First post, Diet Advice Wanted

[Renaissance]

I have been reading this forum for a few months and decided to join today. Never had any real mixed martial arts experience, but it's my favorite sport to watch. I'm about 6'1/2'' and 172 lb. and looking to gain weight / increase muscle mass.

As for my diet:

Morning - Almost always 4 Thick slices of bacon (is this bad?), croissants, 2 Eggs with mozzarella cheese and I drink Raspberry Cranberry Juice

Lunch - Pan fried chicken breast in olive oil with garlic, spinach with blueberry vinaigrette, carrots and some strawberries. Drink is either Mango Juice or Peach juice.

Between Lunch and dinner I take GNC Mass XXX with 16 oz of whole milk.

Dinner - Country fried steak with gravy, spinach with blueberry vinaigrette, carrots. Drink is either Mango Juice or Peach juice, whatever I didn't have for lunch.

Sometimes after dinner I take another GNC Mass XXX with 16 oz of whole milk.

I'm looking to expand what I eat because I read on these forums that you shouldn't eat the same foods over and over again as the body gets used to it.

Is Bison meat worth considering? At the grocery store it's 4.99 for a pound of ground meat. The back label says - 4 oz (112 grams) gives 200 calories, 100 calories from fat (11 grams), and 24 grams of Protein.

I don't know enough if that is too much fat or whatever and would like some advice. I pan fried some burgers and it's damn good tasting meat.

Sometimes I also eat organic pepperoni Pizza, shrimp, soup (mostly Lobster Bisque), and I snack on peanuts. I really don't eat that many different foods and would like your advice on what to eat. Maybe I should eat more pasta? Anybody have any recipes?

What do you guys eat?

I'm a pretty skinny guy and I want to bulk up. Not in a good neighborhood + I'm sort of shy and would like a bit more confidence for when I see a pretty girl : D

 

[MikeMartial]

Morning - Almost always 4 Thick slices of bacon (is this bad?), croissants, 2 Eggs with mozzarella cheese and I drink Raspberry Cranberry Juice

Bacon is fine. Lose the croissants. Eat more eggs, and what-the-fuck, do you have a UTI? Lose the juice, sister.

Lunch - Pan fried chicken breast in olive oil with garlic, spinach with blueberry vinaigrette, carrots and some strawberries. Drink is either Mango Juice or Peach juice.

I was in love until the carrots; critics complain of the high GI. The owner of the gym I go to said recently "Who do you always see eating baby carrots? FAT CHICKS ON DIETS." That made me laugh. It's not a big, big deal, though.

Fuck, lose the juice, sister.

Between Lunch and dinner I take GNC Mass XXX with 16 oz of whole milk.

Hope this is a PWO shake, bro, after a heavy training session.

Dinner - Country fried steak with gravy, spinach with blueberry vinaigrette, carrots. Drink is either Mango Juice or Peach juice, whatever I didn't have for lunch.

What are you, 4, drinking from a sippy-cup? LOSE the juice. Kidding aside: it's a brutal form of high GI carbs that you DO NOT need. Drink zero-calorie fluids, with the exception of PWO.

Did I mention fat chicks eat carrots?

Sometimes after dinner I take another GNC Mass XXX with 16 oz of whole milk.

Do you even train? You better be. Or the size you'll put on is not going to be functional in any way, shape, or form.

Is Bison meat worth considering? At the grocery store it's 4.99 for a pound of ground meat. The back label says - 4 oz (112 grams) gives 200 calories, 100 calories from fat (11 grams), and 24 grams of Protein.

Bison rocks. In Canada we call them buffalo. And they own. You do not want t fuck with a buffalo. Eating them is good, though.

I don't know enough if that is too much fat or whatever and would like some advice. I pan fried some burgers and it's damn good tasting meat.

Seems to be a lot of pan frying in your cooking arsenal. You're from the South, right?

Sometimes I also eat organic pepperoni Pizza, shrimp, soup (mostly Lobster Bisque), and I snack on peanuts. I really don't eat that many different foods and would like your advice on what to eat. Maybe I should eat more pasta? Anybody have any recipes?

Son, let me introduce you to a man that you need to read about: Mr FAQ<---click on that; actually, read all the info there, but specifically, the first underline link in the second post, about the Seven habits. John Berardi is a man you need to learn about.

What do you guys eat?

