critique my diet macros?

[clayface91]

I am currently 174lbs, I have a decent amount of fat on my body but I'm trying to lean bulk, I lift for an hour about 4-6 days per week. so anyways here's my diet..

meals:
1. -5oz chicken breast, 1tbsp olive oil, 3/4c brown rice, broccoli
2. -50g protein shake, 1tbsp oil, 40g oatmeal
3. 5oz chicken breast, 1tbsp oil, 40g oatmeal
4. 50g protein shake, 80g oatmeal (this is a preworkout meal)
5. 5 oz chicken breast, 1tbsp oil, 3/4c brown rice, broccoli

this adds up to 2600 calories per day at about:

245g Protein
176g Carbs
83g Fat

is there a certain macro that I should increase or is there something that you guys would do differently?
your advice is much appreciated :approve:

 

[messi107]

Definitely increase your carbs maybe 50-70grams and lower your fat maybe 10g.
Cheers man

 

[john.patterson]

Not sure what messi107 's reasons are for those changes, I think your macros look pretty good. Eating those meals over and over again is going to get boring, so I'd be more concerned with your ability to stick to such a bland diet. Try adding in other lean protein sources to add some variety.

I think this is a good starting point. If you are gaining weight consistenly and you are getting stronger in your lifts, then keep your macros where they are. If you notice that you aren't gaining weight and you aren't growing in the gym, then I would suggest slowly adding in carbs (30-40g) and check in with yourself each week to see if you're growing. I wouldn't increase your protein intake at all, I think its at a good spot. But if you can't gain weight at 2600 cals, then slowly add in more carbs and fats until you start gaining. You should be aiming to gain about a pound of bodyweight a week.

My one suggestion would be to split up your preworkout meal into a pre and post meal. That's a huge amount of food to eat preworkout, and you're selling yourself short by not taking in a fast digesting protein souce post workout. I'd do 25g pro/40g oats pre, and then the same post workout IMO.

Looks like a solid diet though man - best of luck with the bulk. Just work on getting some variety in that diet!

 

[clayface91]

Thanks man, I actually am pretty good about sticking to my diet, like I just don't care as long as I get the results I want... but yea it certainly does suck sometimes lol

I am wondering if you think its possible that I may be consuming too much protein and why/why not? keep in mind I am on glutamine/holding water and I don't really have visible abs, so my lean bodyweight could be something like 160/150 or so...

BTW most of my lifts ARE increasing so at least there's that..

I think adding carbs might not be the best route for ME because I'm pretty sensitive to them and in my experience the amount I am taking seems to be the upper limit for me, and beyond that its just fat gain

my post workout meal is about equal calories as the other meals, but my reason for doubling the serving of oats is I figured I need the extra carbs for my workout

 

[messi107]

You cannot gain fat from carbs alone... That's a mistake for many people, the only way you gain fat is if you have too much of a caloric surplus, just carbs are for energy (complex carbs) I guess if you eat tons of simple carbs the sugar goes to your fat cells, so just go for complex carbs (energy) keep protein high and fat a little lower, (fat keeps testosterone higher) so I think you are just fine I mean I would (if I were you increase carbs) just because more energy and if your sensitive to it eat less simple sugars

 

[Mkgain1]

That double serving of oatmeal pre workout is not going to affect your performance for that workout, that's simply a mental cue most people have. I'd do as john.Patterson said and split that 40g pre workout and 40g post, start replenishing your glycogen stores as soon as your can. Once your glycogen is full you're good to go you're ready for tomorrow's workout (energy from carbohydrate wise). I also agree, if you're getting stronger right now, do not up your carbs. Protein and fats build muscle, not carbs, carbs are simply an energy source.

 

[BlockBuilder]

Thanks man, I actually am pretty good about sticking to my diet, like I just don't care as long as I get the results I want... but yea it certainly does suck sometimes lol

I am wondering if you think its possible that I may be consuming too much protein and why/why not? keep in mind I am on glutamine/holding water and I don't really have visible abs, so my lean bodyweight could be something like 160/150 or so...

BTW most of my lifts ARE increasing so at least there's that..

I think adding carbs might not be the best route for ME because I'm pretty sensitive to them and in my experience the amount I am taking seems to be the upper limit for me, and beyond that its just fat gain

my post workout meal is about equal calories as the other meals, but my reason for doubling the serving of oats is I figured I need the extra carbs for my workout

I eat big meals before I train because I go hypo easily. Do what word best for you. Simplify don't over complicate. The thing i see most in the bodybuilding world is over complication of everything from training to diet. It doesn't have to be that stressful

 

[Xtremestrngth]

Cycle the fats and macros bro, low fats one day, high carbs another. Your gonna get bored eventually haha. Looks pretty good, but if you wanna add mass you might want to up the carbs to match your protein.

 

[Dustin07]

well there are basic principals that we start with as suggestions. take a persons weight, age, and output and come up with a formula for a starting point in macros.

But now that a month has passed, assess what has changed in your physique, energy level, mood and mental clarity, as well as your strengths in your lifts. are you happy with the progress thus far in each of these categories? if so, you could stay the course, or you could now experiment with small changes. If not, address where you think you're lacking and either add or decrease macros from there.

the important thing is creating a consistent baseline for 2-4+ weeks and seeing what YOUR body does with that consistency. then learn and adapt.

I do like cycling. I tend to have the bulk of my carbs on my lifting days, in meals preceding my workout. on days where I'm not really lifting I'll thin outmy carbs a bit.

 

[Dustin07]

two suggestions I will make for general health and to help keep from getting bored.
I'd take one or two those meals and turn them into salads to increase the diversity of your fiber and vegetable intake (and micro nutrients).

additionally, I personally think a 50g protein shake could be a bit of a stretch past efficient use of macros and calories for one sitting (but that's up to debate). I think incorporating a fruit into one of your snacks is wise for general health, as is fish oil.

my 2 cents.

 

[JudoJosh]

Looks fine. Pro is a tad high and carbs are a tad low, especially for a bulk, but overall it is fine. Give it a run for a few weeks and if performance suffers when increase carbs a bit and decrease protein some and try that out.