Building muscle on a budget

[Punkrocker]

Ok so I was using a coach but I stopped for now because I understand the basics. I'm thinking about opening my own business so I've been becoming more and more frugal lately in order to save up. Chicken breast lean beef ground turkey is all expensive AF. I got a bag of chicken quarters today (drumstick and thigh pieces) for fucking 10 bucks! Huge value bag. Now I look on the back and it says 20g protein but 20g of fat per 4oz. How the **** do I weigh that? That's not bone included is it? Anyway, I was thinking of just eating eggs, rice, chicken and beef here and there to grow since this would be so much cheaper. You think I can get away with this? Opinions

 

[Foxx13]

You can buy chicken, steak, and pork in bulk at Costco or wait till your local store does a sale. My ShopRite is always doing sales on their meat. I buy a bunch at once and freeze them i portions for the week. Eggs, rice, oats, meat is the basics. Can it work, absolutely. I eat the same meals for everyday except dinner. Bulking or cutting it’s the same foods for me. I just adjust macros.

you can’t eat this stuff “here and there” you need to be consistent everyday or it’s not going to work. Unless you meant adding these foods into a planned out bulking plan.

 

[Punkrocker]

You can buy chicken, steak, and pork in bulk at Costco or wait till your local store does a sale. My ShopRite is always doing sales on their meat. I buy a bunch at once and freeze them i portions for the week. Eggs, rice, oats, meat is the basics. Can it work, absolutely. I eat the same meals for everyday except dinner. Bulking or cutting it’s the same foods for me. I just adjust macros.

you can’t eat this stuff “here and there” you need to be consistent everyday or it’s not going to work. Unless you meant adding these foods into a planned out bulking plan.

Exactly! I wanna do those foods since they're cheaper plus chicken quarters are great. The question is, is it really that damn fatty? Maybe it's bad for bodybuilding? I know plenty of dudes tho who got huge eating chicken on the bone

 

[mark031111]

Chicken quarters are a great deal, though interpreting the protein and fat info might be confusing. Usually, nutritional labels show meat weight without bones. Your plan to stick with eggs, rice, chicken, and occasional beef for muscle gain seems feasible. Just remember to maintain a balanced diet for overall health.

 

[Punkrocker]

Chicken quarters are a great deal, though interpreting the protein and fat info might be confusing. Usually, nutritional labels show meat weight without bones. Your plan to stick with eggs, rice, chicken, and occasional beef for muscle gain seems feasible. Just remember to maintain a balanced diet for overall health.

For sure bro. I calculate everything with a scale. Generally 7-8oz lean meat and 200-300 grams rice depending on what im doing. I would weight and tally up the macros of the chicken quarters if I just knew how lol

 

[khall1974]

Chicken quarters are a great deal, though interpreting the protein and fat info might be confusing. Usually, nutritional labels show meat weight without bones. Your plan to stick with eggs, rice, chicken, and occasional beef for muscle gain seems feasible. Just remember to maintain a balanced diet for overall health.

Leg quarters are awesome bruh...just eliminate the skin and you will drop the fat content significantly.

 

[Smont]

Couple things I noticed over the years.

Chicken on the bone is NOT cheaper 99% of the time. It might say $1.29/lb but that pound is like 50% meat and the rest is bone, fat and water content they inject into the meat. A breast is 1.99-2.99/lb (unless you get organic or whatever its a lot more) and is pretty much just the protein and the water. You will get more finished protein for less money with breasts. $20-30 will get you about 10lbs

If you cook your ground beef, strain it and rinse with hot water and throw it back in the pan to finish cooking then even the cheapest 80/20 meat can be 90/10 or better one the fat is drained.

Jasmine rice in a 20lb bag is $25, I have 100lbs of Jasmine rice in my hallway. $125 is 5-6 months of carbs for my entire family.

If I break down things I buy to a weekly cost and even include some variety it's cheap as ****


5lbs of Chicken $12.50 or 10lbs $25
2lbs ground beef $8
Half a jug of whey $15
2lbs rice $2.50
Bag of potatoes $4
Oats $3
Bananas $3

That's all your main food for the week for $48-$60 a week. Spend another $40 on all the little less important things and your on a phenomenal bodybuilding diet for $100 a week

 

[Smont]

2, scoops whey, 1 serv Oats and 1 banana is like 72gm protein and only 500-600 calories. Need more calories then use peanut butter.

1/2lb chicken, 2cups of rice and some vegetables is like 75gm protein

1/2lb ground beef and 2 potatoes cut into fries is about 60gm protein.

And if you just eat chicken and rice 4 times s day with a post workout shake your spending like $8 a day

 

[Punkrocker]

alright I'm sold

 

[Punkrocker]

Couple things I noticed over the years.

