gaining with no supps

[def_con_3]

Hi. I was wondering if it is possible to bulk without taking any supplements. My parents have gotten worried that taking protein bars would hurt my kidneys and that one day I would “get renal hypertension and end up on kidney dialysis”. I used to take 2-3 protein bars to supplement my diet on lifting days, but now my parents are limiting it to one bar a week, and no shakes.

Ideally, I would hope to get all the protein I need by the 1g/lb bodyweight rule in natural foods with minimal supplements, but is it practical for a non-professional? Would I just have to eat a whole lot more chicken 'n eggs?

[brian136]

well supplements are just that... they "supplement" what you dont take in with normal food... you dont need shakes and bars.. it jsut makes it easier than eating all that food.. but ultimately calories and protein are what you need to grow.. the way you get them is not that important.. just eat more.. if you want to bulk track your calories and eat!

[brickt.]

:withstupi

You don't need supplements at all. If carrying around chicken all day isn't practical, buy milk. That's like liquid protein, plus other goodies. Your parents woudn't ban you drinking milk, would they?

[Optimum08]

tell them that not letting u take supplements is like not letting you eat...cuz in reality all those "supplements" are are ways in which to get said nutrient (protein etc.) into liquid form without blending a chicken breast and making it taste good so you can get the protein u need without getting so full off of whole food...

[dw06wu]

Tell your mom that if you can't take supps, then she has to cook your extra meals for the extra protein you need. See how long she keeps up doing this. If you are hitting 1-1.5g/lb and are anywhere near even 180-200lb, I doubt she lasts longer than two weeks before letting you go back to the bars/powder.

[dw06wu]

By the way, you should do some research on what whey protein powder actually is, and show it to them. It's actual food..made from milk, I believe. It isn't like it is some sort of mystery chemical soup.

[brickt.]

Sing 'Little Miss Muffet' to your folks.

"...eating her CURDS and WHEY..."

Curds and whey is pretty much milk/cottage cheese? I think.

[Shao-LiN]

Hi. I was wondering if it is possible to bulk without taking any supplements.

What exactly made you think that you couldn't bulk w/o supplements to begin with? Do you think supplements have been around for ages? Eat lots of food and lift a lot of weight....grats, you're bulking.

[Silverback]

The protein and kidneys rubbish is an outdated debate. Unless you have some prior problem with your kidneys the amount of protein you consume wont make a difference.

I personally havent touched a supplement for over 2yrs and ive managed to put on 40lbs of muscle in that time. The mags want you to believe that you cant make progress without them, but if you check the ingrediants theyre mostly bs anyway!

[def_con_3]

Tell your mom that if you can't take supps, then she has to cook your extra meals for the extra protein you need. See how long she keeps up doing this. If you are hitting 1-1.5g/lb and are anywhere near even 180-200lb, I doubt she lasts longer than two weeks before letting you go back to the bars/powder.

Yeah that's what I plan on doing.

My parents don't seem to believe that someone could need that "much" protein a day, and when I tell them that I learned so on this forum, they still don't believe it, and say that their doctors tell them it's unhealthy even for a bodybuilder. But for now, I guess we'll all have to live with the inconvenience until they realize that protein is protein and some places just supply it easier than others.

[Cut150]

Why can't you request more chicken, eat a few more steaks, blah, blah, blah and keep track of your protein intake without divulging the amount to your parents?

You don't have to eat bars and drink shakes, I don't and I get my daily intake strictly through food.

[AzBboy]

take it behind their back, duhh.

[tigo]

eat all the meat at the dinner table
they'llsee

[bschatz88]

Let's assume you weigh 180 lbs.

Eat a pepperoni + sausage pizza. That's aroound 85 g protein I believe.

Drink 10 cups of milk. That's around 65 g of protein.

Eat 8 tb of peanut butter. That's 32 g of protein.

There, you've surpassed your 1g/pound of bw.

I'm assuming you eat much more in a day than that. No problem.

[sexy2002svt]

yeah, eating right is far more important than taking supplements.

[Davidelmo]

I would stay away from the protein bars... they're usually VERY expensive for what you get.

Milk is a fantastic source of protein. I drink 3L a day, giving me 100g of protein and about 2000kcal. Add meals on top of that and you dont need supplements at all.

[def_con_3]

Thanks for the advice, drinking some milk right now.

[def_con_3]

OK I'm not sure if I should start a new thread, but fast foods would be a good replacement for protein supps right?

I found a website (shown below) that lists fast foods' nutritional content ranked by protein, starting off with the Subway double meat chicken teriyaki sub with 86g protein. Only downside is all that cholestorol, 200mg, is that bordering the limit?

And if you're supposed to stay away from cold cuts when bulking, why do some of those cold cut containing subs have such a high protein content? Less "desirable" protein quality?

site: http://www.fatcalories.com/results/r...&Submit=Search

[Cut150]

Why are you making this harder than it needs to be?

Go to your supermarket deli and ask for a pound of turkey, ham, chicken, roast beef or anything that they have to struggle to pull out of the glass containers and slice in front of you.

Buy some wheat bread, put the meat in between the slices and eat as much as you can. Count the grams of protein.

Heck, while you're at the deli, ask the guy if you can read the labels and see which one has more protein and go from there.

Drink some milk.

Ask your mother to fix you a huge steak and eat it in front of her with a Grinch That Stole Christmas smile on your face as you gorge on protein right under her nose.

Eat five pieces of chicken instead of three.

Make a shake with a cup of dry oats that is 10 grams of protein alone. With the milk and some other types of fruit, it goes up.

Eat an egg or two. Scramble them. Hard boiled. Soft boiled. Go Rocky and drink 'em raw.

Eat some Cheerios as a snack. Add some milk for breakfast or another snack.

You can eat your needed grams of protein. How many grams do you need anyway?

[Shao-LiN]

Why do people overcomplicate things? Would fast food be a replacement for protein shakes? I guess...if they actually replace the protein you would have taken in a shake. Would actual whole food work too? Yep. I know that's a bit of a stretch, but damn. Eat food. Whey protein powder isn't some magical voodoo supplement that somehow automatically makes you gain muscle. It is a protein extracted and purified from milk.