Is eating constantly the only way to gain mass ?

[Leicesterdave]

Thank you!

[Complex]

Not eating constantly, just eating in a way which puts you in a calorific surplus on a day-to-day basis over time.

[Leicesterdave]

Some say it's a myth?

[smiffy180]

Leicesterdave said:

Some say it's a myth?

Who says it's a myth? .

[Centurion07]

Have a google on the calorific values of a pound of muscle vs an average person's daily food intake and tell me how you expect to gain muscle WITHOUT a lot of eating?

I've had some modest gains over the last year or two & it was a hell of an eye-opener as to just how much you have to eat in order to get anywhere.


I am 40 though so YMMV

[Leicesterdave]

"I think the most important thing to be aware of when muscle building is figuring out your maintenance calorie requirements. That's really the hardest part. Once you figure that out, you only need to eat slightly above your maintenance (300-500 calories max) and make sure you do your cardio. With that method, you can build muscle and barely put on any fat. It may take longer, but you'll look good all year around, not have to go through a cutting phase and maintain good overall health. It's well worth it in the end doing it the right way!

I think it's ridiculous when people eat 3-4K calories and just get fat. Then you have to work backwards and cut it up again bringing you back to square 1. It's also not healthy to put your body through such drastic changes all the time."

"Bulking and cutting is a myth. It might be necessary to eat a caloric surplus to gain muscle, but gaining any amount of fat is unnecessary. If you are gaining fat it means that your body is consuming too much energy that is going unused and it's storing it instead of using it. There is absolutely zero reason to gain any more than a miniscule amount of fat on a bulk. If you're gaining fat, you need to scale back calories. It IS possible to gain muscle and no fat, you just have to get your calorie intake totally dialled in. The way most people on this forum I've seen gain fat during bulks is unnecessary and is counterproductive because they are wasting valuable muscle building opportunities when they have to cut back down."

And this does appear to make sense!!

[22s]

Leicesterdave said:

"I think the most important thing to be aware of when muscle building is figuring out your maintenance calorie requirements. That's really the hardest part. Once you figure that out, you only need to eat slightly above your maintenance (300-500 calories max) and make sure you do your cardio. With that method, you can build muscle and barely put on any fat. It may take longer, but you'll look good all year around, not have to go through a cutting phase and maintain good overall health. It's well worth it in the end doing it the right way!

I think it's ridiculous when people eat 3-4K calories and just get fat. Then you have to work backwards and cut it up again bringing you back to square 1. It's also not healthy to put your body through such drastic changes all the time."

It doesn't take you back to square one. If you put on 20 kilos, 12 of which are muscle and 8 are which are fat, then you cut and end up with 2kg extra fat and 9kg extra muscle, you're still bigger and more muscular. Arbitrary numbers, but used to illustrate a point.

Leicesterdave said:

"Bulking and cutting is a myth. It might be necessary to eat a caloric surplus to gain muscle, but gaining any amount of fat is unnecessary. If you are gaining fat it means that your body is consuming too much energy that is going unused and it's storing it instead of using it. There is absolutely zero reason to gain any more than a miniscule amount of fat on a bulk. If you're gaining fat, you need to scale back calories. It IS possible to gain muscle and no fat, you just have to get your calorie intake totally dialled in. The way most people on this forum I've seen gain fat during bulks is unnecessary and is counterproductive because they are wasting valuable muscle building opportunities when they have to cut back down."

And this does appear to make sense!!

Bulking and cutting is not a myth - whoever wrote that just doesn't want to do it. But it's proved by thousands and thousands of people (including me) that it works. Sure, I could measure every single meal for it's macros blah blah blah, for the rest of my life and get the exact surplus of calories so I can put on muscle and not fat. But I'd rather just eat what the fk I want for part of the year (within reason), and then eat quite a lot less for part of the year, and be bigger and stronger by the end of year.

[Leicesterdave]

So what is your diet when you're 'bulking'?

[22s]

Leicesterdave said:

So what is your diet when you're 'bulking'?

Pretty much the same as when I'm cutting, just more of it (especially carbs).

Example:
Wake up 6am: banana and whey shake

Gym

Whey shake

7.45am: 4 eggs and toast for breakfast

Mid-morning some pasta and tuna + salad

Lunch chicken breast and bulgar wheat salad

Mid-afternoon pastrami wrap

Dinner maybe a chilli con carne with rice or similar

Late evening pastrami straight from packet/some cooked chicken/etc.

That's a typical day; but when I feel like it I'm much more loose than when cutting, so might have sausages for a meal, maybe some bacon, burgers... But I don't eat st like fries and crisps except very, very occasionally, and never eat cake, chocolate, fizzy pop (except on a night out), etc.

[Leicesterdave]

I still struggle with the 6 meals a day thing...

I tend do have:

7am= All bran + 1% milk

10am= fruit (could be a peach, or blueberries or other berry) with 0% Greek yoghurt

12pm= Pasta (usually with ham) and cough cough a bit of Parmesan

3pm= Protein Shake

6pm= Grilled Chicken breast+ broccoli, carrots peas and cauliflower and a few oven chips

8pm= fruit+ more Greek yoghurt

9pm= protein shake

So as you can tell I'm not there yet.. but trying. Plus my fear is that the above is too few calories!?