Lots of stuff. Think like this: If you can't either kill it or pick it and cook it within an hour, it ain't worth shit.

I'm a pretty skinny guy and I want to bulk up. Not in a good neighborhood + I'm sort of shy and would like a bit more confidence for when I see a pretty girl : D

Dude, this ain't about chicks. That's a side perk of training hard and eating right---aka aesthetics. You want that? That's a bodybuilding forum. This forum is about guys (and a few gals) that train hard to kick ass and take names, and want the best in nutritional advice to be able to do that.

You haven't mentioned you train at all. Once.

 

[KurtSloane]

id swap the bacon every now and then, eating bacon everyday is not the best. Its processed and quite fatty.

try eating something before bed if you want to bulk
ie. glass of milk
cottage cheese
wholemeal peanut butter sandwitch


and replace juice with water.
replace carrots with greens or sweet potatoe
snack on almonds instead of peanuts.

What do i eat?

chicken, fish, steak, lean pork
wholemeal bread, oats, cous cous
Yoghurt, cottage cheese, cheese
Olive oil, honey, peanut butter, nuts
spinach, mushrooms, beans, potato, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, avocado, apple
Drink- water, occasional gatorade, milk
Fish oil and multi vitamins.


You'd be better off on a bodybuilding forum , all they mostly talk about is bulking and cutting
You would get good ideas and recipes there

 

[Renaissance]

Bacon is fine. Lose the croissants. Eat more eggs, and what-the-fuck, do you have a UTI? Lose the juice, sister.



I was in love until the carrots; critics complain of the high GI. The owner of the gym I go to said recently "Who do you always see eating baby carrots? FAT CHICKS ON DIETS." That made me laugh. It's not a big, big deal, though.

Fuck, lose the juice, sister.



Hope this is a PWO shake, bro, after a heavy training session.



What are you, 4, drinking from a sippy-cup? LOSE the juice. Kidding aside: it's a brutal form of high GI carbs that you DO NOT need. Drink zero-calorie fluids, with the exception of PWO.

Did I mention fat chicks eat carrots?



Do you even train? You better be. Or the size you'll put on is not going to be functional in any way, shape, or form.



Bison rocks. In Canada we call them buffalo. And they own. You do not want t fuck with a buffalo. Eating them is good, though.



Seems to be a lot of pan frying in your cooking arsenal. You're from the South, right?



Son, let me introduce you to a man that you need to read about: Mr FAQ<---click on that; actually, read all the info there, but specifically, the first underline link in the second post, about the Seven habits. John Berardi is a man you need to learn about.



Lots of stuff. Think like this: If you can't either kill it or pick it and cook it within an hour, it ain't worth shit.



Dude, this ain't about chicks. That's a side perk of training hard and eating right---aka aesthetics. You want that? That's a bodybuilding forum. This forum is about guys (and a few gals) that train hard to kick ass and take names, and want the best in nutritional advice to be able to do that.

You haven't mentioned you train at all. Once.

Hahaha, that was hilarious.

I thought drinking juice was healthy : / Is there a difference from drinking juice and consuming fruit or was it the amount of juice I was drinking?

I went to the store last night and picked up a gallon of water instead of my usual juice so I'll try it your way.

I couldn't stop laughing at fat chicks eating carrots. I thought carrots were really healthy, but last night at the store I picked up broccoli instead of more carrots.

You're right, I live in the south (Texas). I do a lot of pan-frying because I only have a microwave, oven, and stove at my apartment. I have a George Foreman electric grill on my balcony, should I be using that?

Thanks for the link to the FAQ, that is really informative and pretty hilarious the way some of the jokes inside it are written.

As for the do I even train? Yah I guess I deserve a bit of criticism for this, because in reality I'm still looking for a gym to train in. I have a few hours each day I put into working out but nothing very serious.

I don't really have a mixed martial arts background to be honest. I did Tae Kwon do for awhile as a kid at the YMCA but I don't really think that is helpful...

Thanks again for the reply sorry it took so long for a response.

Also to note - I stopped taking the PWO shakes because I felt guilty that I wasn't working out hard enough before hand. Well, I have gained weight regardless. I'm up to 177.0!

 

[Renaissance]

id swap the bacon every now and then, eating bacon everyday is not the best. Its processed and quite fatty.

try eating something before bed if you want to bulk
ie. glass of milk
cottage cheese
wholemeal peanut butter sandwitch


and replace juice with water.
replace carrots with greens or sweet potatoe
snack on almonds instead of peanuts.

