this is too expensive! help!

[gscustoms]

ok, I'm trying to setup my new diet based on my carb/fat/pro requirements.

I need
400g protein
200g carb
85g fat
Total cal 3165

Here's what i'm thinking. it's basically what i eat now....plus 1000cal and 300g more protein :)

breakfast 6am-

3 egg whole
3 egg white
1 tortilla
8oz cottage cheese

snack 9am-

2 scoop whey isolate from pureprotein
1 gatorade(mixed with above protein)
1.5oz peanuts

lunch 12pm-

1 can tuna
1 tortilla
1 slice cheese
4oz brown rice

pre-workout 3pm-

2 scoop whey isolate
1 gatorade

post workout 5pm-

1 zone bar
1apple

dinner 7pm-

2 breasts chicken (expensive)
10oz mixed veggie frozen
8oz cottage ch (112 oz a week is expensive also!)

the whey is expensive but worth it if it doesint upset my stomache like the other kinds i've used.

So I'm meeting the requirements but when i figure out the cost it's probably going to be in the 80-90$ per week.... which is a bit too expensive after i factor in my supplements and such ontop of that!

so what can I change? I cant handle too much more tuna or eggs than i listed, and Im allergic to oatmeal so it's out also!

there has to be a cheaper way to do this!!!

what a good nighttime snack besides cottage cheese?

I'm just frustrated trying to get all i need without spending tons of cash!

I'd really appreciate any help you can offer!

gscustoms

[majortrepak]

Ok heres my 2cents and just so you know I'm in the same postion. Get rid of the tuna, chicken and chottage cheese. Replace them with 80% lean beef, i assume your bulking so more cals won't trouble you. If your young and in good shape eat more eggs 6-8 a day. YOu could try ON for whey their really cheap. Make sure to get gatorade powder and mix it with water instead of buying pre-mixed bottles. THat should make a diffrence

[gscustoms]

I like the tuna because it's really cheap, but the chicken and cottage cheese is alot. I guess more beef would be ok, I suppose I could mix in some green peppers or something with it to get a few carb in and add to the flavor.


I'm determined to get my diet down but man I just bought my vitamins for the month and that alone is going to be $25, plus creatine and the whey it's going to add up fast! that's why i'm trying to get my food costs down.


gscustoms

[Stout1]

ok, I'm trying to setup my new diet based on my carb/fat/pro requirements.

I need
400g protein
200g carb
85g fat
Total cal 3165

Here's what i'm thinking. it's basically what i eat now....plus 1000cal and 300g more protein :)

breakfast 6am-

3 egg whole
3 egg white
1 tortilla
8oz cottage cheese

snack 9am-

2 scoop whey isolate from pureprotein
1 gatorade(mixed with above protein)
1.5oz peanuts

lunch 12pm-

1 can tuna
1 tortilla
1 slice cheese
4oz brown rice

pre-workout 3pm-

2 scoop whey isolate
1 gatorade

post workout 5pm-

1 zone bar
1apple

dinner 7pm-

2 breasts chicken (expensive)
10oz mixed veggie frozen
8oz cottage ch (112 oz a week is expensive also!)

the whey is expensive but worth it if it doesint upset my stomache like the other kinds i've used.

So I'm meeting the requirements but when i figure out the cost it's probably going to be in the 80-90$ per week.... which is a bit too expensive after i factor in my supplements and such ontop of that!

so what can I change? I cant handle too much more tuna or eggs than i listed, and Im allergic to oatmeal so it's out also!

there has to be a cheaper way to do this!!!

what a good nighttime snack besides cottage cheese?

I'm just frustrated trying to get all i need without spending tons of cash!

I'd really appreciate any help you can offer!

gscustomsI would say you are under your estimates for your cals and for sure your protein for the day. I eat more than that and I am barely and not always hitting 300g protein per day.

Also why the zone bar for PWO? Drop that for sure and pick up some dex/malto dex to go along with your whey. Its super cheap, way cheaper than a bar.

Also go to www.fitday.com (http://www.fitday.com/) and start you a journal of your eating you will be suprised what youare eating and not eating.

Some of those meals you mix carbs and fats which is no good.

[gscustoms]

I used fitday to design this and it come up to what i need, about 10g short on protein but pretty good. The bars were kind of a last resort. I couldint figure out what to do there so i threw in the bar, but your probably right about them.

