mod83

Hi,

A challenge for you. I’m 21 from the UK, over 6ft and weigh 10.5 stone – v.slightly underweight, but the tops of my arms and legs are very thin, I’ve got no hips or bum! I plan to bulk up rapidly using the gym, a new diet and using a supplement - Prolab Power 2 or Reflex Instant Mass.

I was hoping for some diet advice, my current diet isn’t brilliant or particularly healthy – but I live in caterered University accommodation and am restricted by time, money and facilities. I’m a sucker for chocolate and processed convenience foods! I don’t drink or smoke but to give some context, here’s my gym routine…

4 1-hour sessions a week, 15 minutes of cardio work to get things flowing, then low repetitions of high weights mainly on machines but also using free weights. I alternate - concentrating on legs one day, and arms/shoulders next.

I’m buying some dumbbells for daily use at home too.

Here’s a list of foods I eat fairly regularly and enjoy (I’m fairly fussy and unadventurous, unfortunately)…

Breakfast foods:
Sausages, bacon, baked beans, eggs, toast, jam, marmalade, muesli, corn flakes, bran flakes, rice crispies, weetabix,

Carbs/Veg:
Broccoli, sprouts, potatoes, baked potatoes (with cheese/tuna/baked beans), chips, cheese, tuna, cucumber, lettuce, pizzas, tinned spaghetti, pasta, rice.

Meat/fish:
Beef steak (usually fresh), chicken/ham/turkey (usually processed/sliced), chicken tikka masala with rice (processed/microwave), fish pie (processed/microwave), burgers, pasta (minced beef with sauce), sausages, Quorn.

Snacks:
Biscuits, yoghurt, plain/milk chocolate, grain snack bars (e.g. Nutrigrain), fruit...

Fruit:
Red apples, grapes, bananas, tangerines/nectarines.

Fast/Junk Food:
I like Subway sandwiches, Burger King and margarita pizzas, crisps (‘potato chips’), plain/milk chocolate.

Drink:
Water, coffee, diet coke, orange juice.


An average day:

Breakfast:
Coffee, 1 slice of toast and jam, 1 egg white, 1 bowl corn flakes. 1 multivitamin and 1 cod-liver oil capsule.

Lunch:
Cold snack, usually (processed) chicken/ham sandwich or tuna, mayo and cucumber wrap. Chocolate bar, piece of fruit and small bottle of water.

Dinner:
Usually a ‘school dinner’ type affair as I live in catered University accommodation – a typical meal is meat, one veg and chips or potatoes. Tinned fruit, yoghurt or cake for desert.

Before bed:
Bowl of weetabix

I snack on fruit and chocolate throughout the day.

I know nothing about diet or calories. Has anyone any ideas how I can shape this into a fast bulking diet? I know there’s some kind-hearted legendary people on this board who know their stuff!! I'd be extremely grateful! =o)

Tom.

Jock

I stuggled with nutrition when I was in Uni halls mate, but you've got make the best of it.

First off it sounds as if you have a fast metabolism, so you must eat LOADS of calories to gain weight

A good way to figure out a good bulking calorie total is to multiply your weight in pounds by 24, so you need:

147lbs x 24 = 3528kcals per day (at your weight it wouldn't hurt to shoot for 4,000kcals a day)

To make sure the weight you put on will be quality, you must get your nutrition from quality sources.

Diet Split:

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is so bear with me. Firstly you will need plenty of carbs to fuel your workouts, second you will need protein and a lot of it. protein is essential to anyone looking to gain muscle. Not least thirdly you will need fats, these are essential to all people and are important for good-health.

So a well balanced diet split would be:
40% Protein
40% Carbs
20% Fat

Now assuming you are going to eat 4,000kcals a day you must aim to get:

1600kcals from Protein
1600kcals from Carbs
800kcals from Fat

Remember that
(1g Protein = 4kcals)
(1g Carbs = 4ckals)
1g Fat = 9kcals)

Bearing this in mind this should give you daily totals of:

400g Protein
400g Carbs
89g Fat

Divide these totals by 6 to get meal totals (on the 6-meals a day plan)

Reduce your weight-training days to 3x a week, concentrate on heavy, compound lifts (Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press) use low reps and heavy weights (6-8)

Throw a whey protein shake down your neck within 30mins of your workout and include some simple carbs (sugars) such as dextrose and/or maltodextrin, then eat a post workout meal with plenty of carbs and protein in it within 90 mins of your post-workout shake.

Drink 1-2 gallons of water a day and get 8 hours sleep every night.

Best of luck, Jock

(Welcome to the board also!)

BadGirl

Mod83: thats really good advice from Jock, but you need to change your mindset. Right now you have what Skip Lacour calls a slacker mentality, you are setting really low expectations so that almost nothing would constitute failiure.
Surely you think better of yourself than that, instead of focussing on the obstacles try an exercise.
If I was to give you £1 million to eat right, thats good healthy foods no more than 3 hours apart through the day to the ratios Jock gave you, with intense workouts based on fee weights and proper post workout nutrition what questions would you ask, what would you plan to get your 1million be.

If you can approach bodybuilding with a winners attitude you will build your best body.

Sorry If I sound down on you, but so many people seem to have a similar attitude and it saddens me that people think so lowly of their own capability.

Dare to be outstanding !

And remember the secret ingredient of bodybuilding success - TIME.

Love
Bad Girl

demon

That's a really good phrase - I like it.

Jock

I totally agree here, if you aren't serious about gaining some quality muscle then there is little point.

I don't mean to lump you into the 'I wanna really big, really fast' group of people, but unfortunatley these people are everywhere. That what makes bodybuilding such a demanding sport, you have to live, eat and breath consistant, intense training and good nutrition for months and even years before you begin to see results, 95% of people give up before they make any progress.

If you post regularly on this board the people here will give you all the knowledge and information you need to gain quality mass, you have no excuse illness/work/injury/personal life etc are all common reasons why people don't have the body they want.

'people that say "I'm gonna get big someday" are talking sh1t, there are seven days in a week and 'someday' isn't one of them'

Killerkeane

And remember the secret ingredient of bodybuilding success - TIME.

everyone varies in time and a lot of people cannot help this but they can help dedication!

Jock thankfully has worked out what you need, all you have to do is plan and STICK to it, if you don't then forget about gaining matey!
It sounds like your quite serious about gaining weight, but it is hard work. However, you dedicate your time to planning and execution and you will be fine
Welcome to the boards and good luck!