Daily Intake Values, Which One Is Right?

[EHop]

I've been doing research lately and am going to start my diet and exercise soon. Thing is I have 2 conflicting sources for daily calorie and macronutrient values.

First off my goal is to gain muscle. I'm a hardgainer, 5'10" and 145lbs. I'm an auto mechanic so I'm fairly active through the day but nothing intense.

Which one of these seem right...

3000 calories, 120g of fat, 240g of carbs, and 240g of protein.

or

2400 calories, 100 of fat, 300g of carbs, and 220g of protein.

Thoughts?

[LearnToGetFit]

Let's say your BMR is somewhere around 1700. Let's also say you burn about 250 per hour at your job. If you work 8 hours per day, you burn roughly 3700 Cals a day. Just add more Calories for your lifting burn. So my thought is: go with the math which says you better eat more than 3700. Good luck!

[kusok]

Your maintenance is probably around 2400 for your age and weight, assuming you're moderately active and exercise (or will exercise) 5x per week.

So to gain weight shoot for about 2700. If not gaining anything after a few weeks, increase by 200 etc. Simple.

[EHop]

3700 and 2700, thats a large difference. 2700 seems closer to what my previous reasearch says but i've also heard that if i ever feel hungry, eat. dont ever feel hungry just eat as long as its the right food.

kusok... my workouts are going to be 2 times a week at first, then 3 later, on weekdays focused on muscle gain. weekday days ill be workin which i'd consider light excersize and often on saturdays ill go skateboard for a few hours. and most thursdays i go to a gymnastic gym for an hour and thats pretty good cardio.

i understand that on workout days i should eat more(pre and post workout meals) but what about those thursdays n saturdays? eat more? if so... extra carbs, protein, or same balance of the 2?

how much weight should i gain per week/month to know my diet is right?

[EHop]

well after some more reading i've often seen a gain of .5 - 1 pound per week is good so i believe that is answered. and i've come up with new daily intake values(2700 cal, 75g fat, 270g carbs, 230g protein) as well as how to fill them. this is a sample day and some items will change but the total macro's will be very similar.

i apologize this is gunna be a bitch to read but its copied from a spread sheet and when i try to space it out to be easier to read it just doesnt change anything so sorry bout that.

Calories / Fat(g) / Carbs(g) / Protein(g)

Breakfast (6:15 AM)
Cereal - 170 / 2.5 / 31 / 6
Zone Bar - 210 / 7 / 24 / 14
Orange Juice - 110 / 0 / 26 / 2
Total - 490 / 9.5 / 81 / 22

Brunch (9:15 AM)
Ham Sandwich - 230 / 5 / 22 / 26
Trail Mix - 272 / 18 / 26 / 8
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 502 / 23 / 28 / 34

Lunch (12:00 PM)
Turkey Sandwich - 210 / 2 / 20 / 26
Yogurt - 170 / 2 / 33 / 5
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 380 / 4 / 53 / 31

Mid Day Meal (3:00 PM)
MET=Rx Big100 - 410 / 14 / 41 / 32
Carrots - 23 / 0 / 11 / 0.5
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 433 / 14 / 52 / 32.5

Pre Dinner( 5:00 PM)
CLIF Bar - 270 / 8 / 30 / 20
Trail Mix - 272 / 18 / 26 / 8
Carrots - 23 / 0 / 11 / 0.5
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 565 / 26 / 67 / 28.5

Dinner (8:00 PM)
Chicken - 220 / 2 / 0 / 46
Broccoli - 27 / 0 / 6 / 2
Potato - 161 / 0 / 37 / 4
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 408 / 2 / 43 / 52

Bedtime (10:00 PM)
Casein Protein - 120 / 1 / 3 / 24
Water - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total - 120 / 1 / 3 / 24

All Meals
Total - 2898 / 77.5 / 316 / 224
Goal - 2700 / 75 / 270 / 230

i am also taking a multi-vitamin in the morning and drinking water between meals. this is for NON-workout days. my concern is that 3 bars (zone, clif, and met-rx) a day is not the best source of nutrition for my goals. it also seems that breakfast needs change, i've noticed most people eat eggs but i simply cannot get up early enough to prepare that. im on the road for work somewhere between 6:20 and 6:30 and often stay til 6:00PM or later. so, what do u think??

