Diet for gaining lean muscle. Advice appreciated!!

[uhit]

Age - 23 (24 next month)
Height - 5'8
Weight - 170 lb
Body Fat - Around 12-14 %
Gym Experience - 4 Years (Nutrition aspect of bodybuilding as always been a mystery to me)
Goals - To achieve 10% bodyfat or less while maintaining/gaining mass.

I intend to run a test only cycle and want to maximise my gains while keeping body fat the same or reducing it altogether.

Macros are 40/40/20 at the moment and below is the normal meals I eat. On Sundays I may add more carbs and have a chocolate bar as a little cheat.

Meal 1
3 egg whites
Weetabix - 2 blocks
Whey protein shake (25g)

Meal 2
Cup of rice
150g of chicken or a tin of tuna/salmon
Cup of mixed veggies

Meal 3(snack)
25g of cashew nuts
2 bananas

Meal 4
2 Cups of pasta mixed with lamb mince

Usually hit the gym at this point

Meal 5
Whey protein shake (25g)
Turkey sandwich




Any feedback would be awesome!

Again,thanks for reading and have a good day

[Times Roman]

Age - 23 (24 next month)
Height - 5'8
Weight - 170 lb
Body Fat - Around 12-14 %
Gym Experience - 4 Years (Nutrition aspect of bodybuilding as always been a mystery to me)
Goals - To achieve 10% bodyfat or less while maintaining/gaining mass.

I intend to run a test only cycle and want to maximise my gains while keeping body fat the same or reducing it altogether.

Macros are 40/40/20 at the moment and below is the normal meals I eat. On Sundays I may add more carbs and have a chocolate bar as a little cheat.

Meal 1
3 egg whites - suggest just buying liquid eggwhites. Easier, and not as much waste
Weetabix - 2 blocks
Whey protein shake (25g)

Meal 2
Cup of rice - not very nutritious, and not ideal. assume white since you did not say brown. suggest finding some other carb source. if you want fast burning, suggest fruit. if you want slow burning, suggest yams or oats
150g of chicken or a tin of tuna/salmon
Cup of mixed veggies - hopefully fresh?, and not just carrots and corn?

Meal 3(snack)
25g of cashew nuts - calorically dense, as most of the cals derive from fat, NOT protein. Also, not a complete protein
2 bananas - bananas are good. suggest changing the timing of eating this semi quick burning carb to right before gym time

Meal 4
2 Cups of pasta mixed with lamb mince - too soon right before the gym. suggest moving it back or pushing it forward to some other time. Pre workout is a premium time usually reserved for faster burning carbs and protein - plus, pasta is a no go. not a whole food, utilizes "enriched" flour, really a crappy source of carbs

Usually hit the gym at this point

Meal 5
Whey protein shake (25g)
Turkey sandwich - kinda sideways about the sandwhich. you didn't specify, so assume white bread which is garbage. and not sure about all the other crap that goes with the sandwhich. probably some kind of sandwhich spread, and just a variety of other "processed' meats that are not that great.




Any feedback would be awesome!

Again,thanks for reading and have a good day

You forgot to add it all up for me mate!!?

Easier just for me to crunch the numbers for you.

Your TDEE is something like 2,800 cals/day. Your minimum protein requirement is about 220 grams of protein. You said clean bulk, so add 500 cals above TDEE for about 3,300 cals/day and that makes protein at 333 grams per day. But you also said your goal was to drop to 10% BF. Which really means cutting, not bulking. You have conflicting goals, so let's assume for discussion purposes that you will cut sometime down the road.

Now, I just looked at and commented on the food you eat. I have no idea your macros. You say 40/40/20, but if I were to add it up, seems doubtful. I don't see nearly enough protein.

You are not eating whole foods like you need to. Sandwhiches, choco bars, white rice, insufficient protein... I'm sure your fat is way above 20% of your caloric intake.

This diet will NOT get you to 10% body fat. Maybe if you are a cardio freak, but you were silent on the issue.

The timing of your bananas is off. I'm walking into the gym eating a banana. Great source of energy. Too bad you missed doing it preworkout.

I'd like to see better detail on your macros per meal and total macros per day. Bear with me on this exercise. It will illustrate the point of insufficient protein. Remember, minimum is 1.5 grams per one pound of Lean body mass.

