Need your advice

[Derry]

Hello, I just discovered these message boards today and thought that I would seek your advice. I just started weight training last week and wanted to make sure that I was doing everything right for meeting my specific goals. I am 23 years old and weigh about 180 pounds. Most of that is unfortunately fat and flab. I really don't mind the fat part all that much seeing as how I was skinny all through High School(125 pounds my freshman year to 145 my senior year) and have always wanted to weigh more, but I do want to gain some muscle. I have been doing extensive research this past week on weight training and gaining weight and most of them tell you that you need 3,000 calories a day and one pound of protein per body weight. I did purchase some whey protein and some creatine monohydrate from the GNC store. For some reason when I take creatine on the days that I do not work out I feel kind of weak and rather nautious for about a half hour. Perhaps I am just one in a thousand people who experience some sort of side effects from it, who knows. But I really don't feel like that when I take it before workouts. Anyway, I have kind of gotten off the subject a little but my main question to you guys is what kind of foods should I eat if I am trying to gain about 20 pounds of muscle? I have been eating some Tuna, bagels, eggs, and peanut butter. Are these good enough along with the supplements? Could you give me an example of what some of you guys eat everyday who have the same goals as I do. I know six meals a day is recommended. I would prefer foods that I do not have to spend hundreds of dollars a month on. What are the cheapest foods that will meet my specific needs?

Also, I know this is the nutrition board but I started doing the workout routines that wannebebig.com has listed for gaining mass. The one where you do chest and back one day, legs the second day, and arms the third day(with rest days in between each day). Is this a good workout routine? Have any of you tried it? I just want to gain about 20 pounds of muscle within the next three or four months. Is that an unrealistic goal? Some say you can make big gains within that time frame if you do everything right. Which is why I am asking you guys about it because you know more about it than I do. Thanks in advance for your help.

[therhoads]

Wow, a lot of stuff to cover from your post :eek:

First, diet wise you will need to cut to loose most of the fat. If you want to loose fat I would not go 3000 cals a day. Checkout the
CKD Diet (http://www.hbstores.com/Ketogenicdieting.htm). It is possible to get a little more lean while working out but to cut off a lot quick to get defined muscles you will have to watch the diet.

Second, you can only expect a couple pounds of muscle per month. Sure you can bulk up and look big, but as far as muscle mass, expect only 5 or 6 pounds in that time.

I also take Whey (1.5 GRAMS/ bodypound/day) and Creatine. I have also started on ZMA which is supposed to help raise Testosterone levels thus lowering bodyfat.

To stay lean, eat a lot of baked chicken breasts, tuna, fish, etc... Cottage cheese is also a good source of protein. I would stay away from Peanut Butter unless it is the natural kind. It has too much trans-fatty junk.

I do something similar to the big routine and I have heard others have moderate success with it as well.

Good Luck!