How to gain 5 kg if you are very active and eat only healthy food?

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Hey

I am gorzoks, 25 years old and I am also in the bulking phase.
I am 180 cm tall and my current weight is 77,7 kg. I am aiming for 83 kg.
For me it is a challenge to eat everyday the calories I need in order to gain weight.



WHAT I DO EVERY DAY
- I am sitting about 10-12 h /day.
- I sleep about 8-10 h /day.
- I train everyday for at least 5-10 mins /day.
(doing hardcore freeletics
workouts (workout "METIS"))

WHAT I DO EVERY OTHER DAY
- I go to the gym and train intensively for about 20-30 mins.
- I go swimming, when I do not train at gym and I swim for about 10 mins.

WHAT I DO ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK
- I play football (soccer) in a competitive environment for about 45 - 60 mins per game.



WHAT I WANT TO ACHIEVE:
- Eat everyday the calories I need in order to at least maintain or to gain weight.
- Be 83 kg by eating healthy food.


(HOW) IS IT POSSIBLE?
- How can you gain 5 kg of lean muscle mass by following the plan I do AND BY EATING HEALTHY FOOD ONLY?
-
Who has achieved similar goals, please also post - would be nice to hear your experiences!


gorzoks
«1

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Peanut butter, nuts, seeds, avocado, full fat dairy, higher calorie meats like lamb, pork and beef instead of chicken of turkey, salmon instead of white fish, lots of easy to eat carbs like rice, potato & sweet potato.

    In short, eat all the food!
  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
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    Yeah peanut butter is ace. So tasty, full of nutrients, very healthy, and very high calorie, lots of protein and healthy fats. Definitely a great food for healthy weight gain.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Gorzoks wrote:
    (HOW) IS IT POSSIBLE?
    - How can you gain 5 kg of lean muscle mass by following the plan I do AND BY EATING HEALTHY FOOD ONLY?
    Doing what activity you list there? Probably not possible.
    The food is very possible. Eat things which are higher calorie, higher protein, like Toad listed.

    Is that "train intensively" for 20-30 min every other day weightlifting? Because the 5-10 min/day (whatever 'freeletics'
    is) isn't going to do much for you. You're not swimming enough to have much of an effect. The soccer will help
    cardio fitness and build some muscle in your legs.

    But you need to be lifting weights (seriously, with a plan, getting harder) if you want to build muscle.
    To gain lean mass (muscle), you need to eat at a slight calorie surplus (start with 250 cal/day) and increase your
    percent of calories from protein (35% is the top of the healthy range), while lifting progressively heavier weights for
    more reps & sets. You might manage up to 1 lb of lean gain in a month, but expect less.

    Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges for macros: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html
    carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
    fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
    protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

    This site might also be helpful. Ignore the supplements & other ads, just read the articles & learn the exercises.
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/training.html
  • Gorzoks
    Gorzoks Posts: 7 Member
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    Thanks lads,

    I was sceptical about peanut butter because I ve heared that it isnt that healthy because it contains PALM OIL.
    Well I did some research and it seems to be a little bit unhealthy because it contains a lot of SATURATED FATS, which is not very good but I think I will still go for it, as long as I can keep it under control.

    @MKEgal
    Ye I do go to the gym and train for about half an hour. I find myself doing couple of the following exercises in one day:

    DEADLIFTS
    FrontSquaт

    DIPS
    Chinups

    LEG PRESS
    BENCH PRESS


    I do everyday Freeletics and I find it not just fun because there are some nice workout programs already there for you waiting, which are named after greek gods and you can relate to different workout routines with a community, similar to here, but Freeletics is also great because it uses only your body weight and you don't need a gym for that. You can train at home. Doing Freeletics has overal not increased my fitness level but also my core is very strong now, I can lift better at the gym. I can only recommend it.
  • lucygoesrawr
    lucygoesrawr Posts: 184 Member
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    Gorzoks wrote: »
    Thanks lads,
    Lol - just so you know, two of those people are female ;)
    I was sceptical about peanut butter because I ve heared that it isnt that healthy because it contains PALM OIL.
    You can get peanut butter without added oil, it's just more expensive. You can also make it yourself, it's just peanuts that have been crushed down until smooth.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Define "healthy." I'm not being snarky -- everyone has a different definition. Avocado, natural nut butters and higher-fat cuts of beef are all typically considered healthy. Do you drink milk in your coffee? Replace it with heavy whipping cream. I love full-fat Greek yogurt with honey and chopped almonds.
  • Davidc1961
    Davidc1961 Posts: 16 Member
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    Keep in mind that metabolically, you can't gain more than about .5kg of muscle mass per month without steroids, adjust your calories accordingly, and skew the calories towards lean/plant based protein and unsaturated fats. Lift weights under (initially at least) the supervision of a trainer for at least an hour, at least 3x/week. Intensity and consistency matter most, and if you first accept that this is a one year project, it is totally doable at your age.

