What are you all doing in regards to the above? You don’t really see a lot about micro nutrients, just macros, sat fat and sodium.
If you have a meal plan would be great to see that too.
Most of the micros get met if your diet is balanced. If you do the bro plan and just eat chicken, rice, and oatmeal then yeah, micros will be a big problem. But for most people the micros just ride along without you noticing because you eat normal foods.
Here’s a typical day for me, although I’m in a bad place currently so don’t necessarily follow this plan.
Breakfast- after my AM workout I’ll grab a shake because I want something quick. Once I’m at the office and settled I’ll eat two hard boiled eggs, maybe two cheddar cheese sticks, and some Greek yogurt.
Lunch- a salad with greens, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken, and beans. Occasionally will do the salad minus chicken and instead have tuna separately. Once a week this is a sandwich instead, but that usually throws off my day.
Dinner- chicken or pork (beef once a week), a green vegetable, and a starchy carb like sweet potatoes or rice. When zucchini is in season (and it’s been great this whole summer and fall) I’ll make noodles with cherry tomatoes and grilled chicken breasts. Pasta maybe once every 10 days if I can spare the calories.
Snacks- nuts, a banana here or there, more yogurt, that sort of thing.
I eat a ton of vegetables so most micros are covered by that and the meat/egg portions. I’d I was not attempting to cut right now it would be even easier to hit all the micros. It’s about finding food you’ll actually eat and that has what you need in it. Lots of trial and error with the big picture stuff, but don’t sweat the micros if you’re eating a good variety of foods.
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I’ll add that calories are damn important. Way more important than macros.
Ive been counting calories and macros for 7 years more or less exact and the most important things are:
- Calories
- Protein
I eat 4000 kcals to bulk this winter with 200g of protein give or take.
I eat 2600 kcals for a slow cut with 200 g of protein.
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I generally agree with both of the above, I’ll add that I am pretty closely following the vertical diet (~90-95% compliant).
I eat about 245 p (1g/lb/day), 80 f(.3g/lb/day), and the remainder is carbs, about 300g. This is around 2900 cals/day which is maintenance or slightly below for me. as far as micronutrients, that’s all covered in the vertical diet; B vitamins, creatine, calcium, potassium, etc etc, the list goes on. I do supplement magnesium and vitamin D, but getting all your macros and micros from food sources are always the best option when possible. Supplements are just that: supplemental.
During my previous cut from 265 to 241, I was eating 1.2g/lb/day protein and kept my fat the same at .3 g/lb/day and dropped my carbs to put myself into a 500 cal/day deficit. I was around 2350 cals/day. I was eating close to 140 carbs on non-training days and 180 on training days
When I do decide to bulk, eventually I am going to try to fill out the 265 lb strongman sub-weight class I’ll actually drop my protein to .8g/lb/day and increase my carbs to put myself into a 500-600 cal surplus.
On cycle or off cycle I treat it the same way, but running NPP I had to eat probably another 50-100g carbs per day just to maintain weight vs TRT only.
EDIT: I do believe micro nutrients are INCREDIBLY important but as long as I stay on my diet I never worry about them since it’s already built into the framework of the diet.
Aren’t your sodium and potassium a bit low on that layout?
What would be a day of eating if you were trying to gain weight?
My biggest issue is getting enough food in, without the garbage micros, or going too high on certain ones. My maintainance is 4k calories a day, so i eat 4.5k - 4.7k.
I definietly agree. If you aren’t eating for your goals your at a stand still, or worse getting further from them.
So you dont really watch carbs/fat and micros too closely? Just keep it simple?
How lean are you? So roughly around 3400 cals while bulking?
Yes. I gotta say, I am eating the same things every week: salads, steak, chicken, rice, noodles, some bread, orange juice, tomatoes, pepper bells, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, protein powder, instant oats, maybe some fish and then some fast food. I’m also trying to be on the higher carb side but my fats are never low (like 50-100 g)
That’s what I ate today until now.
Normally im getting my micros in pretty easily I think. But I take a multivitamin or minerals once in a while.
In essence, no. I’ll look that my protein is right, then that I got the right amount of calories and since I’m bulking right now, I’ll strive for higher carbs so I’ll look that my fats don’t get crazy high but if they do once in a while I don’t care.
This is roughly what i do, although not as much salads as i would like. Im not lean at the moment so like i mentioned above my maintainance is roughly 4k calories. Eating in a 500-700 surplus. 4700 cals is a bitch to eat at times. I had quite some time off the gym before and during covid and body comp has suffered. Running this bulk out the last 6 weeks then its a 4 month cut to get to where i want to be.
Actually my buddy and I both bulk right now and we decided to do what Muhammad Ali said about calories:
I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count
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The best way ive found to get them all in with minimal struggle is really stretch them out. I eat 5 meals and 1 smoothie at the moment. Breakfast is the hardest for me, then they get easier through the day. Not entirely sure why.
Smoothie is 750 cals on its own. Easy calories.
Same with me. That was also more of a joke. I had bad gastritis issues last year so I don’t eat large quantities (over 1200 kcals at once) but I spread them out too. I also drink 3 oats and protein shakes per day for roughly 1200 kcals. That makes it a bit easier. But if I’m honest I’m nearly never hungry atm because I’m in a surplus. I need some more time to get accustomed to the high calorie diet. Takes me about a month every bulk.
Its not half wrong as long as your not pushing stupid amounts of food down your throat.
I find even after eating that much through the day ill still get hungry before bed. I dont eat though, maybe just a protein shake an hour before bed if i havent hit protein for the day.
I tried the oats thing, couldnt get it down due to the consistency. I have banana, low fat milk, protein, peanut butter and honey in mine now.
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Well I’m getting fatter on 1,800kcal/d so I guess the answer to what I’d eat to gain is “what I’m eating now”. 
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5’7” 187 20%
At one point I was at 17% and looked so much better. But when gyms opened up I just put on a ton of weight. I actually hit 194 after lifting and doing more cardio and eating 2,000kcal/d. My metabolism is more fucked than a teenage girl on Epstein’s 727.
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Do you get hungry while eating that quantity? Im to the point now im keen for the cut because im sick of eating.
Im 235, 5’11" and the skin fold is saying 18%, although i believe im more 20-22%.
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What’s up? Depressive episode, anxiety/generalised depression due to uncertainty over the economy/politics? Issues at work/with relationships/familial issues?
I’m young and perhaps thus not the best person to talk to, though I have quite a bit of anecdotal experience with (severe) depression and/or suicidal ideation. From my own experience it can be immensely helpful to have someone simply ask if you’re okay… so I’m asking if you’re okay…
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