How to eat *THAT* much...

[tHa ShIzNiT]

After lurking and reading through many forum posts, I have learned quite a bit about what I need to do to get the strength and size I want out of my body. I'm currently 6'0" and about 190 pounds. Pretty skinny, and weak. I sit a lot...which I hate. I have begun to actually loathe sitting. I work in a cubicle for 8+ hours a day, and I play video games a lot in my free time. My ass is getting huge and my muscles are completely atrophied right now due to all of that sitting...however I am still decently strong, have played hockey most of my life and have had previous bouts with weight lifting (although I didn't know shit about weight lifting back then, I was one of those dumbasses that thought "I need to get bigger biceps, so I will do curls all day!").

Anyways, I wanted to start on the Rippetoe program, as referenced on this forum many times, because I just want to gain overall size and strength right now, and I am pretty inexperienced in weight lifting. Here's the problem, I don't know what to eat to get my calorie intake high enough to gain weight / size.

So I wanted to ask people here that work an 8+ hr/day job (in a cubicle preferably), how do you eat that much? What kinds of foods are good for eating at work? Do you just eat all day at work? I want to get started on this program ASAP, and I have no problem with the lifting, its just the eating.

PS: purbeast0, after reading many of your posts, I noticed that you are also in a cubicle all day, and I have seen your progress, so I'd like to see what you're doing during a normal work day to promote strength/weight gain. If you have a post already out there that describes your day-to-day routine and meal descriptions please point me to it.

 

[brikis98]

Like you, I'm in a cube 8+ hours a day and spend too much time in front of the computer/tv at home, so that adds up to a LOT of sitting. However, I do a lot of weight lifting (I'm currently doing the Bill Star 5x5 program, which is pretty similar to Rippetoe) and don't have any issues eating enough (i'm 5'11, ~220, fairly low body fat %)... I think it just comes down to three things: (1) snack a couple of times per day, (2) eat healthy, lean meals and (3) drink some kind of protein supplement. My typical day looks like this:

Breakfast (~9am): bowl of cereal (with milk), protein shake
Lunch (~12pm): usually something full of lean meat (some chicken or a sandwich with turkey or tuna) and some pasta or salad
Snack (~4pm): yogurt, some fruit, maybe a granola bar - I hit the gym after work, so this makes sure I'm not hungry while lifting.
Dinner (~8pm): lots of lean meats (chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna) and some pasta or salad
Snack (~11pm): protein shake, often with milk, a couple hours before I go to bed

I don't really count calories, but I keep my diet pretty healthy, keep the protein intake high and combined with heavy lifting, I find it fairly easy to bulk or cut as needed by just varying the portion sizes. The only 2 meals I have at work are lunch (which I'm sure everyone does) plus the snack at 4pm. My current job provides all sorts of snacks for us, but even at the past one, it wasn't hard to pack a yogurt and some fruit every day, or just buy it at the cafeteria...

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Thanks a lot Brik thats what I'm looking for. Looks like you aren't at work by 9AM? You lucky sonofa...for me that first meal would have to be at around 7:30 if it was going to happen before work. Thats another one of my problems, I don't wake up early enough to get breakfast in at home. I really need to get a good breakfast-to-go system going for myself, or I need to discipline myself to wake up early enough to eat breakfast at home.

Looks like you are eating very healthy foods there...In reading the Rippetoe program breakdown they have at the BodyBuilding.com forums, its talking about eating hamburgers 1-2 times a day and drinking a ton of milk. I'm guessing that will make me super fat, but I am looking to put on weight here so I am considering that...and then maybe eating slimmer meats when I get to my desired weight and start cutting.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: tHa ShIzNiT
Thanks a lot Brik thats what I'm looking for. Looks like you aren't at work by 9AM? You lucky sonofa...for me that first meal would have to be at around 7:30 if it was going to happen before work. Thats another one of my problems, I don't wake up early enough to get breakfast in at home. I really need to get a good breakfast-to-go system going for myself, or I need to discipline myself to wake up early enough to eat breakfast at home.

Looks like you are eating very healthy foods there...In reading the Rippetoe program breakdown they have at the BodyBuilding.com forums, its talking about eating hamburgers 1-2 times a day and drinking a ton of milk. I'm guessing that will make me super fat, but I am looking to put on weight here so I am considering that...and then maybe eating slimmer meats when I get to my desired weight and start cutting.

You could make a great breakfast to go in the form of some sort of shake. Oats + milk + fruits + peanut butter + protein + whatever you want, really. You can get an awesome amount of calories in something like that and it would only take like 5 minutes.

