# Not gaining, review my diet



## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

Thanks for looking guys. I'm trying to bulk up over the next 6-7 months before I start to cut and compete back end of next year. I'm eating 3300 calories over 6 meals a day mon-friday and generally eat a load of s**t meals out on a weekend. Protein 330g carbs 330g fats 73g. The diet is quite clean and boring and to be honest I usually eat over my 3300 calories. I'll post a general idea of what I eat daily.

Meal 1 - 700kc

50g oats, 250g no fat Greek yogurt, 250ml semi-skimmed milk, 100g berries, 50g My Protein powder.

Meal 2 - 400kc

200g cooked pasta, 125g boiled chicken

Meal 3 - 550kc

Steak mince cooked 160g, beans 100g , 3 slices wholemeal bread.

Meal 4 - 500kc

Grilled chicken 125g, uncle bens rice 250g

Meal 5 - 700kc

50g oats, 250g no fat Greek yogurt, 250ml semi-skimmed milk, 100g berries, 50g My Protein powder.

Meal 6 - 300kc

125g grilled chicken, 250g boiled potatoes

Roughly a days intake, most meals include some mayonnaise to get the food down a bit easier. I'm a bit lost on where to go from here and any help would be appreciated lads.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

You need to eat more calories, which I'd do in terms of fat and carbs. Protein is probably higher than is really useful already.

Are you natty or using AAS?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Oh, and it's total calories that determine fat gain, so if you wanted to add on some different foods just because you enjoy eating them that would be fine. More fruit and veg wouldn't be a bad idea for general health either.


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> You need to eat more calories, which I'd do in terms of fat and carbs. Protein is probably higher than is really useful already.
> 
> Are you natty or using AAS?


 Natty at the minute, came off cycle a few month ago and stopping off until January now



Ultrasonic said:


> Oh, and it's total calories that determine fat gain, so if you wanted to add on some different foods just because you enjoy eating them that would be fine. More fruit and veg wouldn't be a bad idea for general health either.


 I'll try adding some more veg to my meals. What in terms of healthy fats would you suggest? Im not a fish/nut lover but I've seen people add olive oil to shakes?


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## WhiteSocks90 (Aug 28, 2017)

I'd agree, more fat intake, as protein more than high enough.

Nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy instead of the low fat stuff you currently eat. Easy way to get more calories in, too. Olive oil can make for a nice dressing.

And get some veggies on your plate


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

I'd rather add olive oil to things like pasta than a shake personally. I've not tried it but I've heard it suggested to add ground flax (linseed) to shakes. Personally I have ground flax in with my porridge.

I'd also switch to having full fat milk rather than semi skimmed.

Don't be afraid of more obviously pleasurable foods as well. I'll have some sort of cake most days when gaining for example.

Oh, and eggs are an obvious higher fat food not in your example day above. You also mentioned bread: do you have butter or some form of fat spread on this?


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

WhiteSocks90 said:


> I'd agree, more fat intake, as protein more than high enough.
> 
> Nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy instead of the low fat stuff you currently eat. Easy way to get more calories in, too. Olive oil can make for a nice dressing.
> 
> And get some veggies on your plate


 Yeah good idea on the yogurts I'll up that to the full fat version and get some steamed veg to have with my meals



Ultrasonic said:


> I'd rather add olive oil to things like pasta than a shake personally. I've not tried it but I've heard it suggested to add ground flax (linseed) to shakes. Personally I have ground flax in with my porridge.
> 
> I'd also switch to having full fat milk rather than semi skimmed.
> 
> ...


 I do have boiled eggs most weeks as a meal before bed. Usually somewhere between 6-10 but only 2-4 yellows and the rest whites. I'll get full fat milk and full fat yogurts along with some veg for next week. I've always ate relatively clean and it's worked for me so far but I feel I've been stuck where I am now for too long. You guys might be right and I think I'm being too scared of fats.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Throwing egg yolks away should be made a criminal offence - there's loads of nutrients there.


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

Ultrasonic said:


> Throwing egg yolks away should be made a criminal offence - there's loads of nutrients there.


 I toss mine so i can eat more carbs arrest me.

(Yes ****).


