Rate my bulk diet

NoQuarter

Male - 28 - 74kg - 5'9

Just finished cutting for about 3-4 months at 1800ish. Going to do a long bulk at 2300. Is there anything I can do to improve the following;

Breakfast
4 weetabix (porridge would be better but this is my treat for the day)
whole milk
honey (3tbs approx.)

Mid morning
3 microwaved medium eggs

Lunch
270-300g chicken pieces (cooked weight)

Dinner
Meat/Breaded Fish/Mince
Pile of frozen Asian style veg
half a can of chickpeas/mixed beans/baked beans

snacks
2 bananas
2 whey shakes
2 slices of McCambridges bread with cottage cheese

Am I generally on the right track? The calories might seem low to some but it generally works for me. I haven't bulked much but I definitely cut at 1800. There will be next to no cardio.

One thing to point out is I have braces at the moment so cant eat hard stuff like nuts! Great time to bulk, I know!

Any tips/pointers? Please leave my Weetabix alone :P

Blacktie.

2300 calories isn't a bulk. If you're working out then that's maintenance. I'd put 500 calories at least on top of this.

For breakfast I'd take bacon and eggs with some milk or something. Ideally you want a protein source in there but if you love your weatabix sure leave them in there.

Anything else with the chicken? Veg or some starchy carbs?

Dinner looks good.

Snacks don't look too bad. Personally I'd ditch the bread for some more fruit.

You don't seem to take in a whole lot of veg there. But you have some room to play with since you do HAVE to add a good few hundred calories to get any kind of result.

Have you calculated the macro breakdown of what all this totals at?

NoQuarter

Thanks for that. I suppose my goal was to slow bulk with minimal fat gain. You still think an extra 500? So around 2800 cals?

Goal macros are as follows:

P - 230g
F - 51g
C - 230g

and the diet above hits it pretty close.

I may try get a protein source into my breakfast if I have 500 extra cals to play with, that said, I have my 3 eggs around 11 so its still quite early.

Nothing extra with the chicken, 300g of chicken is actually quite a lot. Im sure I could fit something else in. Any ideas? Brown rice?

Im open to ditching the bread but fruit is a problem with the braces, it would have to be more bananas the bread does help with the calories though.

GiftofGab

NoQuarter wrote: »

Thanks for that. I suppose my goal was to slow bulk with minimal fat gain. You still think an extra 500? So around 2800 cals?

Goal macros are as follows:

P - 230g
F - 51g
C - 230g

and the diet above hits it pretty close.

I may try get a protein source into my breakfast if I have 500 extra cals to play with, that said, I have my 3 eggs around 11 so its still quite early.

Nothing extra with the chicken, 300g of chicken is actually quite a lot. Im sure I could fit something else in. Any ideas? Brown rice?

Im open to ditching the bread but fruit is a problem with the braces, it would have to be more bananas the bread does help with the calories though.

300g of chicken is way too much to have in one sitting. You only need have of that. One chicken fillet is enough. Your body can only process about 25-35g of protein in one sitting.

Yeah brown rice would be ideal for lunch. I eat sweet potato along with some mixed frozen vegetables.

So on a Sunday I cook 10 chicken fillets on a george foreman (5 at a time). Then boil some sweet potatoes. I then put a chicken fillet and some sweet potatoes in a lunch box along with a handful of mixed frozen vegetables. That's 10 lunches on the go that can be stores in fridge / freezer. The frozen veg is good to go once heated in the microwave with the rest of chicken / sweet potato. When heated, I also use a variety of spices for taste and add olive oil for healthy fats.

generic2012

GiftofGab wrote: »

Your body can only process about 25-35g of protein in one sitting.

Ah here.

Squat Rack Curler

Looks great brah, reverse diet to minimize fat gain when transitioning back to bulking.

300g is not too much chicken in one sitting

NoQuarter

GiftofGab wrote: »

300g of chicken is way too much to have in one sitting. You only need have of that. One chicken fillet is enough. Your body can only process about 25-35g of protein in one sitting.

So on a Sunday I cook 10 chicken fillets on a george foreman (5 at a time). Then boil some sweet potatoes. I then put a chicken fillet and some sweet potatoes in a lunch box along with a handful of mixed frozen vegetables. That's 10 lunches on the go that can be stores in fridge / freezer. The frozen veg is good to go once heated in the microwave with the rest of chicken / sweet potato. When heated, I also use a variety of spices for taste and add olive oil for healthy fats.

