UNoffical "How to Bulk" thread and sample diet...

[burt66]

I appreciate the info

[reaper43230]

very nice post

[musclespawn]

Very nice info.. I never expected counting calories and stuff will involve very good mathematical calculations.. I got to study 'em.

[BigBrucie]

BMR calculator link should also be posted

[BigBrucie]

Seeking approval


8 egg whites
bowl oats
24gr whey
120ml milk
codliver oil
multi vitamin
glucosomine

MRP

2 chicken breasts
bowl vegtables
2 slice brown bread
flax seed


2 chicken breast
bowl brown rice
24gr whey

postworkout 50gr whey

can salmon
bowl brown pasta


can tuna
100ml milk
24gr protien blend
2 egg whites
peanut butter 2 ts
multi vitamin
glucosomine
flax seed

[seriousmass]

That was one of the best threads I've read. Good work buddy. Excellent read.

[heenakshi]

I go on a proper diet and then I give in to the sweet treats and then go back on the diet and let the same thing happen all over again. So I end up putting the weight that I lost back on. I'm worried that it’s affecting my metabolism some how. I need your help and advice. Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
_______________
Exclusive Drug Rehab

[Muselz]

If you are bulking, what is the best way to drink your whey protein? (i.e. mix it with water or milk)

[garythompson]

the link doesn't work anymore to the calorie calculator. anyone know where to get it now a days???

[mho]

In meal 2 you've listed lean ground beef. How much exactly? I'm putting together a grocery list based on what you've recommended. Thanks.

EDIT: Same question for veggies and green veggies. How much should I be eating?

[kifenehma3ak]

what a bulking diet!!???? where are the carbs??? 50 % should be carbs... less protein if u just weigh 220...

[marcmoran]

Hey LeanMeOut,

Congrats on this post man!
This a great combination for lean gains IMO.

[BeHeezie]

Hey all, firstly - thanks for the help, I have been trying to gain weight for years, but now feel like it may actually be possible.

Me - 33 y/o 190 lbs 6'1 - Lift before work then high intensity soccer 4x/wk after work.

I see the posts about how to eat if you are working out in the morning, but does anyone have a bulking diet for my situation? Specifically, I hear I am supposed to eat carbohydrates before playing soccer, but I should be on protein/fat at this time of day per the other diets listed on here.

Sorry for the bonehead questions, but I figure it's better to get them out of the way so I can go from 190 to 230.

[Friend]

Great read, thanks

[poundcake]

can anyone send me that harriot ellis program, that sight seems to be down and i dont have the excel page any more

[Tbear1986]

this was very helpful to me, i did an assesment on myself of my BMR and it seems doable. thanks for the help guys, i appareciate the knowledge, im a sponge and i'll soak it all up

[bakie]

I enjoyed the read. I definitely think this is one of those articles that should be read by everyone before even considering taking steroids to achieve their goals.

[Blacknitty]

Thanks for taking the time to explain everything with details and examples.
I am new here and I was becoming frustrated on where to start; until I ran until these awesome post!!!!!


Im 36 years old, 130 pounds, 5"7. After several attempts to gain weight adn muscle with much failing, I really feel very confident this time.

I am ready to take this as a challenge and kick my dream bod into gear.
I am new and I have been looking through all the must read post, for new beginners and this would definetly help me to get off to the right start.

However, what should I do, if I cant afford this type of diet on a consistant basis? I know that I don't I have to follow it as a biblical reference, but should I just do my best to get in 8 meals per day?

Thanks.................

[mysixpackabs]

is this very important? or i can just drop this one?

Meal 8: Before Bed
3 Scoops of Whey Protein, 1.5 Tbsp. Flax Seed Oil
60g protein / 3g carbs / 21g Fat

[O-Dog]

Just wanted to thank you for sharing your diet info. I'm bulking right now and this will help alot!! My caloric intake was there but not divided into so many smaller meals. It'll be interesting to see the changes/results. Thanks again!!

[blazerelf]

Is it ok to eat egg yolk as part of a meal plan?well i mean u can buy egg white separately but im planning to use the eggs and take yolk off but i dont want to spoil it beside it has good amount of nutrient(eventought it has some fat).

also i was wondering after u gain weight canu recognice "visualy" the watery mass?is it like fat that is a kinda jelly looking when u see it or its just look like if u were bigger than u really are but hard?