i consider myself to have 3 diff types of days in my week. theres work out, non workout, and active(skateboarding, basketball, gymnastics). now what i psoted above is for non workout days(usually 3 times a week), workout days(2 days a week for now) i'll add a pre & post workout meal mostly protein(chicken or whey) and fruit. but im not so sure about the other 2 active days, how should i adjust my diet for those days?

thank you for reading thru this post as painfully boring as it was, any advice is greatly appreciated.

[typh]

Just for your reference....

I'm 5'10'' 145lbs (Started at 140 a few weeks ago). I'm taking in around 2400 cals a day on a 40c/35p/25f ratio or there abouts. I am slow bulking to develop LBM. I have also stopped all cardio but the bare minimium such as a light jog to get the blood moving before a workout.

I will be upping my calories once I hit 150 and will start adding cardio back in down the road.

Everyone is different hope you find your happy medium.

[TheBig3]

strong protein bars...would be much cheaper to have oats and whey in the morning with maybe some natty pb if you like it...

[EHop]

thanks for the responses. typh, so i can basically take out the equivilent of one meal(over the course of all of them). that is assuming our body's will react the same way, i'll try that first and see what happens.

TheBig3, not really sure what u mean by "strong protein bars". im guessing its sarcasm but kinda hard to tell with just text. anyway i tried natural PB a while ago n i didnt like it but i'll have to give it another shot.

btw i forgot to mention i am lactose intolerant

[TheBig3]

thanks for the responses. typh, so i can basically take out the equivilent of one meal(over the course of all of them). that is assuming our body's will react the same way, i'll try that first and see what happens.

TheBig3, not really sure what u mean by "strong protein bars". im guessing its sarcasm but kinda hard to tell with just text. anyway i tried natural PB a while ago n i didnt like it but i'll have to give it another shot.

btw i forgot to mention i am lactose intolerant

Sorry ya it's a little bit of sarcasm...I do realize how convenient they are but it's a lot cheaper and "healthier" to say have a sandwich with some deli meat instead. Or you google "homemade protein bars" and there are some great recipes out there...

As for nattly pb it's just away to get some fats in...if your not a fan just substitute some nuts, an avocado, fish oil or whatever....

[MaxKnuckles]

dude you bulk easily with 2500 cals with 250g protien and 200g carbs

keep it clean and you will have a nice steady lean bulk going on

[EHop]

they're not all that expensive, about $1 for the smaller and $2 for the larger. and i bring 2 sandwiches with me to work everyday. i also get a variety of nuts in trail mix. i mix it myself using peanuts, cashew, almonds, raisons, and some M&M's. i kno i should sub the M&M's for dark chocolate but they're sooo good.

[EHop]

what exactly does "keep it clean" mean? sorry im sure that sounds retarded buy i'm still learning a lot... like complex n simple carbs.

[TheBig3]

they're not all that expensive, about $1 for the smaller and $2 for the larger. and i bring 2 sandwiches with me to work everyday. i also get a variety of nuts in trail mix. i mix it myself using peanuts, cashew, almonds, raisons, and some M&M's. i kno i should sub the M&M's for dark chocolate but they're sooo good.

Ya i guess it's not really about the price but more the amount of stuff in them...

Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro™(Soy Rice Crisp [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Peanuts, Salt), Peanut Flour, ClifCrunch™ (Apple Fiber, Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium), Organic Fig Paste, Peanuts, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Vitamins & Minerals:, Di-Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid (Vit. C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit. E), Ferric Orthophosphate (Iron), Beta Carotene (Vit. A), Zinc Citrate, Copper Gluconate, Phytonadione (Vit. K), Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Gluconate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamin, Chromium Chloride, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Molybdate, Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

^^^Ingredients in a CLIF bar...

[EHop]

unfortunately i dont kno ingredients to avoid when buying food, learning a little each day.

a little guidance??