Bulking Diet - Please Critique

[iQuABoB]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking these forums for a while, and been struggling to put on mass. I am pretty sure the weakest link was my diet so I've made it much more formalized in an attempt to figure out exactly what I need to be eating to meet my goals. This seems to be working pretty well so far, but improvements can always be made.

Right now I am 6'0" and about 155lbs @ 9.8% BF. This diet is designed to give me a caloric surplus of 500kcal per day which should allow me to gain about 1lb per week. I work out in the morning 5x per week between meals 1 and 2.

This diet is designed to be very easy to make, and also portable. Right now I cook all the chicken and quinoa in advance each Sunday, so my food prep time every day is limited to blending a smoothie and the shakes and then making a sandwich when I get home from work. I am very busy, so I don't have a lot of time to spend on food prep every day, so simple easy to prepare items are key.

I was hoping that by posting my diet I could give other people some ideas, but also get some feedback on where I could improve, I've attached the full version as a PDF, but here is a summary if you don't want to download the full thing. Any comments are appreciated.

Summary
Time Meal kcal fat (g) carb (g) protein (g)
6:30a Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie 273 6 51 7
7:30a Whey, Oats, Milk & PB Shake 456 12 45 40
10:00a Whey, Oats, Milk & PB Shake 456 12 45 40
12:00p Chicken & Quinoa or Brown Rice 452 13.3 30 49
3:00p Whey, Oats, Milk & PB Shake 456 12 45 40
6:00p Ham & Cheese Sandwich w/ Spinach Salad 707 26.2 60 53.8
8:00p 1/4 Cup Almonds 225 18.75 6.75 6.75
10:30p Cottage Cheese and Milk 289 6.5 18 36
Total All Meals 3314 107 300 272

[Scooter]

You're thinking about it too much. Mircomanaging like this is great if you are successful at it, but when you have difficulty you just need to eat everything in site and not mind putting on some fat. It's a great way to break through a plateau.

[AKMass]

Diet looks decent but why are you working out 5 days a week? What's your routine like?

[rbtrout]

Personally, I'd rearrange it for 1 less meal and make the timing more consistent. Also with the protein, oats, pb & milk shakes 3 times a day, I bet you'll have wicked gas and/or the squirts.

[iQuABoB]

You're thinking about it too much. Mircomanaging like this is great if you are successful at it, but when you have difficulty you just need to eat everything in site and not mind putting on some fat. It's a great way to break through a plateau.

I am really busy so I like to prep my meals ahead of time so I can get most of the work done on Sunday, which requires planning it out. I've been sticking to this diet for a couple weeks now with only minor variation through the week. Sometimes I eat a bit more because I get hungry (especially leg day)


Diet looks decent but why are you working out 5 days a week? What's your routine like?

I am working out 5 times a week because I'd rather go 5 times a week for a shorter period than 3 times a week for a longer period. I workout before work so its easier to get up at a consistent time that way. Right now my split is:
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - Arms & Abs
Wednesday - Shoulders
Thursday - Back
Friday - Chest


Personally, I'd rearrange it for 1 less meal and make the timing more consistent. Also with the protein, oats, pb & milk shakes 3 times a day, I bet you'll have wicked gas and/or the squirts.

Since I was a little kid I've always drank lots of milk, so I have no problem dealing with milk, whey or any other dairy. Haven't had any gas or digestive issues with this diet yet.

Really I just want to know if I am eating enough, and the ingredients I've selected to make up the macros will work well for bulking. Seems the diet is fundamentally sound so I guess time will tell unless anyone else has some more suggestions?