Trying to tweak my diet a little. I know I don't eat enough protein sources. I do weights+cardio 4 times a week.

What has worked best for you?

 

What is your goal, to lean out or gain muscle weight? That will mean two very different courses of action...

 

Gain muscle and keep body fat low.

 

i get the EAS whey protine, vanilla, the down side is it tasts bad, i ignor this. its lo cost and not alot of calories. morning and evening servings 60g each.

on line; netrition.com, they are not the lowest cost but reliable

mix it with soy milk or almond extract or some orange juce or splenda

there may be other bad things for EAS so you can always do Wendy's chili.

 

you forgot to add SPERM. Excellent protein source.

 

Talk about swallowing your pride to get into shape!




But I am not the man from Nantucket....

 

If you want to get much bigger, staying lean in the short term is not really in the cards. Just look at bodybuilders that take this to the extreme, they will gain over 75lbs in the off season in hopes that when they lean up again for contest time that they will be able to keep an extra few pounds of muscle.

Obviously this isn't for everyone, no one wants to see a short terms weight gain and honestly it is not the most healthy lifestyle.

I take a middle ground which is probably something like what you are looking for... My body type allows me to gain a good amount of muscle when just lifting and a decent amount when going cardio at a pretty high level.

One of the most important principles of lifting to gain muscle (or doing any intense exercise, cardio or weights)...eat your biggest meal or a very significant meal within 30-45 minutes of lifting. If you do not do this, your body begins to cannibalize itself in order to repair the damaged muscle tissue. Eat big after lifting and you will see some serious gains. I even follow up 3 hours later with another meal if its not already late in the day.

Your body can only take a certain amount of protein at once, depending on your size, etc. I will have no more than 45-60 grams of any protein supplement at once. Make sure you buy a reputable brand so you know they aren't making your high quality protein out of horse hooves or something random like that. I will use Designer Protein as my daily (vanilla flavor mixed with OJ, sort of tastes like an orange creamsicle) and then if I am out I do like Muscle Milk and some of the other protein shakes. My new favorite are pina colada smoothies with extra vanilla protein, they get expensive, but sure do taste good on a warm summer day.

 

i am probably in the same boat as you.... I am about 5' 11" and I weigh a whopping 170lbs... i lift 3-4 times per week and do cardo 2-3 times per week and just don't get anywhere...

At least I am not a big fatty, but I would ideally like to put on 5-10lbs and still maintain my cardo stuff.......

I tried drinking some of those $3.50 carbo drinks right after lifting, but then i wouldn't feel like eating...... I am just not built to be big.

about 10 years ago I took creatine for a few months and got up to about 182lbs.... wooot.

goodluck.

 

protein bars, especially the few that tast ok, have alot of calories. especially in a 1500 to 2000 diet

this might be true:
"If you want to get much bigger, staying lean in the short term is not really in the cards"

 

Myoplex = yum (and 42 grams of protein)