Have you a source that says you can only process 25-35 grams in one sitting?? that's certainly news to me. Plus dropping the chicken amount means dropping the calories and that's the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve!

Good idea about microwaving the frozen veg, I had never thought of that. ?does the chicken and sweet potatoe, once cooked on sunday, last fine until Friday? In the fridge?

NoQuarter

Squat Rack Curler wrote: »

Looks great brah, reverse diet to minimize fat gain when transitioning back to bulking.

300g is not too much chicken in one sitting

how many weeks is recommended to eat at maintenance after a cut before moving up? The more I think about it, the more I realise I am eating at maintenance instead of bulking. Ill runt he numbers through a TDEE calculator again to be sure.

Blacktie.

GiftofGab wrote: »

300g of chicken is way too much to have in one sitting. You only need have of that. One chicken fillet is enough. Your body can only process about 25-35g of protein in one sitting.

This isn't true. It's a myth that was dispelled a long time ago. 300g is fine I regularly have that much in one go and I'm on a cut.

Yeah brown rice would be ideal for lunch. I eat sweet potato along with some mixed frozen vegetables.

So on a Sunday I cook 10 chicken fillets on a george foreman (5 at a time). Then boil some sweet potatoes. I then put a chicken fillet and some sweet potatoes in a lunch box along with a handful of mixed frozen vegetables. That's 10 lunches on the go that can be stores in fridge / freezer. The frozen veg is good to go once heated in the microwave with the rest of chicken / sweet potato. When heated, I also use a variety of spices for taste and add olive oil for healthy fats.

This is all decent advice. Though I like to bake the chicken in the oven with the spices on it pre cooking. I find the George Foreman dries it out.

Thanks for that. I suppose my goal was to slow bulk with minimal fat gain. You still think an extra 500? So around 2800 cals?

If you're going the get anywhere with a bulk you're going to gain some fat. It's not a big deal and makes the process much easier. Otherwise you're just going to be spinning your wheels getting nowhere.

JJayoo

You don't need that much protein

Blacktie.

JJayoo wrote: »

You don't need that much protein

True he's about 60g over what he needs but it's not a big deal going over if your on a bulk. It won't make you grow anymore than if you took in 170g but what's the harm in it?

JJayoo

He will explode...

Squat Rack Curler

NoQuarter wrote: »

how many weeks is recommended to eat at maintenance after a cut before moving up? The more I think about it, the more I realise I am eating at maintenance instead of bulking. Ill runt he numbers through a TDEE calculator again to be sure.

I would just add 100 calories a week until you are gaining 0.5-1 pound a week. (depending on how fast you want to bulk) TDEE calculators are inaccurate

Windy Arbour

NoQuarter wrote: »

Male - 28 - 74kg - 5'9

Just finished cutting for about 3-4 months at 1800ish. Going to do a long bulk at 2300. Is there anything I can do to improve the following;

Breakfast
4 weetabix (porridge would be better but this is my treat for the day)
whole milk
honey (3tbs approx.)

Mid morning
3 microwaved medium eggs

Lunch
270-300g chicken pieces (cooked weight)

Dinner
Meat/Breaded Fish/Mince
Pile of frozen Asian style veg
half a can of chickpeas/mixed beans/baked beans

snacks
2 bananas
2 whey shakes
2 slices of McCambridges bread with cottage cheese

Am I generally on the right track? The calories might seem low to some but it generally works for me. I haven't bulked much but I definitely cut at 1800. There will be next to no cardio.

One thing to point out is I have braces at the moment so cant eat hard stuff like nuts! Great time to bulk, I know!

Any tips/pointers? Please leave my Weetabix alone :P

Have you considered a GOMAD or mini-GOMAD element to your diet?

Blacktie.

Windy Arbour wrote: »

Have you considered a GOMAD or mini-GOMAD element to your diet?

Wouldn't suggest this. Great for strength. Bad for minimal fat gain.

Source: I've done it. Got moderately fat till I reigned it all in.

NoQuarter

JJayoo wrote: »

He will explode...

I really don't have time to explode at the moment what with work and living and stuff.

Windy Arbour wrote: »

Have you considered a GOMAD or mini-GOMAD element to your diet?

Haven't ever head of it but sure i'll give it a google anyway.

Thanks for the advice, it's given me the steer I needed. God, im gonna be huge.

