Have any of you put on bulk with < 4000cals a day?

[speakeasy]

I've been reading some material by Rippetoe and he says that you have to eat 4000cals a day, maybe even 6000. Unfortunately, I have a stomach condition that causes early satiety. I usually cannot eat huge quantities of food. I cannot cram that many calories. Is lifting then a lost cause for me?

I am currently 5'9" and bounce around between 180-185lbs.

My goals aren't to get huge per se, but to put on some lean bulk and muscular definition. I definitely want to lower my bodyfat rate and to that end I've decided to cut out refined sugar from diet, no more soda, juices, sweets, etc. I'll still eat fruit though, usually strawberries, blueberries, bananas and grapes. Maybe a little sugar in my tea and that's about all. No more going through a liter of soda a day.

 

[ChalengeGuyFan]

I heard 3500 should be the minimum.

 

[Fuglydude]

I have very similar stats to you: 5'8" - 185ish, around 11-12% bf. I made the most headway with bulking at around 4000 calories.

Its a lot of food, but I'd say 3500-4000 is the minimum for most guys. Even more important is food selection. It should be 3500-4000 calories from non-processed, whole foods like steak, ckicken, veges, fish, oatmeal, yams, etc. This can be tough to do, however, its simply what it takes for most guys to get bigger w/o putting on a high amount of bodyfat. Getting that many calories from healthy food can be tough.

For your goals just focus on a lower calorie diet high in protein (aim for 250 g/day protein). As you said, make sure you get rid of 90% of the crap processed/refined food that was in your diet. You're obviously cheat meals, but you should eat clean 90% of the time.