Food for bulking

[DoctorTaco]

5’10 and floating between 145-150lbs. Physically active job and I’m lifting 3x a week, running 3 miles 2x a week. I’m struggling to gain and keep weight on. My lifts are going up, and I’m shredded like a god damn Greek statue but I’m still about 10-15lbs lighter than I want to be.

I eat everything. All the time. Burgers, pizza, eggs, toast, rice, steak, mass building protein shakes, I’m trying my best to dirty bulk and nothing sticks to my ribs.

I don’t know how many calories I’m consuming but it’s got to be north of 3k a day (the shakes alone are 1440). Does anyone have any recommendations on things I could be eating or meal prepping to become thick, solid and tight?

 

[vision1]

Sounds like you're on the right track, you just need more.
Add another 1,000 calories per day and I guarantee you'll gain weight. Doesn't need to be anything specific, just increase all portion sizes.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Sounds like you're on the right track, you just need more.
Add another 1,000 calories per day and I guarantee you'll gain weight. Doesn't need to be anything specific, just increase all portion sizes.

You’re not wrong but holy shit that’s so much food haha

 

[vision1]

You’re not wrong but holy shit that’s so much food haha

I'm bigger than you but I think you can get used to 4k calories pretty easily if it's not "clean".
You can also reduce your activity.

 

[DoctorTaco]

I'm bigger than you but I think you can get used to 4k calories pretty easily if it's not "clean".
You can also reduce your activity.

I teach boxing and hold pads for cash. Dropping activity isn’t an option unfortunately

 

[vision1]

You don't need to run 6 miles per week though. Not saying you shouldn't but it would help with weight gain.

 

[wufabufa]

You don't need to run 6 miles per week though. Not saying you shouldn't but it would help with weight gain.

Pretty much this. Excess cardio can be a gains goblin.

Also OP, how much are you sleeping? And is it quality sleep?

 

[1rawdog]

Previous posts are great in that it is exactly that simple, I will expand on it a bit though.

How bad do you really want it? If you are willing to do the work you will gain weight. Everyone can gain weight guaranteed if they track calories correctly and get a surplus over maintenance. If you are not gaining or losing then by definition you are eating at maintenance level. But make no mistake it can be a lot of work. Many a high level bodybuilder will tell you that eating is the hardest part of getting huge, it's a grind. Are you willing to endure?

Find out how many calories you are getting, people are very often way off of what they estimate, both those trying to lose as well as gain weight. At least track it meticulously for a week every 3 or 4 months so you have a reference point.

Food wise? If the priority is gaining weight then let's set aside some commonly brought up points for now - "you don't need supps, whole foods are the way to go", "no processed foods" "only consume "healthy" fats". While all that stuff is arguably true it may not fit in this situation.

Once you know your maintenance calories set a target for gaining, try something like 500 cal more than maintenance to start. You can adjust latter if not gaining fast enough or getting too fat.
Make you hit a decent protein target everyday 200 or more grams. 200 is about 800 calories.
Now fill the rest of your calorie target with carbs and fats.

Fats have more than double the calories that Protein or Carbs have, exploit that.
Sure, eat as healthy as possible within your goals, luckily there are plenty of "good" fats available. Oils- lots are about 120 cal per TBSP. Olive oil and Avocado oil for example. Soak your pizza or salad in them or use them when cooking or just chug it down. I do agree with folks who say to stay away from vegetable/cooking oils if you can.
Whole eggs.
Nuts are very calorie dense and super easy to carry and consume all day.
Mass Gainer drinks can easily be put together to give you 800 calories in one drink.

I know you said you have most of this covered, all I've really added to the convo is the emphasis on fats and how if you put out the effort to track well success is guaranteed

 

[Slothbroth]

I struggle to gain, maintain weight as well. It can get expensive, especially for a picky eater like me.

 

[Volador]

You’re not wrong but holy shit that’s so much food haha

You just need to add some calories. 1000 in one go may be too much. IMO you should look for sustainable moderate weight gain instead of eating like a pig, but both approaches can work. Just add a large tablespoon of peanut butter to both breakfast and whatever snack you have during the day. That alone is like 300kcal. Maybe add a small extra protein bar snack, or a small bag of nuts to your day or whatever. Or an extra tablespoon of olive oil to your salad, or make all your portions 10% bigger. Any of those options together with the peanut butter is an easy 500kcal or more.

Also agree with rawdog that, if nothing works, you may be overestimating what you eat. You may want to keep a food log and weigh your portions, though this is not feasible for everyone.

 

[Vapezilla]

Stop running and eat more. Especially since you have a physical job. I used to run a lot myself. The best form of cardio but if you want to get bigger you need to sacrifice it for now IMO.

Focus on the core lifts, bench, military press, squats, deadlifts, bent over row. Lift heavy with intensity. Make sure you’re sleeping 7-8 hours a night and make sure you’re drinking a lot of water.

 

[mixmastermo]

Find a decent Chinese buffet and make friends with them....

 

[ChickenBrother]

5’10 and floating between 145-150lbs. Physically active job and I’m lifting 3x a week, running 3 miles 2x a week. I’m struggling to gain and keep weight on. My lifts are going up, and I’m shredded like a god damn Greek statue but I’m still about 10-15lbs lighter than I want to be.

