31 days of straight dieting (for muscle mass)

[galleryseek]

So up until July 1st, I weighed 170 lbs even, which was 19 lbs less than what i weighed 6 months prior. I've lifted for around 4 years and those last 6 months before July I wasn't eating enough and was just focused on other stuff and got off track, so I went from 189 to 170 and lost a significant amount of strength.

Then I decided that's enough of this shit, time to get back on track... So on June 30th I went out n' bought nearly 3 months supply of food that I'd need, and started on the 1st. Since then (31 days later) I've gained 9-10 lbs back already and my strength has shot up significantly. ya hear about "muscle memory" but it's great to experience it first hand.

I put up more than I ever have today on dumbbell military press (85x7 unassisted w/ nearly full ROM -range of motion-) and I still have 10/15 lbs to go The goal is to be putting up 100's by this time next year.

If anyone is interested in what I've been eating:

1. Oatmeal w/ OJ + MultiVitamin
-----------------------------------
2. Apple slices dipped w/ peanut butter
-----------------------------------
3. 1 can of TunaFish + PB&J Sandwich
-----------------------------------
[lifting]
-----------------------------------
4. 1 Egg Protein Shake
-----------------------------------
5. 2 Chicken Strips w/ Misc. Carbs
-----------------------------------
6. PB&J Sandwich w/ Carrots
-----------------------------------
7. MISC. MEAL (preferably a bigger meal)
-----------------------------------
8. 1 Can of Tuna
-----------------------------------
9. 1 Chicken Breast (around 45g of protein)
+ PB&J Sandwich
-----------------------------------


I love PB&J sandwiches, in case ya didn't notice. If I start to try n' cut I will cut down on those significantly. The dash signifies a meal, time inbetween is usually around an hour to 2 hours. I will probably be able to gain 10 to 15 more pounds on this until I plateau, in which case I will need to start eating more food.

Anyhow just thought I'd share for those of you who find it difficult to build mass. Just follow a diet like that with a lot of hard resistance training (freeweights) and you'll build up muscle / weight in no time, especially if you've never routinely lifted weights before.

[Theo]

that's fat,not muscle

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by Soul_Rebel

that's fat,not muscle

No it's not god damnit, look, I just took a pic!


all muscle buddy.

[Anthony]

That diet is for muscle, not fat.

Keep us abreast on your progress!

[candyflip]

Galleryseek probably has a lower body fat % than me.

[Rep]

Originally Posted by Soul_Rebel

that's fat,not muscle

Yeah you're right, tons of fat in tuna.

[DivX]

nice diet

[davethetruth]

Looks good. I've been working out for about four months straight now, and I can't get above 155lbs, so I've got to start doing the same thing.

I'm going to the grocery store right now and buying a bunch of tuna and PB&J makings.

[Manowar]

Originally Posted by galleryseek

No it's not god damnit, look, I just took a pic!


all muscle buddy.

that pic is classic

[Thrawn$]

what's that "muscle memory" thing ???

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by davethetruth

Looks good. I've been working out for about four months straight now, and I can't get above 155lbs, so I've got to start doing the same thing.

I'm going to the grocery store right now and buying a bunch of tuna and PB&J makings.

lol. go to a cheap store and get the cheapest tuna you can find... i get a cart full of like 48 cans for $19. it's all the same shit.

[Doctor Dre]

Originally Posted by Soul_Rebel

that's fat,not muscle

Not if you work out proprely . One of my good friend is a body builder and when he goes on a diet like that for a month he gain 10 pounds and a lot of muscle ... sometimes he slack for 2-3 months and a month later it's all backup and all muscle

[lazycash]

Nice info, I need to start eating like that also. Just curious, how tall are you?

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by lazycash

Nice info, I need to start eating like that also. Just curious, how tall are you?

6'0. I neglected building my legs for quite awhile so I'm suffering weight-wise from 'em being smaller proportionally than my upper body, but I'm workin hard on it ;)

http://www.bodygain.com/profile.php?uid=74 (more pics here)

[Pleasurepays]

Originally Posted by galleryseek

6'0. I neglected building my legs for quite awhile so I'm suffering weight-wise from 'em being smaller proportionally than my upper body, but I'm workin hard on it ;)

http://www.bodygain.com/profile.php?uid=74 (more pics here)

you probably know this... but if you want mass - you have to stick to bigger compound movements - squats, dead lifts, bench etc. if you are not taking legs seriously as part of your routine for growth - you are cheating yourself. squat squat squat.

[Pleasurepays]

your sites are very cool by the way.

[Rep]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

your sites are very cool by the way.

I was just about to say that, your portfolio is very nice.

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

you probably know this... but if you want mass - you have to stick to bigger compound movements - squats, dead lifts, bench etc. if you are not taking legs seriously as part of your routine for growth - you are cheating yourself. squat squat squat.

oh i do know ;) i've learned that the hard way. i've been squatting routinely / deadlifting hard for awhile now. your upper body #'s go up a lot once you really start doing intense squats and deadlifts.

my deadlift is pretty good for not having done it routinely for a long time... i can do 375x5 w/o straps or belts (i hate belts)... for squats, i'm not so strong on... i deep squat though so the #'s i put up aren't as impressive as most other people who squat... i stick with around 205x10 / 225x8 but no higher than that yet going this deep.

[Pleasurepays]

a friend of mine started doing this plan where he was squatting 3 times a week, dead lifts once a week and bench once a week. it seemed really extreme. he was just a skinny guy who was tired of the fact that he could not get past his recent plateua.

i thought he was crazy and that his body would never keep up with what he was trying to do and that he would burn out after a few weeks. i was wrong. all of us that were watching him were really wrong. in 18 weeks - he gained 28 pounds with no supplements or drugs. no creatine. nothing. his back blew up, his traps are huge, he deadlift went from 2 plates to 450, he does deep squats with 4 plates etc. his whole body just exploded. it was really cool. he is taking some time off and in a few weeks, i am going to start training with him just to see what happens.

i have been slacking on squats for a long time.

