Any tips on foods to build lean muscle mass for someone who can't afford crazy supplements and has allergies to whey and cow's milk? I take soy protein w/goat's milk, eat lots of eggs, fish, nuts, etc, and lift weights 3-4 times a week. Been doing it for about a year and have plateaued at about 190 lbs. and 19-20% body fat for the last 6 months or so. I increased workout intensity and weight and gained more strength, but no mass. I can't afford all the pills and powders and stuff at GNC, nor am I convinced of the effectiveness of many of them anyways. Are there any natural (and affordable) steps I can take while avoiding dairy and whey?

1. Unless you are going to participate in a body building competition, you will probably never need any type of supplement.

   You're doing good so far, and its common to plateau. My favorite source of protein is chicken breast, and I dont see that you have that listed as one of your sources, so you might want to add it.

   General rules for lifting are to do reps of 8-10 in sets of 3. You should be struggling on the last couple reps, and really pushing it on the last rep for you to gain mass.

   For protein, you want to eat about 1gram for every pound of body weight, and sometimes more. Dont worry about fat too much at this point either.

   I generally like to eat foods that have at least a 4/1 protein/fat ratio. Once you get to a good size, you can start eating lighter while continuing your workouts to burn off the fat, and then you will be big, and cut.

   About hitting plateaus: Try to focus on one body area for a couple weeks, and then switch and let that area sit.

   Come back to it after you cycle through the other focus areas, and it may spring back into action.

2. try lean meats like chicken breast and roast beef. also peanut butter. any food with protein is good for your muscles.
3. Sounds like you're not doing anything wrong, results take awhile. Keep it up and youll reach your main goal. There aren't many things you can do besides hard work, good exercise and eating right and it sounds like youre doing all three. So chill out
4. Sounds to me like you need to add lots of red meat. Don't pay for that supplement stuff, anyway.

   Also, concentrate on a heavy protein meal right after your workouts. That's been shown to speed healing, and help in muscle gain.

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