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Sphinkter said:


> I toss mine so i can eat more carbs arrest me.
> 
> (Yes ****).


 Eat fewer eggs instead...

(I just think binning eggs yolks is a colossal waste of good food.)


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

Ultrasonic said:


> Eat fewer eggs instead...
> 
> (I just think binning eggs yolks is a colossal waste of good food.)


 But protonz bruh


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> Throwing egg yolks away should be made a criminal offence - there's loads of nutrients there.


 I know what you're saying mate but I hate the taste of the yolk, it's rank. At least whites don't taste of anything haha


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## AestheticManlet (Jun 12, 2012)

FYI olive oil in a shake usually makes it taste better. If you opt for unflavoured whey like I used to and will go back to get some flavdrops from bp or mp, especially the non fruity ones and you can't tell it's there.


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## Cypionate (Jan 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> Eat fewer eggs instead...
> 
> (I just think binning eggs yolks is a colossal waste of good food.)


 I stopped eating yolks after watching a vid saying that was where all the cholesterol was, and only about 30% of the total protein?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Cypionate said:


> I stopped eating yolks after watching a vid saying that was where all the cholesterol was, and only about 30% of the total protein?


 Well it is where the cholesterol is but for the vast majority of people this is irrelevant.

Not sure how accurate this is but first result in Google showing nutrient split:

https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/10/11/the-nurtional-value-of-egg-whites-versus-egg-yolks-what-do-you-use/


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## Cypionate (Jan 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> Well it is where the cholesterol is but for the vast majority of people this is irrelevant.
> 
> Not sure how accurate this is but first result in Google showing nutrient split:
> 
> https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/10/11/the-nurtional-value-of-egg-whites-versus-egg-yolks-what-do-you-use/


 So probably beneficial to use say 8 whites & 2 whole eggs in your 10 egg omelette


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Cypionate said:


> So probably beneficial to use say 8 whites & 2 whole eggs in your 10 egg omelette


 When I have eggs I have three large eggs soft fried on three slices of toast, with a butter/olive blended fat spread. That's 37g of protein in the meal which is plenty from a functional point of view for me.

I don't lose sleep over this or anything but for people who really only want whites I think buying liquid egg whites is a much more ethical choice than buying whole eggs and throwing the yolks away. On the health front you'll find that the evidence is at the very least mixed, and certainly not in any way clear that eating whole eggs is 'unhealthy'. I suggest you have a Google if you're interested. The cholesterol really isn't a problem for the vast majority of people. The saturated fat content could be but equally you want some saturated fat in your diet. (Vegans would start talking about the choline content leading to TMAO being a negative health aspect FWIW.) On a pure bodybuilding front the yolks contain protein, fat and lots of micronutrients.

Oh, and egg yolks also taste good  .


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## Cypionate (Jan 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> When I have eggs I have three large eggs soft fried on three slices of toast, with a butter/olive blended fat spread. That's 37g of protein in the meal which is plenty from a functional point of view for me.
> 
> I don't lose sleep over this or anything but for people who really only want whites I think buying liquid egg whites is a much more ethical choice than buying whole eggs and throwing the yolks away. On the health front you'll find that the evidence is at the very least mixed, and certainly not in any way clear that eating whole eggs is 'unhealthy'. I suggest you have a Google if you're interested. The cholesterol really isn't a problem for the vast majority of people. The saturated fat content could be but equally you want some saturated fat in your diet. (Vegans would start talking about the choline content leading to TMAO being a negative health aspect FWIW.) On a pure bodybuilding front the yolks contain protein, fat and lots of micronutrients.
> 
> Oh, and egg yolks also taste good  .


 Yea I like the taste, used to love fried egg and red sauce sarnies when I was eating unhealthily

The egg white liquid from an ethical POV would make me wonder what they do with the yolks at the factory where they separate them anyway, so that side of things doesn't really bother me, me eating them vs chucking them doesn't deprive or provide anyone of anything either way so..

