Hi all. My first post so I'll get right to it. I'm 38 and 5'10" 185 lbs. According to the Omron scale I have I'm about 15% BF (who knows how accurate it is). I have read alot of the discussions here and formulated my own diet but want to see what your opinions are. I have been training consistently for 10-15 years just not for bodybuilding per se. I have been an avid mtn. biker and hiker for years but have kind of been bitten by the bug to get more serious and maybe compete in a few years in a contest. Here is my current diet:

Breakfast
5 oz lean beef
1 cup oatmeal
Superpak
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Snack
Ultra Size - 2 scoops
1 cup berries
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Lunch
5 oz chicken tenders
1/2 sweet potato
2 cups salad
2 tblsp oil/vinegar dresssing
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Snack
Ultra Size - 2 scoops
1 cup berries
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Dinner
5 oz fish
2 cups vegetables
2 cups salad
2 tblsp oil/vinegar dresssing
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Bedtime Snack
Cottage cheese - 1 cup
1 apple

On workout days I take 5g Creatine Select and 1 scoop Gatorade preworkout. Also, is Ultra Size the best option between all 3 protein powders? I'm looking to gain maybe 10-15 lbs muscle over the next 2 years while getting down to 8-10% BF....Not sure if that's realistic though. I have cut out most cardio except for fairly casual 45 min walks with my daughter 4-5x week. I'm finally in a position financially to be able to supplement with Beverly and I want to make the most of it.

2ravens

Ok. So your goal then is to put on muscle right now? Now you really do have to be realistic about how many pounds of muscle you are likely to put on. Unless you are Kevin Levrone or using Growth Hormone, you can put aside you goal of gaining 10-15 lbs. of solid lean mass! Think smaller, 2-3 lbs would be a HUGE gain over a 2 year period, but doable if done correctly.

I would change the diet you have listed as it would most likely end up leaning you out, but it isn't optimal for "gaining" lean mass? You are gonna need way more carbs! Why did you choose Ultra Size? Any reason in particular? It is pretty good, but you gotta try UMP or for your purposes: MASS MAKER! And how come no eggs? Alergies? Eggs are a staple!

Think this over:

Breakfast
2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal (before cooking)
Superpak
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Snack
3 Scoops Mass Maker
3 Large Strawberries
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Lunch
5 oz chicken tenders (unfried I hope)
7 oz sweet potato
2 cups salad
1 teaspoon oil/vinegar dresssing
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Snack
3 Scoops Mass Maker
3 Large Strawberries
1 teaspoon whipping cream

Dinner
5 oz fish
1/2 Cooked Brown Rice
2 cups Green vegetables
1 teaspoon oil/vinegar dresssing
Joint Care- 1
EFA Gold - 1

Bedtime Snack
Cottage cheese - 1 cup
1 cup mixed berries

What do you think? Higher carb, a little lower protein and low fat, but healthy fat options. You'll be around a 40/40/20 split as opposed to your current diet that is about 60/20/20. Let us know.

Ok, sounds good. Actually I don't know why I put chicken tenders as opposed to chicken breast and yes it's not fried. I will be placing my order for either US or Mass Maker tomorrow so no reason why I can't get Mass Maker. I usually did ground beef in the morning because I can make a weeks worth at one time. Mixed with oatmeal and a little hot sauce tastes like meatloaf. How about the eggs? I guess I could mix it all together and microwave it. I'm usually extremely rushed in the morning so hopefully that will taste good. I'll give it a try. And I like the 40/40/20 better since I just read another post about low carb headaches which I've been experiencing since about day 3 on the current diet. I just didn't know why.

NOT ENOUGH FOOD TO SUPPORT A 10-15 POUND WEIGHT GAIN NATURALLY.MORE REALISTICALLY A LEAN GAIN OF 7-10 IS QUITE FEESIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. CURTAIL AEROBIC ACTIVITY, FOCUS ON WORKING HEAVIER ON ALL BASIC COMPOUND MOVEMENTS AND FOR PETE'S SAKE DIRTY UP THAT DIET.

sorry for the caps i wasn't yelling i was just speaking loudly.

quote:

you can put aside you goal of gaining 10-15 lbs. of solid lean mass! Think smaller, 2-3 lbs would be a HUGE gain over a 2 year period, but doable if done correctly.

I'm going to give you a break. There's not enough info about your entire makeup. You could very realistically, gain 15 lbs of lean mass in 2 years. One: You're 5'10". 2: You've had time to build a base. Have you plateaued?

You're already 15% BFC, so you do want cardio in your workout plan, contrary to curtailing aerobic activity, as long as you are feeding muscles, positive in calories and not doing something like riding a 150 mile race on an empty stomach, you'll do better with a workout that has a lot of O2 running through your system, pulling waste out, increasing blood supply, creating more channels for it to flow.

Now, don't expect to gain 15 lbs of muscle, but TRY TO DO IT! There's a fine line of gaining lean mass and keeping fat gains minimal.

What kind of workout are you doing? Is it serious lifting or are you just maintaining? Do you know your body type? Ecto, meso, endo? What are your sleep patterns? How about weakpoints? Legs?

Answer these and we'll see you get the best gains.

If legs are a weakpoint, you could stand to gain a few pounds there in a couple of years. That's the largest muscle group and that's where you literally build a base.