T Nation

Clean Bulking vs Dirty

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

I have packed on around 5-7 lb.s of muscle in the last 2 months taking MassTech and eating anything and everything. On a given day I might consume 4 cheeseburgers, pizza, whatever.

While I am pleased with my weight gain and haven’t noticed any more body fat ( just muscle), I am concerned with long term health effects. I have heard of many "in shape " strong men having strokes and what not later in life supposebly linked to red meat, cheeseburgers, etc.

How should I balance this? The thing is…eating healthier and bulking clean costs significantly more and is much more time consuming (I’m a college student). I am also experiencing great effects in size with my current eating (crappy) and lifting. Having said that, I’d like to live past the age of 40. What do you guys do to deal with this while your trying to put on lots of size. Any suggestions welcome.

#2
  1. doubt it
  2. You eat like shit all the time your health will be effected
  3. I eat 1-2 cheat meals a week for that extra bit of cals and eat clean the rest of the time.
#3

News flash: Big and strong does not necessarily mean the person is also healthy, though it also certainly the former does not preclude the latter.

#4

Thanks for the quick replies. Obviously I knew the bulking I was doing isn’t healthy…hence me coming here for advice. I was looking more for what calorically dense foods you guys have had success with, supplements (weight gainers), etc. that are quick and cheap. Any other reccomendations welcome.

Waylander…I’m sorry you doubt my results. Especially since 5 lbs. in 2 months is so damn hard to believe.

#5

5 lbs of muscle in 2 months, especially when eating crap, is kinda hard to believe. Your body can’t make muscle from pizza and weight gainers made from sugars and saw dust.

S

#6

Unless you were shredded to begin with, 5-7 pounds of fat accumulation will not be that noticeable.

#7

go to the doctor and get your blood pressure and triglycerides checked periodically. do cardio if needed.

lol @ masstech

#8

eggs
ground beef
milk

cheap and relatively awesome.

#9

Don’t forget natural peanut butter man. Also cheeseburgers shouldn’t be considered dirty unless you get them from a restaurant or fast food. If your making them yourself and aren’t prepping for a BB contest then eat them up. Nothing wrong with protein and carbs. Pizza on the other hand shouldn’t be a regular thing in your diet. The less ingredients going in you the better.

#10

I’ve been eating like shit (basically) since I came home from school for the summer and I have been seeing great results. This may not work for everyone and it may have something to do with my age, but I really don’t think you should hesitate to eat pizza, burgers, brats, whatever you want. I guess it really depends on your goals, but if you’re not competing in bodybuilding then i don’t really see a reason not to eat as much as you can. Eating “shitty” helps me get enough calories and I’ve been seeing great strength and size gains with minimal chub. Starting weight in May was 198 and I’m currently 214 and significantly stronger in all my lifts.

Note: I also went to the doctor last week and had my blood work done, everything was still in perfect orrder.

EDIT: I just re-read the last paragraph of your post. It sounds like we’re in the same situation. If there’s ever a time to stuff your face and get stronger with minimal negative health effects, it’s now.

#11

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
5 lbs of muscle in 2 months, especially when eating crap, is kinda hard to believe. Your body can’t make muscle from pizza and weight gainers made from sugars and saw dust.

S[/quote]

That is a little simplistic and flat out not true. I think I’ve written how I ate in college…and I gained a good deal of muscle from that. That is NOT some endorsement to eat crap all day as I would NOT do the same now or recommend it, but to say that your body can’t grow muscle with a caloric surplus because pizza was involved is just wrong. Those weight gainers were the top selling supplements in the 80’s and early 90’s. I also used a number of them as a beginner and while I again think they are mostly crap now, I still got bigger and stronger from it.

Bottom line, there are simply better ways to get the job done now than load up on sugar and low protein foods.

There is nothing wrong with pizza. There is something wrong with eating like that every fucking day.

#12

[quote]mcdermottbp wrote:
I’ve been eating like shit (basically) since I came home from school for the summer and I have been seeing great results. This may not work for everyone and it may have something to do with my age, but I really don’t think you should hesitate to eat pizza, burgers, brats, whatever you want. I guess it really depends on your goals, but if you’re not competing in bodybuilding then i don’t really see a reason not to eat as much as you can. Eating “shitty” helps me get enough calories and I’ve been seeing great strength and size gains with minimal chub. Starting weight in May was 198 and I’m currently 214 and significantly stronger in all my lifts.

Note: I also went to the doctor last week and had my blood work done, everything was still in perfect orrder.

EDIT: I just re-read the last paragraph of your post. It sounds like we’re in the same situation. If there’s ever a time to stuff your face and get stronger with minimal negative health effects, it’s now.[/quote]

It all comes down to how bad you want it, your resources, your work ethic and even your age.

If you are some guy who half asses his workouts, you would be a dumbass to eat like that AT ALL.

If you are 45 years old and are just starting thinking you will gain 50lbs like when you were 20 so you start eating like this, again you are a dumbass.

