Are you a hard gainer, please read!

psuLemon
psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
Since one of the most common threads in this section seems to be that people struggle to gain weight, I wanted to create a one stop source for members to read on how to gain (particularly, specific foods to help and some techniques). First, you have to eat enough calories to get above your maintenance levels; you cannot add mass, if you are not providing a foundation to grow (i.e - calories). Once you achieve a surplus, and you want to minimize fat gains, you should consistently maintain a surplus (as opposed to huge calorie fluctuations) and ensure proper training (progressive overload lifting program that is focused on compound moves).

There are a variety of reason why people struggle to gain. One of the main reasons why people feel they are hard gainers is because they believe they have a high metabolism. Statistically speaking, the average person doesn't have a slow or fast metabolism, but rather have one of the following issues: 1. current eating style isn't conducive towards their goals, 2. psychological struggles or 3. high/active job/daily routine. What I mean by each is simple. Many people develop eating strategies, whether during dieting or habitual, that focus on many low calorie or "diet" foods. This in turn, makes it very difficult to add enough calories to get into a surplus. Also, bulking can be a huge psychological barrier for many people. It's hard going into a program where you are intentionally gaining fat and getting rid of the progress you previously had. And lastly, there are some people (teachers, construction workers, etc...) whom have jobs that are extremely active and will burn a ton of calories. This in turn, makes achieving a surplus a more difficult task than those of us who have desk jobs. Unfortunately, if you want to achieve the goal of gaining muscle, you must hit a surplus and ideally, in a consistent manor.

With that in mind, hopefully the below list of foods and some dietary strategies will provide you a guide to meet your goals:

Foods:
  • Avocado
  • Nuts, granola
  • Chia seed
  • Olive/Coconut Oil (as a dressing or to cook in)
  • Peanut/Almond/Pumpkin/etc butter
  • Full fat mayonnaise
  • Butter, dressing and spreads
  • Greek Yogurt (higher fat options)
  • Cheese (put that crap on everything or eat a brick of it)
  • Creams (sour cream, cream cheese)
  • Ice cream, chocolate, candy
  • Chocolate/Strawberry milk
  • Bagels (I use P28 protein bagels and top with peanut butter and jelly/jam)
  • Pancakes (if you want a "healthier" version, then go protein pancakes)
  • Waffles
  • Muffins/Scones
  • Syrup, honey, jams, fluff, Nutella
  • Marinade all meats - especially oil based marinades
  • Add sauces to foods
  • High sugar fruits (pineapple, banana, mango, apples, etc...)
  • High calorie protein bars (Cliff Builder, Cliff Energy Bars, etc...)
  • High calorie protein drinks (put in milk)
  • Red meats (Buffalo, Bison, Steak, 80/20 Hamburger, Duck, Ribs)
  • Dark Fish (Salmon,Tuna)
  • Bacon (thick cut)
  • Eggs
  • Starches (potatoes, corn, etc..)
  • Pizza
  • Rice
  • Couscous
  • Honey Buns
  • Pudding
  • etc...


While above is not a full list and I can expand if people have other suggestions, there are a few other things you can try to get those calories up:

  • Increase meal frequency
  • Limit cardio while you bulk
  • No diet foods (stay away from low calorie dense foods - again, aim for the veggies/fruits that are higher in sugars)
  • Limit "clean" foods
  • Drink calories (protein shakes, flavored milks, occasional juice)
  • Recognize this is mental and that getting nutrients in a bulk is a lot easier
  • And trust the program and the math.

Favor recipe websites
Hopefully, this can provide a good start to a bulk.
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Replies

  • Auroraskies2015
    Auroraskies2015 Posts: 1 Member
    :) thanks
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?

    Updated. Let me know your thoughts.

    approved :)

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    edited February 2016
    I'd also add the suggestion to "drink" calories if you're having trouble eating enough to your second list (I'll leave the exact verbiage to you).

    I had that in my food list, but I added it to the strategies as well to make it more clear. Thanks.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Bump
  • This content has been removed.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    bumping
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section

    I am working that angle ;).

    Maybe the mods should be notified. ;)
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
    If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??

    I believe that people who poop regularly have good gut bacteria and their colon responds to the stomach filling up by relieving the pressure.

    Not all kids or people are as active as others. Hard gainers tend to be people who are not only active through sports, but are the kind of people that rarely sit still for long periods of time. You might also eat more at each meal, but less snacking through the day. I have friends who were hard gainers until they started desk jobs.
  • psulemon wrote: »
    richln wrote: »
    Where is the pizzas? It can turn turtles into ninjas!

    Holy crap on a cracker, I forgot the pizza.... added that piece of heaven!

    And French Fries.

    Very nice post @psulemon ... even though I was clickbaited. :p
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    This should be added to the Most Helpful Posts section

    You can nominate a post here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260479/nominate-posts-for-announcement-status-stickies#latest (this one has already been added) but they only adjust the stickies every 6 months or so. May have to wait a while.
  • kingkam21
    kingkam21 Posts: 76 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    can you add that hard gainers are a myth too please?
    If a fast metabolism is a myth than why do I poop after every meal?? I've been skiny my whole life, as a kid I used to eat over 10 pb&js back to back and remain skinny. I used to eat lettuce bowls of ice cream to myself, 2 large burritos from Alberto's to myself and after all this, I still ate more as a kid. And I am the same way now, except I go to the gym now and eat more beneficial foods. As a kid, I ate more than anyone in my family. And I literally pooped after every meal, 4+ times a day. My dad told me he was the same way as a kid, and his dad was the same aswell. If this is not a fast metabolism than what is it??? Yes I was active as a kid, but aren't all kids active. I'm 8 months into my body building journey and I am confused about this topic, because I believe I have a fast metabolism because I poop 4-6 times a day (after eating 4-6 meals a day). If it's a myth than is there something wrong with me internally??

    I believe that people who poop regularly have good gut bacteria and their colon responds to the stomach filling up by relieving the pressure.

    Not all kids or people are as active as others. Hard gainers tend to be people who are not only active through sports, but are the kind of people that rarely sit still for long periods of time. You might also eat more at each meal, but less snacking through the day. I have friends who were hard gainers until they started desk jobs.

    This makes sense to me. I am always bouncing my legg up and down or shaking my feet when I lay down. But can this activity be so active that it's like cardio to me and others that have as much energy as I do? I understand that this movement will burn more calories but does it truly make that much of a difference? I don't really pay attention to my movement, my wife will have me realise that I'm shaking my leggs because it bothers her. It just happens because I have a lot of energy and don't know what to do with myself