Post: #1

Hey guys..been vegetarian for life (no fish, but yes to dairy) eggs are gray area..

I've been doing starting strength for 2 months...no gains.

at bench: 85, squat: 95, deadlift: 95.
other: pullup: max 3-4 pushup max:18
dumbells: 20lb curl

2 whey protein smoothies a day...
3 meals to go with that but I haven't gained any weight.

Been searching google and stuff, but suggestions on what to eat for food would be helpful... and simple meals to make..

also at 130lb...how much calories should I am for? struggling with food..

Post: #2

Good God man. Those numbers are little girl weak. You may be able to eat lots of vegetables + coconut/olive oil + eggs + fish and be perfectly healthy, but not eating some kind of animal product is probably the reason that you have had such dismal results. I would drop the smoothies and focus on eating lots of eggs(4+ per day), lots of fish(salmon, sardines, fresh tuna, etc) and possibly large quantities of milk. See GOMAD ( http://stronglifts.com/gomad-milk-squats...in-weight/ ). I would get a little stronger before you start hitting the milk hard though otherwise you will just get fat. Most guys i've trained can at least deadlift their own bodyweight without any kind of training in the dl at all. Are you sure that you form is correct? Make sure you pick up a copy of starting strength and the ss videos by Rippetoe.

Post: #3

^^^ Yeah you're really gonna help the guy out by trashing on him. Dick move.

OP you're going to have to make some severe changes. It's not going to be comfortable. You have to ask yourself how badly you want this.

One of my best friends is like you, short skinny dude that was struggling to squat 95 lb when I took him to the gym.

You need to be eating to the point of discomfort on a daily basis, 6 days a week. Give yourself one day of rest or else you'll burn out on the whole process. But you're most likely going to need to ditch your vegetarian lifestyle.

Forget about meal plans. You need GOMAD and weight gain shakes. I bulked for a few months last year with pistachio shakes. These are a little expensive but you can do the same thing with peanut butter. Load up a blender with all natural peanut or almond butter (preferably raw), a banana, some milk, yogurt, oatmeal, some raw eggs, and sweeten it with agave nectar. Drink two of these per day and eat as much as you can the rest of the time, making sure you're getting plenty of protein and saturated fat with each meal. You should be able to gain 5 lbs per month. If you're sticking to a lifting routine and not skipping days, about half of your gains will be fat. You're definitely not going to be ripped and you'll probably develop a gut. But at your weight that's fine.

What's your height/age?

Once you hit your target weight you can chill out with the bulking diet. Bring the saturated fat and dairy down and replace with clean protein and lots of vegetables. 4 eggs a day minimum.

Like I said it's not going to be comfortable. Personally whey protein leaves me feeling bloated and when I was bulking last year I was constantly tired and sluggish. I'd get amped up for the gym, hit all my reps, and then spend the rest of my day eating and packing calories and dragging my ass. I went from 185 to 215 in about 6 months or so.

Post: #4

Its all good. I probably needed to hear that. I'm 5'8'' and 21yrs. @133lb... target weights would be 150 to be normal...170 to be jacked in a couple years.

Can't eat fish, and been vegetarian for life so that won't be changing. I might introduce eggs though.. I've been developing a slight gut which surprised me since I 'm a skinny guy. I've put on 5lbs over the year... from 128 to 133 to be exact and gained an inch at the waist.

pretty sure my form is correct...since I read the entire Starting Strength book first. I'm sure its the diet holding me back on gains.. idk what to stuff myself with at work because I'll be really busy especially at the internship this summer... ideas for things I can eat in a open floor environment? think cubicle with no walls to stop people seeing what you're doing..

Fine to put raw egg in smoothie?

I'm down to eat a ton. I'm just trying to think of foods I can eat quickly or on the go that fill me up between meals, etc

Post: #5

I'd stay away from raw egg. The body doesn't process it well enough anyway. I think you should be focussing in carbs a bit more. Complex carbs. Eat things like brown bread and sweet potato. What's your cu rrent rep range? You should be aiming for 8 to 12 to get the desired time of strain on the muscle. Just make sure you eat a lot. 6-8 times a day if you can. I hope you realise you'll have to either focuss on strength or makibg gains. As you are asking how to make gains, I suggest you switch routines and make sure you get 3500-4000kcal a day. You can still do some 4X1-3 strength lifts after your muscle building workout

Post: #6

looking to gain weight..didn't know you couldn't get strength at the same time..- doing 5 on full body lifts and 6-8 on everything else. Is that good for gaining weight?

Post: #7

If you can't eat meat you could add in a lot of eggs, as well as milk.

ADEAD = a dozen eggs a day

At the novice level there are studies showing one rep range is as good as another. Just stick with 3x5 and get some nutrition advice at the SS forums.

Post: #8

I once had numbers like that. I recall getting pinned down by a squat of 95 pounds lol - as in I failed and could not get back up. I recall some female gym staffer coming in and helping out. I was very thin and very unathletic. I can bench about 250+ lbs now (estimated 1RM), so dramatic increases in strength are very much possible.

If you stick with it and eat more, you'll progress.

Unless you can't scarf down a thousand calorie meal, eating six to eight times a day is pointless.

Look for calorie dense foods that are low in sugar. Eggs, whey, kefir, heavy cream. Get cans of coconut milk and dump one into a shake with a couple scoops of whey protein, that's 1,000 calories. Eat rice or potatoes before and after workouts. Cook everything with generous amounts of olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, butter, lard or tallow, anything that tastes good to you. Note how much you're eating and eat more if you're not getting stronger or gaining weight.

Post: #9

OP, I work in strength and conditioning, so I'm familiar with your dilemma. Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches your friend. I usually would pan-fry two sandwiches with some butter, and wash it down with two scoops of protein mixed into whole milk. Start with one sandwich and the protein shake, then up the amount as you get used to eating it. If you do that twice a day in between meals, you will put on size.

One thing I recommend is to do some form of conditioning 2x a week, separate from lifting. Make it intense, something that makes you question where you went wrong in life, and don't let it take longer than 30 minutes. If you want some ideas, let me know.

Post: #10

@Blackliter - I'm a vegetarian as well! [hugs]

Post: #11

Blackliter, you ARE working out, and looking to better yourself. You're already ahead of the curve !

It's a long path man. I used to 127-130 back in high school. Now I'm at 155+ and gaining. Stick with it, make your food creative, pinterest has some great recipes, check out the bodybuilding threads on RVF and bodybuilding.com. Make friends with personal trainers, I did and one ended helping me get a better diet and I saw gains in weight and strength.

This forum and the internet are your best friend !

Post: #12

you CAN get strength at the same time. It's just harder (more work). For things like squat, bench and overhead press you might want to do 6 sets of 8-12. Make sure the weight is enough for you to barely make it to the 8th rep. So do six sets of that and then four sets of your max weight for 1 or 2 reps. The overload will make you stronger. The time under tension will make your muscles grow.

Eating six to eight times is not pointless. Doing this will ensure you get your proteins in throughout the day. It also means your energy levels stay up. Eating huge meals will just make you crash. But if you can afford to, go for it.