Clean Bulk Help, PLEASE!!!

Diet and Nutrition
1

hey guys, i am starting a clean bulk and was hoping some of you might have some advice for me.
i am 5’6", male, 146 lb, 21 y.o, active lifstyle, lift 60+ min/day 5 days/week, cardio 3-4 days/week 15-20 min/session, mesomorph.

my old diet is completely clean. no cheat days, ever. get proteins from fish/chicken/turkey/lean beef/eggs/nuts/beans/whey
carbs from: oatmeal/sweet potatoes/fruits/veggies/brown rice/100% whole wheat bread/beans
fat: nuts/olive oil

my previous diet was around 1600-1800 cal/day (well below my required calories…my metabolism was incredibly slow from this) and my previous training was lifting/crossfit 5 days/week for 60+ min/day and cardio 6 days/week for 60+ min/day.

my new diet is around 2400-2500 cal/day. is this too big a jump considering my ne training schedule and my goals in comparison to my old schedule (i.e., less cardio, heavier lifting)

Example day-by-day diet:

0630 breakfast:
1/2c plain oatmeal
1/2c skim milk
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 scoop whey

0900 snack 1:
1 clif builder’s bar
1 can chunk light tuna in water

1200 lunch:
8-10 oz. lean meat
8c green leaf salad
2 tbsp. balsamic vinaigerette
3-6 oz. baby carrots

1500 pre-workout:
1/2c dry oats
1 scoop whey

1800 post-workout:
10-12 oz. lean meat
1 med. sweet potato
1 scoop whey

2000 pre-bed snack:
1c 2% milkfat cottage cheese

is this a bad idea to jump my calories this much higher this soon/dramatically? it has been a week of this now and while i am noticing a bit of size increase in muscles, i feel a little softer. my bf% has not gone up much as far as i can tell (based on visuals only) but i don’t know for sure.

2

Need more food at each meal. I highly doubt you have gained that much fat in a week on this diet because it isn’t a ton of calories. If you want to clean bulk, you should add more complex carbs, like the sweet potato you have in your post workout meal, in every meal and rely a little less on protein powder and more on actual food also. It’s fine to supplement between meals with protein shakes, but you should be able to get more protein from food in your meals.

3

You need to add some fat or carbs in your lunch at 12 – maybe a sweet potato or a serving of nuts with the salad.