[JuiceMonkey]

dreamache is a bitch ;)


pretty shitty diet if you ask me
chicken strips? like the ones coated in "bread crumbs"?
PB AND J? ha ha...
jesus
get serious
get big like ahhnold

[beemk]

does it make a big difference eating that many meals? i eat like 4 usually. i've been stuck at 170 for a while now.

dont you get sick of eating the same stuff?

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by JuiceMonkey

dreamache is a bitch ;)


pretty shitty diet if you ask me
chicken strips? like the ones coated in "bread crumbs"?
PB AND J? ha ha...
jesus
get serious
get big like ahhnold

how fucking DARE you sass me.

once I stop building strength / weight and plateau, I'm going to improve it - but for now I'm having fun eating what i want.

[galleryseek]

Originally Posted by beemk

does it make a big difference eating that many meals? i eat like 4 usually. i've been stuck at 170 for a while now.

dont you get sick of eating the same stuff?

yeah ideally you should eat at least 5-6 meals a day, at 4 meals it is kind of hard to avoid that feeling of hunger. (hunger, which you don't want to feel).

and no i don't get sick of it... everyone generally eats the same types of food throughout the day, even those without a "diet" - but it's not like i eat those sameeee exact foods without any variation. on my off days i don't eat as much, i eat other foods, and normally i throw in odd snacks here n' there.

[axelcat]

keep doing what you are doing because the results are there

[AdultNex]

Originally Posted by galleryseek

yeah ideally you should eat at least 5-6 meals a day, at 4 meals it is kind of hard to avoid that feeling of hunger. (hunger, which you don't want to feel).

and no i don't get sick of it... everyone generally eats the same types of food throughout the day, even those without a "diet" - but it's not like i eat those sameeee exact foods without any variation. on my off days i don't eat as much, i eat other foods, and normally i throw in odd snacks here n' there.

Are these supposed to be big or just small meals?

I heard tuna is really good in terms of the price and protein impact - The only thing I'm worried about is the mercury. 2 cans of tuna a day worries me.

[strobi]

I've started working out too. Gained around 14 pounds on half a year (just doing it for fun, no strict diet, going to the gym when I like it). Wish I had the determination you have, great work!

[latinasojourn]

the diet is ok when you are young and weight training.

as you get older things change and this diet won't be so good.

if you want a big dick this diet is not so good. go for the swimmers build diet.

completely different, and you will end up banging more beaver.

only

[tical]

get those squats in baby

ass cheeks to the floor!

[latinasojourn]

Originally Posted by AdultNex

Are these supposed to be big or just small meals?

I heard tuna is really good in terms of the price and protein impact - The only thing I'm worried about is the mercury. 2 cans of tuna a day worries me.

well, if you are buying from usa vendors ("chicken of the sea", etc) it is ok.

mercury levels are tested by USDA. also salmon.

very smart to substitute this instead of beef, in all diets.

[fuzzypeach]

Originally Posted by galleryseek

how fucking DARE you sass me.

once I stop building strength / weight and plateau, I'm going to improve it - but for now I'm having fun eating what i want.

Don't worry about everyone else

I've been lifting 3 days a week, doing cardio in the gym another 2 days and run 8km on Sunday. Added to that is hockey and soccer so I know how tough it is to maintain a good diet.

You're diet is probably better than 99.82% of those on GFY

[David - PG]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

a friend of mine started doing this plan where he was squatting 3 times a week, dead lifts once a week and bench once a week. it seemed really extreme. he was just a skinny guy who was tired of the fact that he could not get past his recent plateua.

i thought he was crazy and that his body would never keep up with what he was trying to do and that he would burn out after a few weeks. i was wrong. all of us that were watching him were really wrong. in 18 weeks - he gained 28 pounds with no supplements or drugs. no creatine. nothing. his back blew up, his traps are huge, he deadlift went from 2 plates to 450, he does deep squats with 4 plates etc. his whole body just exploded. it was really cool. he is taking some time off and in a few weeks, i am going to start training with him just to see what happens.

i have been slacking on squats for a long time.

Squats are insane testosterone boosters. That could must have been a walking hormone bomb.

[tical]

you might want to change up your post workout meal/shake from that egg protein

you definitely need some high gi carbs in there to spike your insulin quickly in order to get your energy stores replenished so that you're body doesn't stay catabolic too long

i'd go with like 80g high gi carb and 50g protein within 45 min of completing your workout

it should be a shake and your carbs should be something like 50% maltodextrin and 50% dextrose with a quick digesting protein (powder, no meat)... avoid all fat here since it slows digestion and will more likely be stored as fat since you'll have a nice insulin spike from the sugars

this is the one time during the day that you WANT high GI carbs and a good amount of em

[Pleasurepays]

Originally Posted by David - PG

Squats are insane testosterone boosters. That could must have been a walking hormone bomb.

we thought he would burn out and would be over training. none of us thought he would have enough recovery time. its also really hard to eat for something like that. he did it though. surprised the shit out of me. just goes to show that it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks... at the end of the day, results are more often than not, highly individual.

[tristan_D]

keep it up, man. good luck.

[reynold]

Originally Posted by galleryseek

6'0. I neglected building my legs for quite awhile so I'm suffering weight-wise from 'em being smaller proportionally than my upper body, but I'm workin hard on it ;)

http://www.bodygain.com/profile.php?uid=74 (more pics here)

It's well paid off. We clearly see the result.