Chicken on the bone is NOT cheaper 99% of the time. It might say $1.29/lb but that pound is like 50% meat and the rest is bone, fat and water content they inject into the meat. A breast is 1.99-2.99/lb (unless you get organic or whatever its a lot more) and is pretty much just the protein and the water. You will get more finished protein for less money with breasts. $20-30 will get you about 10lbs

If you cook your ground beef, strain it and rinse with hot water and throw it back in the pan to finish cooking then even the cheapest 80/20 meat can be 90/10 or better one the fat is drained.

Jasmine rice in a 20lb bag is $25, I have 100lbs of Jasmine rice in my hallway. $125 is 5-6 months of carbs for my entire family.

If I break down things I buy to a weekly cost and even include some variety it's cheap as ****


5lbs of Chicken $12.50 or 10lbs $25
2lbs ground beef $8
Half a jug of whey $15
2lbs rice $2.50
Bag of potatoes $4
Oats $3
Bananas $3

That's all your main food for the week for $48-$60 a week. Spend another $40 on all the little less important things and your on a phenomenal bodybuilding diet for $100 a week

Where do you shop at? I'm in Florida. Tampa area

 

[Smont]

Where do you shop at? I'm in Florida. Tampa area

I'm in Connecticut, which is more expensive then Florida for food by a small amount but similar, I mostly use shop rite and then Aldi for my fast grab stuff. If buying in bulk I use bj's wholesale which is basically like Costco and I even check the dollar store for little things like bags of frozen fruit, dry oats, snacks and oddball stuff. Anyone who likes frozen fruit stop buying from the regular grocery store and check the freezers at dollar tree. I get 12oz bags of frozen berries for 1.25 vs 4.99 in the grocery store

 

[PhantomReaper]

That's great advice...I'm poor as Hell rightnow..lol
I've been trying to regain my weight, after being drug down to below 150lbs from C..
I eat a ton of rice,beans and either Chicken, Beef or Pork..two or three portions a day..
Back up to 167lbs in 4 weeks..
Long way to go to get back to 185..
Just have to shop around for some deals..
Great advice Smont..
Z...

 

[Smont]

That's great advice...I'm poor as Hell rightnow..lol
I've been trying to regain my weight, after being drug down to below 150lbs from C..
I eat a ton of rice,beans and either Chicken, Beef or Pork..two or three portions a day..
Back up to 167lbs in 4 weeks..
Long way to go to get back to 185..
Just have to shop around for some deals..
Great advice Smont..
Z...

Meat rice and beans is a fantastic meal. I love rice and beans!

 

[PhantomReaper]

Yeah Brother...
Got to put back on some size..lol
Insta Pot..dried beans done in 30 minutes..
Been spicing it up with Jerk ..Teriyaki..and other spices..it gets boring Quick..!!
It's old school..but it works..lol
Z...

 

[rodefeeh]

Couple things I noticed over the years.

Chicken on the bone is NOT cheaper 99% of the time. It might say $1.29/lb but that pound is like 50% meat and the rest is bone, fat and water content they inject into the meat. A breast is 1.99-2.99/lb (unless you get organic or whatever its a lot more) and is pretty much just the protein and the water. You will get more finished protein for less money with breasts. $20-30 will get you about 10lbs

If you cook your ground beef, strain it and rinse with hot water and throw it back in the pan to finish cooking then even the cheapest 80/20 meat can be 90/10 or better one the fat is drained.

Jasmine rice in a 20lb bag is $25, I have 100lbs of Jasmine rice in my hallway. $125 is 5-6 months of carbs for my entire family.

If I break down things I buy to a weekly cost and even include some variety it's cheap as ****


5lbs of Chicken $12.50 or 10lbs $25
2lbs ground beef $8
Half a jug of whey $15
2lbs rice $2.50
Bag of potatoes $4
Oats $3
Bananas $3

That's all your main food for the week for $48-$60 a week. Spend another $40 on all the little less important things and your on a phenomenal bodybuilding diet for $100 a week

You mentioned draining the fat of 80/20 beef. The fat content on the nutrition label is really high for this. If you brown 80/20 beef and drain the fat, how much protein and fat do you think you are actually left with? I have never heard of rinsing with hot water in a strainer. So I guess this will wash way even more fat? When I drain the fat of beef, I normally just push the lid of the pan really hard against the beef and watch the fat drip out of the pan.

 

[Smont]

You mentioned draining the fat of 80/20 beef. The fat content on the nutrition label is really high for this. If you brown 80/20 beef and drain the fat, how much protein and fat do you think you are actually left with? I have never heard of rinsing with hot water in a strainer. So I guess this will wash way even more fat? When I drain the fat of beef, I normally just push the lid of the pan really hard against the beef and watch the fat drip out of the pan.

I guarantee that you squeezing the fat out of the Pan is only a fraction of what I get rid of by rinsing.


You can't loose protein, that stays the same.

Fat is tricky because the label is never right. The guy line for 80/20 or 90/10 is decided by the butcher. They literally eyeball it and say that looks like 80/20.

But if 1 pound is 80% lean beef and water content then that leaves 20% fat.

You're starting weight versus your final weight would help give you an idea.

