Building Strength but getting Belly Fat :(

K09

Hi,

I have been looking to put on weight and bulk up.

I have been told by trainer to eat between 3-4k calories a day.

I do watch my diet to ensure I don't eat much crap. Typical day is...

breakfast - Porridge w full fat milk & banana
tea and brown bread with jam

lunch - brown bread turkey&cheese sandwich (3slices)
glass milk

snacks - yoghurt, cottage cheese with 2 ryvita crackers
occasionally a choc bar

dinner - stew or lasagne or chicken curry or fish w pasta

On training day I eat omelette for dinner and often a goodfellas pizza!! (so I can get in load of calories)
I also drink 700ml full fat milk with 1.5 scoops casein each day

Is it the milk or eating pizza or occasional choc bar that's giving me the belly??
I've been cutting back on the milk now but don't want to lose weight - just the belly

Thanks.

Antomus Prime

Do you drink a lot of beer? Lemonades? And what would your usual workouts consist of?

Newaglish

I'm no nutritional expert but I can't imagine a scenario where a Goodfella's pizza is a requirement for your training.

Hanley

Newaglish wrote: »

I'm no nutritional expert but I can't imagine a scenario where a Goodfella's pizza is a requirement for your training.

This.

Really simply, you're eating too much, and the wrong types, of food.

Eat 1-1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight, eat current bodyweight in lb x16 for total kcals, eat meat and veg, nuts and seeds, fruit, a bit of starch and little or no sugar. Supplement with a protein shake if necessary to hit your daily targets.

If it comes in a bright coloured box, or out of the freezer, it probably isn't the best option.

The food recommednations are ideals, the kcals/protein recommendation are DEFINITELY worth following tho. Your body has a limited ability to synthesise new muscle tissue. Slamming 1,000-2,000 additional calories in the form of fat and carbs at it won't do anything to solve that problem.

cmyk

K09 wrote: »

I have been told by trainer to eat between 3-4k calories a day.

1000 daily calories is one heck of a guideline.

Spunge

If you're eating way above your recommended daily calories you're gonna put on some fat.

chris139ryan

your basically eating too much, it could even be by as little as 200-300 calories daily, but this excess amount of calories will turn into fat which is whats happening to you.
you have 2 options really, which is cut down on your food and maintain your current level of exercise or keep this diet and work harder in the gym but id try substitute the chocolate bars and pizzas with more protein, veg and whole grain carbs

hotboy18

I agree that you are eating the wrong kinds of food. You should be eating whole grains, lots of protein and lean meats such as chicken or turkey. Fish, chicken breast and whole grains contain lots of protein so they should be included in your diet.

RobAMerc

K09 - From the reading I am doing it seems it is impossible to gain muscle and not put a bit of fat on too and thats what the building mass / cutting phases are all about.
However no one would recommend a frozen pizza in any diet ( other than maybe the yanks who consider it a veg now ! )

I think there is some danger in reading posts etc regarding peoples cal intake - as it seems to be very much different strokes for different folks. Skinny guys who are "Hard gainers" need to eat shed loads to put on mass where as some of us unlucky sods ( depending on view point ) look at a Mars bar and have to go run it off !
You need to get a bit more down to specifics about what's going in vs whats going out I reckon ( Btw I am mostly advising myself here !:o )

billyhead

Hanley wrote: »

This.

Really simply, you're eating too much, and the wrong types, of food.

Eat 1-1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight, eat current bodyweight in lb x16 for total kcals, eat meat and veg, nuts and seeds, fruit, a bit of starch and little or no sugar. Supplement with a protein shake if necessary to hit your daily targets.

If it comes in a bright coloured box, or out of the freezer, it probably isn't the best option.

The food recommednations are ideals, the kcals/protein recommendation are DEFINITELY worth following tho. Your body has a limited ability to synthesise new muscle tissue. Slamming 1,000-2,000 additional calories in the form of fat and carbs at it won't do anything to solve that problem.

Just a quick query does the calculation of l current bodyweight in lb x16 for total kcals include calories you may burn off during the day i.e say I burn off 500 cals a day and want to add muscle without gaining fat would I just add this to your calculation. Sorry if its a stupid question:)

Mellor

billyhead wrote: »

Just a quick query does the calculation of l current bodyweight in lb x16 for total kcals include calories you may burn off during the day i.e say I burn off 500 cals a day and want to add muscle without gaining fat would I just add this to your calculation. Sorry if its a stupid question:)

Yeah it does, its says total cals.
You burn off thousands of calories a day. Eating that much on top of what your burn off would make you fat quick.

K09

RobAMerc wrote: »

I think there is some danger in reading posts etc regarding peoples cal intake - as it seems to be very much different strokes for different folks. Skinny guys who are "Hard gainers" need to eat shed loads to put on mass where as some of us unlucky sods ( depending on view point ) look at a Mars bar and have to go run it off !
You need to get a bit more down to specifics about what's going in vs whats going out I reckon ( Btw I am mostly advising myself here !:o )

Hi,

Yes, according to trainer I got weights program off I am one of those guys who struggle to put on weight. Have always been skinny so have been trying to eat 3-4k calories (4k on training day).

So on the training day to reach 4k I eat a 3egg omelette but find I need way more calories so often add a pizza to that.
Pizza gives me over 1k in calories and meaty one gives lots of protein. So seems an easy and cheap way to get the calories in.

Or what should I sub the pizza for?
Thanks!

RobAMerc

K09 wrote: »

Or what should I sub the pizza for?
Thanks!

Something that doesn't come out of a box preferably. I realise it can be difficult to get lots of cals in and eat clean but that's how it has to be done.
If you try look up something like the Paleo diet its a good blueprint as to what you should eat. You will then have to make up your own mind as to what to include to get to your personal goals.
BTW - It's not unusual to read in peoples blogs they ate 10 eggs for brekkie thats about 600kals in one go.

Duck's hoop

Cool Hand Luke ate 50.

10 for breakfast would seem a lot to get down you, especially first thing.

That'd be near a thousand cals and 75 g protein. I can manage 4 scrambled w a shake and whole milk w oats. Which is near enough same cals.

Aldi do smoked salmon steaks for 2 quid. 290 cals, 30 g protein. I have it w 75 g rice. Good first lunch.

headmaster

K09,
have you checked your cholesterol levels? You don't have to be in any way fat to have high cholesterol. This is important, because if you are high, then the food you take will have to change and the amount also.

the_syco

K09 wrote: »

often a goodfellas pizza!! (so I can get in load of calories)

Although it'll give you calories, the base will take a while to break down, and thus end up being fat.

Mellor

K09 wrote: »

Yes, according to trainer I got weights program off I am one of those guys who struggle to put on weight.

Most people who over struggle to put on weight, over-estimate what they eat.

So on the training day to reach 4k I eat a 3egg omelette but find I need way more calories so often add a pizza to that.

A 3 egg omlette is not much. It would prob be a good breakfast for somebody trying to lose weight. You need to eat more, you don't need pizza.
Add chicken, beef, guacamole, etc to the omlette to add cals.

the_syco wrote: »

Although it'll give you calories, the base will take a while to break down, and thus end up being fat.

That's nonsense. Some Proteins takes a while to break down.
Becoming fat has nothing to do with how long it takes to break down.