How many calories a day do you eat when looking to put on size?

[dreamchaser]

FROM 4000 TO 5000

 

[Bad Fox]

I cant seem to eat 4000 cals of clean food a day. My appetite for clean food is really low. But give me some buffets with fried chicken or chinese food a few times a week and watchout!

On my last bulk I prob ate the most I ever have. I ate everything in site and didnt really count anything............ You guessed it.... got fat! Ive dropped 8lbs since my cycle was over 2 weeks ago and am starting to look better in the gut.

I think im looking puny muscle wise but other people say i look huge. I think I have reverse anerexia or something. They look in the mirror at 90lbs and see fat. I look in the mirror at 240 and see puny. :banghead:

 

[Ashop]

3 to 6k

Around the same range here myself. Ive used 6k diets many,many times.

 

[kingpeon]

As many as possible. No, I don't count calories or weigh my macros. That's just retarded.

 

[tr]

On 3500-4000 I make lean nice gains, with no added bf or water gains. On 4500-5000+ I am a bit watery (probably due to hgher carbs). This seems not a lot but, I spread my cals over the day accoording to the body needs, for example:

meal1: 500cals high protein-high fats-moderate carbs
meal2: 200-300cals high protein-no fats-no carbs
meal3: 300cals high protein-moderate fats-no carbs
meal4 (prew): 500cals high protein-medium fats-moderate carbs
postw shake: 400cals high protein-moderate carbs-no fats
meal5: 1000-1500cals high protein-no fats-high carbs
meal6: 300-500cals high protein-moderate fats-no/moderate carbs

By doing this and consuming 50-70% of calories in 4 hours post workout - when I need mostly (postw shake right after wo, pwo meal 1 hour later and ppwo meal 2-3 hours later) I don't need to do any cardio, I don't need any thyroid supps, don't need high hgh supps to stay at 7-8% and grow. If I add hgh/hgh peptides I need more food though, mainly carbs so I add carbs intraworkout, more carbs pre and post workout (up my carbs anywhere from 250-300g to 400-600g/day).

 

[panzerfaust]

A lot of protein overdosing in here....

Yeah don't mean to hijack but what is a good rule to go by for the average gym rat? 1gram per pound??????

 

[tr]

btw

I see a lot of guys are claiming they eat 5000 cals or more and I think most of them haven't even ever calculated calories they have eaten...to eat 5000+ calories a day, day and a day out is a JOB, thats 500g protein 500g carbs 100+g fats OR 2 pounds chicken 2 pounds beef 10 whole eggs protein shake 4 cups oats 4 cups rice 16oz potatoe, few tbsp butter and oilive oil for example that's 10-12oz meat with 2 cups rice and oil or 2cups oatmeal with whey and 5 whole eggs 6 times A DAY...I've sen many diets posted here but only few of them are close to those quantities.to eat/prepare all this food every day you have to be pro bodybulder or do nothing else in your life

 

[Flex2019]

btw

I see a lot of guys are claiming they eat 5000 cals or more and I think most of them haven't even ever calculated calories they have eaten...to eat 5000+ calories a day, day and a day out is a JOB, thats 500g protein 500g carbs 100+g fats OR 2 pounds chicken 2 pounds beef 10 whole eggs protein shake 4 cups oats 4 cups rice 16oz potatoe, few tbsp butter and oilive oil for example that's 10-12oz meat with 2 cups rice and oil or 2cups oatmeal with whey and 5 whole eggs 6 times A DAY...I've sen many diets posted here but only few of them are close to those quantities.to eat/prepare all this food every day you have to be pro bodybulder or do nothing else in your life

That's BS...I eat like this day in and day out and never have a problem. I work full time, with a 1.25 hr commute in each direction. Yes, it's a lot of food to take down but if you are smart about preparing meals ahead of time it takes no longer to prepare your food for a few days than it does to cook a single big dinner. tr, you seem to have some very confused notions about what is and isn't possible in this sport.

 

[tr]

That's BS...I eat like this day in and day out and never have a problem. I work full time, with a 1.25 hr commute in each direction. Yes, it's a lot of food to take down but if you are smart about preparing meals ahead of time it takes no longer to prepare your food for a few days than it does to cook a single big dinner. tr, you seem to have some very confused notions about what is and isn't possible in this sport.

I assume you have regular 9 to 5 job, Flex?

 

[TNH]

I used to shoot for specific numbers, but I had a hard time with it.
I currently just eat when hungry. I eat foods that I know work well for me based on experimenting over the years with a variety of foods.

I would say my macros are roughly equal to each other, 33.3/33.3/33.3

This is my diet that I try to stick to most of the time:
I eat fruit and veggies as my carb source throughout the day. I take aminos (currently taking Humapro for first time) between meals.

For fat I sip on some EVOO or coconut oil, or mix it in with my egg whites or raw egg 'cocktail'.

Protein comes from eggs from hens on my own ranch, or liquid egg whites from the store. I eat whole eggs raw most of the time, just crack open 3-4 of them in a mug, drop some EVOO or other healthy oil in there and throw it down the hatch. Eating this way is quick, easy, and healthy. No meal prep, doesn't need to be warmed up, etc. Very good for me because my schedule changes frequently and I am very busy, not knowing what my day has in store for me. A cooler with eggs, carton of whites, some fruits, and a bottle of EVOO are easy to bring along in my car.