Just make sure you rinse the meat with hot water and then throw it back in the Pan to cook-off the excess water. Or the meat's gonna taste funny.

Your answers not gonna be a hundred percent accurate, What the label on your ground beef wasn't a hundred percent accurate to begin with.

I can tell you one hundred percent for a fact I've cooked 80/20 this way and it's leaner then the 90/10 ground sirloin you get from the butcher

 

[Smont]

Sorry, I used to talk to text for a lot of that post so I hope it makes sense lol.

 

[SFBlueNile]

Oatmeal, rice, potatoes are all cheap and cover the carbohydrates.

Beans, eggs, and whatever meat is on a good sale for the week is my protein for every meal.

Vegetable like kale and spinach are quite affordable, onions are also great.

I eat 3-4 bananas every day and then usually whatever fruit is in season as they will be the cheapest.

Chia or flax go on every oatmeal serving I have, peanut butter, raw almonds in bulk to cover some fats. Avocado when I feel like spending a little more is a nice treat, but not every week.

Oh yeah and a lot of milk.

These foods are what I eat every day with some cheats thrown in here and there throughout the week. I've been saving a lot of money the last few years when I started getting serious about this as opposed to before when I would eat whatever I happened to feel like that day.

 

[Smont]

Oatmeal, rice, potatoes are all cheap and cover the carbohydrates.

Beans, eggs, and whatever meat is on a good sale for the week is my protein for every meal.

Vegetable like kale and spinach are quite affordable, onions are also great.

I eat 3-4 bananas every day and then usually whatever fruit is in season as they will be the cheapest.

Chia or flax go on every oatmeal serving I have, peanut butter, raw almonds in bulk to cover some fats. Avocado when I feel like spending a little more is a nice treat, but not every week.

Oh yeah and a lot of milk.

These foods are what I eat every day with some cheats thrown in here and there throughout the week. I've been saving a lot of money the last few years when I started getting serious about this as opposed to before when I would eat whatever I happened to feel like that day.

You should lump beans into your carb sources, there high in carbs and not a complete protein on there own. Only 20% of a bean is protein so it's actually a very low source of incomplete protein and about 70% of the bean is carbohydrates and the rest fiber and trace fats

 

[SFBlueNile]

You should lump beans into your carb sources, there high in carbs and not a complete protein on there own. Only 20% of a bean is protein so it's actually a very low source of incomplete protein and about 70% of the bean is carbohydrates and the rest fiber and trace fats

Perhaps most view them as mainly a carb source, but I've talked with a lot of vegan bodybuilders over the years who prefer them as one of their main sources of protein. I've seen a lot of contradictory stuff over the years as far as how important the complete protein thing is. For me personally it's not a great concern because I eat plenty of foods containing complete proteins as well as whole grains that supposedly make those proteins in the beans complete. But yeah the fiber and complex carbs found in beans may be of more importance to a non vegan lifter than the actual protein content.

 

[Smont]

Perhaps most view them as mainly a carb source, but I've talked with a lot of vegan bodybuilders over the years who prefer them as one of their main sources of protein. I've seen a lot of contradictory stuff over the years as far as how important the complete protein thing is. For me personally it's not a great concern because I eat plenty of foods containing complete proteins as well as whole grains that supposedly make those proteins in the beans complete. But yeah the fiber and complex carbs found in beans may be of more importance to a non vegan lifter than the actual protein content.

By that logic then all foods containing protein should be called protein sources. Oats, potatoes, pasta, rice all contain protein.

And your last part about the importance of carbs for non vegan lifters really dosent even fit into the conversation. I'm not really looking for a argument or debate, I'm just stating a fact, beans are a low protein high carbohydrate food. There high in protein compared to other vegetables and non animal sources but non the less, it's 70% carbs and 20% protein, and some fiber it's not really any more a source of protein then most carbs like potatoes or rice are a source protein.
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[SFBlueNile]

By that logic then all foods containing protein should be called protein sources. Oats, potatoes, pasta, rice all contain protein.

And your last part about the importance of carbs for non vegan lifters really dosent even fit into the conversation.

My point was take a bean, it's 70% carbs and 20% protein, it's not really any more a source of protein then most carbs.
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Ok thanks I guess I won't eat them for protein anymore then

 

[Smont]

Ok thanks I guess I won't eat them for protein anymore then

Eat whatever you want, you don't have to be a sensitive little Sally just because I pointed out a fact that beans are low in protein and high in carbs, if yiu wanna get your protein from carrots you can be my guest

 

[SFBlueNile]

Eat whatever you want, you don't have to be a sensitive little Sally just because I pointed out a fact that beans are low in protein and high in carbs, if yiu wanna get your protein from carrots you can be my guest

Hahaha who said I was sensitive... Look man I highly value your opinion on these boards as you have a wealth of knowledge and first hand experience on a lot of the stuff I'm interested in. However I don't really feel like arguing about beans. I thought in my initial reply I made it clear that I understood your first reply to my comment... It's all good