But yea, not as unhealthy as originally thought, I think it was that big dude who wears the fishing hat "Scooby" on YT who put me onto the whole "Yolks are full of crap and cholesterol" side of it

Cheers


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## WhiteSocks90 (Aug 28, 2017)

I've become a fan of adding a good tablespoon of plain quark to eggs, adds a nice texture to scrambled eggs and works in an omelette too


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Cypionate said:


> Yea I like the taste, used to love fried egg and red sauce sarnies when I was eating unhealthily
> 
> The egg white liquid from an ethical POV would make me wonder what they do with the yolks at the factory where they separate them anyway, so that side of things doesn't really bother me, me eating them vs chucking them doesn't deprive or provide anyone of anything either way so..
> 
> ...


 He's the one that's full of crap, eat yolks!


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

Cypionate said:


> I stopped eating yolks after watching a vid saying that was where all the cholesterol was, and only about 30% of the total protein?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Cypionate said:


> The egg white liquid from an ethical POV would make me wonder what they do with the yolks at the factory where they separate them anyway,


 I'd be astonished if they weren't used in other food products, like mayonnaise.



> so that side of things doesn't really bother me, me eating them vs chucking them doesn't deprive or provide anyone of anything either way so..


 It's a waste of the world's finite resources. (Not making a big deal of this but it's true.)

I assume liquid egg whites don't work out cheaper?



> But yea, not as unhealthy as originally thought, I think it was that big dude who wears the fishing hat "Scooby" on YT who put me onto the whole "Yolks are full of crap and cholesterol" side of it


 There's a strong case for eggs being positively GOOD for people.


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## Cypionate (Jan 17, 2016)

I checked egg white liquid vs buying eggs and separating them myself and they were cheaper by quite a bit buying eggs, egg white liquid was for example 12 egg whites for £3, or I could get 15 eggs for £1-2 (Something like that)

I did check it out because I was sick of getting little bits of shell in my egg white


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Cypionate said:


> I checked egg white liquid vs buying eggs and separating them myself and they were cheaper by quite a bit buying eggs, egg white liquid was for example 12 egg whites for £3, or I could get 15 eggs for £1-2 (Something like that)
> 
> I did check it out because I was sick of getting little bits of shell in my egg white


 If you buy in bulk from Bulk Powders when they have one of their extremely regular 30% off offers they work out at 9p per egg white. Probably still slightly more expensive than the very cheapest eggs but they are obviously more convenient.


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## Cypionate (Jan 17, 2016)

Ultrasonic said:


> If you buy in bulk from Bulk Powders when they have one of their extremely regular 30% off offers they work out at 9p per egg white. Probably still slightly more expensive than the very cheapest eggs but they are obviously more convenient.


 Nice one I`ll check it out cheers


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

garethd93 said:


> Thanks for looking guys. I'm trying to bulk up over the next 6-7 months before I start to cut and compete back end of next year. I'm eating 3300 calories over 6 meals a day mon-friday and generally eat a load of s**t meals out on a weekend. Protein 330g carbs 330g fats 73g. The diet is quite clean and boring and to be honest I usually eat over my 3300 calories. I'll post a general idea of what I eat daily.
> 
> Meal 1 - 700kc
> 
> ...


 Dude, what's your body weight and approx body fat percentage - and also how long have you been eating these macros and for how long has your weight been static? Also, how active are you - how many training sessions and other exercise type activities do you do each week, and is your job physical?

You probably need more kcals but without that info is hard to say give an informed suggestion.

I think adding some dietary fat may be helpful at any rate though.


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

dtlv said:


> Dude, what's your body weight and approx body fat percentage - and also how long have you been eating these macros and for how long has your weight been static? Also, how active are you - how many training sessions and other exercise type activities do you do each week, and is your job physical?
> 
> You probably need more kcals but without that info is hard to say give an informed suggestion.
> 
> I think adding some dietary fat may be helpful at any rate though.


