Need to bulk? Cant gain weight? Look no further

[crowizm]

I constantly see posts about what to do to bulk up. I was one of these people and I found the help i needed, and now i want to return the favor. I did a lot of research to help someone who is in need of bulking. This thread is strictly stating the nutritional part, nothing more. Hope this helps.

(About me, read if you like) First, I could NEVER gain weight. At 6'2" 145 lbs I was quite thin, and no matter what I did, I simply could not put on the pounds. I ate more, took weight gainers....no dice. I notice a lot of people make statements such as " I eat like a horse, I eat eat eat, and nothing!" I was this way too, until I actually wrote down what I ate daily and realized, I wasnt eating enough at all. With that said, it's important to write down what you eat to see what your actually consuming.

As for weight gainers, I was using N-Large 2. The product will put the pounds on you, however, in the wrong places. I gained about 15 pounds of pure fat. I had love handles and a huge ass. Weight gainers contain a lot of material that will give you a dirty bulk. The best advice given to me was to make my own weight gainer.

With that said, I went ahead and made my own gainer, with a little help from fellow BB.com members. I am now a solid 185 pounds and continue to grow today. I've never looked or felt better in my life. Here is the shake I have each and every day:

20oz 2% milk- 300 calories - 20g protein
3 cups steel cut oats powder- 1800 calories - 18g protein
2 bananas- 200 calories - 2g protein
4 scoops Optimum whey- 480 calories - 96g protein
3 table spoons Smuckers Natural Peanut butter- 320 calories- 12 protein

There you got yourself 3100 calories and 148g of protein of good, clean food.

The most important thing to remember is the milk. If you go any less than 20oz, you will find yourself eating your shake instead of drinking it.

The fact of the matter is, OATS MAKE YOU GROW. There is no questioning it. The main difference between steel cut oats and regular oats (like quaker oats) is the calories. Steel Cut are almost double the calories.

You can order a 50 pound bag of steel cut oats at http://www.store.honeyvillegrain.com...ROD&ProdID=360 for only $42.34 (shipping included)

Steel cut oats are rough and hard to digest. Thats where the magic of coffee grinders come into play. I personally use the Mr. Coffee grinder, which you can buy at walmart for about 20 bucks http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=2593964 In about a hour or 2, you can turn that 50 pound bag of oats into a powder, and if you use between 4-5 scoops of your Optimum Whey scoop, you will get 1800 calories from oats.

So with 3100 calories, on top of your other meals, you absolutely WILL gain weight. I would not be stating this information if it didn't work for me but it did, and continues to today. The best time to consume this shake is after your workout. On off days, i consume mine before i go to bed. A lot of people are going to argue that this is too much for your body to digest at one time, but all our bodies are different, and this is the way that has worked wonders for me.

Cons: As good as this shake is, there is one unpleasant con. You are going to let off some serious gas, and it isnt going to smell like daisy's... more like Driving Miss Daisy. My suggestion is if you got a date, or somewhere of importance to attend, just be carefull when you consume the shake, for everyones sake

Hope this helps, best of luck guys.

[crowizm]

I actually found the Mr. Coffee grinder on ebay for about $15, shipping included, if you want to avoid the lines and save a couple bucks.

[JamesInLA]

That sounds great, I will have to try one. Or maybe a fifth of one. :-)

Just a note on the steel-cut oats: they are only more calorie-dense than rolled oats by volume, but not by weight.

0.5 cups rolled oats = 40g = 0.25 cups steel-cut

So it's the same amount of oats.

[3000calories]

how many glasses does that recipe for the shake make?

[crowizm]

Good point on that James. I just noticed that when i went from regular oats to steel cut, i was bulking rather quicker.

This shake will give you about a glass 1/2 to 2 glasses. Also, ive been adding about 24oz of milk lately, which has made the shake go down even easier and also adds some more calories from the milk.

Dont assume this shake is gonna be chunky, I assure you it wont. Sure, there is going to be a banana chunk or a couple oats that may have survived the grinder/blender, but for the most part, its very smooth going down.

[roamer]

very good post. personally, i don't think i will make mine with so many ingredients just because it's too much protein to break down in one sitting. I've read countless times the body can only handle 50g-60g of protein every hour or two, however, you said it worked for you.

not sure if it's just me, but that second link you posted doesn't work.

also, does anyone know the name given to steel cut oats in Australia and New Zealand? i can't find them anywhere. can only find rolled oats so far.

[crowizm]

very good post. personally, i don't think i will make mine with so many ingredients just because it's too much protein to break down in one sitting. I've read countless times the body can only handle 50g-60g of protein every hour or two, however, you said it worked for you.

not sure if it's just me, but that second link you posted doesn't work.

Ya that link wasnt working, i took it down until i can figure out the problem. You are correct on the protein consumption at 1 sitting, I'm basically leaning more towards the calorie aspects of things. This is just what has worked for me, dont know if it will work the same for everyone else.

You could always split everything in half. Take one in the morning/afternoon and the other at night to get a better protein consumption.

Also, I use the extra scoops of whey because each scoop has over 100 calories and it makes the flavor more edible. It also plays tricks on my mind that im having a cheat meal, because the shake is so chocolately and peanut buttery

[JamesInLA]

also, does anyone know the name given to steel cut oats in Australia and New Zealand? i can't find them anywhere. can only find rolled oats so far.

Try Scottish oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats.