[22s]

Leicesterdave said:

I still struggle with the 6 meals a day thing...

I tend do have:

7am= All bran + 1% milk

10am= fruit (could be a peach, or blueberries or other berry) with 0% Greek yoghurt

12pm= Pasta (usually with ham) and cough cough a bit of Parmesan

3pm= Protein Shake

6pm= Grilled Chicken breast+ broccoli, carrots peas and cauliflower and a few oven chips

8pm= fruit+ more Greek yoghurt

9pm= protein shake

So as you can tell I'm not there yet.. but trying. Plus my fear is that the above is too few calories!?

Your problem is nowhere near enough protein and not enough good fats, and not enough calories. Your breakfast is the biggest problem - your body has been starved all night and all it gets in the morning is a few carbs and dribble of protein in the milk. Ditch the 1% stuff as well - drink whole milk, not processed crap that removes the natural fats etc.

Have an egg sandwich on wholemeal bread with a shake, would be my advice.

Note that I'm not an authority; just telling you what I know from 6 years of lifting/eating to get stronger.

[Leicesterdave]

22s said:

our problem is nowhere near enough protein and not enough good fats, and not enough calories. Your breakfast is the biggest problem - your body has been starved all night and all it gets in the morning is a few carbs and dribble of protein in the milk. Ditch the 1% stuff as well - drink whole milk, not processed crap that removes the natural fats etc.

Have an egg sandwich on wholemeal bread with a shake, would be my advice.

Note that I'm not an authority; just telling you what I know from 6 years of lifting/eating to get stronger.

I hear you about breakfast.

But would the Greek yoghurt+ shake+ pasta+ ham+ more Greek yoghurt not add up to about 80-100g of protein?
I'm just totally lost with all this nutrition lark! Also do you need to eat this daily or only on workout days?

[smiffy180]

Since you're struggling, ill post today's meal (albeit not the healthiest.)
Breakfast: 150g oats + 75g protein powder in a shake
2nd Meal: bbq meat feast pizza
3rd Meal: 6x Lincolnshire sausages + 300g chips
4th Meal: 450g Youngs breaded fish fillets + 300g chips
5th Meal yet to come.

So far I've consumed:
4143cals
142g fat
441g carbs
270g protein

My diet is slightly different to normal as I'm eliminating dairy products for now to see if I have an intolerance.

[smiffy180]

smiffy180 said:

Since you're struggling, ill post today's meal (albeit not the healthiest.)
Breakfast: 150g oats + 75g protein powder in a shake
2nd Meal: bbq meat feast pizza
3rd Meal: 6x Lincolnshire sausages + 300g chips
4th Meal: 450g Youngs breaded fish fillets + 300g chips
5th Meal yet to come.

So far I've consumed:
4143cals
142g fat
441g carbs
270g protein

My diet is slightly different to normal as I'm eliminating dairy products for now to see if I have an intolerance.

5th meal: 200g pasta and tomato bolognese sauce

Total intake now:
5057cals
151g fat
601g carbs
301g protein

in regards to the eating all the time, I don't feel like it lol

[deadmau5]

How are you able to eat that kind of stuff at work? Is there a chippy next door?

[IroningMan]

smiffy180 said:

smiffy180 said:

Since you're struggling, ill post today's meal (albeit not the healthiest.)
Breakfast: 150g oats + 75g protein powder in a shake
2nd Meal: bbq meat feast pizza
3rd Meal: 6x Lincolnshire sausages + 300g chips
4th Meal: 450g Youngs breaded fish fillets + 300g chips
5th Meal yet to come.

So far I've consumed:
4143cals
142g fat
441g carbs
270g protein

My diet is slightly different to normal as I'm eliminating dairy products for now to see if I have an intolerance.

5th meal: 200g pasta and tomato bolognese sauce

Total intake now:
5057cals
151g fat
601g carbs
301g protein

in regards to the eating all the time, I don't feel like it lol

fk a stoat!

Yesterday:

Breakfast: 2 x poached eggs on spinach
Dinner: 2 x hardbolied eggs, 1 tin tuna plus green salad

er, that's it...

Is it safe to assume that 5-2 + 5x5 won't turn me into you?

[smiffy180]

deadmau5 said:

How are you able to eat that kind of stuff at work? Is there a chippy next door?

I work nights and I haven't had any work this week, 0 hour contract.
helps with diet, just not my wallet

When working I'll have a shake after work and and make food I can carry on me such as wraps.

If I had a normal job I'd probably make chicken and pasta then microwave it on breaks

[smiffy180]

IroningMan said:

fk a stoat!

Yesterday:

Breakfast: 2 x poached eggs on spinach
Dinner: 2 x hardbolied eggs, 1 tin tuna plus green salad

er, that's it...

Is it safe to assume that 5-2 + 5x5 won't turn me into you?

nope
you'll be leaner than me though

[IroningMan]

6'0" and 86kg - this thread makes me feel like a beanpole...

[MajorProblem]