Amen to that brother
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@ChongLordUno appreciate the vote of confidence, my man. I hear you on benching too; adding volume to my benching definitely brought up a lot of good parts if my physique, but it left my shoulders and arms lagging, which the press should help with. I’ll probably use DB bench as my main assistance.
@Frank_C rice and oats are definitely mainstays in my diet, I just need to add more, I think. I need to add more meat in, too. I’m getting maybe around 1lb a day, but there’s only a couple more protein sources throughout my day. Whole milk is another thing I drink regularly, which again I could increase for added calories and protein. I know people have qualms about milk, but I tolerate it without issue and most Canadian milk is good quality.
@garagerocker13 yeah dude, I think I can progress well on 2 days a week, with a third lighter day for minor assistance work. We’ve talked it before, but anything that helps reduce stress is a good change when it comes to training, even if it means reducing the stress of training itself.
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If it’s affordable and you need calories then it’s a good choice. I am a bit confused by nutrition. I thought I had it figured out, but guys like Pwn talk about eating to fuel your training. If I eat more than I need then I just get fat. My soreness/energy doesn’t seem to be affected by my food choices.
I suppose there are two possible causes: 1) I’m not training hard enough and 2) I eat what I need most of the time so an increase is unnecessary.
Do you use whey protein? I know some of the stuff isn’t exactly cheap, but if you break it down by cost per gram of protein then it’s actually quite affordable (and worth it). The tub of protein I usually buy is around $55 for 60 servings. I broke it down to compare to the pre-made Pure Protein shakes that I saw at the store. My protein comes out to about $0.04 per gram of protein.
The chicken I buy is around $2 per pound. Based on the nutrition label, there is about 5.75 grams of protein per ounce so that’s 92 grams per pound and that’s about $0.02 per gram.
Kroger is charging about $13 for 3 lbs of 80% lean ground beef down here. That comes out to about $0.06 per gram of protein.
If protein is the main concern (and we all know it is) then approach your wife with math. Math is undefeated! 
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I do, yeah. The protein is buy is about $40 CAD (about $31 USD) for 37 servings @ 36g/serving.
Geez, so much cheaper than here. Chicken was on sale yesterday for $4/pound (just over $3 USD). I picked up two 3.5kg pork loins that were on sale for $25 each (almost $20 USD). Usually, chicken and beef are about $6-$7/lb, steaks are anywhere from $7-$10/lb, and pork is around $4-$6/lb (so anywhere from $3-$8/lb USD, depending on the meat and/or cut).
The best option is ALWAYS getting whatever’s on sale and loading up, or buying from local farmers and getting portions of a pig or cow. Even then, it’s only marginally cheaper per pound, the quality is the same, and the up-front cost is much higher.
It’s both a blessing and a curse living in Canada. I’m grateful that there’s (from my research, at least) stricter livestock standards, but it makes things more expensive.
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This cannot be said for the US. The chicken I bought at the store (gasp) recently said cage free with an asterisk. I found said asterisk and it said the chickens lived in a barn.
I guess that’s better than a cage but still not ideal. I’ve been buying my chicken from a local store and they claim the chicken is responsibly raised somewhere in Iowa or Illinois (I know it’s a state that starts with I but can’t remember which). I was able to get a box of 40 lbs of breasts for $120, but it’s increased to $152. I’ll probably go back to buying my chicken at Sam’s Club for $1.88/lb. It’s cage free and supposedly free from hormones and all the other junk we use.
For beef, my family splits a cow. Unfortunately, it’s been getting smaller each year and the price is going up. I did the math last year and I paid about $5.40 per pound of actual meat. I write a check to the farmer for my portion and then I pay the processors for their work. I asked them to weigh it for me after it was processed so I could do my math. $5.40 isn’t bad for lean beef, steaks, and roast. I also like knowing the cow just roamed free in a field near my parents’ house. I’ll continue to get my beef this way.
It occurred to me the other day that there aren’t a lot of people that move here from Canada. Based on my limited view of your country, it seems to be very similar to the US minus all the stupidity. I wish it wasn’t so darn cold up there. I might consider moving to escape all this madness.