[roamer]

Try Scottish oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats.

ok thanks, ill keep looking. at the moment ive tried Countdown and Pak n Sav (NZ supermarkets) and the only scottish oats they had were the same cals per serving as rolled oats.

[roamer]

I'm basically leaning more towards the calorie aspects of things.

You could always split everything in half. Take one in the morning/afternoon and the other at night to get a better protein consumption.

yip you are right, could split them up a bit. i also think it's better to spread the cals out more evenly over the day, so 2 or 3 of this shakes would work wonders.

great ideas man, going to buy myself a blender now.

[3000calories]

in that one serving I'd only need one more meal to have all the calories and protein i'd need in a day

[crowizm]

in that one serving I'd only need one more meal to have all the calories and protein i'd need in a day

EXACTLY! thats why this shake is so great. I work many hours in the day and dont have time for the recommended 5-6 meals a day (in BB terms). So ill have a brunch, dinner, then my shake. I'm getting in a good 4500-5000 calories each day, depending on food/snacks i have time to consume in between (cottage cheese, yogurt, nuts, ect)

When I was 145 pounds, i went through a calculation and it said i was only getting in around 1700 calories a day. So i practically trippled that, and sure enough, im a solid 40 pounds heavier.

[3000calories]

I need to gain 40 lbs. how long did that take you. I'm only 115 right now. 155 would be great.

[crowizm]

I need to gain 40 lbs. how long did that take you. I'm only 115 right now. 155 would be great.

It took me about 20 weeks to get to where I am now. Your goal is to get about 1-2 pounds each week, which is considered "clean" bulking.

[JamesInLA]

It took me about 20 weeks to get to where I am now. Your goal is to get about 1-2 pounds each week, which is considered "clean" bulking.

What was your bodyfat % before, and now? That's a bit of an unorthodox eating plan (not that it can't work).

[crowizm]

What was your bodyfat % before, and now? That's a bit of an unorthodox eating plan (not that it can't work).

Hey. I honestly dont know what my bf% was then, or even now. I can see my abs better than I ever have before, they are clearly defined. I read in an article if you can see your abs then your around 9% bf? I dont want to display false information about myself if i dont know the facts.

This may seem strange that im 40 pounds heavier and my abs are the most defined they have ever been, but it may be because i do a more intense work out towards my abs than the other muscle groups. As soon as i get the chance i will post some before and after pics.

[youknowryan]

see my stats you and i are similar in body composition.

i use nlarge and think it's great stuff. iuse 2 scoops in moo juice for my second morning meal and 2 more scoops in h2o after i work out. seems to be a good combo,

i also make a homemade shake like you do (mine is like 900 cals) and use it as the morning meal.

both have their place and if used in the right manner are optimal for growth.

i am bulking right now and in 5 months have gained 26 (pretty lean) pounds using the above combo.

i just wanted to stick up for a favorite supplement.

[crowizm]

see my stats you and i are similar in body composition.

i use nlarge and think it's great stuff. iuse 2 scoops in moo juice for my second morning meal and 2 more scoops in h2o after i work out. seems to be a good combo,

i also make a homemade shake like you do (mine is like 900 cals) and use it as the morning meal.

both have their place and if used in the right manner are optimal for growth.

i am bulking right now and in 5 months have gained 26 (pretty lean) pounds using the above combo.

i just wanted to stick up for a favorite supplement.

I can respect that highly. Now that I look at it, I really cant knock on N-Large. Never could i surpass 150 pounds, but once i used the N-Large I surpassed that in a matter of 2 weeks and before i knew it i was in the 160 range. Ya, it was pretty much all fat, but it was the initial break-through to my current success.

[skitzz]

I can respect that highly. Now that I look at it, I really cant knock on N-Large. Never could i surpass 150 pounds, but once i used the N-Large I surpassed that in a matter of 2 weeks and before i knew it i was in the 160 range. Ya, it was pretty much all fat, but it was the initial break-through to my current success.

Did you take any other supps to put on that weight? Any test boosters or PHs, or anyhting like that? Also, what do you think about adding say MASS f/x and a lean/fx stack (to block cortisol) in addition to the daily protein beast concoction you came up with? either weay, sounds good! I'm gon have to go buy some PB today! I got everthing else on this list...

[skitzz]

So I tried the shake this weekend. Not the best tasting shake but man you were right...I had the worst case of gas!!! However, after the first two days, it seems to have subsided...Maybe my body wasnt used to the oats or whatever but it seems to go down pretty smooth now with not much gas. Anyhow, instead of a coffee grinder, I use our food processor and that seems to work good at grinding up the oats...

[JJPeerless]

Between work and the gym I find it hard to find time to make meals all the time. How bad do you think it would be if I increased the quantities of some of the ingredients to make a shake that I could split into 3 or 4 smaller shakes and consume them throughout the day as my meals.

I always read, as long as you meet your cals + macros for the day it doesn't really matter what you eat. This seems like a very easy way to reach my nutrition goals.

[skitzz]

Between work and the gym I find it hard to find time to make meals all the time. How bad do you think it would be if I increased the quantities of some of the ingredients to make a shake that I could split into 3 or 4 smaller shakes and consume them throughout the day as my meals.

I always read, as long as you meet your cals + macros for the day it doesn't really matter what you eat. This seems like a very easy way to reach my nutrition goals.

I heard the same thing. I think as long as you burn those calories you should be ok. Otherwise, you will just get fat...