I eat everything. All the time. Burgers, pizza, eggs, toast, rice, steak, mass building protein shakes, I’m trying my best to dirty bulk and nothing sticks to my ribs.

I don’t know how many calories I’m consuming but it’s got to be north of 3k a day (the shakes alone are 1440). Does anyone have any recommendations on things I could be eating or meal prepping to become thick, solid and tight?

I can relate strongly to this and it took me until I was god damn 40 to break out of the "hard gainer" cycle. As guys who do a lot of cardio and combat sports, we fall into a routine and then stabilize around a low bodyweight and then it's hard to impossible to break out of that cycle without changing something we're used to.

Cut out the running brah. I know you're used to it but you're already doing cardio for your job and if you want to gain weight, stop running for 3 months while you focus on big lifts instead. The controversial Rippetoe philosophy was made for guys like you. Do Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5 with barbell squats 3 x week. You won't believe it until you try it, but it will make you hungry. Like your body will want to grow and will make you want to eat more, which will make you gain weight.

A gallon of whole milk contains 2400 calories. It's also cheap and easy to drink. GOMAD is too ambitious but I switched from nonfat to whole milk and then drank more so I went through a gallon every 2-3 days. That's about 800 cal/day increase from baseline. And food prep is always a PITA so pick stuff you like that's quick and easy to make. Get a Zojirushi rice cooker and have hot rice always available to eat with soups, stews or with eggs and bacon. I'd also make 2-3 days of pasta and keep it in the fridge. Also a big pot of beef shank or whatever cheap ass stew meat you boil for 3 hours and then keep in the fridge to eat over the next 2-3 days with said rice or pasta.

And make sure you're sleeping at least 8 hours/day and preferably 9 or even 10. You need sleep to grow.

 

[maximus__]

5’10 and floating between 145-150lbs. Physically active job and I’m lifting 3x a week, running 3 miles 2x a week. I’m struggling to gain and keep weight on. My lifts are going up, and I’m shredded like a god damn Greek statue but I’m still about 10-15lbs lighter than I want to be.

I eat everything. All the time. Burgers, pizza, eggs, toast, rice, steak, mass building protein shakes, I’m trying my best to dirty bulk and nothing sticks to my ribs.

I don’t know how many calories I’m consuming but it’s got to be north of 3k a day (the shakes alone are 1440). Does anyone have any recommendations on things I could be eating or meal prepping to become thick, solid and tight?

If you don't know how many calories you are consuming, I bet it's less not as high as you think or lacking something.

Jump on myfitness pal and track a normal week of eating. DOn't change things, but eat like normal. My guess is you are probably eating heaps on 2-3 days of the week and then under eating on other days, most likely your busy work days.

Once you actually work out your baseline, look to plug holes that point you towards mass gain.For example, I find I eat less on big training days because I miss a meal due to where my sessions fall (mid morning). I only have 1 meal in the morning on my days with the most volume, so I have dropped a heap of weight recently. Once I worked that out, I know that I need to add something earlier if I choose to add weight or cram two meals in post training. Mass gain isn't my goal, but I could easily make that switch if needed.
Edit: Your runs are only costing you on average 400 cals depending on intensity. You can easily out eat that. Pad work would be more than that if you are doing a full days work.

On average it's 100 cals per mile apparently.

How Many Calories Does Running Burn?

Learn the different factors that will determine how many calories you burn running on flat roads and running uphill and how to burn more calories.

www.verywellfit.com

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Sounds like the coolest problem to have.

 

[Slothbroth]

If you don't know how many calories you are consuming, I bet it's less not as high as you think or lacking something.

Jump on myfitness pal and track a normal week of eating. DOn't change things, but eat like normal. My guess is you are probably eating heaps on 2-3 days of the week and then under eating on other days, most likely your busy work days.

Once you actually work out your baseline, look to plug holes that point you towards mass gain.For example, I find I eat less on big training days because I miss a meal due to where my sessions fall (mid morning). I only have 1 meal in the morning on my days with the most volume, so I have dropped a heap of weight recently. Once I worked that out, I know that I need to add something earlier if I choose to add weight or cram two meals in post training. Mass gain isn't my goal, but I could easily make that switch if needed.
Edit: Your runs are only costing you on average 400 cals depending on intensity. You can easily out eat that. Pad work would be more than that if you are doing a full days work.

On average it's 100 cals per mile apparently.

How Many Calories Does Running Burn?

Learn the different factors that will determine how many calories you burn running on flat roads and running uphill and how to burn more calories.

www.verywellfit.com

100 cal per mile? That seems too low. I know it can fluctuate depending on weight and stuff but I figured it would be at least double.

 

[Smato_rules]

Goya medium grain white rice sticks to me like glue, and it feels like I’m taking steroids when I start shoving it down. It’s really easy to eat, digests well, and you will be hungry again shortly after.

 

[Oblivian]

I'm a big believer in trying to pack as much calories on a plate/bowl when bulking. Similarly, I still want a decent size plate/bowl with less calories when cutting. Just add calorie dense items like peanut butter, cheese, milk, etc.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Appreciate the help and advice, guys. Thank you

 

[mixmastermo]

You're not going to like this but...

I firmly believe genetics play the biggest role. There are guys who can get in great shape by following a relatively straightforward routine. Then there are people who train for years that are never able to surpass a certain threshold. This is why workout and diet advice is all over the map- what works for one person will not necessarily work for all.