[Reed]

Is it ok to eat egg yolk as part of a meal plan?well i mean u can buy egg white separately but im planning to use the eggs and take yolk off but i dont want to spoil it beside it has good amount of nutrient(eventought it has some fat).

also i was wondering after u gain weight canu recognice "visualy" the watery mass?is it like fat that is a kinda jelly looking when u see it or its just look like if u were bigger than u really are but hard?

Yes you can. I'd add in two egg yolks in your morning meal plan for your fats, and I bet if you look around in your grocery store you will find liquid egg whites which you can drink (I do, and add a bit of soy milk to it so its got that middle school milk carton taste ) or scramble them up

Yes you should be able to recognize and distinguish fat from water, however with a carefully planned diet with good source carbs this can be reduced and lean mass will be earned.

[blazerelf]

Yes you can. I'd add in two egg yolks in your morning meal plan for your fats, and I bet if you look around in your grocery store you will find liquid egg whites which you can drink (I do, and add a bit of soy milk to it so its got that middle school milk carton taste ) or scramble them up

Yes you should be able to recognize and distinguish fat from water, however with a carefully planned diet with good source carbs this can be reduced and lean mass will be earned.

Thanks for comment,umm my question about water was if u can visualy notice a watery mas becausei ve heard it looks and feel like if u were very buff u touch u feel it hard like a muscle but im not sure if this is true or u would feel it soft and wierd like fat..Im asking this because i want to gain weight but not to be a body builder i just want to have a nice looking shape kinda like models,not fat,not big,not skinny just fit;so i wouldnt care much if my mass some was water if its not very notable(idont care much if its like a fake muscularity just not wierd like fat) i could take care of it while time passes.

Also I was wondering if anybody know a weight gain meal plan(3600 cal or more) which is not compose of so many suplement(whey)but more natural food because a prot shake endures 9 days(if used 1s a day) says the container and it worth almsost 40$ so iwould have to buy 3 container in a month(120$), iknow gaining muscle can be expensive but im sure suplement is not fundamental for gaining,is it?

[Reed]

Thanks for comment,umm my question about water was if u can visualy notice a watery mas becausei ve heard it looks and feel like if u were very buff u touch u feel it hard like a muscle but im not sure if this is true or u would feel it soft and wierd like fat..Im asking this because i want to gain weight but not to be a body builder i just want to have a nice looking shape kinda like models,not fat,not big,not skinny just fit;so i wouldnt care much if my mass some was water if its not very notable(idont care much if its like a fake muscularity just not wierd like fat) i could take care of it while time passes.

Also I was wondering if anybody know a weight gain meal plan(3600 cal or more) which is not compose of so many suplement(whey)but more natural food because a prot shake endures 9 days(if used 1s a day) says the container and it worth almsost 40$ so iwould have to buy 3 container in a month(120$), iknow gaining muscle can be expensive but im sure suplement is not fundamental for gaining,is it?

Well honestly if you goal is to be fit then there really is no need to ever use steroids IMO. You can get there easily with the right diet and training but it WILL as most things we want to accomplish in our lives take time and effort. I took the time and was able to achieve much more than I thought possible with the RIGHT training and the RIGHT diet and was able to achieve what you probably want now and more so while people were accusing me of roids when I wasn't which was a compliment.....

If you calculate your diet properly and not eat a bunch of shit food you can minimize the water and fat while you gain muscle and once you reach a desired level, cut back down to get rid of that fat and water. I gave you a great list of foods you can utilize in order to minimize this

Getting leaner and bigger muscle at the same time is one of those things that EVERYONE wants but in reality you're gonna have to chose one path as this will make it simplier.

