time to bulk up...need diet help!!

[njlw226]

okay guys, ive been cutting since january and it has worked very well. i am 22 years old and i started off in january at 193lbs and about 18%bf. i am about 5'10". i am now down to about 172lbs and about 10%bf. my abs are there, and im honestly a little stronger than when i started to my surprise. ive been on the 5x5 method the whole time. i want to start packing on muscle while keeping as much of my abs and putting on as low amount of bf as possible, because im starting to feel too skinny. i will be staying with the 5x5. here is my average day's diet:

meal 1 - 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites scrambled with some oatmeal
meal 2 - 2 turkey sandwhiches with fat free cheese on whole wheat bread
meal 3 - apple
workout
meal 4 - protein shake with dextrose
meal 5 - can of tuna
meal 6 - two chicken breasts and a salad with fat free dressing
meal 7 - can of tuna

my estimates:

protein - 218 gm / 872 cals
fat - 37.25 gm / 335.25 cals
carb - 177 gm / 708 cals
about 1915.25 total cals.

i know my macros might be off and this diet might not be perfect, but hey, my gut is gone!

by the way, i work out mon, tues, thurs, fri. and do 30 minutes of cardio wed, sat, and sun.

i also take glutamine, creatine, and a multi vit. guys, please help me get my diet in line to start adding back some muscle with as little bit of body fat possible. karma to those who give good help. thanks!!!!

 

[njlw226]

bump

 

[bran987]

you have zero EFA's?

that is one easy place I see for you to add about 400 calories/day

 

[njlw226]

can you tell me where i can get these efa's from? is flax seed oil good for this? thanks again.

 

[artrius]

Ok first off, I hope you plan on taking a lot more calories. You are barely taking in 12x cals per lb of bodyweight. You should be taking ins AT LEAST 15x cals per lb if you want to bulk, more like 18x cals per lb (15 cals per lb of bodyweight is more like a maintenance intake level). Of course, this is a general thumbrule and is to be adjusted for your individual metabolism.

Be sure to not add all those calories at once, though. Add them slowly, like over a few weeks, probably in increments of about 200-250 cal per week or so. This will help you to not add fat while your metabolism adjusts to a new higher intake.

The ratios look ok, although I would agree that you need to add more EFAs in. Maybe some fish or flax oil, ANPB (or peanuts) would serve you right.

Most importantly, though, I'd up the calories a bit. I'm not sure what your training is like (never heard of a 5x5 method before), but I'd still up the calories regardless, if you want to gain mass.

Also, you could definantly use more fibrous veggies. Salad doesn't have very many nutrients in it at all.

Like I said, first off, MORE CALORIES! Hope this helps.

 

[njlw226]

if i was to buy flax seed oil, how much of that should i be taking a day, and what are its nutritional values? thanks.

 

[artrius]

Its about 130 kcals with 14g fat per tbsp. Of course, it may vary from brand to brand.

As for how much to take, that depends on how much fat you get in your diet normally. I personally try and keep my fat intake around 25-30% of my total calories. I only take 1 tbsp a day to help keep it in that range, so really it depends on what you want your macronutrient split to be.

On the other hand, Will Brink would suggest 1tbsp per 75 lbs of bodyweight ON TOP of your normal diet. That, however, is not considering a diet loaded with ANPB or any special out-of-the-way sources of extra fat.

 

[bran987]

can you tell me where i can get these efa's from? is flax seed oil good for this? thanks again.

fish oil! has really helped my physique and skin

 

[BrandonXJ]

fish oil! has really helped my physique and skin

You ever think of hooking the snapster up with some fish oil? I wonder if dogs use EFA's like we do..

 

[njlw226]

can anyone do a comparison for me on flax vs fish oil? like price, best place to buy, how much to take per day, nutritional values, when to take, etc etc? thanks.