Diet help please!!

[stephenschmidt1]

Stats:
24yr old Male
2.5yrs weightlifting
8 years of sports
176lbs 5'9" 12-14% bf
By BMR is approx. 2600 Calories a day
I lift weights for about 80min a day Mon-Friday isolated muscle workouts.
3 days a week I run 2-3 miles.

Okay so I really want to take my diet to the next level. Till now Ive only eye balled how much I was taking in. I want to gain 1lbs a week and eat lean.
Someone made a great point that you dont really know what your taking in unless you count.

I just need help with what to buy, what taste good, and meal spacing.
From what ive learned I need to take in about 250g protein 500g of carbs (I was told to do a 2:1 ratio) and try to get that in about 3100 calories.

Honestly I havent even been counting so dont laugh...but this is what my typical diet looks like.

7am: 5eggs, 1pack of oatmeal
8am: shake 20g protein 40g carbs
***IN CLASS FROM 9am-1pm.
1:30pm: 2 pieces of boneless chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice
2:30pm: 80min weight lifting
Postworkout: shake 40g protein 80g carbs
430pm: 3 pieces of talapia, 1/2 can asparagus, 1cup brown rice
630pm: shake 20g protein 40g carbs
830pm: I usually have a light snack like yogurt or some peanuts
10pm: BED TIME

Things to keep in mind...Im a college kid on a budget. Im not poor but i also cant shop at the fancy organic stores and have fresh salmon. I shop at albertsons and walmart. lol
Im also on ADD meds which kill my apetite so thats why I need to start counting and forcing myself to eat.
I drink about 1/8 of a gallon of milk a day...but i would like to cut the milk out if something else can replace it.
I know i dont drink near enough water...soo help with that would be awesome.

IM READY TO GET RELIGIOUS WITH IT.....just need some guidance.

The only supplement besides my shakes I take are some GNC Strength Vitapak...its a little pack of 6pills.

Thanks for the help guys!!

[JWP806]

Gaining 1 lb of lean mass per week would be nice...

You need to keep track of your macros. Cut down on the shakes and eat real foods instead. Calculate your tdee and tweak your diet accordingly.

Shop at walmart for cheap foods: frozen chicken, lean ground beef, bags of tilapia, cottage cheese, gallon jugs of water.

That being said, you need to spend some time in the diet section reading the stickies. That will be most helpful.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread....#.T-98go5iaas
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread....#.T-98oI5iaas

[stephenschmidt1]

How much water should I strive to drink a day?
Im going to follow that first links guide by splitting up the carbs in only 3 meals.
What is flax seed oil and do you mix it in with the can tuna?

So as long as I eat 6 meals a day 3 of those containing carbs and keep my macros right then im good?
Guess im going to have to sit down and write all this out. I just want to be able to cook for a couple days because im so busy.

[MuscleInk]

2 gallons of H2O.

[JWP806]

Yeah, make sure your macros are on point for your goals. Spending some time in the nutrition section reading some other threads will help you get used to this. I only like having carbs in the morning and pre and post workout.

Flaxseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are essential polyunsaturated fats. I get mine in capsule form but if you get liquid you can mix it with tuna.

I am lucky to have the benefit of working from home so I don't have to prepare meals days ahead but that is typically easiest.

Put a diet together and post it in this forum to get it critiqued. Tons of knowledgable guys on here to help you out.

[Cronos1247]

How much water should I strive to drink a day?
Im going to follow that first links guide by splitting up the carbs in only 3 meals.
What is flax seed oil and do you mix it in with the can tuna?

So as long as I eat 6 meals a day 3 of those containing carbs and keep my macros right then im good?
Guess im going to have to sit down and write all this out. I just want to be able to cook for a couple days because im so busy.

500G of carbs in 3 meals is going to be intense lol, no reason to do that im my opinion.

6 Meals is a great start,

275 Protein = 1100 Calories
400 Carbs = 1600 Calories
50 Fat = 450 Calories
Totals: 3150K

Aim for 6 meals with around 45g prot / 66 carbs in each meal. Spread your fats over 2-4 meals or so via EVO or peanut butter. Honestly the EASIEST way I've found to manage something like this (assuming you don't mind redundancy) is just a chicken breast, 1 Cup (or however much to hit your carb intake) of brown rice and cover it in Tapatio or Franks red hot sauce. If you need fats in that meal, throw in some almonds. I eat this exact meal 3-4 times a day and just alternate with lean beef or chicken depending on desired fat intake, microwave availability, etc. Whey & Rice cakes are another easy way to hitting your meals on the go.


I would run at these macros as it'll probably be easier to manage while hitting your calorie set point.

If you see chicken is on sale, stock up on it, freeze it. Walmart has big boxes of Tilapia with something like 30 frozen filets in it for around $12 I think?
Peanut butter, olive oil, quaker oats, potatoes and brown rice will be your cheapest bets on carbs/fats.

No need to get crazy on the supplements either, your basic fish oil, multi-vitamin, creatine and whey will do you good.

[Cronos1247]

Oh, and stay away from GNC. Mother of god is that place ever overpriced.