Diet help (newbie)

[Sims]

Hey guys, I'm getting back into the gym after a couple of years off. I was never a body builder but trimmed 15kg of bodyweight (I had a fatty liver and was getting real big). My weight has stayed the same for a while at 92kg, I'm 182cm and electronic scales (can ya trust em?) say I'm 22% body fat.

Now I want to make the commitment and start the body-building game, and start enjoying the gym again kicking off with putting on some muscle!!

Exercise recently has been running 2 laps of the panmure basin (~6km incl run there) 3 times a week which I'm going to stop and replace with the gym.

This is my current diet:

Breakfast: (8am)

175g museli = 3325kj

190g milk = 364.8kj

1 banana = 420kj

= 4109.8kj

morning: (11.30am)

tuna & crackers (717kj & 350kj)

apple large (400kj)

= 1,467kj

lunch: (1.30pm)

chop chop (1092kj)

apple large (400kj)

= 1492kj

afternoon: (4pm)

tuna (717kj)

mandarin (145kj)

= 862kj

dinner: (7.30pm)

something basic like steak, chicken, or eggs. normally with some salad.

=~2000-2500kj

TOTAL: 10,180.8KJ (2,424 Calories)

Any advice, more protein? Suggestions welcome!! how can I do this better?

[bob26]

What your goal man? Lose Fat? Gain Muscle?

Electronic Scales can sometimes vary alot.

Jump on them a few times the same day and see how much they vary. If it is all over the place don't trust them. If it is much of a muchness then all GOOD.

[Sims]

Gain muscle. I really want to spend 3-6 months getting bigger, and then cut.

[bob26]

more food then man 8)

there will be someone else on here that will no better than me but i think you would want something like 3000kcal a day.

maybe a little bit more.

300g protein total +.

[sharky]

I'm not at all a bodybuilder, But straight up 300gs of protein each daY!!! I was told the body only needs 2X of ya body weight of protein to gain muscle.

90 kg man = 180grams of protein.

thats what I've heard before. Maybe Im wrong once again!

[Yeah-Buddy]

I'm not at all a bodybuilder, But straight up 300gs of protein each daY!!! I was told the body only needs 2X of ya body weight of protein to gain muscle.

90 kg man = 180grams of protein.

thats what I've heard before. Maybe Im wrong once again!

No doubt someone will probably jump down my throat in abouts 2seconds for saying this because of the bodybuilder more is better heaps is best mentality but I dont care to be honest...

300gms of protein in a day for a 90kg natural guy who is only just starting out is way too much! There is no evidence that anything over 1g/lb is beneficial for growth. That would make your intake 202gms/day.

Increase your cals a bit up to atleast 2800cals/day and see what happens, if no growth then add a couple hundred more a day then see what happens. Keep doing this until you start growing. Dont be too concerned with the scales or you will just end up like every other dime a dozen fat ass in the gym who thinks hes huge because he looks big with his t shirt on but looks like shit as soon as it comes off. (Keep an eye on the mirror).

Cycle your cals up and be smart with what your doing.

Have you got a training program sorted?

[Sims]

Thanks heaps for the awesome reply! it has give me a bit to think about and I have made some tweaks to diet I will post below.

The metric for food and lifting is easy; calories & kg's. The metric for change is bodyfat % I guess, and I'm not entirely sure about it. I am (as of yesterday) taking a weekly photo to try and monitor change but guess I need to learn to use callipers.

New plan is to sit at 2,800 cals with 200g+ protein for 2 weeks and review by change in bodyfat % / weight / photo. For me this is the hardest part as I'm not sure what realistic progress is.

I haven't got the program sorted yet, and have started out with a generic one from an unconvincing PT at the gym so need to do my homework; once again suggestions welcome!

[Sims]

Still not enough protein!! getting late so will figure it out tomorrow

[trainlikeadog]

hey man add some carbs such as brown rice or baked kumera/potatoe to your lunch time and dinner meals. also you should replace supermarket museli with oats their much better for you

[Sims]

Thanks for the input guys, have changed it up to looking like this. If nothing sticks out as being bad form, I will leave it as is! (its not entirely accurate because I need to work out the cal's in different sauces and the like but its a good start).

--------------------------------------------------------

Food Serving Protein Carb Fat Calories

Breakfast 8am

Oats (cup) 1 26 103 11 607

Milk 100 6 5 0 46

Banana 118 1 27 0 105

Morning 11.30am

Apple 180 0 22 0 80

Chop chop 80 14 3 7 130

Lunch 1.30pm

Mandarin 122 0 19 0 80

Kumara 100 1 23 0 100

Rump Steak 200 44 0 9.6 248

Afternoon 4pm

Apple 180 0 22 0 80

Sealord Tuna 90 6 7 14 171

Pre workout 6pm

Reactiv Shake 30 23 2 2 120

Post workout 7pm

Reactiv Shake 30 23 2 2 120

Dinner 8.30pm

Brown Rice 250 10 86 8 472

1/2 Chicken 240 57 0 32 535

--------------------------------------------------------

TOTAL P 211 C 321 F 85.6 CAL 2894

Percentage (34.16%) (51.98%) (13.86%)