OR if you do want to make it hard on your self you will have to detail a diet for different days of the week, its called carb cycling and you will probably have 3 or more different diets for each day of the week. But its best to keep it simple and just bulk up first and then worry about leaning down

No you don't have to have whey as protein source in you do not want. Hell I didn't this offseason all I used was natural food like egg white PWO etc. No shakes, bcaas, creatine, etc

[djkalashnikov]

hey guys just want to see what u think of my diet. . any tips pointers

stats=
height = 6'1
weight= 195
bf= 15%
age=24

breakfast= 6 eggs, 1 cup of oatmeal, protein shake
meal 2 = chicken breast , 50g cheese
meal 3 = chicken breast
meal 4 = chicken breast wholemeal bread, cheese
meal 5 = mince steak or chicken breast, new potatoes ,broccoli or any veg
meal 6 = can of tuna, tablespoon mayo, protein shake
workout = this is about 9 o clock at night( only time i can go), does this effect anything?
pwo = 2 scoops whey protein, 2 banana's
ppwo(before bed) = can of tuna, protein shake


ive only been on this diet for 2 weeks now so it will be a while anyway before i notice some changes i think. would like to know what u guys think,
does this look any good? i also take multivitamins ed
and i'm on 550mgs of prop each week split up eod

[Undercover]

For me, when I was eating that lean I didn't see any significant gains. I only started making progress when I added loads of complex carbs to my diet. I put on a bit of fat but only a small amount (normal for a bulking cycle).

Also, 420 g is too much protein. You'll just end up pissing it all away unless you're on a cycle or something.

[acl1036]

old post but its all still great information

[dkoslo22]

so if you where on a cycle... would you want to eat 1000+ more calories than you burn a day? since 500 extra is good up to a pound?

[Tjohn6231]

What can I mix with my whey protein to have the proper amount of dextrose for the PWO shake. Also, should I keep the milk out of this shake because of fat?

[rnb83]

is there any desired time to eat before workout, i av read alot dat 2 hours is the desired time, but then workout is 1-2 hours so dats 4 hours say without a meal, n i find it hard enough to fit all my meals in as it is

[wickid1111]

LeanMeOut thanks for the awesome post man. im been workin out and using this diet for a while and have gained alot. feeling top notch!

anyways my lil brothers are twins and they havve never been able to keep wight on. the one has figured out a good diet and avtive lifestyle and hes doin allright. that other however has had some health issues like mono and lots of infections. there still trying to figure out whats wrong with him. he recently droped to 134 lbs! hes 6 feet tall. so i put him on this diet last wweek and hes up 5 poubds allready . none of the 7 doctors that saw him could figure out a diet for him but this one seems to work. thanks man

[Muscleduke]

Great post thanks alot!

[BJJ]

the bulking primer
by leanmeout & rambo @anabolicreview.com

well since the old “how to bulk” thread was erased with the server issues, we have decided to create this post with the details of how to gain lean mass with minimal fat gain.


First things first:
There are many reasons that bulking diets fail but here are a few of the most common reasons:
1) calories are not high enough and putting on muscle mass fails
2) calories are too high and macros percentages are not in check. This in turn leads to putting on sloppy weight (fat) as well as muscle.
3) you are bulking, not cheating. Cheat days will be factored in, but your food choices should still be healthy. All diets, whether cutting or buking, need to be monitored. This means that watching your insulin spikes and type of carb intake is still important.
4) you are what you eat. It’s just that simple. to simplify, you eat crap and you will look like crap.



that being said let’s talk calories and figuring out daily needs


harris benedict formula for calorie calculations
“the harris benedict equation is a calorie formula using the variables of height, weight, age, and gender to calculate basal metabolic rate (bmr). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on total body weight alone. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (harris-benedict will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (harris-benedict will over-estimate calorie needs).”

that being said, there are is no concrete number of daily calorie intake your body needs, however using this formula will give you can idea of what you do need.

Harris benedict formula for men
bmr = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

notes:
1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example of bmr
you are 25 years old
you are 6 feet tall
your weight is 220 pounds
your bmr is 66 + (1370) + (914) - (170) = 2180 calories

harris benedict formula for men - step 2
to determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your bmr by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary - little or no exercise
calorie-calculation = bmr x 1.2
- if you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
calorie-calculation = bmr x 1.375
- if you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
calorie-calculation = bmr x 1.55
- if you are very active = bmr x 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week)
calorie-calculation = bmr x 1.725
- if you are extra active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2x day training)
calorie-calculation = bmr x 1.9

total calorie needs example
if you are lightly active, multiply your bmr (2180) by 1.375 = 2997
your total daily calorie requirement is therefore 2997 calories.
This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight.

If you want to gain body weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. One pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3500 calories, so eating an extra 500 calories per day will cause you to gain one pound a week. Etc….

