Female looking to gain muscle

jessicabeacom

Hiya I'm hoping to gain muscle this year and I'm struggling with diet.
I know I have to eat a lot of calories etc but what foods do you suggest me to eat in order to gain muscle as fast as possible?

MireyGal76

It is not easy for women to gain muscle. Sure diet can help in terms of nourishing your body, but it won't help you pack on the muscle. A protein rich diet is good, but if you are looking for muscle, the only way you'll build it is to look at a strength training program.

jessicabeacom

I've been strength training for a couple of months now.
I am getting into the way of it now, knowing my potential lifts and the correct form etc.
I'm busting my *kitten* in the gym and don't want my progress to be sacrificed because of my diet yano?
I know it will take a while for me to see a change in my body but I want to do everything I can to help me build

3laine75

There's no special food, just more food. Calorie surplus while strength training will get you where you want to be

IIFYM.com is a good guide for getting your macros down and suggested surplus etc.

jessicabeacom

Thanks very much guys

Holly_Wood_888

Bodybuilding.com is helpful! You can find workouts and help with diet on there.
What should you eat? CLEAN EAT and LOTS Of PROTEIN... Heres an idea of what your aiming for

0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight or 1.5 to 1.7 gram per kilogram of body weight. If you are heavier than you would like to be, use your ideal body weight to calculate your caloric needs. For example, a 135-pound woman would need 95 to 108 grams of protein daily for muscle building.

FitBoy_TheHero

Also, on the weight training, I found that the most efficient method for me was recording my weights during my workouts. This will help you always work to your potential.

JoRocka

eat in a surplus.
lift all the things.
rest.

lather.
rinse
repeat.

:edit- 1.)there is no "fast" with building muscle- you're talking months.
- and 2.) there is no right food- there is only a surplus. if you aren't in it- you aren't gaining.

xcalygrl

The awesome thing about bulking (aka eating to gain muscle) is macros don't matter as much. Yeah, they are still relatively important, but the crux of bulking is calories. You need a surplus of calories to build muscle mass.

Iifym.com (like 3laine75 suggested) is a good place to look.
The group "Eat, Train, Progress" on here is another good place to get info.
ETA: or you can get an idea from any of the numerous TDEE calculators out there on the interwebs.

Once you figure out your calories, you can play around with what you eat. It's hard to "eat clean" when you need to eat a surplus of calories. Most people who bulk, eat realtively healthy but they also have additional treats (dessert every night, full-fat dairy, treats in the middle of the day, etc.), which makes it sooo much easier to hit your calorie goal.

As a woman, your muscle growth will be slow going. It will happen with lots of food, time, and lifting heavy though, so don't give up when it seems like nothing is happening.

sardelsa

Great advice so far, just wanted to add... it will be hard mentally. Be prepared for the scale to go up. Be prepared to want to eat less when that happens. When I first started I found this article by Jay Waldron particularly helpful:
strengthunbound.com/bulking-complete-guide-for-beginners
Good luck!

DjinnMarie

You don't have to eat " a lot" of calories. I'm not a fan of dirty bulking. Start with 200-300 calories above maintenance. And slowly adjust from there.

stephxo1

I'm currently consuming on average 2300 calories per day and lifting heavy *kitten* weights 4-6 days a week. It works for, just keep your calories in surplus.