First, a short intro. I started lifting when I realized I was getting too fat, I asked a bunch of questions about lifting from the coaches and some of the guys that seemed like they knew what they were doing. Many questions and days later I found myself here and now on these forums still asking questions. I’ve read about a dozen articles, but I’m gonna need some advice on these.
I know I’m suppose to eat healthy and mass protein, but I’m a poor college student :(. I’m only 20, so I’m still living with my parents and I am trying to gain strength. I’ve seen increases in weight, but they are way too slow, ex: 30 lbs on squat in a year. I realized my problem is my diet, but I don’t know how to get the right about of protein in my diet without breaking my wallet. I’ve requested that my parents buy healthier, but even though they agree they should, I find chocolate fudge-crap-filled-shit and food that has at least 20 grams of fat in it, but there is nothing else to eat.
Is there any suggestions that could help me gain mass with only $65-$75 dollars per week in food\supplements? My long term goals (aka about 8-10 years) consist of sub-bodybuilder goals. Such as 400 lbs bench, 750 deadlift, 325 lbs pulldown, 225 shoulder press, and many more, but those are just numbers you can imagine where I want the rest of my body to go.
I am not a complete newbie and I was just wondering if I should just do a workout to keep what I have now until I move out\have enough money for a proper diet, or should I start now. Sorry for the long post, please help.
Attachment of current maxes:
Benchpress 230 lbs
Dumbbell Benchpress (each arm) 105 lbs
Incline Benchpresss 175 lbs
Deadlift 360 lbs
Squats 325 lbs
Lunges 125 lbs
Powercleans 225 lbs
Dumbbell Curls (one arm) 55 lbs
Tricep Extensions (one arm) 60 lbs
Leg Extensions (each leg) 190 lbs
Shrugs 275 lbs
Dumbell Shrugs (each arm) 125 lbs
One Legged Press (Machine) 315 lbs
Weighted Pulldowns 250 lbs
Dips (Machine) 300 lbs
Leg press 630 lbs
Upright Rows 145 lbs
Low Row 180 lbs
Shoulder Press 185 lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 80 lbs
Dumbbell Row 70 lbs
Lateral Dumbbell Raise 35 lbs
Frontal Dumbbell Raise 35 lbs
Reverse Flys 25 lbs
Dumbbell Flys 55 lbs
there a plenty ways to get enough protein without any supplements.
eat lots of milk products like milk (duh), cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, lowfat quark which can be pretty cheap per g of protein depending where you live
make sure your carbs come from sources which already have some protein, e.g. oatmeal
then the usual stuff like eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, meat etc…
As for the training, i really can’t think of a routine just to ‘maintain’ as opposed to training ‘normal’ (e.g. with a goal of strength/mass gain)
I don’t think I could motivate myself to work hard if it was just to maintain something
Just pick a ‘real’ program and stick to it 
Lean Meat, Eggs, Veggies, Oats, Dairy products, Olive Oil.
I shop for three people and I only spend $130 a week. So that puts one person at less than $50. I don’t think you are buying the right things.
Also, if you want to include the whole family, tell them you’ll do the shopping, and get mama’s credit card.
You fly - they buy. And tell them you’ll save them some money by only buying good stuff.
Thanks for the advice :). Specifics help too, I’m gonna try to pick up cooking and hopefully make some of the stuff I eat taste a lot better, and of course healthier. More tips \ recipes appriciated.
Tip: eat only what was listed above. Fruits are ok too. Cook it however you like.
I don’t have time to give you specifics. Google can give you all the specifics you need.
Eating healthy while in college can be hard. I can totally relate to that.
I don’t know if you have seen the “recipes with photos” thread. Some of them can be a little complicated/expensive, but there are tons of ideas there. Plus, it’s stuff the whole family can enjoy so it might help you encourage them to dump all that fudge filled crap.
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1498939
Also, there is an article called “Berardi’s kitchen” which is basically a detailed list of healthy food. I know the guys already covered the important stuff (lean meat, eggs, oats, etc) but I thought it may give you a few other ideas. The section on condiments and sauces helped me make my food taste better (i’m really not a very good cook)
Part 1
http://www.T-Nation.com/findArticle.do?article=314kit2
Part 2
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=465471
I suggest chicken liver, or maybe some other meat by-products.
I don’t know how much it costs in the US, but in Europe I get 1kg at 2 dollars. It packs about 170g of protein and 50g of fat. Compare that to chicken breast(7 dollars).
I have my few staple foods that I buy at BJs wholesale club each month. Believe me, it’s difficult to get by without going broke on your food bills (I’m a NYC teacher, so I could literally eat myself homeless).
I typically pick up bulk packages of:
-Oatmeal
-Natural Peanut Butter
-Cashews and Almonds
-Precooked and frozen chicken breasts
-Canned tuna
-Chopped Meat (you can get a 5lb package and make/freeze your own burger patties)
Ill still pick up my veggies and things that spoil quickly at my normal supermarket, but the bulk situation of the above mentioned foods helps a lot (and saves some dough)
-S