A Few Problems (Help A Newbie)

[Azryek]

Hello all, long time lurker and first time poster on this sight. I suppose some background would be helpful before I ask for help with my issue.

I am a 27 year old male who has been lifting off and on over the past 8 years or so. Only over the last year have I gotten pretty serious about it.

At 18 I stood 6'4" and weighed 162 lbs, I am now up to 220.

I want to keep gaining mass as my personal goal is to weigh 250.

I seem to have hit a wall on gains though and I know why.

I have a hard time eating, my appetite is pretty much non existent. I take creatine, protein of course and use NO-Xplode pre workout for energy. I also take Animal Stack.

I know I could get bigger, much bigger if I could just get food down, at 220 I am still pretty lean with my height being what it is.

All of my workouts thus far have been centered on strength, a buddy of mind gave me a program to try out that I have been pretty impressed with. My strength is pretty good compared to what it used to be. My bench max is 275, squats is about the same due to recovering from a leg injury. Deadlift is on hiatus right now as I threw my back out a few weeks ago at work.

As much as I would like to dedicate myself to ONLY a mass building routine, I need to keep up the functional strength work as well due to my line of work (I am military, Infantry to be more precise)

What I would like to do is gain more mass as well as maintain a balance with my strength. Again, I think my biggest block is intaking enough calories, how can I fix that? Any suggestions on going about that?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your time.

 

[Chub]

Do you do much cardio? I always find my appetite sky rockets after doing some cardio

 

[SilentBob187]

Add more healthy fats? Have a little EVOO and fish oil thrown in to your diet throughout the day.

In fact, the folks here might be able to give you some more advice if you were to post an example of your daily diet.

By the way, welcome aboard.

 

[Usf97j4x4]

What's your macronutrient breakdown look like? Also, total calories per day? You realize w/every pound you gain you require more food.. so a static diet will lead to a static body.

 

[Azryek]

Alright, heres an average breakdown of what I take in on a daily basis.

Breakfast - 5 scrambled egg whites with a whole egg, piece of wheat toast and a glass of milk. Or a bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of protein in it and a glass of milk.

Lunch - Tuna wrap (basically a can of tuna rolled in to a tortilla) half a piece of fruit and water or milk depending on how I am feeling.

Dinner - Chicken breast, baked potato, and a vegetable usually broccoli.

I also take in two protein shakes with 40g in each.

I think if I swap to a different supplement than NO-Xplode I could eat more, as all of the liquid intake makes me bloated.

Again, as I said above I know my biggest block is taking in enough food period. I know I don't intake enough, how can I eat more? Do I just suck it up and force it down? Being bloated from a protein shake is one thing, being that way all the time kinda sucks. Is this just something I need to suck up and deal with?

 

[Chub]

Alright, heres an average breakdown of what I take in on a daily basis.

Breakfast - 5 scrambled egg whites with a whole egg, piece of wheat toast and a glass of milk. Or a bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of protein in it and a glass of milk.

Lunch - Tuna wrap (basically a can of tuna rolled in to a tortilla) half a piece of fruit and water or milk depending on how I am feeling.

Dinner - Chicken breast, baked potato, and a vegetable usually broccoli.

I also take in two protein shakes with 40g in each.

I think if I swap to a different supplement than NO-Xplode I could eat more, as all of the liquid intake makes me bloated.

Again, as I said above I know my biggest block is taking in enough food period. I know I don't intake enough, how can I eat more? Do I just suck it up and force it down? Being bloated from a protein shake is one thing, being that way all the time kinda sucks. Is this just something I need to suck up and deal with?

Maybe your bloating is somethign to do with your digestion of the food. Gut Health is suppose to help reduce bloating. Theres also supplements out there that can increase appetite. I found that Activate Extreme always increases mine.

Drink more milk. i drink just under a gallon a day. Helps to add those extra cals and its also a good source of protein!

Also you mentioned you took in 2 protein shakes. If you have a blender'/food processor you can always make your own shakes by adding oats/natty peanut butter/eggs/frozen fruit. Great way of bumping up the cals. Some of the shakes i make contain like 1000cals. Have a search around this section and the recipe section. You'll find loads of recipes!

 

[suncloud]

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/training-forum/99607-gaining-mass-nutshell.html

check it out so i don't have to retype it.