# High Cal, HIgh Protein diet on $35 a week...



## Soul of Sol (Jan 8, 2007)

...does such a monster exist? Looking to take in roughly 3000 cals, 200gs protein a day. Can I do that on a food budget of $35 a week?
 Plus, can anyone point me to some good meal plans aimed at a ectomorph looking to gain around 25lbs or so of LBM?

Cheers and thanks.


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## tucker01 (Jan 8, 2007)

35$ a week not likely.


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## P-funk (Jan 8, 2007)

if you are trying to put on weight and short on change, just start buying up as much fucking pasta as you can.  That and get some chicken on the bone with the skin because it is cheaper, and de-bone/skin it yourself and have at it.


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## tucker01 (Jan 8, 2007)

To add-on to what P said,  if you are bulking it isn't necessary to go high on protein, and it is pricey anyway.  

Dark Chicken bone and skin still in tact is cheap, cans of tuna, cheaper cuts of meat as a treat maybe like a flank.

Eat shit loads of carbs as p stated.  they are cheap Pasta, Potatos, Rice.


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## goandykid (Jan 8, 2007)

The QDOBA (a cheap chipotle) a door down from my gym has a this thing where its 2 burritos for 6 dollars if you have a coupon. Well I curently have about 600 of those coupons, thats how I eat.


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## P-funk (Jan 8, 2007)

never heard of that place??

I love chipotle though.


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## goandykid (Jan 8, 2007)

Yea only one I've seen but I know its jsut a franchise. It's a crappy chipotle, Chipotle is a god and always will be.

Compared to Chipotle, the meat at Qdoba is crappy and overcooked + thinner, and the sour cream si watery. Plus the fajita peppers are slimy. Still though, very tasty for 3 dollars.

thats roughly 250 calories per dollar I think.


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## Soul of Sol (Jan 8, 2007)

IainDaniel said:


> To add-on to what P said,  if you are bulking it isn't necessary to go high on protein.



 I was under the impression that high protein is always important when lifting heavy. The building block for muscle recovery and all. I wouldn't say I am bulking like a competative bodybuilder, I AM more concerned with strength and speed vs mass. However, I do want to get to a predetermined weight of 195-200lbs.


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## Soul of Sol (Jan 8, 2007)

Nm, answered my own question, so much reading to do!


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## szandor (Jan 8, 2007)

you could eat 6 cans of tuna a day w/brown rice and a couple of jars of pb for under 35 bucks a week. put it all in a blender, add water and enjoy the tasty treat!


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

szandor said:


> you could eat 6 cans of tuna a day w/brown rice and a couple of jars of pb for under 35 bucks a week. put it all in a blender, add water and enjoy the tasty treat!



Why peanut butter? I thought that was just a fatty snack. High carb/cals?


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## szandor (Jan 9, 2007)

goandykid said:


> Why peanut butter? I thought that was just a fatty snack. High carb/cals?



"natural" pb is a good fat source if used in moderation. i get around 40 servings for around $3 or so to a jar.


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

But couldnt I jsut take a fish oil pill or something? Should fat always be in moderation, even on a bulk. Or is there enough carbs and cals in the pb to cancel out all that fat. Cancel out meaning that the pro's outweigh the con's.


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## szandor (Jan 9, 2007)

fish oil is good too, i was just going with the initial flow of the original poster on cheap weekly fooding.


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

Yea but my question is, do you really need that much fat in a bulk?


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

What should the carb and protein ratio be to calories then if I'm bulking? Sorry to takeover this thread, jsut got me thnking


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## Jodi (Jan 9, 2007)

When bulking your fat should be lower.  It depends on your size but approx. 30%of your cals should come from fat.  Of course that depends on you, your metabolism, workouts etc....


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

Hey Jodi, as a super mod can you fix my birthday and year? It's all wrong.

As long as I'm on a roll, which kind of rice is perferred for a cheap bulk? Is white fine?

And if I'm just trying to up my cals and carbs while I'm out, is a nutrigran bar anything?


140 cals, 26 carbs per bar


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## Jodi (Jan 9, 2007)

1.  Nope, sorry I can't fix that.

2.  Always Brown Rice.  White rice is stripped of all nutrients and it's a waste of calories

3.  What are the ingredients?


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

I'll find the ingredients when I get back from work, but is white rice all that bad for a cheap bulk? I'd really only be eating it for the cals and carbs anyways, right?