 

[hellod9]

On Starting Strength you will drink a gallon of milk a day.

Its the simplest way possible to add 3,000 calories to your diet.

Do it!

 

[TecHNooB]

7:00 ~ Kashi Cereal w/ Milk and a Protein Shake
12:00 ~ 2x Chicken Breast and Oatmeal
4:00 ~ Protein Shake and Peanut Butter Sandwhich
6:00 ~ 2x Chicken Breast OR 3x Tilapia OR 3x Pork Chops Thin and some type of carb (oatmeal, speghetti, another PB Sandwhich, cereal).
9:00 ~ More meat (Same as 6:00) with or without carbs.
11:00 ~ Protein Shake w/ Milk

I also eat fruit whenver. I mix up the carbs a lot but meats generally stay the same.

 

[KoolDrew]

A cup of peanut butter, 3 cups of milk, a cup of ice cream and a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

Drink up.

 

[HN]

8:00a - bowl of oatmeal made with milk and a banana
10:30a - half cup mixed nuts (peanuts, almonds, walnuts)
12:30p - lunch: turkey/ham sandwich w/ salad; or leftovers from night before
3:30p - fruit and half cup cottage cheese
6:00p - yogurt or protein bar
8:00p - dinner (rotate steak, chicken breast, fish, pork chop, pasta) w/ salad

*edit* the above is for typical work day.
weekends are all over the place.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: tHa ShIzNiT
Thanks a lot Brik thats what I'm looking for. Looks like you aren't at work by 9AM? You lucky sonofa...for me that first meal would have to be at around 7:30 if it was going to happen before work. Thats another one of my problems, I don't wake up early enough to get breakfast in at home. I really need to get a good breakfast-to-go system going for myself, or I need to discipline myself to wake up early enough to eat breakfast at home.

Looks like you are eating very healthy foods there...In reading the Rippetoe program breakdown they have at the BodyBuilding.com forums, its talking about eating hamburgers 1-2 times a day and drinking a ton of milk. I'm guessing that will make me super fat, but I am looking to put on weight here so I am considering that...and then maybe eating slimmer meats when I get to my desired weight and start cutting.

yea, one of the nice perks about my job is the very flexible hours... i get to work at 10 on a good day

as for breakfast, don't skimp out. during the night, your body uses a lot of nutrients to build/repair, and after 10+ hours without food (dinner to breakfast), you should definitely refuel. even a simple bowl of cereal with a glass or two of milk - which takes no more than 2 minutes to "prepare" - is a good way to get some carbs and protein in your diet.

as for getting fat, i wouldn't worry about it. if you're just starting out, have some extra flab on you and are relatively new to weight lifting, you're likely to lose fat *and* gain muscle (which is much harder to do later on). your total body weight may or may not go down, but you'll become much leaner. moreover, eating 5-6 (healthy) smaller meals each day - instead of 2-3 big ones - is supposed to boost your metabolism and help you keep off the pounds.

 

[skace]

I work 9 hours in a cubicle. I get to work at 5:30AM, I eat breakfast by 6AM (at work), I eat lunch at 11:30AM (at work), I workout when I get home (4-6pm time frame), then I drink a smoothy and around 7PM I eat dinner.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

When I was working out, will be back at it soon, my meals consisted of this:
Breakfast - Two scrambled organic eggs, one full, one just yolk
9 a.m break - Protein shake
Lunch - Usually a tuna sandwich and a cup of soup
2 p.m. break - Protein shake
Workout - Protein shake right after
Dinner - Usually chicken breast, baby reds, and a salad or salmon fillet overtop of lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes. Light italian dressing.

Six meals a day. Easy.

 

[TallBill]

Cyto Gainer!!!

Btw, 2 eggs is not a meal! 5 or more + toast maybe.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Cyto Gainer!!!

Btw, 2 eggs is not a meal! 5 or more + toast maybe.

Hey Tall, could you let me know a little about Cyto Gainer? Like...when do you use it, how often per day? I am thinking about giving it a try. What flavor / brand would you recommend?

I'm doing a lot better with eating a lot nowadays thanks to the advice I received in this thread. Bringing oatmeal to work, making breakfast shakes, and incorporating a couple snacks (mixed nuts, yogurt, etc) has helped a lot.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: tHa ShIzNiT

Originally posted by: TallBill
Cyto Gainer!!!

Btw, 2 eggs is not a meal! 5 or more + toast maybe.

