technical dieting advice

[clayface91]

i am 160lbs and i want to to gain muscle without gaining fat, so i'm trying to "lean bulk"

i eat 5 meals per day (every 3 hrs) and each meal adds up to around 420k (calories)
example meal 1: 5oz chicken breast=230k 50g protein/ olive oil= 200k 20g fat
example meal 2: protein shake= 50g protein/ oatmeal= 200k 40g carbs

so everyday i eat at least about 2130k, 250g protein
i never mix carbs and fat for hormonal reasons to minimize fat gain

now for the question: i have tried adding 50 calories into each meal and even with that small amount i could see myself getting fatter (srs), so i know that i need to eat more calories but where the hell do i put them into my meal plan and what kind should they be (carbs/fat/pro) in order for me to not gain fat? is there anything i'm doing wrong? i don't do cardio and hopefully that isn't necessary if i could just know how to diet perfectly

currently what i'm doing is making my pre-bed meal higher in calories and somewhat of a cheat meal, it sort of makes sense to me as i understand sleep to be the only time i'm actually building muscle, so i will use those calories for good hopefully. this is also my post workout meal as i workout in the pm..

 

[crystalfoss35]

Do you take any protein supplements?

 

[clayface91]

yes i take whey protein, but i get most of my protein from chicken breast

 

[AntM1564]

i am 160lbs and i want to to gain muscle without gaining fat, so i'm trying to "lean bulk"

i eat 5 meals per day (every 3 hrs) and each meal adds up to around 420k (calories)
example meal 1: 5oz chicken breast=230k 50g protein/ olive oil= 200k 20g fat
example meal 2: protein shake= 50g protein/ oatmeal= 200k 40g carbs

so everyday i eat at least about 2130k, 250g protein
i never mix carbs and fat for hormonal reasons to minimize fat gain

now for the question: i have tried adding 50 calories into each meal and even with that small amount i could see myself getting fatter (srs), so i know that i need to eat more calories but where the hell do i put them into my meal plan and what kind should they be (carbs/fat/pro) in order for me to not gain fat? is there anything i'm doing wrong? i don't do cardio and hopefully that isn't necessary if i could just know how to diet perfectly

currently what i'm doing is making my pre-bed meal higher in calories and somewhat of a cheat meal, it sort of makes sense to me as i understand sleep to be the only time i'm actually building muscle, so i will use those calories for good hopefully. this is also my post workout meal as i workout in the pm..

If you're eating at a surplus, you will gain some fat. Think about it this way though, by adding 50 cals to each meal at 5 per day, that is an additional 250 cals per day, so 1,750 cals per week. Why not just add 50 cals each day and see how you progress?

As far as which meals you get those cals in, I would personally opt for post workout. And in the form: carbs/protein/fat, I would opt for carbs. If you do carbs, then yes, you will seem a little more fluffy, but that will be due to glycogen and water.

However, you are honestly over complicating things. It will make a very, very small difference where you place those extra cals and the form in which they come from. If we know your current macro breakdown, then we can make better suggestions, but each individual is different. Also, you do not need to eat 5 meals a day and you do not need to taper calories down as the day goes on. I, and several others have some of our biggest meals with the most amount of carbs as a final meal or second to last meal. Do not think you need to have your biggest meal at this time or that time, do what works for you. If you're going out for breakfast with family, have a good meal then, or dinner, then.

And you will gain some fat when bulking, even if you're lean bulking. If you see yourself getting fatter, you may have a body image issue, seriously. If you're at a small surplus, you will not gain a lot of fat too quickly.

Finally, you can mix carbs and fat. Do you think if you eat every three hours, those foods are not getting mixed in your get anyways?

 

[clayface91]

okay so i guess i should just add 50-100 calories per day then, i don't taper down calories at the day either and like i said my last meal is often a cheat meal..

as far as body image issues -absolutely not. noticing my body gaining fat does not make me insecure anymore so than noticing my body gaining muscle would make me conceited

as for the whole mixing carbs and fat, i really don't know the whole story, but i have noticed a difference in my ability to stay lean when doing it this way

i will calculate my macros shortly

 

[AntM1564]

So you have a daily cheat meal?

 

[Jiigzz]

i am 160lbs and i want to to gain muscle without gaining fat, so i'm trying to "lean bulk"

i eat 5 meals per day (every 3 hrs) and each meal adds up to around 420k (calories)
example meal 1: 5oz chicken breast=230k 50g protein/ olive oil= 200k 20g fat
example meal 2: protein shake= 50g protein/ oatmeal= 200k 40g carbs

so everyday i eat at least about 2130k, 250g protein
i never mix carbs and fat for hormonal reasons to minimize fat gain

now for the question: i have tried adding 50 calories into each meal and even with that small amount i could see myself getting fatter (srs), so i know that i need to eat more calories but where the hell do i put them into my meal plan and what kind should they be (carbs/fat/pro) in order for me to not gain fat? is there anything i'm doing wrong? i don't do cardio and hopefully that isn't necessary if i could just know how to diet perfectly

currently what i'm doing is making my pre-bed meal higher in calories and somewhat of a cheat meal, it sort of makes sense to me as i understand sleep to be the only time i'm actually building muscle, so i will use those calories for good hopefully. this is also my post workout meal as i workout in the pm..

In an excess, youre going to find it very difficult to avoid gaining some fat. The avoiding meals for hormonal reasons doesn't make sense but if you like spacing out your meals then thats cool, but dont think itl impact your hormones in a appreciable way.
Just try keep calories as close to maintenance as you can but in a slight excess. Try 200kcal instead of 300

 

[white_lie]

How tall are you?
160lbs isn't very heavy if you're anything over 5'5".
At that weight, you shouldn't need to do cardio if you're trying to gain mass but what is your weight training schedule like?

How long did you stick at the 'surplus' before concluding that you were getting fatter?