If you are making enough to afford the food you could be eating but choose all fast food over it, you are a dumbass.

However, if you are a broke ass college student with no money and a goal of being one huge mutherfucker, then maybe you shouldn’t be wasting the best growth years of your life because you are afraid of pizza and a hamburger.

#13

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
5 lbs of muscle in 2 months, especially when eating crap, is kinda hard to believe. Your body can’t make muscle from pizza and weight gainers made from sugars and saw dust.

S[/quote]

That is a little simplistic and flat out not true. I think I’ve written how I ate in college…and I gained a good deal of muscle from that. That is NOT some endorsement to eat crap all day as I would NOT do the same now or recommend it, but to say that your body can’t grow muscle with a caloric surplus because pizza was involved is just wrong. Those weight gainers were the top selling supplements in the 80’s and early 90’s. I also used a number of them as a beginner and while I again think they are mostly crap now, I still got bigger and stronger from it.

Bottom line, there are simply better ways to get the job done now than load up on sugar and low protein foods.

There is nothing wrong with pizza. There is something wrong with eating like that every fucking day.[/quote]

C’Mon X,… even you don’ believe that he put on 5-7 lbs of ‘muscle’ in the last 2 months eating like that -lol. A caloric surplus from a little ‘crap’ is one thing (assuming you’ve got your basics covered), but in this case, I doubt it.

S

#14

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
5 lbs of muscle in 2 months, especially when eating crap, is kinda hard to believe. Your body can’t make muscle from pizza and weight gainers made from sugars and saw dust.

S[/quote]

That is a little simplistic and flat out not true. I think I’ve written how I ate in college…and I gained a good deal of muscle from that. That is NOT some endorsement to eat crap all day as I would NOT do the same now or recommend it, but to say that your body can’t grow muscle with a caloric surplus because pizza was involved is just wrong. Those weight gainers were the top selling supplements in the 80’s and early 90’s. I also used a number of them as a beginner and while I again think they are mostly crap now, I still got bigger and stronger from it.

Bottom line, there are simply better ways to get the job done now than load up on sugar and low protein foods.

There is nothing wrong with pizza. There is something wrong with eating like that every fucking day.[/quote]

C’Mon X,… even you don’ believe that he put on 5-7 lbs of ‘muscle’ in the last 2 months eating like that -lol. A caloric surplus from a little ‘crap’ is one thing (assuming you’ve got your basics covered), but in this case, I doubt it.

S[/quote]

It stood out to me because I WAS making progress like that, especially in those first couple of years. I might go up in weight very quickly and then hover around the same weight for the next month or two. I’ve trained a guy who gained over 20lbs in two months and lost body fat. He wasn’t “average” but it happens.

This guy may be full of shit, but people with the genetics for this DO make gains like that.

#15

Get a goddamn meal plan.

#16

Stu…while I believe I don’t have anything to prove to you, I’ll try to find a picture. Not bragging, but I have an insanely fast metabolism and can eat junk food with little side effects. Now, I know ultimately it will bite me in the ass, which is why I started this thread. I am not naiive. I’m simply a broke ass college student who wants to continue great results but not at the expense of heart surgery later in life. And laugh as you may at MassTech, it is cheap and I have seen results. “Saw dust” or not. Thanks for all the advice tho guys.

#17

Sometimes I take a shower when I bulk and sometimes I don’t…

#18

Not trying to pick a fight or be negative, it’s just that the genetically ‘gifted’ are pretty rare, and I see a lot of BS posts up here lately :slight_smile:

S

#19

I think X made a good point. You’re somewhere around 20 years old, your metabolism is still ridiculous, and college (for me, at least) lends itself to eating “whatever you want”. I’ll always opt to eat decently if I can, but if I’m out with friends or short on time it’s really not worth stressing over eating a “shitty” double cheeseburger. Like you said, I know it’s just a matter of time before i’m going to have to clean up my diet or i’ll get chubby.

BUT, I’ve been eating kind of like a pig for 3 months and all my blood indicators are good and I’m still at 11% bodyfat. Eating like you mentioned has been the difference for me to finally put on size and I would recommend it (at least for a short period of time). I’ve gone from 185 - 214 with a good 15 pounds being added in the last three months. I just wasn’t eating enough! Ideally, you’d eat raw oats, eggs, chicken, and lots of vegetables… but at this point in your life (our, assuming we’re similar ages and have similar metabolism) it’s much more realistic to just eat everything you can.

Stu, you also make a good point, but from judging by your profile picture you have very different physique goals than just getting huge and you’ve been doing this a lot longer.

And I kind of have to lol @ mass tech. It’s very overpriced compared to getting whey protein, waxy maize carbs and some creatine mono and I think you’d see better results. BUT, that’s just my 2 cents.

#20

[quote]Professor X wrote:

However, if you are a broke ass college student with no money and a goal of being one huge mutherfucker, then maybe you shouldn’t be wasting the best growth years of your life because you are afraid of pizza and a hamburger.[/quote]

YES.