Help the new guy & rate his diet

[Papercut]

Whats up everyone. I'm new here, so a brief introduction: 24 years old, 5'11", ~190 lbs, former wrestler and current soccer player. Goals: like most, not interested in competition-level bodybuilding but very interested in gaining muscle. Not crazy about the idea of cutting so I guess the aim is to build muscle without sacrificing body fat percentage. If that makes the process slower, so be it. I'm very hardworking and focused in the gym and I feel pretty good about my routines, but with nutrition I'm not quite settled on anything. Here's what I eat (pending free time to cook it) .

1st meal (~9:00):
4 whites of hard-boiled eggs
Fruit juice
One of the following - cereal w/ milk, oatmeal, banana & yogurt

2nd and 3rd meal both (~12:00 & ~3:30 respectively):
1 large helping of meat (eg: chicken breast, can of tuna, salmon steak, pork chops, sausages... usually try to make it about 50g protein's worth)
1 1/2 - 2 cups rice (wild, brown, white... it differs) w/ marinara

4th meal:
Not settled on this yet, but usually includes a MetRx blend protein shake, a couple egg whites, and some juice.

~3 liters of water throughout the day

Pre-workout I typically eat as little as possible. Working out with even a modest amount of food in my stomach derails me completely.
Post-workout I drink a 2-scoop protein shake along with a banana and a hot dog bun (they keep well).

What do you think? Thanks in advance

 

[PrinceVegeta]

Hey there papercut

first thing's first

Including your post workout meal you have five daily meals, which isnt bad, but u didnt list when u train and when u eat ur 4th meal(also postworkout meal

I would suggest eating a yolk or 2 with the breakfast, lots of good fats and ups the protein in the meal

Also dont just pick any meat, pork=bad when trying to get lean mass, too much bad fat and protein % is lower then any other meat, try to get more chicken or beef instead of pork

Also, try to cook before hand so u always have ur meals

For the rest it looks pretty good, but try to figure out how many cals you eat and how many cals u need while training...this is important in calculating the amount of food you need to make ur gains

Hope this helps a bit!



P.S. ......start a log!

 

[DriDDeRz]

Going by a set eating plan can be hard to stick with as foods can get boring eating the same type of meal day in and day out,

Mix it up abit and add some different foods in there
some pasta with meat sauce and red meat

French toast for breakfast even

I would go with roughly 30g of protein(1 scoop) and some dextrose post workout,
even for your pre workout meal, i would have some more filling,
Your pre workout is just a vital as any other meal doesnt have to be a heavy meal
150g rice with tuna
medium - large potatoe and Tuna or cottage cheese
Oats and a protein shake
try and eat around 5 - 8 meals aday thats including your post workout shake
every 2 hours to 3.5 hours have a meal.

Download this spreadsheet it will help you keep track of your calories and meals
http://www.musclemecca.com/showthread.php/meal-planning-calorie-count-spread-sheet-41930.html

Use www.calorieking.com to find the foods to match the calories/macro's

 

[BigBen]

I would get rid of the juice, unless your juicing your own. replace the juice with some actual fruit perhaps cantelope melon.

 

[Papercut]

Much thanks for the advice, guys. I'll try eating the whole egg for my first of the morning... I just can't stand the taste/texture :sadface:. I'll also pull pork off the list, but I'm gonna keep sausages for meals once in a while just for ease of preparation. I'll go for more fruit as well in place of the juice.

The last meal I typically eat at 7:30 or 8. I also don't train every day (I will start a log and go into further detail) so pre/post meals dont always count. I'm gonna try to add in a light meal in between the 12 and 3:30 meal and space them out a bit. Something easy. Maybe some plain yogurt and granola?

 

[The_KM]

Former wrestler and current soccer player, hmm, I assume you have an elevated thyroid and partake in the monthly 2-3lb gains that all of us ectomorphs do.

I can't emphasize enough how important complex carbs are throughout your bulk. They aren't just those little buggers that give you energy, they can account for a portion of your overall appearance. Carbs store as glycogen, glycogen is stored in the muscles. The more carbs taken in that don't elicit a large insulin spike, the more carbs that are stored as glycogen. Excess can give you a "fuller" look that's usually appealing to most bodybuilders.

Wow a fundamental understanding, now let's put everything into context. If your grocery budget can lodge availability for certain grains such as bulgur, oats, granola, couscous, quinoa, brown rice and so on, do so. Also look into sweet potatoes, all of these foods mentioned can be eaten throughout the day tapering towards bedtime.

Protein and relative workout nutrition was covered by the preceding posts, nice job guys.

If you buy fruit, use it only as a tool in the morning. Fructose is a bad guy, especially in excess which is the general consensus regarding fruit juices. Every meal has significance, and by not eating pre workout may please your mind but not your body.

The mind is cool, so is the body. But your mind can give you a false sense of satiety when in fact you need certain foods for physiological purposes. So I'm not going to spew advice on how to conform your lifestyle, but just realize it can put a slight damper on results.

good luck! Sheesh, didn't really leave that on a good note.

 

[Papercut]

Haha you nailed it KM. I've been described more than once as an ectomorph. I spent a week in Austin for my brother's wedding and basically lived like a hungry, alcoholic infant. I swear I barely gained a pound. Of course I've come to understand this same characteristic makes it difficult to put on muscle. You wouldn't hear me disagreeing.

Consider it done with the complex carbs. I love oats and granola, and in terms of preparation and portability it doesn't get much easier. Brown rice is always on the menu so I'll keep at that. I'll also try weaning myself onto honest pre-workout meals. I'll start with a half can of tuna and a hot dog bun today. Much thanks for the advice guys.