doing everything right but not gaining weight?

[yeahbuddy289]

Hi guys I am trying to bulk. I have been on a constant bulk since I started lifting 7 years ago. I am not lean- my body fat is probably around 12% but im not going for the cut look at the moment. I am 6'2" 190lbs. Last winter I managed to get up to 200lbs but I was eating fast food everyday and my body fat was higher but I was bigger and stronger. My diet now is better than ever- Im not only focusing on high protien but high carbs as well. Im having a hard time understanding why im not making gains. This is my diet-

Breakfast:
oat shake (2 servings of quick oats, 2 scoups muscle milk, two servings of egg whites, and 8oz of 2% milk)

Lunch:
usually one of the following: Steak and potatos, goulash, or lagsana

Dinner:
usually one of the following: steak, ribs, tilapia, salamon, with white rice

After dinner I will have 2 or 3 snacks and a meal before bed snacks and meals consist of the following
(oat meal with whey, tilapia, salmon, steak, rice, oat shake, cottage cheese, or a milk shake with whey and peanut butter)

I dont have a set, consistant diet (besides breakfast) but those are the only foods I eat and I incorporate them into my diet everyday. I am also drinking atleast a gallon of water a day and not filling myself with soda or other empty calories.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Hard to tell without knowing your portion sizes, or the macros and total cals of your diet.

From what you've posted, you're just not eating enough quality calories. I would bet that your fats are way too high (lasagna, ribs, etc.) and your complex carbs are way too low.

If you admittedly don't have a consistent diet then how can you make adjustments when you reach a plateau?

If your goal is to gain, and you're not, then the solution is simple, you're not eating enough and/or your food sources are inferior (which they appear to be).

[yeahbuddy289]

What food sources listed are inferior? Even if some of them are high in fat, I should be putting on some weight? And I should be getting plenty of carbs from the oats, rice, potatos and pastas or am I wrong? Maybe im just not eating enough but the past couple of weeks I have been eating a lot more than usual and have only gained a pound or two.

[Sgt. Hartman]

A caloric excess of fats does not necessarily equal weight gain. There are many people who are "hard gainers" who can eat tons of fast food and garbage excess calories (like ribs and lasagna to answer your inferior food source question) and not gain weight because their bodies are just not programmed to store fat. I wish I was one of them LOL.

Are you on cycle right now?

[Blaz Kavlic]

Buddy that diet doesnt look too good mate. Get rid of the lasagna, ribs, and white rice. Like the Sargeant said, not enough quality calories for a clean bulk. You need some chicken breast, fibrous veg, and fish oil caps in there for sure. You say you dont have a set diet but you're certainly going to need one if you're serious about getting results. Alot of us here eat more or less the same meals everyday. Yes its boring, but you have to be creative while staying within your macros.

As opposed to considering your meals as breakfast, lunch etc, I would go for 7 smaller meals per day, ensuring sufficient carbs (clean) are consumed pre and post workout with an overall daily macro split in the vicinity of 40/45/15 (protein, carbs, fats). These macros should total around 500 cals above your maintenance in order for you to gain mass. If you dont know your maintenance cals, this is the first thing you need to calculate. Do yourself up an Excel speadsheet and calculate your daily nutrition intake. Adjustments are then easier to make this way and will assist you in compiling a suitable diet for your goals. Once you've done this, check back here with what you've come up with so we can critique it further.

[yeahbuddy289]

Yeah I really dont eat ribs too much lol. But I love white rice. I have tried brown rice and would rather eat cardboard lol. What do you reommend for carbs? I love those oat shakes and ill usually have two of those a day.. is that alright? I also have been eating oatmeal for a snack inbetween meals. Im really not a fan of chicken breast either I would rather eat fish if thats acceptable. And I do eat a decent amount of red meat everyday (probably makes up two meals a day) I know its higher in fat but if im not worried about putting on some fat is there a problem with that?

[Blaz Kavlic]

You've basically cancelled out two staples in a bodybuilder's diet - chicken and brown rice. No offence bro but it doesnt sound like you're too committed. Fair enough you love white rice. I love chocolate, beer-battered hot chips with aioli, and coca cola, but I havent eaten any of these things for ages. I despise egg whites though, but nevertheless I put 4-6 of these bad boys away every morning. If you want results, you have to make sacrifices bro. I cant be any more straightforward than that.

