should i up my calories?

Zero2hero2013

ok, so as a few of you already know i have been eating 3500 calories for a month now approximately, had a bit of beer at the weekend and now my weight is the same as it was 4 weeks ago original it got alot lower but ate a extra and a little naughty just to gain a little water weight back but didnt do much. on the plus side the mirror looks alot better and it appears i am slowly losing a little fat. also i am definately gaining some muscle but i am not sure if it is drastic amounts.

currently my calories are based on this.
1950 bmr
sedentary activity levels, so 2450 per day with no exercise. i allow 500 calories for my gym sessions and the 10 mins walk it takes to get me there an back. and then add another 500 for muscle gains. so 3500 calories. now at first i seemed to start to gain weight but i am now thinking it was probably water weight.

currently my macros on average come out as this. 80-90g of fat, 900 cals, 325-375g of carbs, 1200 cals, 350g of protein,1400 cals. roughly 3500 total sometimes protein is as high as 400 and it rarely drops below 300.

do you think its worth me upping my calories by another 300-400? i was thinking of adding some extra fruit in, maybe 2 bananas post workout eaten with my shake and some extra slow release carbs like milled oats.

my current diet plan is this.

6-7am
mass gainer shake, 48g
protein shake 24g
550ml semi skimmed milk, works out out at 704 cals, 80 c, 24 f 57 protein

10am,
white rice/brown rice 175g
chicken breast 180g
561 cals, 58 c, 8 f, 62 protein


12am gym session

1.30pm post workout
whey protein 48g
semi skimmed milk, 330ml
cals, 377cals, 29c, 10f, 51 p

3pm
white rice/brown rice 175g
chicken breast 180g
561 cals, 58 c, 8 f, 62 protein

6-7pm
rice 130g
chicken breast 180g
veg / kidney beans/ aduki beans
655 70c, 9f , 70p

9-10pm an hour before bed
mass gainer shake, 48g
protein shake 24g
550ml semi skimmed milk, works out out at 704 cals, 80 c, 240 f 57 protein

totals for the whole day are.
3,562 cals 375 carbs 83 fat 359 protein on a average day.

now i was thinking of adding another 300-400 cals to this for a month to see what happens. do you think it should go 50/50 to fats and carbs or all of it to carbs? i was thinking of adding 2 small banana to my post workout to trigger an insulin spike for the increases protein uptake. and then add 2 raw eggs into my last bulking shake before bed. jsut to aid in slowing down the protein and add a little more fat. i did a sample of the diet im thinking in my food dairy for today.

Zero2hero2013

ok just learned a fact why eggs are bad lol.
my mate posted this on another website.

You don't get the full amount of protein out of raw eggs. Raw egg whites contain a compound called Avidin, which binds with the vitamin biotin and prevents the body from absorbing it. The avidin not only binds with the biotin already present in the egg, but also any biotin consumed along with the egg. So let's say you were putting the raw egg in with a whey protein shake: In that case, the Avidin blocks the biotin in the whey protein from being absorbed by the body as well.

UponThisRock

First of all, if you're not gaining, then yes, you need to eat more.

Secondly, why are you eating nothing but but chicken, rice, and shakes? Eat some food man.

Zero2hero2013

im trying to keep lean while bulking, this was the diet that was advised to me, what other things can i eat daily? i dont mind being boring if it works and currently it seems to be keeping fat off and possible IMO reducing fat stores.

i was tempted to eat some wholemeal wraps with chicken in :-) lol i do also have salmon days, usually i cook 3 large portions the night before but have had a bad week so ended up buying stuff and putting it together.

Sidesteal

im trying to keep lean while bulking, this was the diet that was advised to me, what other things can i eat daily? i dont mind being boring if it works and currently it seems to be keeping fat off and possible IMO reducing fat stores.

i was tempted to eat some wholemeal wraps with chicken in :-) lol i do also have salmon days, usually i cook 3 large portions the night before but have had a bad week so ended up buying stuff and putting it together.

Lipogenesis isn't caused from eating specific foods, it's caused from eating in a calorie surplus.

You can get just as fat on chicken as you can on fatty steak or whatever else. Your body doesn't differentiate between the names of the foods you eat, it sees the nutrient content of the food after it's broken down.

Anyways, Rock is correct as usual. If you're not gaining weight, you need to increase your intake. I would do it slowly until your weight gain lands you in the neighborhood of .5-1lb/week. 1/week is probably even a bit fast.

The slower you gain (assuming adequate protein intake and proper training) the less fat you'll likely put on.

Zero2hero2013

to be honest id love to keep the gains slower for the warmer months (uk) and then up it and put on more fat if needed to make better gains muscle wise around september.

i know the calories make all the difference but i was under the impression the cleaner i kept it the more my body could use it all. i.e the less sugar/ bad fats the better.

Sidesteal

i know the calories make all the difference but i was under the impression the cleaner i kept it the more my body could use it all. i.e the less sugar/ bad fats the better.

This is a matter of dosage and context. To make a very generalized statement, if you're getting all of your carbs from candy you could have some issues.

However, if you're hitting your calorie and macronutrient requirements, and you're eating "mostly" whole and nutrient dense foods (vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken, etc etc) then the inclusion of "some" sweets/etc are not going to promote fat gain any more than additional brown rice will.

Once again, I'm assuming some level of common sense being applied here and that you're not choosing ice-cream as your only source of carbohydrate.

UponThisRock

i know the calories make all the difference but i was under the impression the cleaner i kept it the more my body could use it all. i.e the less sugar/ bad fats the better.

I find it ironic that you refer to this diet as "clean." I think you're looking at some possible micronutrient deficiencies.

Zero2hero2013

I find it ironic that you refer to this diet as "clean." I think you're looking at some possible micronutrient deficiencies.

i know your right, i try to subsidise it by taking a-z multivitamin, zma, and flaxseed capsules. on a positive though it really does seem to be help me staying lean, well as lean if not a little leaner then when i started. i posted up a quick pic to show ya how i am currently and its alot better then one month ago.

so what do you actually suggest i do? i have never really been the best with food. i am boring and un imaginative. unless it comes out of a packet and thats what got me in this mess in the first place lol. i.e 33% bodyfat when i started training

Zero2hero2013

also my weekend diet is not as good as my week day diet. usually sundays requirement is stay within the calorie limit i.e 500 surplus only. and try to get some protein in that way, this is where i get the time to eat some naughty stuff and keeps me able to continue.

seriously though, what should i be doing food wise? (for now)

UponThisRock

just add in some more variety. I'm currently bulking, feel free to browse my diary for ideas.

Zero2hero2013

had a look already :-)
il vary the bulk of my diet more but i am not going to start eating mass pizzas lol and ice cream. unless its sunday lol. i got told to switch from bread even wholemeal to rice preferably brown rice.
i was 3 weeks ago eating sandwiches with chicken, ham cheese etc. im thinking of making up some wraps to take to work, maybe chicken lol. peppers and some sort of healthyish sauce.
i think the biggest problem is that i am just not very imaginative. on tuesday i have chicken casserole at work and add extra chicken lol.
on thursday i get this steak and kidney gravy with 2 tiny bits of puff pastry on it.
i need to start eating more healthy fruits and veg but im not really a fruit and veg person (with exception, peas, carrots, and love bananas) il spend some time over the next week thinking up better meal options, probably make my girlfriend a much happier person lol. as shge wont have to eat the stuff i am, (im the cook) if she wants something like spag bol im always in but anything like pizza, mcdonalds, etc is a no no for me where possible.

UponThisRock

Maybe try eating another meat besides chicken