Diet suggestions for someone trying to gain muscle not mass.

[CamaroTuner]

Let's go with the basic rundown. Male, 27, about 6 foot even. Currently weighing in at 208. Bodyfat is sitting at a lovely 21% of fatass. I am a martial artist. Up until now I have not placed alot of emphasis on muscle, physique, or nutrition and focused solely on my skills. Well, I'm now aiming at a more "rounded" approach to budo. So since all the nutritional suggestions I see involve getting freaky huge, that won't help me. I want to get down to the 175-180 built physique range without limiting my flexibility. Diet/supplement suggestions are appreciated. Jokes about my fat ass are expected as well. In either case, fire away.

[jmt1]

it would be easier if you post your current diet first.

from there im sure you"ll get some good suggestions on what type of changes need to be made.

[CamaroTuner]

Well, there in lies the problem. Haven't paid any attention to my diet up to this point. So pretty much whatever the hell I felt like eating at any given point. Lots of fast food, soda, ice cream, all the crap your not supposed to eat.

I'm almost completely off caffeine now, have cut out all the "crap" food and am still filtering out the "junk" food. (I differentiate those by crap being like chips, doughnuts, ho ho's, things of no nutritional value at all, junk food being food that's really not optimal like burgers, fried chicken, crap like that).

I've also cut down to 2 solid meals and 2 liquid meals. Picked up two large tubs of "Mass XXX" from GNC, which is pretty much just a meal replacement item and only comes in at 750 calories per serving so I have no idea why it's supposed to be a mass gainer.

So to narrow the question further, assuming 2 liquid meals and 2 solid. What/when is the real question. Do you eliminate breakfast or just add one between breakfast/lunch and then between lunch/dinner? What would two well rounded meals be that are completely portable. My other problem is anything I eat has to be taken with me and not require a heat source to be made. This is why I ended up with the high fat percentage. I was having to eat out 5-10 meals a week.

Now that I'm up to WAY too many questions at once, and probably just blurred the hell out of my original question, any ideas?

[WhiteCastle]

Just don't take steroids and you won't get huge.  Seriously, that's really all there is to know.

Let's go with the basic rundown. Male, 27, about 6 foot even. Currently weighing in at 208. Bodyfat is sitting at a lovely 21% of fatass. I am a martial artist. Up until now I have not placed alot of emphasis on muscle, physique, or nutrition and focused solely on my skills. Well, I'm now aiming at a more "rounded" approach to budo. So since all the nutritional suggestions I see involve getting freaky huge, that won't help me. I want to get down to the 175-180 built physique range without limiting my flexibility. Diet/supplement suggestions are appreciated. Jokes about my fat ass are expected as well. In either case, fire away.

[thewickedtruth]

wait...

you want to gain muscle but not mass? So you want to get bigger but dont' want to get bigger? I don't get it.

[DK II]

wait...

you want to gain muscle but not mass? So you want to get bigger but dont' want to get bigger? I don't get it.

..with an improved diet where he can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants.

[thewickedtruth]

..with an improved diet where he can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants.

it read like he wanted to get bigge but not get bigger. Like, I want to workout to stay fit, I don't want to gain size. WHAT!


if he wants to gain LEAN mass..that's one thing but either way he's going to gain mass when you up a diet. Set'em straight DK. Your diet ideas have always been solid.

[DK II]

it read like he wanted to get bigge but not get bigger. Like, I want to workout to stay fit, I don't want to gain size. WHAT!


if he wants to gain LEAN mass..that's one thing but either way he's going to gain mass when you up a diet. Set'em straight DK. Your diet ideas have always been solid.

He needs to post his diet first. If he has a ton of sodas, sugar, white bread, salami and stuff in his diet, no advice will help.

I have seen guys who thought they had a clean diet and drank 3 bottles beer every night and a liter of coke a day. 

[thewickedtruth]

He needs to post his diet first. If he has a ton of sodas, sugar, white bread, salami and stuff in his diet, no advice will help.

I have seen guys who thought they had a clean diet and drank 3 bottles beer every night and a liter of coke a day. 

I used to be like that back in the day, now coke makes me sick and beer is only good with fried chicken once a month at the fights!

[DK II]

I used to be like that back in the day, now coke makes me sick and beer is only good with fried chicken once a month at the fights!

yeah, same here. i hate sodas and a beer is okay now and then in company.