Fish is acceptable. Coupled with some steamed broccoli, green beans, and spinach makes a good healthy meal. As opposed to snacking on oatmeal all the time, try mixing it up with some cottage cheese, avocado (for healthy fats) and some tuna. For clean carbs (if there's absolutely no way you can stomach brown rice) I recommend sweet potato and wholemeal pasta. Its bland and not that interesting, but you can try some different spices to add some flavour.

In the end it comes to how much you want it. If you want it that bad in the shortest time frame possible, you need adjust your diet accordingly.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Yeah I really dont eat ribs too much lol. But I love white rice. I have tried brown rice and would rather eat cardboard lol. Same with me. Nothing wrong at all with white basmati rice.What do you reommend for carbs? oats, sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa I love those oat shakes and ill usually have two of those a day.. is that alright? You just need to make sure it fits in the macros you're trying to eat daily I also have been eating oatmeal for a snack inbetween meals.Again make sure these meals fit your macros and I would add a lean protein source with it Im really not a fan of chicken breast either I would rather eat fish if thats acceptable. And I do eat a decent amount of red meat everyday (probably makes up two meals a day) I know its higher in fat but if im not worried about putting on some fat is there a problem with that? Red meat is great in moderation mostly b/c of the fat. Why wouldn't you be worried about putting on fat if you're at 12%? That's as high as I like to let myself go, cutting BF sucks but it's much easier if you keep it in check.

You need to write down everything that you eat for a few days and then go to livestrong .com or nutritiondata.self .com and figure out the macros and cals of what you're eating everyday. I can almost guarantee you it will be an eye opening experience. Post it back up here and we'll figure out why you're not gaining. You can use a format like this diet that I'm currently eating Protein/Carbs/Fat/Cals



7:00am

2 Omega 3 eggs 12 - 2 - 9 - 140
1 cup egg whites 24 - 0 - 0 - 120
1 cup oats 10 - 54 - 6 - 300
1 large banana 1 - 31 - 0 - 121
Total 47 - 87 - 15 - 681

8:30 Weight Training

PWO

2 scoops True Protein Skip Blend 52 - 2 - 2 - 234
1 cup oats 10 - 54 - 6 - 300
1 large banana 1 - 31 - 1 - 121
Total 63 - 87 - 9 - 655

10:30am

8oz chicken breast 46 - 0 - 3 - 200
1 cup (3oz dry) quinoa pasta 6 - 69 - 1.5 - 308
Total 52 - 69 - 4.5 - 508

1:30pm

8oz chicken breast 46 - 0 - 3 - 200
1cup basmati rice 5 - 45 - 2 - 216
Total 51 - 45 - 5 - 416

4:15pm

8oz flank steak 48 - 0 - 15 - 340
1 cup basmati rice 5 - 45 - 2 - 216
Total 53 - 45 - 17 - 556

6:30pm

8oz mahi mahi steak 68 - 0 - 2.5 - 315
1 cup sweet potato 4 - 58 - 0 - 250
Total 72 - 58 - 2.5 - 565

9:30pm

2 scoop ON casein 48 - 6 - 2 - 240
2TB Smuckers Natural PB 8 - 6 - 16 - 210
Total 56 - 12 - 18 - 450

TOTALS 394 - 403 - 71 - 3831

[JohnnyVegas]

Sounds like these guys are getting you on the right track. You definitely need to be eating differently to put on muscle (or lose fat).

Do what Sgt. Hartman suggested - post up your diet with portions and macros so you have an idea of what you are really putting in your body every day.

You may run into hurdles if you would rather eat cardboard than brown rice. Eating for growth is not the same as eating for pleasure. I have been eating the same basic foods (chicken, fish, brown rice, oatmeal, broccoli, asparagus, almonds, cottage cheese) for months. The same thing every day, like clockwork. My body has completely changed.

[yeahbuddy289]

I just dont get why brown rice is better than white rice for bulking? I mean it has more calories and more carbs what am I missing? And what is wrong with cottage cheese and oatmeal with protein powder for snacks between meals? I definitly am not eating for pleasure... going out to eat is tough when I have to be smart about what I eat.

