“The simple equation is if you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight and if you consume lesser calories than you expend you lose weight”. You have heard this often.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. If you eat more and expend less you will certainly gain weight, but not where you’d like to. You will gain weight in the form of fat, not in the form of muscle.
To be fair to serious exercisers that sincerely sweat it out in the gym AND eat more than they consume, you will certainly gain muscle mass too. But if you don’t eat WISELY, your body composition will remain the same.
In spite of gaining muscle, you will not look muscular, only bigger. The trick is to eat wisely. Choose where your calories will come from. Eat at the right times. And eat the right amounts. What you eat, when you eat and how much you eat is the three cornered foundation on which you build your body.
What to eat to gain weight
Not all proteins, carbs and fats are the same. There is good and bad to everything. The type of food that you consume has different effects on your composition. Some sugars will cause the bloodstream to be flooded with insulin, while others will provide a steady flow to your muscles.
Some fats will go directly to your flabby parts, while others will actually help burn stored fat by increasing metabolism and increasing testosterone. Some proteins are highly beneficial only when consumed at the right time of the day.
Therefore it is vital to choose the right foods to eat even if they translate into the same number of calories as the other foods. So what foods to eat to gain weight healthily? And which ones to avoid? Here they are:
Foods to dump:
You think fruit juice is good for you? Not if you have sugar in it.
Sodas – No good.
Fatty meat – Don’t mistake it for good proteins; it is all bad fat and sodium.
Syrups, sweet sauces, ice cream, cold desserts – All laden with sugar.
Processed superstore food – Get rid of them, no matter how “healthy” they proclaim themselves to be.
Anything made of while flour – Ditch that white bread. Whiteness is achieved by the manufacturers at the cost of 75% vitamins and 95% fiber.
Stale food – Nothing is good to last for days together.
Foods to stack up:
Dried fruits – Excellent source of calories, soldiers out on the warfront carry nothing but dried fruits in their pockets.
Canola or olive oil – Use these for cooking, strictly avoid the bad oils.
All kinds of vegetables – More the variety the better.
Strong tasting cheese in moderate amounts – Great source of good proteins.
Poultry – Chicken breasts and lean turkey occasionally.
Eggs – Also go for the egg whites you get in cartons for toppings.
Lean cuts of meat
Fish
Wild salmon – Great if you can get hold of the wild salmon. Expensive than the farmed ones though.
Whole grain – Oats, barley, quinoa, wheat.
Legumes – Great source of fiber.
Nuts – Peanut, walnut, almond, cashew. They are full of good fats and a rich source of calories required for bulking up.
Fruits – Go for the whole variety and never miss the seasonal ones.
Water – Drink plenty of it throughout the day.
Herbal tea – Good antioxidant. Have the non-flavored ones.
Protein and carbohydrate shakes – Before, during and after workouts
Rule: Eat lean protein, vegetables and good fats with each meal
Proteins are the building blocks of our body and you’ll need plenty of protein eating to gain weight. Eat at least 50-60 g of lean proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, cottage cheese, etc. with each meal.
Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals essential for bodily growth. Moreover, they speed up recovery of muscle tissues after vigorous workouts. Eat at least 2 cups of vegetables with each meal.
One third of your meal should consist of good fats. Good fats are vital for gaining muscle. Eat only from the list given above. At all costs, avoid trans fats found in margarine, shortening, fried foods, fast food, bakery products and the like.
Rule: Eat a variety of good foods
Break the monotony and go for variety. This way you will draw the goodness of everything that nature has to offer. And it’s easy because you won’t get bored of the same stuff day after day.
When to eat to gain weight
EAT EVERY 3 HOURS. Three square meals a day are no good for you. To really bulk up fast, you need to eat every 3 hours for the time you are awake. This is the most crucial element of building muscle.
Eat your first meal of the day within half hour of waking up. This will reverse the catabolic process that sets in your body during long hours of sleep.
Eating every 3 hours would mean 5 to 6 meals a day depending on how long you sleep. If that intimidates you, you better get over it quickly, because this is not a suggestion – this is a rule.
Get used to having your meals every 3 hours. Think of each meal to be a growth stimulator. Every ounce of what you eat will add meat to your bones. Every meal is an opportunity to replenish muscles that you broke down during exercise. Frequent meals are your only chance of bulking up, period.
Rule: Drink homemade protein/carbohydrate shakes before, during and after workouts
If you work out on an empty stomach, where do you think energy to exercise will come from? It will come from your reserves. And that will only make you smaller, not larger.
Ideally, the energy should come from something that you just ingested. You can benefit the most by supplying your body with liquid proteins and carbs before, during and after your workouts.
Proteins and carbs in liquid form is the best food to eat to gain weight around workouts. This will ensure that you don’t lose any muscle to support your workout.
How much to eat to gain weight
Bodybuilding is all a game of eating. The more you eat the better. There’s no way you can build muscle without eating all that you can. Target a calorie intake of more than 4K each day of the week to progress in your quest for a huge body.
To find out sample meal plans, homemade protein and carb shake procedures and workout routines to build muscle mass, get hold of the No-Nonsense Muscle Building e-book by Vince DelMonte. Here you will find a complete guide for transforming a skinny body into a muscular one.
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Great point about not all calories being equal. A lot of guys completely mess this part of their weight gain diet up. They just cram down 10,000 empty calories a day and wonder why their getting fatter.