My post workout (late afternoon/evening) meals (if I am hungry enough to have more than one) is whatever my wife prepares. She is a great cook and her dishes are usually a good serving of meat (fish, chicken, or beef) with potatoes or steamed rice.

Just an educated guess, I estimate my calories to be around 3,500 or a bit more on the average day. Eating food that agrees with my body makes digestion easy and keeps me hungry, which I think is a good thing for someone trying to grow. If my body is telling me it needs more food even though I have eaten recently, I don't deny its desires.
I NEVER force feed though; I have done it in the past and it resulted in major bloating, stomach discomfort, constipation, trouble sleeping and destroyed my appetite for the rest of my planned meals, resulting in more force feeding to meet the calories I decided beforehand that I needed. I think that is a bad approach, I feel much better doing things this way.

The one more conventional or 'normal' evening meal is good because I never feel like I am forbidding myself from eating some tasty food that isn't 100% healthy. Eating this way makes it no problem to go out to dinner with friends or family and eat whatever I want, since all of my other eating throughout the day is light and healthy. It allows me to enjoy myself and not feel like some weirdo or health nut when around normal people.... I used to go out and order chicken breast with no sauce, and maybe a small side of rice. People thought I was OCD and boring, which I can totally understand.

 

[Sieve]

Offseason 5000-7000.
Precontest around 3000-4000.

 

[Flex2019]

I assume you have regular 9 to 5 job, Flex?

I work in a health club. My hours vary depending on appointments with clients. I may be out of the house for 8 hours or 12 hours. But my point was, if you are preparing meals ahead of time, it really doesn't take a ton of time to get food ready to eat each day. Look at John Meadows. For years he worked full time at a bank job, as well as dealing with training clients, while taking care of twin boys and his wife. He still had time to eat and train. People that say they don't have time to prepare meals and eat the right way are just looking for excuses.

 

[Cornelius]

An average day to maintain 210lb 10% bf at 5ft8 goes like this for me.
1: 5 whole eggs, grass fed butter, 2 slices rye bread
2: 6 ounces chicken, 2 servings quinoa, 100g avocado
3: same as 2
4: carbs and aminos during training
5: cereal, fat free milk (pwo)
6: 6 ounces steak, oven fries, greens, greek yogurt, berries

Marcos (give or take)
270p 300c 100 fat 3180 calories

Back when I was into "extreme bodybuilding" I needed 5-6k to hit 260lb the first time. Once I reach that weight once I needed only 4-5k to hit it again and leaner.

 

[tr]

I work in a health club. My hours vary depending on appointments with clients. I may be out of the house for 8 hours or 12 hours. But my point was, if you are preparing meals ahead of time, it really doesn't take a ton of time to get food ready to eat each day. Look at John Meadows. For years he worked full time at a bank job, as well as dealing with training clients, while taking care of twin boys and his wife. He still had time to eat and train. People that say they don't have time to prepare meals and eat the right way are just looking for excuses.

I agree you can do many things in your life if you want, I know guys working few jobs and bodybuilding, but they aren't the best at what they do for a living and they are not the best bodybuilders...yes John have worked in a bank, he has a family and does bodybuilding, but he admitted himself that bank job take out very much from bodybuilding - less sleep, lack of recovery, more stress etc...

Anyway this thread is not about that...I was just pointing out that most are overestimating calories they eat, most don't eat as much as they think they're eating.

 

[workhard2121]

I prepare all of my base meals besides dinner which I enjoy with my GF every night. If she is working though it will be the same as my prepared meals.

Pretty easy for me to prepare meals on Sundays in my tupper ware containers, bring them all to work, and eat at work at my desk or when I'm out back helping all the staff members. They know I'm a bodybuilder obviously and admire how I eat so its all good.

 

[ajdos]

btw

I see a lot of guys are claiming they eat 5000 cals or more and I think most of them haven't even ever calculated calories they have eaten...to eat 5000+ calories a day, day and a day out is a JOB, thats 500g protein 500g carbs 100+g fats OR 2 pounds chicken 2 pounds beef 10 whole eggs protein shake 4 cups oats 4 cups rice 16oz potatoe, few tbsp butter and oilive oil for example that's 10-12oz meat with 2 cups rice and oil or 2cups oatmeal with whey and 5 whole eggs 6 times A DAY...I've sen many diets posted here but only few of them are close to those quantities.to eat/prepare all this food every day you have to be pro bodybulder or do nothing else in your life

I do it easily, and if I really push it I can do more, thats with 2 jobs and shit tons of stress.

 

[TrojanBB]

Cant believe some of you guys are necking 5000+ a day... do you really need that much?

I have a pretty fast metabolism naturally (ecto) and my waistline expands pretty quick when I experimented with consuming that much for a several weeks... then again... other than training, I'm not that physically active during the day.

I'm 5'11", 200, 8%ish..so pretty small. But I am at 4500-4800 a day and have been stagnant for months. I simple dont gain under 5000kcals. So seeing these 260lbs eating 5000kcals seems pretty spot on to me.

And yes, I obsessively count every calorie. It is a job hitting 5000 each day for some of us. Hence why I'm stagnant...it's damn hard!