Hey Tall, could you let me know a little about Cyto Gainer? Like...when do you use it, how often per day? I am thinking about giving it a try. What flavor / brand would you recommend?

I'm doing a lot better with eating a lot nowadays thanks to the advice I received in this thread. Bringing oatmeal to work, making breakfast shakes, and incorporating a couple snacks (mixed nuts, yogurt, etc) has helped a lot.

Well, I drink 3 shakes a day usually with milk so almost 2700 calories, but I'm on an insane diet. If you go with Cyto Gainer, chocolate and mint chocolate are the best, vanilla is ok only if used with milk. It mixes well and has decent carbs and protein in it. Good for replacing solid food either before or after a workout, or a full meal. I usually have one for breakfast, one right before bed, and the third either before or after a workout depending on timing. I try to do chicken, beef, tuna, or eggs on the opposite end of the workout. So either a shake before and beef after, or eggs before and shake after. Something like that anyways.

 

[paulxcook]

"Amazing protein bars"

I just made some the other night and they actually taste very good. It's an easy way for me to get a quick 500 cals (I added some other ingredients to mine and cut into 12 squares), some decent carbs, protein, and fats quickly.

 

[Riverhound777]

Thought I would chime in with my meal today as this is the first time i've actually used fitday and tracked everything. Kind of surprising, not at how much I ate, but how little it added up to.

5am: bowl of healthy cereal with 1% milk.
7:30am: protein bar
9am: slice of cheese and some wheat thins
Noon: leftover BBQ chicken breast and rice
1:30pm: Apple
3pm: Protein shake after workout and HIIT
5:30pm: BBQ chicken breast, rice, and corn

This is what i've eatin so far today and after putting it all into fitday it only adds up to 1792 calories (39g fat, 220 carbs, 143 protein). Fitday says I burn 3200 cals a day yet I haven't really lost much weight eating like this over the past 3 weeks, but I have made some nice gains, feel a lot healthier, and look thinner. I don't feel like i've been starving myself, in fact I am really full after the last meal. Am I missing something?

Oh, here are my stats:
Age: 25
Weight: 175
Height: 6'0

 

[LesterOfPuppets]

Seems like eating enough calories comes almost automatically with expending them in my case. When I rode my bike 15 miles to work and 15 back , I took in about 3500. Now I only ride 5 miles to and 5 miles back, get by on 2500 calories a day. When I needed lots of calories, I'd haul half gallon jars of spaghetti or beans and rice to work with me.

Workout includes two 30 lb dumbbells - 3 sets of: 25 shoulder presses, 10 curls per arm, 25 bench presses, 25 triceps extensions (only using one dumbbell for these). do that 3 or 4 times a week.

EDIT: considering your size (I'm 5'6", 145 lbs, 39 years old) you might want to move up to heavier dumbbells...

While watching Jeopardy, or whatever, I'll do twisting crunches during commercials. Typically get in 125-150 per commercial break, 2 commercial breaks per night, usually only 4 nights per week.

I find the gym to be a waste of money. 24 hour ones with pools are tempting, however.

 

[lucasorion]

I've been eating the "Think Thin" bars (with 20g protein and 0 sugar) after I lift, and occasionally at other times when my body asks for it.
I haven't gotten into drinking protein shakes, because I really try not to drink any calories. I know the shakes are different than soda, et al. but it is easier for me to stick to that principle by going cold turkey. I'm in more of a cutting phase right now than bulking, but I don't want to lose muscle the way I did when I was 19 and running 4 miles a day on probably about 1500 calories a day. Lots of chicken breasts incorporated into meals, snack on sliced turkey/yogurt in the evening before bed, and probably my one vice is the amount of cereal (skim milk or soy milk) I eat most mornings - but I am going to stop that after all these boxes of "special k with red berries" are gone.

 

[TheNinja]

My favorite meal replacement shake. It's cheap and anywhere from 500-800 calories each

1 cup milk
1/2-1 cup water
1 scoop protein powder
1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2-1 cup of oatmeal

Dump in all in a shaker. Shake it and chug it. You can leave it sit for 15 minutes if you like it a little softer too. You don't even need to chew it if you're good.

You can dump in peanut butter instead of olive oil if you like. You can also toss in a banana if you are using a blender. It's a prefect meal...well without the fruits and veggies

 

[StageLeft]

Easy breezy, I keep a small bag by my desk with sandwiches and fruit and protein powder in it. Eating properly is a breeze, anybody who says they're too busy just hasn't tried it properly!