What do i eat?

chicken, fish, steak, lean pork
wholemeal bread, oats, cous cous
Yoghurt, cottage cheese, cheese
Olive oil, honey, peanut butter, nuts
spinach, mushrooms, beans, potato, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, avocado, apple
Drink- water, occasional gatorade, milk
Fish oil and multi vitamins.


You'd be better off on a bodybuilding forum , all they mostly talk about is bulking and cutting
You would get good ideas and recipes there

Ok, I bought some nice healthy cereal I'll eat some breakfasts instead of bacon.

I also bought some organic farm raised eggs and I've been eating 3 a day instead of my usual 2.

I also bought yogurt which I'll start eating on a daily basis so thanks for that.

What's healthy about almonds? I don't really like how they taste, which is ashame because normally I'll eat just about anything.

I'd like to start training eventually so I'll think I'll stick to this forum but I'll check out a body building forum, thanks for the idea.

 

[Jake Martin]

Ok, I bought some nice healthy cereal I'll eat some breakfasts instead of bacon.

What's healthy about almonds? I don't really like how they taste, which is ashame because normally I'll eat just about anything.

edit: I don't want to seem like I'm nit-picking, since you did just buy this to replace the bacon...but...

I'm not a big fan of cereals, especially since most 'healthy' cereals really are quite the opposite. What kind did you get?

Almonds are a great source of monounsaturated fats, good fats.

As far as checking out another forum, I'm surprised nobody has pointed you to http://www.precisionnutrition.com/members/index.php . This is John Berardi's forum, has many sections depending on what your goal is. We're all pretty much staunch supporters of JB's nutritional strategies, so you can't go wrong there.

Check out some of his stuff, it's all pretty good.

 

[MikeMartial]

I thought drinking juice was healthy : / Is there a difference from drinking juice and consuming fruit or was it the amount of juice I was drinking?

The problem with juice is the high caloric content; yes, it has vitamins, but so does whole fruit, along with a shwack of fiber. If you want juice that bad, put it in your PWO shake. Obviously, if you're trying to gain weight, watching your caloric intake isn't as much of a concern, but you'd be looking to gain muscle, right? Not get all fat and insulin-resistant? Yeah, I thought so, too.

I went to the store last night and picked up a gallon of water instead of my usual juice so I'll try it your way.

Good man.

I couldn't stop laughing at fat chicks eating carrots. I thought carrots were really healthy, but last night at the store I picked up broccoli instead of more carrots.

Carrots are chocked fill of beta-carotene and vitamin A; like I said, the critizism if due to the fact they have a high glycemic index. Unless you are insanely OCD about your GI, or you're trying to lose weight, thee's no huge reason to omit them. Just don't eat a whole godamn bag by itself in one sitting, that's all.

Oh, and broccoli rocks. Good choice.

I have a George Foreman electric grill on my balcony, should I be using that?

Hell yes. The Foreman rocks.

Thanks for the link to the FAQ, that is really informative and pretty hilarious the way some of the jokes inside it are written.

:icon_chee

As for the do I even train? Yah I guess I deserve a bit of criticism for this, because in reality I'm still looking for a gym to train in. I have a few hours each day I put into working out but nothing very serious.

Also to note - I stopped taking the PWO shakes because I felt guilty that I wasn't working out hard enough before hand. Well, I have gained weight regardless. I'm up to 177.0!

Get training bro---diet is 80 percent of results, but you have to break down your body to build it back up better than before. Diet is fuel for training, but also the raw materials to build it back up, bigger and stronger. Both go hand in hand. Find a dojo, find a gym, train at home, but train, regardless.

 

[XTrainer]

Mike, you've put a noble effort into this thread!

 

[MikeMartial]

Mike, you've put a noble effort into this thread!

I occasionally get inspired. For every 30 "How should I be eating", I respond to 1. This was the one. Alignment of the stars, time of day, and blood level of caffeine has a lot to do with it, too.

 

[Monger]

Mike, I have to disagree with you on the carrot bit. Although the GI is relatively high, I think its way overrated in this case. The glycemic load of carrots is quite low and despite the GI, you'd have to eat a case of them to have a significant impact on insulin. Just my two cents.

EDIT: I didn't see this...

