So, here I am three weeks into S2B and I'm settling into the routine of the bulking diet, and I thought I was doing really well with it. Eating clean is not a problem and I've been able to work in a ton of vegetables without too much trouble either. What I haven't done (at least until yesterday) is meticulously log all of my food.
Yesterday I logged into my Fitday account, which hasn't been used in a while, and plugged in all of my food for the day. My macros were pretty good as you can see (although I guess I could use a bit more carbs):
Now I know I just need to suck it up and eat more at each meal (I couldn't fit in another meal!), but I needed to rant a bit and I thought I'd share.
BTW, if you weren't already aware, olive oil is amazingly calorie dense. The 2 tablespoons I had yesterday were 239 calories! On the other hand spinach has next to no calories. I had 5 cups of the stuff (raw) and it added up to a measly 35 calories.
First thing, triple those shakes, 1 before, 1 during, 1 after that will add about 600 calories, if you do it 2:1 carbs to protien. Add a few more egg whites. Start having a couple tablespoons of peanut butter and a couple of handfuls of blanched unsalted peanuts during the day. Those 2 will also add a few hundred calories.
looks like you're significantly undereating. have you done the energy calculations from the book? i don't know your BF or what you do for a living, but even with sitting at a computer all day with 20% BF you should be up in the 3,200 kcal range for workout days.
take a look at the sample menus starting on pg 219. you'll see Berardi recommends about 600 grams of lean meat per day, something your example above is missing. also, buy egg whites at the grocery store (or in bulk at BJ's/Costco) and beef up that breakfast. Congrats on the veggie increase. that was a tough one for me.
why are you only taking 1 PWO? you should be taking 3 per the book. that alone will bump up your daily calories a fair amount.
Again, take a look at the sample menus, as well as the meal timing section, to make sure you're eating enough at the appropriate times.
Thanks lax and hr -- I just reread the PWO recommendations. I can't believe I misread that part! I actually think that'll bring me much closer to where I need to be. I'm going to add some meat to my breakfast (maybe turkey sausage) but it's just hard when it is so hot to work up an appetite after my workout.
The peanut butter is a great idea and I was thinking of adding some nuts but I'm getting plenty of fats. However, I'll recheck my macros with the added PWOs and I bet I can work it in somewhere. The good news is that even with the low cals I've still gained a couple of pounds. I should grow like a monster when I get the cals right!
Thanks again!
P.S. I work with computers so I sit at a desk all day and my BF% is between 11-13%.
When do you workout. Cause if you follow the book only have PC meals before and after workout then about 6 hours after workout you start PF meals. So if you workout in the am, no sausage.
I workout in the morning but the sausage I eat is turkey sausage and, I believe, has very little fat, but I'll check the label when I get home. Thanks for the head's up.
Yes, I concur with the others, Upnorth. Eat more. The shakes are the main missing ingredient. My three shakes in themselves add up to about 1200 cals. Frankly, I'd follow the menus Hard Rox refers to closely - that's what I've been doing and it isn't hard to meet the energy consumption targets at all. They say in the book that there's enough variety built into the meal plans (e.g. meat choices, fruit choices, veggie choices) that it shouldn't get boring. I've found that to be true. If you stick with the plan, measure everything and keep your fitday log religiously (I know ... royal pain ...), you won't have too much trouble getting those calories and the breakdown right. There's also a chart in the book (can't remember what page - dont' have it with me atm) that shows you how your P+F and P+C meals should line up depending on when you lift. You need to make adjustments if you lift at different times of the day (as I do). Good luck (and way to go on getting your weight up regardless ... [img]smile.gif[/img] )
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
UpNorth - I had no idea about the Olive Oil being calory dense. I use it all the time on my omlettes at night. I need to increase my calories too. Don't feel all lonely there. Since starting S2B and cleaning up my eating...I've LOST 1.5 pounds. Takes a lot more clean food to equal that one little debbie snack cake in calories.
K, tell me if I'm wrong but I believe that the shakes should be 30g Protein, and 60g Carbs, each. That would work out to 360 kcals each or 1,080 kcals for all three.