EDIT: just read up on GOMAD there, very interesting (is the majority of that weight gain lean muscle gain???) but I'm happy enough to do the slow bulk thing until next spring.

JJayoo

To be honest that bulk diet looks like a lot of work. Bulking is about enjoying your training and eating not about eating plain chicken all the time.

Table spoon of Peanut butter
Banana
scoop plain icecream
Scoop whey
Top up with milk

Plenty of calories, some good fat, lots of protein, portion of fruit. The thing with bulking is that if you want to do it for 6 months chicken is gonna get really boring, but then again what works for me may not work for you and your system may be perfect for you.

JJayoo

Forgot to say eat cake, use cake as a pre workout.

NoQuarter

JJayoo wrote: »

To be honest that bulk diet looks like a lot of work. Bulking is about enjoying your training and eating not about eating plain chicken all the time.

Table spoon of Peanut butter
Banana
scoop plain icecream
Scoop whey
Top up with milk

Plenty of calories, some good fat, lots of protein, portion of fruit. The thing with bulking is that if you want to do it for 6 months chicken is gonna get really boring, but then again what works for me may not work for you and your system may be perfect for you.

Thanks, the shake sounds good, I will try that! I have the worlds biggest spice collection and enjoy using them all so to be fair, my chicken does taste different every day. Spicey some days, lemony the next, herby the next. Its actually a meal I havent gotten bored with in 3/4 months now. But I do have the odd sambo instead.

Ice cream, yum, my magic word!

JJayoo wrote: »

Forgot to say eat cake, use cake as a pre workout.

As in make a protein cake or what kind of cake? Surely not just any cake when trying to minimize fat gain? I thankfully dont have a sweet tooth so I want to utilise that.

Alf Veedersane

NoQuarter wrote: »

As in make a protein cake or what kind of cake? Surely not just any cake when trying to minimize fat gain? I thankfully dont have a sweet tooth so I want to utilise that.

Black Forest Gateaux. Protein in the cream and there are cherries for a fruit bonus.

Or pavlova. All the egg whites in the meringue, fruit and cream.

Champion gainz.

oreo cake

JJayoo

Pre workout is the perfect time to consume vast amounts of cake goodness, plus it will motivate you to work harder. This guy has a lot of tasty looking protein deserts. Bit more effort than the normal protein deserts you see online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLmcTE0A4F4

Blacktie.

JJayoo wrote: »

Pre workout is the perfect time to consume vast amounts of cake goodness, plus it will motivate you to work harder. This guy has a lot of tasty looking protein deserts. Bit more effort than the normal protein deserts you see online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLmcTE0A4F4

How do I not know about this guy!

Davei141

Meat on the bone too. None of that pansy ass lean rubbish.

fat to ripped

Calories are paramount. If they're not high / above maintenance then it's not a bulking diet.

RobAMerc

lads, what do folks make of a smoothy made with a can of coconut milk, some fruit ( frozen berries or a banana or two ) and maybe a bit of spinach for getting some calories in ?

Blacktie.

RobAMerc wrote: »

lads, what do folks make of a smoothy made with a can of coconut milk, some fruit ( frozen berries or a banana or two ) and maybe a bit of spinach for getting some calories in ?

Dono. How many calories is in it?

generic2012

RobAMerc wrote: »

lads, what do folks make of a smoothy made with a can of coconut milk, some fruit ( frozen berries or a banana or two ) and maybe a bit of spinach for getting some calories in ?

If you're going for calories a can of full fat coconut would definitely do it for you! Its ****ing lovely stuff too. If you had some flavoured protein powder I'd lob it in as well. Spinach isn't going to do much in the way of calories and the flavour wouldn't exactly compliment the other flavours. If you only want to add spinach for the micronutrient content throw it in the blender frozen (Supervalu sells 600g bags of frozen spinach for €1, the bag is made up of c.50g blocks of spinach, very handy to have) as the taste won't come through. You will need a strong blender though. Sounds like a nice smoothy!

RobAMerc

Blacktie. wrote: »

Dono. How many calories is in it?

Not a clue, but I am guessing a lot ?

generic2012 wrote: »

If you're going for calories a can of full fat coconut would definitely do it for you! Its ****ing lovely stuff too. If you had some flavoured protein powder I'd lob it in as well. Spinach isn't going to do much in the way of calories and the flavour wouldn't exactly compliment the other flavours. If you only want to add spinach for the micronutrient content throw it in the blender frozen (Supervalu sells 600g bags of frozen spinach for €1, the bag is made up of c.50g blocks of spinach, very handy to have) as the taste won't come through. You will need a strong blender though. Sounds like a nice smoothy!

