On the right track ?

patrickrea2002

I’m 5 foot 9 and 140 lbs been lifting for 2 months now 3 times a week focusing on compound lifts
Bench press
Pull ups
weighted Squats
Deadlifts
I try and lift heavier each time
And I do a bit of everything else when I’m down at the gym
My problem is what I’m eating
I know Roughly how many calories i should be eating to bulk up but
A I’m not sure how to track it (I have tried my fitness pal)
B I don’t know what kind of things to eat
C I used to be fat so I don’t want to eat too many calories
Hope anyone can help
Any advice would be useful

sijomial

Patrick - Are you still 140lbs after all this time?

patrickrea2002

Yeah

patrickrea2002

I’ll weight myself in the morning but I think I might be 141 or 142 at most

sijomial

You are making something very simple far more complex than it has to be, if you sincerely want to add weight you have to get over your fear of eating a bit more.
BTW for context I'm the same height, 3 times your age (a bit more!) and regard my best weight as 168lbs - you have an awful amount of headroom to grow.

To answer your questions:
A I’m not sure how to track it (I have tried my fitness pal)
As you seem to have absolutely nailed down your maintenance calories accurate tracking clearly isn't required for you. Just eat a bit more, add something around 250cals to your current diet in any way that suits you. (500 cals may be better but just make the initial leap of faith).

B I don’t know what kind of things to eat
It doesn't matter! Anything - literally anything will give you more nutrients if you add it to you current diet. Add a snack, increase portion sizes, peanut butter, protein shake, fruit. ANYTHING!!

C I used to be fat so I don’t want to eat too many calories
You are young, training properly and very light - you have enormous potential to grow. This fear is what's holding you back.

Eating a bit more does not equal eating a lot more.
I bet you would find after a long time suppressing your eating that 250/cals a day won't actually be enough for you to increase weight long term, your energy levels are probably suppressed which effects your daily activity and also reduces your gym performance. Don't waste your "golden years" when growth comes easily through a reluctance to try.

Let's face it if your fears turned out to be realised and you are an unusually low responder to weight training and you gain some fat - you can lose it again, you've done it before and could do it again.

TavistockToad

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

I’m 5 foot 9 and 140 lbs been lifting for 2 months now 3 times a week focusing on compound lifts
Bench press
Pull ups
weighted Squats
Deadlifts
I try and lift heavier each time
And I do a bit of everything else when I’m down at the gym
My problem is what I’m eating
I know Roughly how many calories i should be eating to bulk up but
A I’m not sure how to track it (I have tried my fitness pal)
B I don’t know what kind of things to eat
C I used to be fat so I don’t want to eat too many calories
Hope anyone can help
Any advice would be useful

A) why doesnt MFP work for you for tracking food?
B ) eat food you like, hit your minimums for protein and fat, eat some fruit and veg
C) you need a small surplus to gain an appreciable amount of muscle. or you could try recomp?

patrickrea2002

I know roughly how many cals I need to eat a day which is about 2800 cals

patrickrea2002

I don’t cook so I’m not really on top of tracking how
Much I eat specifically

patrickrea2002

But ur saying I need to change how I see food and just eat whatever to get to my daily calories limit?

sardelsa

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

But ur saying I need to change how I see food and just eat whatever to get to my daily calories limit?

Start with adding 250 cals to what you are currently eating since you seem to be maintaining your weight. Listen to @sijomial above. Adding an extra snack, a slice of toast with peanut butter, or protein shake will do it.

NaturalGainsRecned

2500 calories a day. Breakfast - Eggs, egg whites, cheese, bacon, toast, avocado, oil, butter.
Lunch - 1 cup of oats with milk or water, add a scoop of protein powder with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and a banana
Dinner - 8 oz of chicken breast, oil, butter, 1 cup of rice (brown or white, doesn’t matter) pick a veggie or two (broccoli, asparagus, brussell sprouts, whatever you like)
Night snack - 1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder and some mixed berries, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.

sijomial

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

But ur saying I need to change how I see food and just eat whatever to get to my daily calories limit?

You do seem to have a huge hang up about eating more despite stating you want to get bigger.

Just eat something MORE than you are eating now. It is as easy as that. ADD something.
It doesn't mean change your entire diet, just make it a little bigger. 250cals is half a decent sized sandwich!

Something has to change - either change your goals and resign yourself to being light and lean but not much muscle or change your mindset and eat more.

patrickrea2002

I have a food diary that I have been keeping but it doesn’t really track calories shall I start doing this? While I eat more calories

patrickrea2002

I’m so confused tho because I do eat a lot already I’m just scared to eat the junk

sardelsa

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

I’m so confused tho because I do eat a lot already I’m just scared to eat the junk

You don't have to eat whatever you consider junk... just eat more. Again... an extra serving of what you are having now, a sandwich, a protein shake, a bowl of yogurt with granola, a good serving of nuts.... whatever you want

sardelsa

Also constantly being afraid of putting on any fat will set you back from reaching your goals. I highly recommend you work on the mental aspect of this whole process. These articles can help:

https://jcdfitness.com/2009/10/the-former-fat-boy-syndrome/

https://jcdfitness.com/2012/03/former-fat-boy-syndrome-hangups/

sijomial

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

I have a food diary that I have been keeping but it doesn’t really track calories shall I start doing this? While I eat more calories

In your circumstances it doesn't matter if you record or how you track it.

What you are doing is called analysis paralysis.
Analysing as a way to deflect from actually doing.

It matters how much you eat and you aren't eating enough for your goal, how many months of stagnation are you going to tolerate? The trend of your weight from your bathroom scales will tell you if you are eating enough.

You have done your planning, done your research, set your goal - all good stuff but now it's time to actually execute your plan.

patrickrea2002

Ok I hear that I’ll eat more
I’m general how long will it take for me to know if it’s working or not

sijomial

patrickrea2002 wrote: »

Ok I hear that I’ll eat more
I’m general how long will it take for me to know if it’s working or not

2 to 4 weeks probably ( your personal level of day-to-day fluctuations may mask a trend).

With your age and lifting experience half a pound a week gain is very much in the realms of lean gaining.
Track your lifts, take progress pictures, take measurement with a tape - that's positive analysis!

patrickrea2002

Cheers