We have included an excel document created by elliot @ ar that will calculate your calorie needs for you, using the harris benedict formula.

Elliot's harris benedict calculator for males:
http://www.geocities.com/arelliotness/
download the document named: Harris-elliot.xls


alright so now we know that you need extra calories to gain weight. So what should these calories be comprised of?? Well before we go there, let’s talk diet basics.

The basics-
1. Postworkout nutrition- i’m a firm believer that pwo nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

2. Carbs- carbohydrates are a very helpful macronutrient when you are trying to gain lean mass. However, carbohydrates are only useful if they are used at the correct times. In my opionion carbohydrates are only necessary for 3 meals of the day. These meals include breakfast, your pwo shake, and your ppwo meal. Your breakfast and ppwo meals should be comprised of slow burning complex carbs that are low on the glycemic chart. Some good examples of low glycemic carbs are brown rice, yams, and oatmeal. Others may include whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta.

3. Protein- just like when you are cutting, you need plenty of protein. For bulking, a good rule of thumb is 2-3g of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and i will only cover a few, (egg whites, lean steak, chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

4. Fats- efa’s (essential fatty acids) are extremely important in any diet. The list of benefits from taking in dietary fats i extensive and i am not even going to get started on it. I will just say that a diet which includes efa’s will yield much better results. Good sources of fat are ( flax oil, nuts, salmon, olive oil). Efa

5. The separation of carbs and fats- this is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, i know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.


6. Supplements-

glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.

Ala/r-ala- gets my supplement of the day award. R-ala is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the r, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. Ala and r-ala can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy r-ala that you supplement it with biotin. Glucorell-r is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the r, you are looking at 1-2 pills of glucorell r for each 30-40grams of carb intake.

Protein and carb shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, (carbohit, glycoload, ultrafuel). Dextrose and maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.

Creatine: Unlike while cutting, creatine can be used while bulking since the water retention from its use will not be an issue since you are “bulking”. In the body, creatine is synthesized from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. Taking supplemental doses of creatine monohydrate can increase muscle creatine and phosphocreatine (pc) concentrations by up to 40%. These increases can lead to improvements in muscle energy production and recuperation.

www.allsportsnutition.com
www.*************.com


7. Cheating- cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and lean mass gain / fat burning over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

8. Cardio - d*mn right cardio!! Yes even when bulking. Why? Because cardio works the most important muscle of all – your heart. Not only that, but doing cardio 3 times a week will help keep the fat you will gain in this diet to a minimum. Cardio should be performed on an empty stomach first thing in the am. The proper cardio for burning fat is done by staying in your target heart rate for fat burning which is 65-70% of your max heart rate for a period of 45-60 minutes. To figure this out you can use the following formula:

(220 – your age) * .65
(220 – your age) * .7


example for a 22 year old:

(220 – 22) * .65 = 128.7
(220 – 22) * .7 = 138.6


from this we can conclude that for a 22 year old target heart rate for fat burning should be between 129 and 138 beats per minute for 45-60 minutes.

Why 45-60 minutes?? Because fat burning (lipolysis) doesn’t typically kick in until the 20 minute mark, so only doing 30 minutes of cardio yields 10 minutes of fat burning. You get the point.


**cardio disclaimer: Some people have a harder time gaining weight than others, and doing cardio might not be the best idea for these people. For others who wish to use the fat burning abilities of cardio but still gain size, 30-35 minutes of cardio 1-3 times a week may be a better choice. Remember it is your body and only you know what works for you.

Now the sample diet:
Note: This is a sample diet for our 26 year old, 6ft tall, 220 pound gentleman mentioned in the example above for figuring out calorie needs. This diet will not work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.

