need a review on my calorie intake

[BulkMeUp]

I have been on an off to the Gym for the past 6 years. Present stats:- age:36, weight:68kg, height 6ft, bf-16%. I have always been skinny. But this time i have decided to go at it and try to bulk up as i have never before been able to do so.

So i have started on Creatine (to help with the weights), 5g every day(loading phase 7days 10g is done) and along with dextrose on exercise days only (immediately after workout). I have tried Bill Phillips 'body for life' workout last year for 4 months and liked it. Even though i could not any workout in the timeframe suggested by him, i do like it and plan to stick to it.

Eating big is not one of my strong points, but i am willing to try all reasonable suggestions. I have researched this forum and have come accross innumerable threads dealing with the topic of daily calories and what is recommended. Would appreciate if someone could take a peek at the below sample of my present daily intake and give me their input.

breakfast cals carb fat pro
1cup milk 157 12 8.5 8.6
1Apple 81 21 0 0
1Tbsp oats 28 5 0 1
5dates 115 61 0 1
1/4 lemon 15 9 0 0
1 SCOOP Protein powder 125 1 6.5 26
TOTAL 521 109 15 36.6

Lunch
1Tbsp olive oil 119 0 14 0
1cup pasta 197 40 0 7
4 tbsp (125ml) pasta sause 96 14 3.2 2.9
1cup lettuce 8 2 0 0
1can tuna 60 0 0.4 14
1banana 105 27 0 1
TOTAL 585 83 17.6 24.9

Snack
2slices bread 257 45 4.5 9
2tbsp mayo 200 0 22 0
1granola bar (1/2 pouch) 108 15 4.7 2
TOTAL 565 60 31.2 11

Dinner
1cup rice 131 28 0 3
1cup chicken 187 0 8 26
1cup veg 12 2 4 1
1banana 105 27 0 1
TOTAL 435 57 12 31

Night
250ml egg whites (Nutra egg) 125 0 0 25

....................cals carb fat pro
GRAND TOTAL 2231 309 75.8 128.5

[blazini]

Ok brother, quick review: to gain weight, simply consume more calories than you burn. Very simple. Now, the average body uses roughly 2000-2500 calories a day. All depending on genetic makeup and your metabolic rate. Consuming 2200 calories will not do it for you. You need to add more meals, and up the caloric intake. If you just don't have the appetite for food, eat smaller meals and space them evenly throughout the day. Roughly 3 hours apart. If you can't achieve your goals through methods of food, invest in a weight gainer and drink half a serving between meals.

[bradley]

Originally posted by BulkMeUp

breakfast cals carb fat pro
1cup milk 157 12 8.5 8.6
1Apple 81 21 0 0
1Tbsp oats 28 5 0 1
5dates 115 61 0 1
1/4 lemon 15 9 0 0
1 SCOOP Protein powder 125 1 6.5 26
TOTAL 521 109 15 36.6

Instead of all the fruit, I would just consume more oats, which are a better source of carbs in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with fruit, and I would probably just drop the dates and keep the apple. You could also add in some type of healthy fat with this meal, such as olive oil, fish oil, flaxseed oil, etc. I would shoot for ~25% of your daily cals from fat.

Snack
2slices bread 257 45 4.5 9
2tbsp mayo 200 0 22 0
1granola bar (1/2 pouch) 108 15 4.7 2
TOTAL 565 60 31.2 11

I would add some protein in with this meal, and decrease the amount of mayo that you are eating. If you need more cals from fat, I think there are better sources than mayo.

Night
250ml egg whites (Nutra egg) 125 0 0 25

Might add in some fat with this meal, which would further slow the digestion of the egg whites. Another option would be to include one whole egg.

I think your daily calorie intake is fine right now, but if you find that you are not gaining a small amount of weight each week, then just increase your cals a bit. Also add in some some more protein to your diet, and I think ~1g per lb. of bw would be a good number to shoot for (2.2g per kg of bw )

Also a post workout shake consisting of carbs (malto and/or dextrose) along with some whey protein would be a good addition to your diet.

[jinxx]

Originally posted by blazini
Now, the average body uses roughly 2000-2500 calories a day.

How you figure?

I'm a meso, do lotsa cardio/weight lifting and my cutting diet is about 2100.

[geoffgarcia]

more protein

[BulkMeUp]

Thanks for all your input guys.

Thanks for your detailed review Bradley. Much appreciated. i have reworked it incorporating your suggestions to give the following results.
....................cals carb fat pro
GRAND TOTAL 2405 349 73.3 134.5 (as per food labels)
Total in Calories 2593.7 1396 659.7 538 (multiply above carb-4, fat-9 and pro-4)
Percent Makeup 100.00% 53.82% 25.43% 20.74%

I dont want to seem obsessed with numbers, but i am trying to hit an acceptable formula and then stick as close to it as possible. my weight:68kg, height 6ft, bf-16%, lean body weight-57kg

Let me know if you feel the above revision looks ok. Thanks again.

[geoffgarcia]

IMHO your protein is still to low, and your carbs are to high
if you stick with the 1-1.5g of protein per 1lb of bw then you would want to shoot for 150-225g of protein, yet your only getting 134

Also, although I didn't post much above, I totally agree with Bradley, you should cut most of the fruit outta there (including lemons, dates, apples, bananas) try 1 banana every other day...

and whats up with that mayo? talk about empty calories, if your serious about gaining muscle + weight then your not gonna wanna waste any calories on junk like this that is just for flavor.

I'd aim for carbs around 160, fat around 80 and protein around 185 that gives you 1080 that gives ya 2500 calories

add more chicken or turkey (prefer breasts as they are higher protein/calorie ratio)

1 cup of rice and 2 cups of veggies should be most of your carb intake for the day

[bradley]

Originally posted by geoffgarcia
IMHO your protein is still to low, and your carbs are to high
if you stick with the 1-1.5g of protein per 1lb of bw then you would want to shoot for 150-225g of protein, yet your only getting 134

From the studies that I have seen, 134g of protein should be sufficient, especially in a calorie surplus. Although the 1g per lb. is just a general guideline, and is by no means all inclusive.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract
"Although definitive dietary recommendations for various athletic groups must await future study, the weight of current evidence suggests that strength or speed athletes should consume about 1.2-1.7 g protein/kg body weight.d-1 (approximately 100-212% of current recommendations) and endurance athletes about 1.2-1.4 g/kg.d-1 (approximately 100-175% of current recommendations). "

Also, although I didn't post much above, I totally agree with Bradley, you should cut most of the fruit outta there (including lemons, dates, apples, bananas) try 1 banana every other day...

I think fruit is fine in moderation, and although I would spread fruit consumption out over the course of the day, instead of consuming such a large amount at one meal. One banana every other day is being a little restrictive, so if you enjoy fruit then I see no problem with it.

and whats up with that mayo? talk about empty calories, if your serious about gaining muscle + weight then your not gonna wanna waste any calories on junk like this that is just for flavor.

Mayo is actually a decent source of fat, although olive oil, fish oil, etc. would be a better choice.

I'd aim for carbs around 160, fat around 80 and protein around 185 that gives you 1080 that gives ya 2500 calories

That only comes out to be ~2100 cals, and I see no problem with his current ratios.

1 cup of rice and 2 cups of veggies should be most of your carb intake for the day

That would only be ~35g of carbs (assuming 1 cup of cooked rice) and veggies will add a negligible amount of carbs.

[BulkMeUp]

geoffgarcia , bradley. Thanks Guys! You have given me plenty of food for thought.