Oh yeah, don't forget to mix each one with about 1 liter of water!
is there something cheaper out there that has a bunch of carbs for my workout shakes?
the reason i ask is because the gatorade powder i bought is only like 24 servings (for $9)with only 40 carbs. with three shakes per workout day that comes out to only 8 workout days worth per purchase. if i increased the scoops to get 60 carbs as required then i would only get about 5.5 workout days worth of shakes out of my purchase. i would be spending a lot of money on that gatorade powder.
well i guess thats not tooooo harsh now that i worked through all that BS math. (workout 5 times per week $9 a week on gatorade powder)
but still is there any place that sells cheap Gatorade powder or an alternative product for cheap?
sorry for the long rant and math, but im a penny pinching college student that now understands "money doesnt grow on trees".
Well I've logged all my food today and I'm close, about 2,700 calories after dinner, so my cottage cheese this evening will bring me close to the 2,900 calories I need (for my non-workout day). Tomorrow I'm going to triple my PWO and hope I don't puke from all that protein sitting heavy in my stomach during the workout (at least ~1/2 of it will anyway) But there is no way I'm going to try to mix that in 3 liters of water. Good god I'm not a camel!
With all the extra calories from that I should be close to the 3,300 calories I need for the day with my standard fare. A spoonful of peanut butter and a little extra food at each meal should get me there.
Thanks again everyone for the support!
Papa -- I buy plain whey and a custom mix of whey and maltodextrin from trueprotein.com. Its cheaper than stores around me and without the flavorings I can make up any combo I want. Right now I'm drinking mochachinos (cocoa powder and instant coffee with a little cinnamon.)
If you need more calories, try some things like throwing a piece of cheese on a burger, or with your chicken. A great way is if you have a membership at Sams, they sell large tubs of roasted almonds for like $9 or so. Its 170 healthy calories per serving and around 40-45 servings in the container.
you may want to check around and pick up some dextrose as well since it is quite cheap. You should be able to find it in any store that sells stuff for making homemade wine & beer.
Originally posted by PaPaLoAdS: JEEEEZZ k-court where can i get these 400 calorie shakes.
my shakes are only 270 calories a piece.
its made up of:
-1 scoop protein 120 calories
-2.5 servings of gatorade powder = 150 calories
it would be greatly appreciated if you'd fill me in on your list of ingredients
thanks in advance
(by the way k-court, its page 192 that has the nutrient timing stuff)
Papaloads, I use two scoops whey (at 77 cals each) and two scoops gatorade powder (at 133 cals each), for a grand total of 420 per shake.
Thanks for the page ref ... got my book at the office today. [img]smile.gif[/img]
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Originally posted by Torque: K, tell me if I'm wrong but I believe that the shakes should be 30g Protein, and 60g Carbs, each. That would work out to 360 kcals each or 1,080 kcals for all three.
Oh yeah, don't forget to mix each one with about 1 liter of water!
Torque, it depends on your weight. You need to figure out your own ratios based on the guide at page 199 in the book. For me, at 175, I was needing 64g carb and 32g protein per shake. With my brand of protein, I get 32g out of two scoops, and two scoops of gatorade powder gives me 66g, so I do slightly less than two scoops. I also add some glutamine (3g) in all three and creatine (5g) in the first one. And yeah, the 1 litre of water per shake is imperative. Hope that helps.
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Believe it or not I'm spending even more -- although I'm "sharing" (involuntarily) my food with my two kids and wife. However, I try to buy fresh and/or organic foods so I'm used to spending a lot of food.
BTW: Sun-Tzu, as in the Art of War author?. A very thought provoking text for those that haven't read it.
The "supposed" author, they can't place every piece of text to him. Great book none the less.
I used to spend $150 a month on food, so this has really hurt my bank account. I have some savings, but I don't know how long I can keep this up. I've cut practically everything else out that I can. I should of bought a cheaper car
Selling your car to pay for quality food would certainly earn you the admiration of even the most dedicated individuals on this board [img]smile.gif[/img]
You can buy large bags of frozen vegetables and bulk quantities of meat should help the budget somewhat. Or if you can get creative in the kitchen buy whatever is on sale and go with that.