Based on the harris benedict formula above, our friend here needs 2997 calories a day to maintain his current weight. So in order for him to gain 1 pound a week, we need to increase his calories to right around 3500 a day since that will yield 3500 calories over his maintenance numbers needed for the week.


meal 1: Pro/carb

8 egg whites, 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 cup oatmeal

50g protein / 54g carbs / 5g fat



meal 2: Pro/fat

lean ground beef, ¼ cup swiss cheese, green veggies

55g protein / 2g carbs / 20g fat



meal 3: Pro/carb

chicken breast, 1 and a half cup brown rice

55g protein / 64g carbs / 3g fat
**disclaimer: Meal 3 can be a pro/fat meal if you are ultra sensitive to carb intake.


meal 4: Pro/fat

2 cans of tuna, 1 tbsp full fat mayonnaise, veggies

60g protein / 2g carbs / 13g fat



workout


meal 5: Pwo nutrition

2 scoops whey protein / 80g of dextrose

40g protein / 80g carbs / 0g fat



meal 6: Ppwo

boneless skinless chicken breast, ½ cup brown rice (measured uncooked)

50g protein / 70g carbs / 3g fat



meal 7: Pro/fat

lean protein of your choice, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
50g protein / 5g carbs / 18g fat



meal 8: Before bed

3 scoops of whey protein, 1.5 tbsp. Flax seed oil

60g protein / 3g carbs / 21g fat


that turns into approximately 420 grams protein, 250 grams carbs, and 83 grams of fat. This is roughly 3500 calories

*reminder: This is a primer. It’s not mean to be comprehensive. Everyone is different, to find out what works for your body takes trial and error.





Here comes the fun part: Question and answer….

Q: What about dairy?
A: This is totally dependant upon your goals. If you don’t mind the bloat from milk then go for it. Skim milk is a better choice as far as mixing fats and carbs go. Remember you are bulking so you have more freedom in your dietary choices.

Q: How often should i eat?
A: You’ll have to do the math to see how often you will have to eat to get your 7-8 meals a day in. If your up for 16 hours a day, then every 2 hours is how often you need to eat.

Q: Is sodium an issue?
A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

Q. How do i make my meals not taste like cardboard?
A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can i eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?
A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

Q. What about fruit?
A: Go for it, like with dairy you are bulking. You have more freedom in your dietary choices.

Q: What are some good sources of lean protein?
A: Eggs, fish, chicken, steak, ground beef, whey protein, turkey….. The list goes on forever. Do a search and look through other people’s diets for ideas on protein

q: What are some good sources of complex carbohydrates?
A: Rice, pasta, whole wheat bread, yams, oatmeal…. Same as above

as a final note we would like to thank swolecat and the rest of the diet forum participants for their help and influence on this post.

And we will end this sticky with a quote:

“your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same.”



lmo & rambo

--------------------------------

sources:

http://www.weight-loss-i.com/calorie...s-benedict.htm

that is simply not true

[aaronk88]

I think part of my problem was not eating enough on weekends when I take my breaks.

[TB-Jockey]

This information is awesome! I have been searching for a scientific approach to diet geared specifically for body building.

I'm new to the forum, and while I'm no expert, I've been lifting religiously for 2+ years. I'm small compared to most guys, but I've gained 23 pounds since beginning. I'm a retired thoroughbred jockey; probably the only jockey to ever join a weigh gaining forum!

I've got a couple questions.

First my stats:
37 years old
5'7
145 lbs
9% body fat
My Harris Benedict = 2625 kcal per day.
Questions:
1. I've got my gear and am about to take my first ride. According to the information in this post 500 ckal per day will gain approximately 1 lb of weight per week. Keeping in mind that all bodies are individually unique, what is a good starting point of additional calories for me to target in order to get maximum effect for my cycle; ie how many pound(s) per week? (My cycle is nothing too heavy: sustanon and deca )

2. My current diet is fairly undisciplined/unplanned. I eat four or five times a day and gravitate towards low fat, high protein, as much as possible. Protein shake immediately following morning work out, then again as a snack late afternoon. My dilemma is this: I have a very demanding job. I'm a single dad with a 3 year old. The only meal I cook is dinner; for my daughter and I. I must have easy to prepare, very fast meals, or this can never work. I take several turkey on whole wheat sandwiches to work each day(turkey, bread, mustard-30 seconds to prepare or I can't do it). I eat breakfast and lunch at restaurants with clients every day. So what can a guy with no time do? Also, I'm highly allergic to eggs...I longingly look at those little miracles of protein every time I go to the grocery store, but I can't eat them.

Thanks!

[BigSingh]

really good post

[Jaybizzle]

Alergic to Eggs......that sucks. Sorry bud.

[junkiescumbag]

250g carbs lol

[eltremen2]

this was the best help anyone has given me to get started.. I can't thank you enough!

[officergrizly2]

Guess I need to change my diet. thanks for the info.