    Also, avoid peanut butter that has anything but peanuts in it. Many brands add hydrogenated vegetable oil to prevent the solids and liquids from separating, but hydrogenated vegetable oil is loaded with "bad" saturated fats. As with everything else you eat, read the label and weigh it. One "serving"of PB will not cover a slice of toast very well.

    Good luck!
  • rmsbodybuilding
    rmsbodybuilding Posts: 3 Member
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    squat and deadlift
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    eat the foods that you like and get into a caloric surplus.
    eat nutrition dense foods so that you hit your macro and micro targets and then fill in with more calorie dense foods like ice cream, bagels, cookies, etc. < these are not "unhealthy" foods and you don't get extra credit for exceeding your nutritional requirements…

    other than that good luck bulking on a diet of strictly "clean" foods….
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you don't get extra credit for exceeding your nutritional requirements…

    OP this is really important... When you're sick of stuffing yourself with broccoli and plain chicken, remember that a doughnut won't hurt!
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    Davidc1961 wrote: »
    Keep in mind that metabolically, you can't gain more than about .5kg of muscle mass per month without steroids, adjust your calories accordingly, and skew the calories towards lean/plant based protein and unsaturated fats. Lift weights under (initially at least) the supervision of a trainer for at least an hour, at least 3x/week. Intensity and consistency matter most, and if you first accept that this is a one year project, it is totally doable at your age.

    Also, avoid peanut butter that has anything but peanuts in it. Many brands add hydrogenated vegetable oil to prevent the solids and liquids from separating, but hydrogenated vegetable oil is loaded with "bad" saturated fats. As with everything else you eat, read the label and weigh it. One "serving"of PB will not cover a slice of toast very well.

    Good luck!

    obviously you've never bulked successfully before. OP, please do not take this advice.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    get off the "healthy" concept and grab the gelato.

    In gaining calories are king- healthy means nothing if you aren't getting the volume you need.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited April 2015
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    The protein profile of PB is overrated here (it's a 52 on the Amino Acid Score which is ok but not great) but it's good for extra calories if you need and want them. Just have a well balanced diet as your base then eat a lot of extra calories however you can get them. You will need to find your maintenance level and you can estimate that with a TDEE calculator such as can be found at IIFYM.com. Then add about 500 cals per day to that to start and see how it goes. If you aren't gaining then add about 100 cals per day for a week until you start to move the way you want to.

    Good luck to you.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    The protein profile of PB is overrated here (it's a 52 on the Amino Acid Score which is ok but not great) but it's good for extra calories if you need and want them. Just have a well balanced diet as your base then eat a lot of extra calories however you can get them. You will need to find your maintenance level and you can estimate that with a TDEE calculator such as can be found at IIFYM.com. Then add about 500 cals per day to that to start and see how it goes. If you aren't gaining then add about 100 cals per day for a week until you start to move the way you want to.

    Good luck to you.


    True that nuts are not a complete amino profile.
    But as long as he is getting protein from other sources as well....dairy, meat, fish, poultry
    Then he will be fine.
    So for the purpose of extra, easy to eat calories, you can't go wrong.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Davidc1961 wrote: »
    Keep in mind that metabolically, you can't gain more than about .5kg of muscle mass per month without steroids, adjust your calories accordingly, and skew the calories towards lean/plant based protein and unsaturated fats. Lift weights under (initially at least) the supervision of a trainer for at least an hour, at least 3x/week. Intensity and consistency matter most, and if you first accept that this is a one year project, it is totally doable at your age.

    Also, avoid peanut butter that has anything but peanuts in it. Many brands add hydrogenated vegetable oil to prevent the solids and liquids from separating, but hydrogenated vegetable oil is loaded with "bad" saturated fats. As with everything else you eat, read the label and weigh it. One "serving"of PB will not cover a slice of toast very well.

    Good luck!

    As others have said, ignore this.....

    And as far as muscle mass goes.....depending on the person and proper training and nutrition....
    You could do 1lb - 1.5 lbs of muscle a month for males.
    If everything is perfect, you could possibly hit 2lbs / month.....but you have to be on top of your game for that.
    A female would be on the order of 0.5 - 1.0 lb / month.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    MityMax96 wrote: »
    The protein profile of PB is overrated here (it's a 52 on the Amino Acid Score which is ok but not great) but it's good for extra calories if you need and want them. Just have a well balanced diet as your base then eat a lot of extra calories however you can get them. You will need to find your maintenance level and you can estimate that with a TDEE calculator such as can be found at IIFYM.com. Then add about 500 cals per day to that to start and see how it goes. If you aren't gaining then add about 100 cals per day for a week until you start to move the way you want to.

    Good luck to you.


    True that nuts are not a complete amino profile.
    But as long as he is getting protein from other sources as well....dairy, meat, fish, poultry
    Then he will be fine.
    So for the purpose of extra, easy to eat calories, you can't go wrong.