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## bigss75 (Jan 9, 2007)

goandykid said:


> The QDOBA (a cheap chipotle) a door down from my gym has a this thing where its 2 burritos for 6 dollars if you have a coupon. Well I curently have about 600 of those coupons, thats how I eat.



Qdoba is pretty gross but if you can get two for 6 bucks, thats a deal.

Spaghetti, peanut butter, oats, brown rice are all pretty cheap. Meat you have to just wait for deals and stock up.


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

But is brown rice that much more worth it than white rice, especially if I'm only eating it for the carbs and calories? Plus brown rice tastes like poop.


Is everyone here saying like a spoonful of peanut butter a day? I may need to retool my diet a bit.


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## szandor (Jan 9, 2007)

goandykid said:


> But is brown rice that much more worth it than white rice, especially if I'm only eating it for the carbs and calories? Plus brown rice tastes like poop.



yes, even for cutting or bulking. jodi makes a good point, why waste part of your meal with white rice when you could get better gains from brown rice? i use seasoning to help the blandness of brown rice. i love white rice though.



goandykid said:


> Is everyone here saying like a spoonful of peanut butter a day? I may need to retool my diet a bit.



"natural" peanut butter. not the jiffy stuff. i usually eat 1 tablespoon with whey, and oats or with cottage cheese, depending on the meal i'm eating. i try and switch up my fats every meal so i may get 1 or 2 tablespoons of nat pb a day along with avocados, real mayo, egg yolks, fish oil, etc...with my other meals. fats take up 20-30% of my total weight in my meals. i weigh about 180 so my total in fats are around 50-60 grams which is in the area of my 'calculated' macro of 40/40/20.


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## juggernaut (Jan 9, 2007)

whoppers make great gainer food. As does oatmeal and tuna.


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## goandykid (Jan 9, 2007)

But still, is eating white rice THAT big of a hit over brown rice, especially if I dont have the time to cook brown rice?


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## juggernaut (Jan 10, 2007)

buy the ten minute long grain brown rice. i hate white because there's no taste.


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## Smoo_lord (Dec 8, 2007)

Oats are cheap as buggery. Add water and nuke = instant carbs
Pasta, brown rice, potatos. Carbs are cheap.

For cheap protein, Tuna in springwater, minced beef, round steak. eggs

I think protein powder is pretty cheap really, like 70 or so serves of 30g for not too much dough. Add water and shake...

Fish oil caps, really cheap like 100 for a few bucks


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## Smoo_lord (Dec 8, 2007)

Oh, and invest in a rice cooker.. Brilliant thing..

Add rice, water. turn on. Leave. It automatically switches to warm after the cooking period is over. Most ususally have a steamer attachment also, so great for veggies/fish.

If you think your rice tastes like shit, then add stock cubes or something into the water when cooking the rice. I like some balsamic vinegar on my rice sometimes. Hot sauce, whatever. Just remember to include the cals from the sauces into your daily log or whatever


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## BiggT (Dec 11, 2007)

go to cotsco and buy buy a bag of chicken strips, skinless boneless, its like 3bucks and it has at least 50 peices per bag. and eggs (buy in bulk)

not sure about cheap carbs and fat, oatmeal is pretty cheap and will last longer than a week. thats all i can think of off hand.

costco is your friend


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## gsxrK3 (Dec 12, 2007)

Are pinto beans good/bad/okay to have on a regular basis?
1/4 cup = 120 cals/22g carbs/7g protein/0g fat.
I just bought a fairly large bag for a few $ at costco.


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## gsxrK3 (Dec 13, 2007)

Are pinto beans good/bad/okay to have on a regular basis?

No answer?


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## gsxrK3 (Dec 13, 2007)

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/diet-nutrition/84667-beans-carbs.html


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## gsxrK3 (Dec 13, 2007)

Thanks


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## sbongo (Dec 14, 2007)

How about minced beef and beancurd?

Bear in mind that the beef you choose must not from those fatty cuts...


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## KentDog (Dec 14, 2007)

One way to save money on boneless skinless chicken breasts is to buy a lot when it's on sale, then freeze them. It's $2/lb here at a few different grocery stores when on sale.


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