[Sgt. Hartman]

I just dont get why brown rice is better than white rice for bulking? It's not. Who said it was?I mean it has more calories and more carbs what am I missing? Most white rice has the exact same macros/cals as brown rice And what is wrong with cottage cheese and oatmeal with protein powder for snacks between meals? Nothing I definitly am not eating for pleasure... going out to eat is tough when I have to be smart about what I eat.

The point everybody is trying to make is that you need to track your macros and cals so you know exactly what you're eating and can make adjustments based on your results or lack thereof.

Don't get all defensive - you asked why you're not making gains and I am telling you why.

[yeahbuddy289]

Not offened at all im thankful for all the help im getting. I will track my macros and plan my meals better I just wanted to get an idea of what I should be eating as everyone is saying my diet doesnt look good at all. I think I am eating the right things I just need to track my portions correct? Thanks guys!

[JohnnyVegas]

I just dont get why brown rice is better than white rice for bulking? I mean it has more calories and more carbs what am I missing? And what is wrong with cottage cheese and oatmeal with protein powder for snacks between meals? I definitly am not eating for pleasure... going out to eat is tough when I have to be smart about what I eat.

Hopefully you didn't think I was saying your entire diet was pleasure foods. I was using the resistance to eat a single item (brown rice) as an example of what might get in your way.

For example, I hate, hate, HATE both broccoli and asparagus. Guess what the only two vegetables were in the diet my diet coach gave me? Yeah, broccoli and asparagus. But guess what happened when I secretly didn't eat my vegetables and couldn't poop any more? SHE DOUBLED MY VEGETABLES! I learned to eat what I was told, and my body really responded...and I got a story where I get to say "poop."

If you track your macros, you will see if you are getting enough protein, and you will know exactly how many calories you are eating. That way you can make adjustments when something doesn't work.

[Doctapeppa]

Guys, I understand that this guy isn't eating clean enough and that his macros are off and yes, all of that is important, but don't you think the amount of calories he's having is even more important for weight gain at the moment?

He is not complaining that he isn't gaining lean muscle mass. He's having trouble putting any weight on the scale at all. I think this is entirely correctable by increasing the amount of calories. The macros will certainly help nudge him towards lean mass rather than a fatter bulk and a cleaner, healthier diet is better for many reasons but shouldn't he increase calories at this point!?

[JohnnyVegas]

^^^^^ Yup. I was suggesting tracking so he can make adjustments rather than just eating "more."

[Sgt. Hartman]

Guys, I understand that this guy isn't eating clean enough and that his macros are off and yes, all of that is important, but don't you think the amount of calories he's having is even more important for weight gain at the moment?

He is not complaining that he isn't gaining lean muscle mass. He's having trouble putting any weight on the scale at all. I think this is entirely correctable by increasing the amount of calories. The macros will certainly help nudge him towards lean mass rather than a fatter bulk and a cleaner, healthier diet is better for many reasons but shouldn't he increase calories at this point!?

Of course he should. But how much should he increase them by? 12 more bites of goulash at meal 4 and 8 more spoonfuls of cottage cheese at snack # 2? Then if he starts gaining too much BF he can cut out 3 medium sized ribs, 1/2 a serving of lasagna, and 2 handful of mixed nuts? The point is nobody, not you or him or me, knows how much he is eating or how much more he needs to eat to get the results he wants. That's why he needs to track his food intake whether he changes his macro breakdown and food sources or not.

Most people who are not getting the results they want , whether cutting or gaining, are very surprised at their actual food intake once they track their macros/cals. I remember reading a study Lyle McDonald had on his site a while back that said on average people who were trying to gain, and were not being successful, estimated their caloric intake at over 500cal above what they were actually eating while the 500cal figure was the same for people trying to cut only they underestimated their actual intake.

[Blaz Kavlic]

Most people who are not getting the results they want , whether cutting or gaining, are very surprised at their actual food intake once they track their macros/cals.

Good point made by the sargeant. This is why I keep a formulated Excel spreadsheet of my daily macronutrient intake. Once you calculate your maintenance, you can build up your macros until you arrive at P/C/F split you want. Then if you want to add some new foods into your diet, you can adjust your intake of other foods to accommodate the new inclusion. All while staying within your daily calorie allowance.

[amcon]

you need to eat... sweet and simple