    Exactly, that was my point it's just that too many people think they are a wonderful food because of the protein and the dominant protein is a non-essential one so I wouldn't push it as a primary source of protein but for calories, absolutely. :)
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Options
    MityMax96 wrote: »
    The protein profile of PB is overrated here (it's a 52 on the Amino Acid Score which is ok but not great) but it's good for extra calories if you need and want them. Just have a well balanced diet as your base then eat a lot of extra calories however you can get them. You will need to find your maintenance level and you can estimate that with a TDEE calculator such as can be found at IIFYM.com. Then add about 500 cals per day to that to start and see how it goes. If you aren't gaining then add about 100 cals per day for a week until you start to move the way you want to.

    Good luck to you.


    True that nuts are not a complete amino profile.
    But as long as he is getting protein from other sources as well....dairy, meat, fish, poultry
    Then he will be fine.
    So for the purpose of extra, easy to eat calories, you can't go wrong.

    Exactly, that was my point it's just that too many people think they are a wonderful food because of the protein and the dominant protein is a non-essential one so I wouldn't push it as a primary source of protein but for calories, absolutely. :)

    LOL....I think they are wonderful
    And recommend...them but always state do not make them your primary source of protein, since they are not a optimal protein/complete amino profile..
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    MityMax96 wrote: »
    The protein profile of PB is overrated here (it's a 52 on the Amino Acid Score which is ok but not great) but it's good for extra calories if you need and want them. Just have a well balanced diet as your base then eat a lot of extra calories however you can get them. You will need to find your maintenance level and you can estimate that with a TDEE calculator such as can be found at IIFYM.com. Then add about 500 cals per day to that to start and see how it goes. If you aren't gaining then add about 100 cals per day for a week until you start to move the way you want to.

    Good luck to you.


    True that nuts are not a complete amino profile.
    But as long as he is getting protein from other sources as well....dairy, meat, fish, poultry
    Then he will be fine.
    So for the purpose of extra, easy to eat calories, you can't go wrong.

    Exactly, that was my point it's just that too many people think they are a wonderful food because of the protein and the dominant protein is a non-essential one so I wouldn't push it as a primary source of protein but for calories, absolutely. :)

    I'd agree with this- it does make me chuckle when someone says "protein" and people shout peanut butter.

    like yes it has it in it- but um. yeah- it's not a great source for ADDED protein.

    Calories yes.
    protein- meh.

    I generally avoid it- I don't love it enough outside of a reese's to warrent the extra calories- because I'll just eat the whole damyumn jar.
  • Gorzoks
    Gorzoks Posts: 7 Member
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    Gorzoks wrote: »
    Thanks lads,
    Lol - just so you know, two of those people are female ;)

    OP.. sorry ladies! I probably should check the profiles first before I write. Thanks Lucy!


    Before I start asking further questions, as I got more confused now. THANKS to everybody who tried to help me with advice so far!

    Healthy Lifestyle
    I am lucky enough to have an amazing caring wife who cooks for me 24/7.
    I consider as healthy food anything that is home-made with love and has no weird conservants in it. @AliceDark
    I also don't smoke and do only drink water.

    By the way water...
    I feel that I should be drinking more of it. I drink about 1 - 1,5 litters a day but on days when I play soccer (about 60min) , despite the fact that I consume about minimum 200 calories above the suggested MyFitnessPal calorie number, the next day I always loose 0,2kg - 0.3kg - which really is annoying!!!

    I also wanted to ask you guys how much water do you drink on and off training days? Do you track your water intake and take it seriously or you dont think that water is very important for gaining weight?
    Also if you do track it, do you see a positive correlation between how much you drink and how much you gain?



    The above was a bonus question. Would be nice to get feedback on it as well!

    My initial question was: How can you gain 5 kg of lean muscle mass by following the plan I do ( this is stated in the beginning of the thread.. ) and by eating only healthy food?

    (Note that I am not asking how long does it take. The time isnt worrying me. I will get there. I am trying to find out the best efficient way. And I also do understand that it is not possible to only get lean muscle weight, but that you also always gain fat but I am aiming to get more weight in muscle than anything else. Appreciate your help! )

    Summery of all points that have been made so far in answering this question:

    1) By eating the right food, such as
    a) Peanut butter
    b) Nuts
    c) Seeds
    d) Avocado
    e) Full fat dairy
    f) Higher calorie meats like lamb, pork and beef instead of chicken or turkey
    g) Higher-fat cuts of beef
    h) Salmon instead of white fish
    i) Lots of easy to eat carbs like rice, potato & sweet potato
    j) Full-fat Greek yogurt with honey and chopped almonds

    2) Have a good range for macros nutrients based on: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html
    Example:
    carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
    fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
    protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

    3) Eat balanced and eat nutrition dense foods so that you hit your macro and micro targets and then fill in with more calorie dense foods like ice cream, bagels, cookies or however you can get them.

    4) Eat at a slight calorie surplus (start with 250 cal/day and increase it if necessarily)

    5) Stop cario exercises and start lifting weights proparly with a plan. Lift progressively heavier weights for more reps & sets.

    6) Squat and deadlift


    Is anything missing in this list or is anything wrong?

    Thanks!