Originally posted by Sun-Tzu: How much are you guys spending on food a month? I'm averaging $500 following the S2B diet. This doesn't include supplements.
I know that whole foods are best, but when I was really bulking using Massive Eating, I used protein powder as a cheap way to get the protein I needed. I still ate other stuff, too, but had a glass of protein powder "chocolate milk" with my meal or snack. If you buy the right stuff, at a good price, it's pretty cheap compared to fish and chicken.
Also, I got into a rut, using the cheaper foods. I skipped the fish (except for canned tuna) and steak. When chicken breasts were on sale, I bought a ton and froze them.
As for veggies, frozen and canned are great options. With canned, watch the sodium, though (I don't really care so much).
If you're going to make some sort of sauce or chili with tomatoes, canned is both cheaper and tastier, unless you have a farmer's market where they are really, really fresh. Although, canned will still be cheaper... Canned tomatoes are picked ripe. Most fresh tomatoes are picked green and allowed to ripen on the way to the store. They are often "forced" red and ripe by exposing them to ethylene gas (the same principal that ripens fruit when you put them in a bag with an apple).
Some frozen veggies are a good deal. Others aren't. Some come in huge bags at a low price per lb. Some are cheaper to buy fresh.
I found that "mixed veggies" (cut carrots, peas, corn, green beans, etc.) are almost always a good buy, as are huge bags of just green beans. The bigger the bag, the better the value.
Some small bag items are a good value, since you are only getting the edible portion. Greens, for instance. If you're going to stew them anyway, who cares if they're trimmed, washed, and blanched? Shelled soy beans are a good value, while the ones in the shell aren't as good a deal.
Also, eye foods for their nutritional density vs. price. Dry beans are really inexpensive. They're easy to make, too. You can whip up a weeks worth in a huge pot and "doctor them up" differently throughout the week.
Split peas, too. They are a better deal bought in bulk, but even the one lbs bags at the grocery are a decent price. Split Pea soup is one of the easiest soups to make, too. Pretty quick and hard to mess up.
Don't overlook lentils, either. Easy soup and pilaf-like recipes. They've got the nutrition and calories of beans, but you don't need to soak them. Just cook 'em.
For fats, I ditched the flaxseed oil for fish oil. Far cheaper for a better dose of Omega-3s. I still bought whole flaxseed, though. I just think that the oil is a waste.
For cooking oil, canola is usually cheaper than olive oil. The really light olive that you cook with has almost no flavor, anyway. I cook in the canola, then add drops of nice extra virgin oil for flavor (when needed) after cooking. Canola oil has a better Omega-3 profile than olive oil, anyway.
Frozen fruits are often an excellent value and great for shakes and smoothies. I let a few days worth thaw in the fridge to add to my yogurt and cottage cheese. Strawberries seem like the best value, but if you find tropical fruit chunks, they can be a lot cheaper than buying them all fresh.
hmmm... Sometimes you start typing a quick post and end up running on and on... At least, I do.
Lost dog,
Thanks for the post, but I think half of what you mentioned is what S2B mentioned not to eat in the book. He recommended protein from real food sources mainly, not powders, and no canned foods. I guess when it comes down to it though, you have to think is it worth it? I can do it right or I can try to do it like you said. I'm going to do it right for 6 months.
So far it's been great, but I know I can't keep this up forever.
For most people, i think its just too expensive to get 4000-4500 calories of the perfect foods each day, it is for me at least. Theres nothing wrong with eating canned tuna or protein powder for some of your meals. Sure, powder isnt the optimal choice during the day, but some powder and a couple handfuls of nuts will get the job done for a "healthy" snack. Im sure some fish or beef would be better, but its just not practical to be eating the perfect foods all the time for a long time.
If you do eat some canned stuff and dont get protein from real food all the time, as long as you are eating the calories needed, are you really going to be missing a lot of muscle in the span of a few months? I doubt it. I don't think that not doing it 100% like the book is cheating yourself at all, most guys are going to have to find a few shortcuts to get all those calories in at a decent value.
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