Carrots are chocked fill of beta-carotene and vitamin A; like I said, the critizism if due to the fact they have a high glycemic index. Unless you are insanely OCD about your GI, or you're trying to lose weight, thee's no huge reason to omit them. Just don't eat a whole godamn bag by itself in one sitting, that's all.

I agree. I wouldn't eat them all day long if for nothing more than variety counts for a lot... but I do think that the GL is low enough that it wouldn't have much impact on any "rational" amounts that a person would eat.

 

[MikeMartial]

I understand what your saying; and like I said, it's not a big, big deal. The bit on carrots was more for humor than anything, but perhaps I made carrots out to be the villain that they aren't.

Monger is right, the GI may be high, but mixed in with a meal, it substantially lowers it. Plus, the GL from a few carrots is minuscule.

But you can't argue the fact about fat chicks eating baby carrots. I still chuckle when I think about that. :icon_chee

 

[Monger]

But you can't argue the fact about fat chicks eating baby carrots. I still chuckle when I think about that. :icon_chee

No I can't. That is absolutely true! :icon_chee

 

[bettyswalls]

Not that it's a big deal or anything (or even if anyone cares!) but the GI of carrots might not be high at all. Here's a link to a page that has it at 39 (+/-) 7.

ttt!

http://www.mendosa.com/diabetes_update_14.htm

btw - people packing in ceasar salads, pasta dishes and bread for lunch, then asking for a diet coke...that's who I laugh at

 

[manpose]

Oatmeal and several eggs are great for breakfast for mass gaining. Whole eggs are best because it adds calories and whole eggs have proven to boost naturally occuring testoreone. The mass shake should only be taken twice a day on training days. Never take a mass shake late in the evening unless you just trained because high carb meals late in the day are stored as fat.
You need to be lifting heavy and training hard when you are on high calorie diets. If you don't your calories will go straight to your gut.

 

[Renaissance]

I didn't want to write an update until I had made some progress.

First of all, I was not quite 175 lbs as it turned out. Here are some milestones in my weight progression:

Friday March 28 @ 3:00 am - 173.0 lbs
Monday March 31 @ 6:42 am - 174.8 lbs
Wednesday April 9 @ 7:53 am - 177.0 lbs

I got up to 184.0 lbs a month ago (last week of May).

To make a long story short, a friend crashed at my place recently and outstayed his welcome by about 3 weeks :icon_chee Not a very good guest and this significantly impeded my progress. A broken window, my porch caught on fire, and a significant amount of time cleaning my apartment-later I am on on my own again! Hoo-rah.

I'm 180.4 lb at this moment and I'm hungry so I'll eat after I post this.

My diet and life style have changed so much, I can't thank you guys enough. Particularly, MikeMartial. You dunno how inspirational and humorous your post(s) were, I really can't thank you enough man.

I swim and/or take a long walk every day for cardio. I'm reluctant to start jogging because of my left leg. I broke it in a motorcycle accident awhile ago and didn't do any re habilitation. Big mistake. Since I started posting here, I have made significant progress on my overall health and my leg in particular.

I joined a local gym and I go anywhere from 3-5 times a week. I've noticed a lot more confidence in myself- not as shy as I used to be and I'm a hellofa lot stronger!

Unfortunately I am dicking around on E-trade trying to get some money for when I finish my series 7. Once that is done I will start Jiu jitsu!!!

There are a number of Jiu jitsu academies in Austin but I think Relson Gracie Jiu jitsu Austin looks amazing. (RELSON GRACIE JIU-JITSU AUSTIN ASSOCIATION)

Take a look at that and tell me what you think!

I purchased Gourmet Nutrition but my parents hi-jacked 2 days after I got it when I went home. Sonofa.

Also, I saw in a post some months ago you ased if anyone had 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden. My Dad sent it to me yesterday. It confirms nearly everything you said and what I've read from KingKabuki. It even mentions and highly rates the apple cider vinegar and coconut oil I've seen you talk about. It also highly recommends Turmeric which was new to me.

I don't want to compromise the integrity of the author but I'd be happy to tell anyone about the "highly recommended" foods and a brief description on why. The book can be bought here: Amazon.com: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why: Jonny Bowden: Books

I was really impressed by the book. Not on the level of John Berardi, but definitely worth reading.

