How much does it cost a week to bulk ?

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Title says it all. I currently weight at 160 lbs and want to hit atleast 175 during or before the summer ends. I also want to aim around 5000 calories per day. My metabolism is fast so I won't be eating all clean foods but majority will be 70-75% clean. Just wondering how much does it cost per week to bulk considering I'm trying to aim at atleast 1-2 pound per week.
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Replies

  • ejsilvi
    ejsilvi Posts: 205 Member
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    U might want to come up with menu for the week of what u want to eat that 5000 calories a day if u have a Sams club or somewhere that sells bulk food like chicken eggs n breast , steaks all the food u need 120 - 150.00 a week for food going by what I eat Abouy 3500 a day I eat about 24 eggs a week that's 3 dollars 8 to 10lbs of cottage cheese that's 10 bucks 8 to 10lbs of chicken breast that's like 15 bucks n 5 to 8lbs of steak 30 bucks mixed veggies about 3 to 5lbs that 10 to 15 for that 2 gallons of milk - get the idea? It adds up if u drink a protein shake add that in it's not cheap but You can do it making food is cheaper then buying it find your best deal... hope it helps u out .
  • avadahm
    avadahm Posts: 111 Member
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    For gaining, I'm a beef eater. Look for sales and use that freezer space for any chosen meat, though. You can get similar prices to chicken that way.

    If you do beans, you'll save $$ working with dried ones. $2/# instead of $1 a can. I suppose a lot of "cost" depends on how much work you're willing to put in. Eggs are cheap. $0.80-2 for 12. I use heavy cream for creamer so that's $5 every couple of weeks (at 50 cal a T). Noodles are good and fairly inexpensive. Look into buckwheat noodles. If you do protein bars or energy bars, they're $1-2 a bar, typically. That would be $7-14/wk if you had only one a day.

    Pizza dough, by the way is a great high-calorie "cheap" food if you want to make things and freeze them. Stromboli, calzones, pot pies, pepperoni rolls, and pizza (of course). Fresh dough can range from $2/ ball to $6/ ball depending on quality and where you live. Bananas I love, too because they're a cheap fruit and not so filling when you need a little extra.

    My "bulk" budget for my family of 3 (with 2 gainers) is about $60-80 but we are gaining slower and I get awesome food discounts because I work at a huge food market. I also do a lot of cooking. I also don't use meat at every meal (because it gets pricey). We eat around 3k-3500 a day.

    Spend time at your favorite grocery and tally up a few items in your head. You'll likely spend a decent amount on food, so pay attention to your sales ads as much as your calories. I wish I was more helpful but food prices can vary so much depending on where you're living. A local butcher may save you some $$ on proteins, too.

    Good luck!
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
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    I don't know where you live, but we have a store called "Grocery Outlet" that has food that is mis-labeled, or about to expire. Sounds gross but they often have organic food and really nice stuff thatbyou can buy a bunch of- I get fancy olive oil, organic butter and ice cream, sausages, sardines, for like 1/5 ofnthe normal price. Peanut butter is a pretty cheap way to get lots of calories.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    I eat about 95+% whole food, with a fairly low fat intake (20-ish%) so my grocery bill when bulking is a lot higher than necessary for most.

    I tend to hover right around $125/week, even using potatoes as my primary starch. Rice would be cheaper, but for whatever reason, even brown rice leaves me ravenous, no matter what I pair it with.

    The most expensive part for me, is the absurd amount of fruit that I eat pre and post workout. 45g of carbs from berries and cherries adds up pretty damned quick (takes about 400g), but it's a lot more enjoyable for me than "dump some dextrose in your shake".

    Also, frozen veggies tend to get pricey when you eat about a pound per meal (5x/day).
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat
    Agreed.

    OP, if you still want to go with 5000 calories a day, I would suggest doing as much prep and cooking as you can to save money.

  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/
  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    It's impossible to really answer this because we don't know where you are located and the cost of foods is vastly different.

