Bulking on a budget

9de5q7tsr8u2im

college student, p/t job, broke!

Milk is a no go for me i get acne and i'm lactose intolerant, i have to confess but i have spent ridiculous amount of money on whey and casein and no results, i'm an ectomorph too..

Pretty strong but only weigh 135pounds
I hit 1g of protein Per pound of b/w everyday but i need to increase my carbs and fats considerably!

But i know food is priority but anyone have any tips for cheap food i can buy like meat in butchers/aldi/lidl etc and prices too?

Pat Mustard

I presume that the reference to 1g of protein per day is a typo.

Cheap food;
chicken.
Tuna in Aldi/Lidl.
There is other tinned meat but a lot of stuff like kippers are horrible.

Nuts from the baking aisle rather than the healthfood section.
Cheese, depending on what you eat.

9de5q7tsr8u2im

Pat Mustard wrote: »

I presume that the reference to 1g of protein per day is a typo.

Yup

endacl

Pat Mustard wrote: »

I presume that the reference to 1g of protein per day is a typo.

How much protein does a typo contain?

Pat Mustard

endacl wrote: »

How much protein does a typo contain?

Just enough for a student's breakfast?

9de5q7tsr8u2im

Looking back at the old threads do people still get their chicken breasts in their local butchers for a euro each?

MightyMandarin

LuckyDude12 wrote: »

Looking back at the old threads do people still get their chicken breasts in their local butchers for a euro each?

Some places do, I get 25 for €25 at a place nearby. There's also meat depots where you can buy steak, chicken, eggs in bulk and you'll save some money that way.

The easiest way to gain size is eat more. If you're not fat already and struggle to get calories in, then there's nothing wrong with fast food or other calorie dense sources, provided you get enough protein and don't eat too much fast food either.

I find the easiest way to track myself on a bulk is to make sure I get around 5-6 meals a day with a big source of protein in them. Something like 4 eggs, a chicken breast or a steak etc. would count as 1 source, and after that I just try to get plenty of carbs and fats in. Weigh yourself once a week and aim for about 1lb gain each week. Do this for 6-9months and reassess, or else if you get fat (anywhere above 18-20% is too much imo) then scale back the food and decide whether you want to cut or maintain and lean out slowly.

9de5q7tsr8u2im

MightyMandarin wrote: »

Some places do, I get 25 for €25 at a place nearby. There's also meat depots where you can buy steak, chicken, eggs in bulk and you'll save some money that way.

The easiest way to gain size is eat more. If you're not fat already and struggle to get calories in, then there's nothing wrong with fast food or other calorie dense sources, provided you get enough protein and don't eat too much fast food either.

I find the easiest way to track myself on a bulk is to make sure I get around 5-6 meals a day with a big source of protein in them. Something like 4 eggs, a chicken breast or a steak etc. would count as 1 source, and after that I just try to get plenty of carbs and fats in. Weigh yourself once a week and aim for about 1lb gain each week. Do this for 6-9months and reassess, or else if you get fat (anywhere above 18-20% is too much imo) then scale back the food and decide whether you want to cut or maintain and lean out slowly.

Thanks appreciate this so much!

thegreatiam

beans beans the musical fruit. there is a reason they are a global staple.
cheap and loaded with protein.

i dont mean baked beans, get Cannellini, broad, Kidney etc and add them to you meals. dried beans are better value than tinned.

they make great cheap soups, stews and salads

GiftofGab

I usually spend about €70 a week on food. That’s about 5 meals a day during the week. Probably don’t eat 5 meals on the weekend but I make up for it by eating bigger meals. So on average I spend about €2 per meal. I prepare all my lunch and snakes on a Sunday then put them in a fridge or freezer for week.

I spent quite a lot on spices such as paprika, cayenne, cumin and different types of curry powders. These can be expensive at first but last a long time and work out cheaper in the long run. Its cheaper to make all your own sauces then the buy a jar. You can then stock up on the likes on fish oils/soy sauce for Asians foods, tomato paste for Mediterranean foods and coconut milk for currys etc.

The most expensive thing I buy in the supermarket is almonds or cashews nuts.

List of foods I would use;
Protein:
Chicken (€20 for 20 fillets in butchers)
Beef Mince (extra lean)
Steak (if I can afford it)
Tuna
Eggs

Carbs;
Oats
Rice (brown or basmati)
Potatoes (mainly sweet sometimes normal ones)
Vegetables (lots of different types)
Fruit (lots of different types)
Bread (wholewheat)
Yogurt (Liberte)

Fats;
Peanut Butter
Olive Oil
Nuts (almonds or cashews)
Avocado

Sometimes if I need something to fill the gap I go to McDonalds and get a few double cheese burgers. Not the healthiest but 1 burger contains 488 calories and has a decent ratio of proteins / fats / carbs. At times if I miss a meal I order 3 of them.

Hanley

Litreally just put together mine and Sarah's base shopping list for a week.

I'll hit 4,000kcal off it. She'll hit about 2,650. So it's a 6,650kcal list.

It's based off the assumption we eat 85% of our food at home.

Total cost = €79 (if shopping in Aldi)

Probably high balled it a bit. And veg hasn't been included cos that changes week to week. So add another bit in if that way inclined.

SHOPPING LIST
Oats 1 x 1kg
Yoghurt 4 x 500g
Eggs 36 eggs
Bacon 5 packets
Chicken 4 x 600g
Beef 4 x 450g
Rice 2 x 100g
Mooju 7 cartons
Icecream 2 x 900ml blocks
PB 2 x 350g jars
Milk 1.5 litres

EDIT: Telling complete lies about the price, ammended it. But then I recalc'd it and it came out at like €8 per day. Which i think has to also be bull****?!

Taylor365

Ah Mooju, delicious chocolate milk....

alex.middleton

tuna + brown rice + cover in olive oil.

For a meal consisting of 2 cans of tuna and 100g+ carbs you are looking at about at less then 2.00 a meal with the olive oil added raw on top for extra healthy fats.

Made some great gains with this meal being a staple of my diet

jive

Aldi do a super 6 meat as well which is worth a look.

I picked up 2kg of chicken thighs and 1kg of minced beaf (10% fat) for 8 euro. Similarly they do a deal on veg, got 1kg of carrots and 500g mixed peppers for €1.

Rice/porridge/pasta are all around €2 per kg if not less. 18 eggs are <€2 also.

Supplementing with whey from bulkpowders or wherever which is probably about €0.40 per serving if not less when you get it on special.

Bulking is only expensive when you're buying steaks, fancy berries, cool protein bars, eyc.

Nuts, olive oil, butter and coconut oil (€2 @ tesco) will help you up the calories cheaply.

killwill

LuckyDude12 wrote: »

Looking back at the old threads do people still get their chicken breasts in their local butchers for a euro each?

My local butchers does deals such as 5 chicken breasts, 750g of lean mince and 6 burgers for E15.

GiftofGab

Cheap meal on the go:
- Protein Powder
- Oats
- Peanut Butter
Throw is all in the blender.

Hanley

GiftofGab wrote: »

Cheap meal on the go:
- Protein Powder
- Oats
- Peanut Butter
Throw is all in the blender.

...just make sure you add some kinda liquid like milk.

Or vodka.

deadlybuzzman

Hanley wrote: »

...just make sure you add some kinda liquid like milk.

Or vodka.

You know someone is now going to do it.
I just hope they tell us what it's like!