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This is what sways me towards continuing to buy straight from a farmer. I can drive 15 minutes down the highway and literally watch the cows that provide my meat and milk. They live a good life.
A LOT of people vacation there, especially in the winter, but you’re right, I know very few that have. The people I do know that moved south are… very wealthy.
Without turning this into a political debate, I’m very appreciative of Canada’s “socialist” ways. It’s reduced my stress many, many times in my life.
[quote=“Frank_C, post:605, topic:261485”]I wish it wasn’t so darn cold up there. I might consider moving to escape all this madness.
[/quote]
Totally depends where you are. Along the coast it’s a lot less cold in the winter. Where I used to live hasn’t even hit 0C (32F). Where I currently live does get rather cold in the winter, but that’s the same with most of the central US too.
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My most recent blog post was JUST on this very topic, if you’re interested in reading it.
Soreness is never anything I feel a need to address, and honestly, neither is energy. It may be where the congruity issues reside. When I talk about recovery, it’s more about the ability to be ready to produce the needed outcome come the next time the training session rolls around. It’s why I am a major advocate of pairing weight gaining cycles of training with programs that have fixed percentages, and those fixed percentages need to be reach goals.
Totally fine to be walking like a wind up toy and feeling beat to hell on your way to squat your 7th of 10 sets on Deep Water: you just have to make sure you ate enough that you’re going to complete the workout with the required percentages and rest periods. And if you CAN’T, it means you underate and didn’t recover from the last session.
@kdjohn You know any hunters? May be able to work out some sort of equitable trade for meat. Something non-monetary.
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Hey man, I’ve been creeping on your log for a while, haven’t posted because I haven’t really had anything useful to say, but cheap high calorie food is where I am a self proclaimed expert.
You can buy chicken thighs as opposed to breast, higher cal and objectively taste way better. My normal prep is salt and season, put them on an oiled cookie sheet for 25 mins or so in the oven, then broil on high for 3-4 mins. You can also slather bbq sauce on before the broil for “bbq” chicken.
Like you said before, whole milk. I go through a gallon every couple days. I normally dump a shitload of protein powder into the gallon and just gulp it down any time I pass the refrigerator.
Peanuts/peanut butter for decent protein, high calories in small amounts of down time at work. A couple scoops before bed, downed with protein milk.
Not sure if the guys that raise cows near you have chickens, but obv whole eggs. Also not sure about cananda’s egg prices but they’re cheap as hell here in NY.
Also check your grocery store for “quick sale” cuts of beef or pork. They’ll be pushing close to the expiration date so use it the day you buy it or freeze it up.
Hear me out on this one… You can buy one lb tubs of chicken gizzards and hearts for literally nothing from the grocery store. They’re basically straight protein, and taste awesome if prepared right. Drain them, wash them and let them dry, SALT, and stick them in a marinade for 12-24hrs. Toss them in hot sauce then pan fry or deep fry. Dip them in bbq sauce. Also, you can fish with them so they can feed you that way, too.
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I just read your blog post. This has been my disconnect with “eating for recovery”. I’m fulfilling this goal; I just feel like my quads have been sore for about three months straight. First it was those box/bench squats and now it’s running (I think).
I can’t relate to the hard gainer. When I cut down to the 210s I had to work to maintain it aka I was always hungry. I stopped counting calories and depriving myself and I gained 12 pounds. I’m up about 8-10 pounds from that now just by eating like a somewhat normal person. I know that I don’t eat clean all the time but that’s part of enjoying life. I’m half heartedly trying to lose eight pounds to get down to 225. I’ve made zero progress. For example, I ate two slices of fresh homemade banana bread right before bed last night. It’s hard to pass up warm banana bread and my wife only makes it in the evenings. 
I always feel my worst when I’m gaining. It means I’m training harder, so I’m far more beat up. When I’m losing weight, things are throttled back significantly and I feel good. Hungry, sure, but not beat up.