    And no, you don't have a fast metabolism. You are active.
  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    How you going to tell me I don't have a fast metabolism when you don't even know me lol..? Anyways I live in USA Louisiana. We have Walmart, Lishmans city market. The Costco isn't in my city but it's 20-30 minutes away so yeh I can use that too. All I'm asking is how much did it cost for you guys to bulk whether you were eating 3500, 4000, 4500, or 5000... Doesn't matter.
    psuLemon wrote: »
    It's impossible to really answer this because we don't know where you are located and the cost of foods is vastly different.

    And no, you don't have a fast metabolism. You are active.

  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks for the heads up.!
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat
    Agreed.

    OP, if you still want to go with 5000 calories a day, I would suggest doing as much prep and cooking as you can to save money.

  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
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    My bf bulks on about 3500-4K and his protein needs are the same (he keeps it high on a cut too) so we just add cheap fillers. Costco muffins or pre-made waffles are good for about 350-450 each. A couple of those every day and nothing really has to change. Last night he had 2 waffles with a banana, raspberries and 1.5 servings of maple syrup for about 950... not MUCH more volume
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
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    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
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    bagge72 wrote: »
    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

    If he wants to cut longer at the end that's his business but yeah, the 5000 cal yolo bulk seems to be a rite of passage for many newbs lol
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    edited May 2017
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    But I guess to answer your question. Here in a suburb of Boston Massachusetts, and eating around 4,000 calories a day, I spend around $175 a week between groceries, snacks at work during the day, and eating out every once in a while.
  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    The cwolfman13 guy basically said I'm just going to get fat... But oh well whatever no big deal lol. thanks for ur answer !
    bagge72 wrote: »
    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    Options
    The cwolfman13 guy basically said I'm just going to get fat... But oh well whatever no big deal lol. thanks for ur answer !
    bagge72 wrote: »
    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

    I guess technically he's right, since you are going to be putting on almost all fat during your bulk.
  • kennymoney300
    kennymoney300 Posts: 13 Member
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    Ok cool.
    bagge72 wrote: »
    The cwolfman13 guy basically said I'm just going to get fat... But oh well whatever no big deal lol. thanks for ur answer !
    bagge72 wrote: »
    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

    I guess technically he's right, since you are going to be putting on almost all fat during your bulk.

  • A_Rene86
    A_Rene86 Posts: 141 Member
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    Ok cool.
    bagge72 wrote: »
    The cwolfman13 guy basically said I'm just going to get fat... But oh well whatever no big deal lol. thanks for ur answer !
    bagge72 wrote: »
    That's cool but I'm aiming for 175, doing 5000 a day. Whether its 0.5-2 lbs a week, its not a big deal to me. I'm not going to be walking around like these obese people, its only 175 lbs. Regardless I know how to eat clean, I'm just curious how much people are spending a week while bulking. Thanks
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fat? No, I'm going to lose my abs for sure but not get fat. I'm highly too active to get fat. I'm an ectomorph working out 6 days a week. Not to mention I work 3-4 days a week part time job walking and moving every second. Thanks for ur input tho ;)
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1-2 Lbs per week is too fast...you're just going to get fat

    Being highly active just means you'll have to take in more calories to gain weight. Regardless of your activity level or workout schedule, if you do gain 1-2 lbs a week, a lot of it will be fat. You're limited in the amount of muscle you can gain, most men can gain around 0.5 lb of muscle per week under optimal diet/training conditions - so anything above and beyond that will be fat. If you're gaining two pounds a week, you can pretty well count on about 1.5 lbs of your "gains" being fat and the other 0.5 lbs being muscle.

    Do what you want, but those are the facts. If you'd like to read it straight from somebody who knows a lot about the subject and has written numerous books about diet, nutrition and training, here you go: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/

    What does eating clean and how active you are have to do with the weight gain? You could be the most active person in the world, with the super most fast metabolism ever, but if you still eat more than you burn, part of that weight gain is going to be fat. They aren't saying you are going to be a fat blob, they are saying putting on so much weight so quickly is going to be mostly fat. If that's what your shooting for more power to you.

    I guess technically he's right, since you are going to be putting on almost all fat during your bulk.

    Seems like you've got all the answers already, so good luck to you.