What Do I Need to Increase?

Diet and Nutrition
1

First of all, I’m sure these questions have been answered in one form or another on this forum already. I apologize for re-asking anything you may consider common knowledge.

That being said, I’m re-tooling my diet and found that despite getting adequate protein, I am still calorie deficient for my goal of weight gain. FYI, I’m 5’10" weighing in at around 160lbs, so according to JB’s calculations, I need roughly 3200 or 3500 kcals (can’t remember which).

My numbers for an average day:

  • 210g protein (mostly whey and casein) in forms of ON Whey and skim milk, then protein from red meat and poultry.
  • 250g carbs (from oatmeal, apples, strawberries, milk, sweet potato, green beans, etc)
  • 75g fat (from fish oils, milk, cheese, almonds, other mixed nuts)

However, with that, I only rack up around 2500 kcals. What food groups should I increase? I’m not carb sensitive, so I could stand to eat whole grain pasta. Maybe more fats? More of everything in general? Lemme know. Thanks.

2

I find it hard to believe if you’re eating a decent amount of the foods that you listed that you can’t break 2500cals.

But I think you should trying adding in Brown Rice or Whole Wheat Pasta like you said. Almonds and Natural PB can help pad the calories as well.

3

try throwing in another meal…knock 15 minutes off in between what you’re doing now and you’ll have time

4

What kind of foods (healthy) do you like?

Eat more of that. :slight_smile:

5

3200cals divided by 6 meals = roughly 530cals per meal. Extremely easy to do. If you only have time for 5 meals, just make your breakfast or the first whole food meal PWO bigger.

6

You could also use a higher %fat milk. That is a JB recommendation as well. I’m with esk, how are you not breaking the 2500 mark? Are you weighing out your food to know how much you are getting?

7

[quote]Arioch wrote:
You could also use a higher %fat milk. That is a JB recommendation as well. I’m with esk, how are you not breaking the 2500 mark? Are you weighing out your food to know how much you are getting?[/quote]

I guess I’m not weighing it out as you say. I do eat a lot of high protein, low calorie foods like cans of tuna. That could account for the number of grams of each respective nutrient I get, while keeping the calorie count low. I’ll plan on getting 2% milk next time. See how I do with that, and then maybe make the leap to whole milk.

8

[quote]esk221 wrote:
3200cals divided by 6 meals = roughly 530cals per meal. Extremely easy to do. If you only have time for 5 meals, just make your breakfast or the first whole food meal PWO bigger.[/quote]

For my PWO meal, all I usually “eat” is a serving of Surge. I’ve been doing that because I thought you weren’t supposed to mess with the nutrient ratios by eating more food along with Surge since its already so well balanced. I’m assuming I’m not entirely correct here?

EDIT: Just to clarify, I do eat 5-6 meals a day. Big breakfast, lunch, protein shake, dinner, snack, bedtime protein shake. Maybe I’m making some stupid calculation mistake and I really am getting more cals than I think. Appreciate the help regardless.

9

Nah, I meant the meal AFTER the Surge. You are eating a meal soon after your PWO shake, right?

10

[quote]esk221 wrote:
Nah, I meant the meal AFTER the Surge. You are eating a meal soon after your PWO shake, right?[/quote]

How soon should I be eating one? I work out usually around 4, get done by 5, have my Surge and then have dinner around 6:30.

And on the topic of Surge, it usually makes me kinda sleepy.

11

That sounds about right. I try to get my next whole food meal about an hour after my PWO shake.

12

[quote]MetalGear86 wrote:
esk221 wrote:
3200cals divided by 6 meals = roughly 530cals per meal. Extremely easy to do. If you only have time for 5 meals, just make your breakfast or the first whole food meal PWO bigger.

For my PWO meal, all I usually “eat” is a serving of Surge. I’ve been doing that because I thought you weren’t supposed to mess with the nutrient ratios by eating more food along with Surge since its already so well balanced. I’m assuming I’m not entirely correct here?

EDIT: Just to clarify, I do eat 5-6 meals a day. Big breakfast, lunch, protein shake, dinner, snack, bedtime protein shake. Maybe I’m making some stupid calculation mistake and I really am getting more cals than I think. Appreciate the help regardless.

[/quote]

Ok, well starting with the prebed meal, you say its just a protein shake. Perhaps you can pick up some full fat cottage cheese and have 1 cup of that (200 cals) with maybe one serving of PB or nuts (about 200 or 170 cals respectively). That’s a good start.

And the other poster, I believe, meant the first whole food meal after you have taken your shake. So you have Surge after workout, then the first meal after that you can increase because your body will be primed to absorb nutrients. It’s like making your breakfast bigger - your body will effectively utilize the calories.

Go on fitday.com if you haven’t already and put everything you eat into that program. It will give you an idea of what you are eating and how many cals/meal. Then add 100 cals or so to each meal and there you go, about 500-600 extra cals a day.

13

I think you may be more carb sensitive than you think - if Surge makes you sleepy, that’s basically the test, and it means you are. Listen to your body.