be coming home from the gym around 8:30 or so. I still need about 200-300 more calories looks like meal #6 could use something. What's best later at night?

Your second diet looks much better. Throw in half a cup of oats post workout, or go for an insulin spike (Do a search). Then, you can try my peanut butter suggestion with the cottage cheese. That will give you another 350 calories.

Also, add in more veggies. Don't bother to count the calories though. In fact, some vegetables take more energy to digest than they have in calories.

 

[TheWolf]

Thanks for spending the time going over this for me. I know a lot of people have similar questions and it must be tough answering the same ones over and over, but I appreciate it.

Heading out for my daughters soccer practice, then the gym. I'll post my final diet, hopefully later tonight.

Thanks again.

Not sure if you checked into my journal, but any comments there would be welcome also.

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks for spending the time going over this for me. I know a lot of people have similar questions and it must be tough answering the same ones over and over, but I appreciate it.

Heading out for my daughters soccer practice, then the gym. I'll post my final diet, hopefully later tonight.

Thanks again.

Not sure if you checked into my journal, but any comments there would be welcome also.

I'm happy to help. I wish you the best of luck in achieving your goals. I may poke my head in your journal at some point.

 

[TheWolf]

OK, looks like I may have a final draft. I have easily never eaten this much in my life. This will be interesting.

 

[CowPimp]

OK, looks like I may have a final draft. I have easily never eaten this much in my life. This will be interesting.

Looks pretty good to me. There is only one thing I would change. Move some of the carbs from one of the meals (Meal 3 maybe?) and add more oats to your PWO meal. Some people use a 2:1 carbrotein ratio for their PWO meal. I try to keep it at least 1:1. This is nitpicking, but I figured I would letcha know anyway.

Oh yeah, and 1/2 cup of uncooked oats is about 150-160 calories, not 1 cup.

 

[TheWolf]

Looks pretty good to me. There is only one thing I would change. Move some of the carbs from one of the meals (Meal 3 maybe?) and add more oats to your PWO meal. Some people use a 2:1 carbrotein ratio for their PWO meal. I try to keep it at least 1:1. This is nitpicking, but I figured I would letcha know anyway.

Oh yeah, and 1/2 cup of uncooked oats is about 150-160 calories, not 1 cup.

Hey nitpick all you want, that's why I'm here. Trying to learn all I can.

Got my serving size mixed up on the oatmeal, good catch. I also forgot to add some veggies throughout the day, but I know I have to.

If I need to add more carbs post workout, can I just double my oats? I'll remove the sweet potato from meal #3. That get me pretty close to 2:1.

(I have updated the diet document attached)

Again, thanks.

 

[CowPimp]

Looks good to me, especially if you add in those vegetables. Stick with it. You may want to gradually work your way up to that many calories to minimize fat gain. Also, don't be afraid to increase or lower the calories after a few weeks of tracking progress if you don't see the desired results. Definitely a solid diet though.

 

[TheWolf]

Thanks a lot CP. This will certainly take some getting used to. My shopping habits will need to change. I have Jodi's shopping list in my car for reference when I'm at the supermarket.

Thanks again, I really appreciate all your help.

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks a lot CP. This will certainly take some getting used to. My shopping habits will need to change. I have Jodi's shopping list in my car for reference when I'm at the supermarket.

Thanks again, I really appreciate all your help.

It does take some getting used to, but your results will speak for themselves. I am happy to help; also, I'm glad to see that you didn't come in here and say, "Make a diet for me!" You put together a draft that was obviously based on a significant amount of research, but you wanted help to tweak and refine it. Kudos to you.