 Thanks for the reply buddy. Im at 90kg and 5'10" tall. Have been for about 2 months since coming off cycle 4 month ago at 93-94kg. Probably around 12-15% body fat going off those picture charts you see on Google. Job isn't physical spend most of the day on my arse but gym 5 days a week for about 90 min and keep rest between sets to 45-60 seconds. I've upped my fats now to 125g, kept protein at 300g and upped carbs to 370g for a total kcal of 3700. Was going to try that for a few weeks see where I get but any additional advice is appreciated mate


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

garethd93 said:


> Thanks for the reply buddy. Im at 90kg and 5'10" tall. Have been for about 2 months since coming off cycle 4 month ago at 93-94kg. Probably around 12-15% body fat going off those picture charts you see on Google. Job isn't physical spend most of the day on my arse but gym 5 days a week for about 90 min and keep rest between sets to 45-60 seconds. I've upped my fats now to 125g, kept protein at 300g and upped carbs to 370g for a total kcal of 3700. Was going to try that for a few weeks see where I get but any additional advice is appreciated mate


 Can't remember what I've said already but I'd be making much more gradual increases rather than 400 kcal in one go. 100 kcal would be my suggestion in your case.


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> Can't remember what I've said already but I'd be making much more gradual increases rather than 400 kcal in one go. 100 kcal would be my suggestion in your case.


 Most of the extra came from swapping to ful fat milk and full fat Greek yogurt via you're suggestions mate. Just swapping those gave me an extra 200cal on my morning and post workout shakes. I could probably eat less of it but I'm a greedy c**t haha


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

garethd93 said:


> Most of the extra came from swapping to ful fat milk and full fat Greek yogurt via you're suggestions mate. Just swapping those gave me an extra 200cal on my morning and post workout shakes. I could probably eat less of it but I'm a greedy c**t haha


 I'm pretty sure I only suggested changing the milk which would have only given an extra 70 kcal. The yoghurt change would be much bigger.

I was though suggesting ways you could increase fat rather than blanket changes to make without consideration to total calories/macros.


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> I'm pretty sure I only suggested changing the milk which would have only given an extra 70 kcal. The yoghurt change would be much bigger.
> 
> I was though suggesting ways you could increase fat rather than blanket changes to make without consideration to total calories/macros.


 Yeah I get what you're saying. How long do you think I should give it with increase in calories before I should see results/make changes again?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

garethd93 said:


> Yeah I get what you're saying. How long do you think I should give it with increase in calories before I should see results/make changes again?


 A week provided you are consistent.

Weigh yourself daily, first thing in the morning after using the toilet, and compare average weight from one week to the next.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

garethd93 said:


> Thanks for the reply buddy. Im at 90kg and 5'10" tall. Have been for about 2 months since coming off cycle 4 month ago at 93-94kg. Probably around 12-15% body fat going off those picture charts you see on Google. Job isn't physical spend most of the day on my arse but gym 5 days a week for about 90 min and keep rest between sets to 45-60 seconds. I've upped my fats now to 125g, kept protein at 300g and upped carbs to 370g for a total kcal of 3700. Was going to try that for a few weeks see where I get but any additional advice is appreciated mate


 Thanks mate, that helps a little. Energy intake is not always easy to estimate, but by the approximations I generally use at your body weight, body comp and activity you'd maintain on around 3200-3500 and gain (without excessive fat gain) in the 3500-3800 range, so the adjustment looks about right. Give it two weeks consistently at these kcals and then adjust accordingly. If in that time you've gained 1.5lbs or more then you've over shot, if you've gained 0.5lb or less then you are under. Ideal gain should be around 0.75-1lb for two weeks for gains to be relatively lean (some fat gain but not excessive). More of course if you were on cycle.


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## garethd93 (Nov 28, 2014)

dtlv said:


> Thanks mate, that helps a little. Energy intake is not always easy to estimate, but by the approximations I generally use at your body weight, body comp and activity you'd maintain on around 3200-3500 and gain (without excessive fat gain) in the 3500-3800 range, so the adjustment looks about right. Give it two weeks consistently at these kcals and then adjust accordingly. If in that time you've gained 1.5lbs or more then you've over shot, if you've gained 0.5lb or less then you are under. Ideal gain should be around 0.75-1lb for two weeks for gains to be relatively lean (some fat gain but not excessive). More of course if you were on cycle.


 That kind of makes sense then why I've been stuck at the same weight for a few month because I've been sitting on what is most likely my maintenance is 3300. I've upped it to 3700kcal and I'll stick at that for 2 weeks like you say and see what weight I put on if any. Thanks for the advice I'll keep this post updated with results see how I get on.


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