Ok, this is turning into a blog so I'll stop. In summary,

Thanks again everyone who replied to my initial posts. I've been a shy/introverted guy for all 23 years on this Earth and needed a life style change and thx to you all (KurtSloane, MikeMartial, Shotokan777, XTrainer, Monger, Bettyswalls, and Manpose)

I'm finally doing it. Long live the D & S forum and MMA,

Renaissance

 

[MikeMartial]

Kickass update, Renaissance!! Updates like this are always great to hear, and inspirational to others. Keep it up!!

 

[ThePitBull32]

I was in love until the carrots; critics complain of the high GI. The owner of the gym I go to said recently "Who do you always see eating baby carrots? FAT CHICKS ON DIETS." That made me laugh. It's not a big, big deal, though.

I just had to mention that carrots are listed as one of the 20 super foods for gaining muscle in your post from the other day....I laughed my ass of at that quote tho.

 

[MikeMartial]

I just had to mention that carrots are listed as one of the 20 super foods for gaining muscle in your post from the other day....I laughed my ass of at that quote tho.

LOL yes they are. IMO they have nothing to do with either gaining muscle or losing fat, and offer only a decent amount of carotenes and vitamin A in a nice little crunchy package. Superfood seems like a bit of an overexageration, as well as the yogurt.

But you just watch who's grabbing the large ziplocked bags of baby carrots next time you're in the produce section...

:icon_chee

 

[TopCat]

Something to consider is that this guy is over 6' and only around 175, which sounds like an ectomorphic build to me. Ren, you're probably more carb tolerant than many others, so if you're looking to bulk up you can definitely do with adding additional calories from grains, fats, etc.

You did read the FAQ and 7 Habits, right?

Providing you did, you'd know that any additional grains should be whole-grain and will supplement the fruits and veggies that will present in every meal. And in your case, don't worry about GI of veggies or fruits. White potatoes, steel-cut oats, etc, include them. You may also want a protein blend to, that's right, supplement the protein your taking in from meat and fish. Don't go crazy on the calories, though, until you start exercising. Shit, do yourself a favor and read the article Massive Eating (google it).

Exercise with no gym? That doesn't cut it here. Do yourself a favor and pick up Never Gymless by Ross Enamait. No excuses.

 

[Renaissance]

Something to consider is that this guy is over 6' and only around 175, which sounds like an ectomorphic build to me. Ren, you're probably more carb tolerant than many others, so if you're looking to bulk up you can definitely do with adding additional calories from grains, fats, etc.

You did read the FAQ and 7 Habits, right?

Providing you did, you'd know that any additional grains should be whole-grain and will supplement the fruits and veggies that will present in every meal. And in your case, don't worry about GI of veggies or fruits. White potatoes, steel-cut oats, etc, include them. You may also want a protein blend to, that's right, supplement the protein your taking in from meat and fish. Don't go crazy on the calories, though, until you start exercising. Shit, do yourself a favor and read the article Massive Eating (google it).

Exercise with no gym? That doesn't cut it here. Do yourself a favor and pick up Never Gymless by Ross Enamait. No excuses.

Hi TopCat, I appreciate your post and thank you for the book recommendation. I googled it and came across RossTraining - Bridging The Gap Between Ordinary and Extraordinary. Nice site with great information.

I did mention that I have joined a gym but it was buried in the middle of my last post. I agree with you, lack of exercise doesn't cut it around here. And I agree with MikeMartial's earlier post about starting to train. It motivated me and I will soon.

Sometimes I go to a park nearby at night to look at the stars. It's nice early in the morning as well. I might buy that book to add a few exercises while I'm out.

That was reassuring what you said about carbs. I've always felt similarly but have been too skeptical without any just reasoning. Berardi, in his introductory course online to Scrawny to Brawny, mentions a diet of 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat if I remember correctly.

I've always had an aversion to oatmeal for whatever reason. Maybe it was the texture or just how my mother made it when I was growing up. I'll buy some tomorrow.

I said the same thing about almonds earlier in this thread though and I have completely changed my mind on that. I also thought it'd be impossible to give up fruit juice but here I am only weeks later eating my calories instead of drinking them.

About that protein blend- When I started this thread I was taking MASS XXX from GNC. After that container finished I was around 180 lb. At that point I decided to switch to 100% Whey Protein from GNC. The initial surprise is that 1 serving of whey is only 29 grams, which seems ridiculously small to the serving of MASS XXX.

Thanks again for the advice and taking an interest guys. Expect an update in about a month.

-Ren