Biggest thing for me has been portion control. I’ve learned how to enjoy things without needing to eat a lot of them. I’ll have a bite of something, enjoy it, and then wonder how much more joy I’ll get out of more bites of it. Going to the buffet, I don’t ever get the same item twice. Similar principle.
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I don’t get the same thing twice but I get 15 things once.
Me too: I just make sure it’s a bite of those 15 things, rather than multiple servings. Exceptions are veggies. I’ll load up on them.
Using this log to discuss buffet strategy (apologies @kdjohn) I’ll do a plate of nothing but veggies/salad to start with. I typically then force myself to still take on veggies with each trip.
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Yeah: me, haha. I normally go hunting every year, this year it didn’t happen due to work and leaving my gun on the other side of the country. Almost everyone in my family and my in-law’s family hunts, so that’s always there. Fishing is constant during the summer too. Hunting this year was crappy for everyone though; it didn’t get cold enough so the animals weren’t forced to move about and could just hunker down and hide.
Way ahead of you on this one. I’m basically only ever buying meat that’s on sale. Whole eggs are a staple in my diet too, but again, anything animal related isn’t very cheap here. When I but chicken, it’s always skin-on thighs. I hate boneless, skinless (flavourless) chicken breast. So boring. I’m partial to pork though, because it’s roughly the same cost as chicken here, and if I cook it with love and affection, it’s almost like a poor-man’s beef.
This… I have never seen before. They sell bits and pieces of offal, but I’ve never seen tubs in any of the grocery stores here. I’d love to eat more organ meats, it’s just a matter of finding them. I’ll start checking out more local butchers.
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No apologies needed. I love buffets.
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COVID has thankfully not robbed them from me completely, but the ROEs seem to change weekly.
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This is both a sad and slightly funny story related to buffets/all-you-can-eats:
Back home, my security team was a bunch of absolute beasts, and we’d either go out for pho or AYCE sushi after shifts sometimes. Our method for sushi was focus on sashimi, nigiri, tempura prawns — basically anything with meat. We’d get a couple interesting dishes to split just to cleanse the palate, but otherwise we loaded up on the good stuff.
Fast forward to moving, and I go out for AYCE sushi with my wife, two of her friends and their husbands. Both husbands are big dudes, and I was excited to pack it away again like back home. Well, everyone starts ordering bits and pieces of things that sounds interesting like you would with a normal menu. I, being a meathead, order like I would back home with my old crew, and everyone look at me like I have three heads, even the server.
It was then that I realized that 1) I very much didn’t fit in with my new circle, and 2) the wolverine, gulo gulo, “the glutton”, is absolutely my spirit animal.
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I’d guess that most butchers toss the gizzards and hearts due to zero demand. Liver is another outstanding organ meat that if prepared right is great, which reminds me of another high calorie decent protein item- liverwurst. Again, not popular or expensive, but tasty and VERY easy to eat. My grandfather was a butcher and he used to make it by the foot. You can spread it on anything or just cut slices off and eat it straight up.
You could ask them to stockpile and freeze the gizzards and hearts for you, I’m sure they’d sell them to you for next to nothing.
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This is a good idea.
Actually, I just remembered there’s a butcher who frequents the place I work at, who I’m on good terms with. I’ll check with him.
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At the supermarket, I think you’re still right. But you’d be surprised by how much farmers are raising prices on these typically undesirable parts when sold alone. People are catching onto the health benefits. I love tongue, liver, and heart. Kidney is tolerable if prepared correctly. I feel buying in bulk locally is the best way to stretch one’s dollar, but I realize a lot of people are unable.
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I unfortunately don’t really have anywhere conveniently near me where I’d be able to purchase from, as in straight from the farm. Wish I did though. I have a relative-by-marriage who’s family has a farm in pennsylvania that I try to buy from as much as possible, but they don’t ship so it’s all in person. It is terribly inconvenient but it’s nice being able to support a small family owned operation.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried tongue or kidney? Idk maybe I have. My grandfather was known to sneak some crazy stuff into his mystery platters.
Sounds like you’ve got a hook up!
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