Current Diet Plan

[sgreen37]

I've been working out for just over two months now. I'm 6'1", 210 pounds, 19% body fat. This is the diet plan I've been following and it seems to be working pretty well. I've gained 15 pounds in two months. I know some of that has to be fat probably, but the body fat percentage calculations I've done seem to suggest that my body fat has remained mostly the same around 19%. My nutrition could definitely be better, but I'm a poor and extremely busy grad student which makes it really hard to cook all my meals and eat healthy, but I am open to suggestions!

3,300 cal/day (500 calories surplus) Macros: Carbs-40%, Fat-30%, Protein-30%

Daily supplements:
Protein shakes (pre and post workout, with various meals throughout the day, and before bed)
C4 Pre-workout drink with creatine in it
BCAAs drink during workout
Multi-mineral and multi-vitamins
Fish oil
Biotin (more for my hair)

Morning:
Protein Shake (two scoops of gold standard whey protein with 2 cups of vitamin D milk)
Banana
Workout
Another protein shake (two scoops of gold stand whey protein, 2 cups of vitamin D milk, and 3 raw eggs)

Morning Snack:
Protein bar or small shake

Lunch:
"Hungry-man" microwave dinner which has 26g - 44g of protein in it.

Afternoon snack:
varies. Usually I'm in a 4 hour stretch of back-to-back classes at this point so I take what I can get which usually consists of vending machine food (I try to stick to granola bars or something less crappy)

Dinner
Also varies. Sometimes my roomate grills pork chops or something. If its something with minimal protein, I'll drink a protein shake with it.

Before bed:
Gold standard casein protein shake (two scoops of protein powder, two cups of vitamin D milk)

Current Progress:
In two months I've gained 15 pounds. It seems like some of that should be fat, but my body fat percentage has seemed pretty static at 19%. I'm waiting for the delivery of my $30 body fat caliper so hopefully that will be more accurate. Also I plan on switching to a plan that is focused more on cutting during spring break in 3 weeks.

Any feedback and suggestions would be appreciated.

[ErikTheElectric]

You seem to think that the majority of your intake (and overall outlook on "diet") should revolve around your protein intake.

You're wasting a stupid amount of money on supplements, I'd recommend checking out the stickies.

[Mikeez0]

why are you in a 500 calorie surplus when you are fat?
Also, too much useless protein supplements, assuming you need at highest point 150 grams, you are totally wasting money and calories on a supplements.

[sgreen37]

Well like I said, my current school schedule and finances don't allow me to buy and cook 7 steaks or a whole bunch of chicken for the whole week to get the amount of protein I need. That's why there's so much protein shakes because I need that many to get the amount of protein I need. Spending 60 dollars a month on protein shakes is a helluva lot cheaper than spending $50 a week on meat. Usually I get around 200g of protein a day because most of the research I've done has said to eat 1g of protein per bound of body weight each day. And I'm in a 500 calorie surplus because my current fitness goal isn't to lose weight. Like I also said, when spring break comes, I'm going to begin cutting down to about 12% body fat. Then I won't be in a 500 calories surplus obviously.

[jgalvez5]

Well like I said, my current school schedule and finances don't allow me to buy and cook 7 steaks or a whole bunch of chicken for the whole week to get the amount of protein I need. That's why there's so much protein shakes because I need that many to get the amount of protein I need. Spending 60 dollars a month on protein shakes is a helluva lot cheaper than spending $50 a week on meat. Usually I get around 200g of protein a day because most of the research I've done has said to eat 1g of protein per bound of body weight each day. And I'm in a 500 calorie surplus because my current fitness goal isn't to lose weight. Like I also said, when spring break comes, I'm going to begin cutting down to about 12% body fat. Then I won't be in a 500 calories surplus obviously.

I guess there's 2 things.

Yeah but, the surplus would only be if you're working out extensively for a looong period of time. If you just go to the gym for an average workout/not often, it's just turning into fat which is why it's not surprising you're gaining weight fast. I was in the same boat and am a graduate student too. Honestly, if you plan out your meals (cook them the night before/early in the morning) you'll do wonders. But also, if you drink so many protein shakes a day, how can you only buy $60 of protein just once per month? Either you've found a ridiculously cheap protein or something's off. Either way, there are also other alternatives to meat and chicken that could prove beneficial/not as extensive (ie: fish).

[PhysicsK]

hmm my opinion is that you rely too much just on protein (and supplements)...
I think considering your body weight and body fat ratio, you should consider playing with carbs and fats more....
Just my opinion

Peace

[Cherybomb]

You seem to think that the majority of your intake (and overall outlook on "diet") should revolve around your protein intake.

You're wasting a stupid amount of money on supplements, I'd recommend checking out the stickies.

How do I get to the stickies? I'm having the opposite problem. I've been working out for about 3 months now and have only gained around 5lbs. I am new to this site and am trying to learn new info.

[ErikTheElectric]

How do I get to the stickies? I'm having the opposite problem. I've been working out for about 3 months now and have only gained around 5lbs. I am new to this site and am trying to learn new info.

You just need more calories.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=150240963


Counting macros

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

Nutrition For newbs

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=136691851