Advice for bumping up calories?

[CommanderFun]

This past week I've been feeling off recovery wise. Suddenly instead of being able to bounce back from session to session and keep setting new squat PRs, I'm degrading quite a bit. I doubt with about a month or so into the NLP and a 210 work set that I need to start considering intermediate programming. So, I decided to audit my regular diet based on the lightest meal I end up eating for dinner, which is the only meal that currently varies much. Protein count is good, 259 grams is above target. But my calories are quite low for the recommended target numbers I've found, only 2940. Granted on days with bigger dinners this goes up, but it's not reliable enough I don't think, and even the bigger average dinner might only up things to about 3500. Some things I've turned up recommend something like 4000, and some sources even recommend as much as 5 or 6 thousand. For reference, I'm a 34 year old male, 6'2" 230 pounds. What are some good foods to add in for getting more calories? I am going out on a limb and guessing the obvious quick fix of pounding back cookies and soda is not ideal.

[Matt James]

Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, GOMAD? *sarcasm*

First I would say track all your macros and calories for a week for a better snapshot.

Second, if you're really eating 259 g of protein but only totalling 2900 calories, you're not eating nearly enough carbs. Carbs are going to drive your lifts so you can't afford not to eat them. Honestly though, I find it hard to believe that your calorie total is that low at that level of protein, simply because most protein sources have *some* fat and even that incidental fat would usually put you higher than 3000, unless you're deliberately avoiding carbs.

In all seriousness though, adding milk is an easy way to get protein and carbs, and if appropriate, extra fat. Maybe not a gallon a day...but it is cheap, easy, and nutritionally complete.

[Brandon Hurlburt]

Carbs but not cookies and soda. Pretty sure you should be aiming for around 3000-3500 calories unless you're a lean 230. Where to add the calories would really depend on what you're already doing. If you're not much of a breakfast eater, a couple pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter or preserves or both would add ~400 calories and some fiber. Alternatively, a predominantly carb snack 30-60 minutes before workout could make things a little less grindy.

Alternatively, I'd guess that, if your squat is getting really heavy at less than your body weight, you might be experiencing technique issues.

[CommanderFun]

I'm not deliberately avoiding carbohydrates, but protein has been my main focus. The 2940 is a lowball estimate, based on the things I KNOW I will always consume every single day, and usually even the sugary drinks I have in a day (orange juice, gatorade) puts me over that. I do drink milk, but generally only as what I use to mix my protein powder into. I dunno what qualifies as a "lean" 230 pounds but caliper testing puts me at something like 17% bodyfat, which would probably put the actual number somewhere between 15% and 20%. I can't really tell if there's a technique issue, I try to hit all the notes. The only thing I'm uncertain on is stance width. It was written that people with longer femurs might need to go wider than shoulder width, and I am a significantly long-limbed individual. My anthropometry is like a very large person's limbs bolted onto a not so large person's torso.

[Robert Santana]

This past week I've been feeling off recovery wise. Suddenly instead of being able to bounce back from session to session and keep setting new squat PRs, I'm degrading quite a bit. I doubt with about a month or so into the NLP and a 210 work set that I need to start considering intermediate programming. So, I decided to audit my regular diet based on the lightest meal I end up eating for dinner, which is the only meal that currently varies much. Protein count is good, 259 grams is above target. But my calories are quite low for the recommended target numbers I've found, only 2940. Granted on days with bigger dinners this goes up, but it's not reliable enough I don't think, and even the bigger average dinner might only up things to about 3500. Some things I've turned up recommend something like 4000, and some sources even recommend as much as 5 or 6 thousand. For reference, I'm a 34 year old male, 6'2" 230 pounds. What are some good foods to add in for getting more calories? I am going out on a limb and guessing the obvious quick fix of pounding back cookies and soda is not ideal.

I'm not deliberately avoiding carbohydrates, but protein has been my main focus. The 2940 is a lowball estimate, based on the things I KNOW I will always consume every single day, and usually even the sugary drinks I have in a day (orange juice, gatorade) puts me over that. I do drink milk, but generally only as what I use to mix my protein powder into. I dunno what qualifies as a "lean" 230 pounds but caliper testing puts me at something like 17% bodyfat, which would probably put the actual number somewhere between 15% and 20%. I can't really tell if there's a technique issue, I try to hit all the notes. The only thing I'm uncertain on is stance width. It was written that people with longer femurs might need to go wider than shoulder width, and I am a significantly long-limbed individual. My anthropometry is like a very large person's limbs bolted onto a not so large person's torso.

Just getting back from the SS Coaches' Conference so sorry for not getting on this sooner. I'm very curious to see where your carbohydrates are at. I find that when most novices try to "eat more calories and protein" it often turns into more fat and protein because that is a much easier way to get the caloric load higher. At your height, an honest 4000 calories, with a high carbohydrate intake is priority number 1. I'd even go so far to argue that getting the carbohydrates in may be even more important than the protein.

[CommanderFun]

Nothing at all to be sorry about. Calculating from that same "ground level" of what I absolutely will always be ingesting at minimum every day, carbs came out to 245.5 grams.

[Robert Santana]

You are going to need a lot more than that. Try ramping those up and see what happens.

[CommanderFun]

Okay. I think I'm gonna target breakfast for a lot of those extra carbs. It's the most lean of my meals. I'll make sure I always have the glass of orange juice, add in some toast, maybe a banana.

[Robert Santana]

That is a good start. Keep us posted.