Go ahead and repost your diet as I suggested and we'll take a look

---Roman

[uhit]

After re evaluating goals and reading your advice, I have decided to go for a 'cut' so I will be eating at around 2200 - 2300 with the same macros of 40/40/20 in mind.

Meal 1
3 egg whites (usually boiled) (or 150g of liquid version) [Calories 51, Carbs 1g, Protein 11g, Fat 0.6g]
Weetabix - 2 blocks [Calores 134, Carbs 26g, Protein 4g, Fat 1g]
250 ml of Semi Skimmed Milk [Calories 94, Carbs 10g, Protein 7g, Fat 4g]
Whey protein shake (25g) [Calories 92, Carbs 1g, Protein 20g]

After meal 1 - Calories 371, Carbs 38g, Protein 42g, Fat 5.6g

Meal 2
Cup of brown rice - [Calories 216, Carbs 45g, Protein 5g, Fat 2g]
150g of chicken or a tin of tuna/salmon - [Calories 285, Protein 43g, Fat 11g
Cup of broccoli/cucumbers [Calories 11, Carbs 2g, Protein 1g]

After meal 2 - Calories 883, Carbs 85g, Protein 91g, Fat 19.6

Meal 3(pre workout meal)
2 bananas [Calories 210, Carbs 46g, Protein 2g, Fat 1g]
Whey protein shake (25g) [Calories 92, Carbs 1g, Protein 20g]

After meal 3 - Calories 1185, Carbs 132g, Protein 114g, Fat 20.6g

Meal 4 (post workout meal)
Whey protein shake (25g) [Calories 92, Carbs 1g, Protein 20g]
Cup of brown rice - [Calories 216, Carbs 45g, Protein 5g, Fat 2g]
Grilled Chicken Breast - [Calories 170, Protein 38g, Fat 2g]
1/2 cup of broccoli - [Calories 15, Carbs 3g, Protein 1g]

After meal 4 - Calories 1678, Carbs 219g, Protein 142g, Fat 24.6g


Meal 5 (before bed)
250 ml of Semi Skimmed Milk [Calories 94, Carbs 10g, Protein 7g, Fat 4g]
250g of Steak - [Calories 480, Protein 31g, Fat 22g]

After meal 5 - Calories 2252, Carbs 229g, Protein 180g, Fat 28.6g

Looking forward to your responses gentlemen.

[Times Roman]

Mate,

Your MINIMUM protein requirement is 220 grams of protein. bump up your protein intake and offset it by reducing carbs. Faster burning carbs pre/post workout, slower burning carbs other times. if you feel tired or grumpy, either increase carbs or shift from slower to faster burning carbs. If that doesn't work, reduce fat and increase carbs

I see your improvements. You are relying heavily on whey protein powder. I've learned that can be problematic, especially after you've been doing it for months/years. A few months ago, I've shifted to liquid egg whites, more of a whole food than the whey, and really, a pure protein source. Slower burning, as it takes 4 to 6 hours to metabolize. See, you have to put some kind of liquid in that protein shake. I've learned instead of water, to use liquid egg whites. It's pasturized so no risk of salmonella or food poisoning. And since each 16oz box has 50 grams of pure protein, instead of the protein powder, you can put other stuff, like veggies, chicken, oats, fruit, or whatever. I get no GI distress, which my woman loves me for. A protein shake post workout, due to it's availability and ease of metabolism (burn rate) is ok in my book. But I try to avoid it the rest of the day.

If you are cutting, lose the milk and only drink water. See all the fat and carbs in the milk? Try to avoid fat. It's impossible to eliminate 100% (well, almost), and the fat you eliminate, you can increase carbs and protein and other bulk to make you feel like you are eating more. I'm usually around 10% "ish" fat each day.

This is a tough road we walk. Your journey to 10% will probably not come easy. Ultimately, you may end up losing the rice altogether. You will know if you when you cut if you are in a bad mood and lagging in the gym. The solution is quicker burning carbs like fruit.

Good luck!
---Roman

[uhit]

You have done more than I have ever asked for and for that am greatful. Thanks for the help. I will keep carbs to around 150g and protein to a min of 225g. Will slowly reduce milk until I stop drinking it altogether and will also keep whey to post workout and replace it with more lean meats/eggs

[Times Roman]

That's the idea mate.

You cannot go wrong with whole foods, as nature intended.

Good luck!
---Roman