I'll keep searching, maybe I can get some ideas.

gscustoms

[Stout1]

Seperate your meals better. You want to bulk, not get fat. Carbs and fats in the same meals are a sure fire way to do that....... I dont know the exact macros of what you are doing per meal but you can drop the cheese in some of those meals and get FF cheese. On the first meal go with all egg whites and oatmeal, oatmeal would be a lot better of a carb than any tortilla. I dont think a tortilla would be a good choice or a primairy choice for carbs. I do eat them from time to tiem, but wouldnt count them in on a primary carb source. Save that for oats, yams, etc.

Also are the tortillas white? wheat?

I am curious on why chicken is super exspensive. What or how are you buying them?

[AssItch]

Yeah, chicken and ground beef are just about the cheapest sources of protein I use. If you have a costco nearby, USE IT.

[Ninja R]

Yep, Wal-Mart has huge bags of chicken breast for $7.98. Five or six big ones come to a bag. No Costco near me, but Sam's (Wal-Mart wholesaler) price is higher than Wal-Mart's price. Costco's canned chicken is about the same...I think eight cans were $8 and change and had 60+ g protein.

If you're worried about spending money, maybe you could cut out the creatine. Eggs are awesome, too. At a dollar a carton:

6 per day
42 over a week
3 1/2 cartons a week = $3.50. That's not expensive at all...at least, not for me. Hell, you could probably go up to a carton a day at $7 a week.

It takes a little imagination to eat cheaper, but I'm a bachelor at heart, so I go bare bones as much as I can. Cook, eat, done.

[Hoops]

You looked a trueprotein's prices? Finding a cheaper whey that works for you could go a LONG way in saving you a lot of money. Drop the zone bar, you're pre work out meal is a LOT better for PWO (I actually double checked to make sure I was reading what you were saying right after I saw that).

Also where are you buying vitamines and what kind? 25 seems like a lot unless that's including shipping and you for some reason only bought one item from who ever you got your vitamines from.

Buy frozen chicken if you're trying to save money. This should help you out a lot. Buy dextros and maldextros and koolaid packs instead of the gatorade (this actually tastes better imo anyway).

You could also add in some milk if you don't have a problem with it. I'm guessing you might since whey gives you problems. Also shreaded wheat is a good quick and relatively cheap carb.

And most importantly, buy everything in BULK. Don't buy a weeks worth of something unless you have to.

[DAG447]

Word! I know how expensive it is to get in a lot of protein - over here meat is much more expensive so you really gotta check sale prices.
also what hoops said, go to trueprotein.com....they´re 50 lbs bags will save you BIG MONEY (check my sig for more). and what hoop also said - bars are too expensive....you can make your own thingy from oats and protein powder much cheaper!

[diabou]

Seperate your meals better. You want to bulk, not get fat. Carbs and fats in the same meals are a sure fire way to do that.......

could someone explain why carbs/fats should be eaten separately? this question is really bothering me for some time.

DC in cycles on pennies wrote :
I like omega-3's (flaxseeds) and extra virgin olive oils (mono unsaturated fat)--118 calories per tablespoon. I throw 2-3 tablespoons in my morning and afternoon shakes but not in the post workout or bedtime ones (self explanatory).

But i encountered a lot of separating fats/carbs opinions.

So, what and why?

[mikeh]

Yeah, chicken and ground beef are just about the cheapest sources of protein I use. If you have a costco nearby, USE IT.

Costco, Wallmart ... get a BIG chain (Safeway, Albertson's) card most items CC, chicken, beef, oatmeal are 2 for 1 with a card IF you watch for them.

[Sik]

Bodybuilding is the most expensive hobby i have
rofl

I probably eat 200 bux a week in food and supps

the only thing that breaks my bank is the r-ALA and ALCAR

[Hoops]

alcar is pretty cheap. It's less than 30 for 500 grams and with doses raning from 2-3 grams a day. That's what 167 days worth at the very least or at 30 bucks for 500 grams 18 cents a day. It's gotta be one of the cheaper supplements out there. r-ALA especially capped is pretty pricey though.

[Ninja R]

It seems to me that people who use supplements should save their money and buy food instead...it seems like too much of a priority on supplements and not on good food.

[Sik]

For some they might use too many supps

but I put down 7 meals a day of solid food

[Ninja R]

I'd think ANY supplements were too many if they can't afford to get all the food they need first.

[Hoops]

As long as things like whey aren't considered supplements you'd probally be better off with food first. It is kinda needed to live and all.

[MANimal]

Eat beans and rice, that's about as cheap as you can get. If you can't afford eggs, tuna, and whey protein it's time to start going door to door with your little brother collecting money for his "soccer team".