Yea. The spinach is strictly for getting extra greens in. I've used broccoli too but it defo makes it a bit of a chugger to get down.
Thanks for the tip on the frozen stuff ( I dont like Spinach cooked so would only normally buy fresh )

Alf Veedersane

RobAMerc wrote: »

Not a clue, but I am guessing a lot ?

If you're going to try and get in extra calories, at least give yourself an idea what you normally get in and what you want to get in.

MyFitnessPal is your friend.

fat to ripped

Get a nice peanut butter. I could seriously live off the stuff. Nutella too, while you're at it. You might aswell enjoy yourself! Eat ice cream, smother it in peanut butter. That's bulk food for you.

RobAMerc

jeesus lads - there is a lot of sugar in some of the stuff being proposed here.
surely you want to be getting your cals from fats and proteins no ?

conzy

I'm sorry I didn't eat more absolute shíte on my bulk :pac:

I averaged 3750 cals for a few months. It looked like my regular clean diet but with more coconut milk / butter etc in sauces. And generally just bigger portions, about a litre of whole milk a day too. I also had a ~500cal post workout shake that was just whey and dextrose in a 50/50 blend, kind of #broscience but it was a handy 500cal dent in the day

NoQuarter

Just an update for any suggestions/comments/changes. I upped the calories to around 2800. I am also 76kg not 74 as the original post says. (Although I'm sure I was lighter back then anyway).

Daily diet is now:

Breakfast
4 Weetabix (aldi)
whole milk
honey (3tbs approx.)

Mid morning
3 microwaved medium eggs + 1 small brown roll

Lunch
200g chicken pieces (cooked weight)
250g brown rice

Dinner
Meat/Breaded Fish/Mince
Pile of frozen veg (150g approx.)
half a can of chickpeas/mixed beans/baked beans

snacks
2 bananas (afternoon)

1 Banana + 2 cups whole milk + 3 scoops vanilla ice cream + 1/2 scoop whey (approx. measurements)(evening)


Can there be much improvements or should I just continue on this for a few months and see what happens?

I suppose, looking at it, I could opt for leaner cuts for dinner, but I'm reluctant to change anything just for the sake of changing something.

Any guidance?

I aim for 2800 cals, 350g carbs, 78g fats, 175g protein.

Blacktie.

Did you just add in a brown roll, switch 100g of chicken for 250g of rice and add in that end part in place of two shakes?

This looks very similar to what you started with.

conzy

Needs more snickers bars

generic2012

Needs more needs more snickers bars

Greenmachine

I found those online calculators way off for me back when I was around that weight in particular. When I was bulking 3500 cals per day. saw me gaining a lb a week max, I could go months where 3500 was basically maintenance.

Physical activity and my calorie needs just explode, never done anything heavy cardio wise either. I would say 2800 would be a good place to start if your metabolism is in anyway normal. Have you an idea of your body fat and how did you measure it?

NoQuarter

Blacktie. wrote: »

Did you just add in a brown roll, switch 100g of chicken for 250g of rice and add in that end part in place of two shakes?

This looks very similar to what you started with.

Pretty much, yeah! I mean I wasnt starting from a bad place - nutrition wise. My only comments before were the calories were too low. So I have upped them by 500 and had to tinker with the macro beakdown a bit. I've lowered my protein intake on advice from others and on foot of studies outlined above on how much protein is enough.

Greenmachine wrote: »

I found those online calculators way off for me back when I was around that weight in particular. When I was bulking 3500 cals per day. saw me gaining a lb a week max, I could go months where 3500 was basically maintenance.

Physical activity and my calorie needs just explode, never done anything heavy cardio wise either. I would say 2800 would be a good place to start if your metabolism is in anyway normal. Have you an idea of your body fat and how did you measure it?

What weight were you when you were bulking at 3500 cals? And what height? I'd be fairly sure that would be above what I need. I'm trying to limit the fat I put on in this long bulk.

I have a decent idea of body fat and its solely judged on sight, I havent used a calipers. I have a body fat scale but wont even insult myself by using it. I would estimate myself at around 12%. 13% would be conservative but possible. 4 visible abs when tensed, bicep veins, striations on the shoulders.