Optimal calorie goal for gaining muscle + weight

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Replies

  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    Enjoy the food! I'm 6 ft and 154 (but am a girl) and I easily maintain on 2100 to 2200 for a point of reference.
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks everyone !

    Do moderate exercising seems right for my activity level in thr TDEE calculator ? Each routine is between 1 hour 30 and up to 2 hours. It is not very intense like running of course but it is somewhat a contiunous level of moderate to high effort, with resting in between. However I work in my home office so sitting at a desk. I do frequent walk breaks, takes stair all the time, bike, etc.

    Rest day includes stretching, handstand practice, most recently a bit of weight lifting, some jumoing rope and takes zround 40 minutes.

    Somone suggested I should aim for 3000 kcal but quite frankly it seems too high. He had the same stats and was unable to gain weight until he was reaching this goal. From the TDEE, my "Maximum Muscular Potential" is at 84 kg (185 lbs)...

    So many questions and observations haha, I am new to bulking but this is a fairly interesting topic to explore (love data and numbers) while it could positively impact my way too restricted diet...

    Cheers !
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    3000 sounds right to me. At 5'6" 156 I lose on 1900 cals
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    Work your way up over time. Calculators are only estimates and apply to mostly average people. Use weight trends. Aim for 1-2 pounds per month. More then back off, not happening add 250 cals. Weigh daily first thing after waking up and using bathroom, log it. Don’t weigh again. Libra or Happy scale apps for tracking trend
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    My plan is to get back at eating the appropriate calories I need, which is ~2500 kcal, then I'll go a bit further to bulk. Thanks for all the insights and help! Gimme the ice cream and PB! :D
  • shayd742
    shayd742 Posts: 3 Member
    Whole eggs are excellent source of good fats, good cholesterol and of course one of the best protein sources for absorbing. I throw 6 whole eggs on my oatmeal in the morning. If you want a good source at night cottage cheese is great, full of casein protein. Perfect for recovery while you sleep.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    mgmgmg1981 wrote: »
    Rest day includes stretching, handstand practice, most recently a bit of weight lifting, some jumoing rope and takes zround 40 minutes.

    Psst...that's not a rest day.

    It is important to actually rest for optimal muscle growth and recovery. I.E. no weight lifting, maybe just some stretches/yoga and light walking.

  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    shayd742 wrote: »
    Whole eggs are excellent source of good fats, good cholesterol and of course one of the best protein sources for absorbing. I throw 6 whole eggs on my oatmeal in the morning. If you want a good source at night cottage cheese is great, full of casein protein. Perfect for recovery while you sleep.

    This is not the first time I've seen eggs mixed with porridge. Dont think I could eat that. As for cottage cheese, I tried it once or twice but its not for me. Even thinking about it makes me want to gag.
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    shayd742 wrote: »
    Whole eggs are an excellent source of good fats, good cholesterol and of course one of the best protein sources for absorbing. I throw 6 whole eggs on my oatmeal in the morning. If you want a good source at night cottage cheese is great, full of casein protein. Perfect for recovery while you sleep.

    Hey @shayd742 ! Yup, eggs are nice, it's usually my Sunday breakfast (veggie scramble). I only do 1-2 full eggs and 2-3 egg whites though but I guess 3 or 4 eggs would be way better. In the oatmeal I could try out for sure, does that work with fruits or nut butter or plain nuts? Cottage cheese is also a staple here. I found some coconut yogurt which packs some fat too, it's lovely with a scoop of PB.

    staticsplit wrote: »
    mgmgmg1981 wrote: »
    Rest day includes stretching, handstand practice, most recently a bit of weight lifting, some jumoing rope and takes zround 40 minutes.

    Psst...that's not a rest day.

    It is important to actually rest for optimal muscle growth and recovery. I.E. no weight lifting, maybe just some stretches/yoga and light walking.

    True that... I need to discipline myself with this too...
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    edited July 2019
    Since I need to eat a bunch of carbs... What are your favorite carb-y foods, for breakfast / lunch / dinner and snacks ?

    I love fruit as mentioned before, I guess I shouldn't even limit myself on the fruit servings to begin with!
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    mgmgmg1981 wrote: »
    Since I need to eat a bunch of carbs... What are your favorite carb-y foods, for breakfast / lunch / dinner and snacks ?

    I love fruit as mentioned before, I guess I shouldn't even limit myself on the fruit servings to begin with!

    As I mentioned before, porridge/oats for breakfast, the highest calorie bread I can find to have a sandwich with and for dinner chili con carne, Bolognese or chicken curry with a good helping of rice, spaghetti, pasta, potatoes or whatever carb source you like yourself.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    DAtes are lovely in porridge as well - put on some weight! My very slim 18 year old 6 foot son is about 69 kilos and trying to put some on - see if you can catch him up :)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Some of the things I go-to when bulking..

    For breakfast: Pancakes, waffles, bagels, toast, cereal, syrup, jam, fruit

    For lunch/dinner: rice, noodles, pasta, pita, naan, potatoes

    Snacks: candy, dried fruit, juice, kid's cereals
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    edited July 2019
    My carbs: Bananas . Apples. Cereal like Cinnamon Toast Crunch or even lucky charms with almond milk. Rice cakes, steamed rice, yogurts, white or wheat bread. Pretzels. Mashed potatoes. Protein pancakes. I do eat veggies of course but I didn’t list those.
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks !!! I weightes myself today and I was at 55kg which is lower than I thought. Time to constantly hit my calories goal. I barely hit the 1800 kcal daily which is clearly problematic!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    mgmgmg1981 wrote: »
    Thanks !!! I weightes myself today and I was at 55kg which is lower than I thought. Time to constantly hit my calories goal. I barely hit the 1800 kcal daily which is clearly problematic!

    Yikes.... but just to note, you will probably continue to lose on 1800, just slower, you should be in the 2500-3000 cals/day range. If you have trouble eating that much, drink more calories (milk, juice, etc) full fat and full sugar versions of foods
  • mgmgmg1981
    mgmgmg1981 Posts: 31 Member
    Yeah I need to be consistent for sure ! I am spending a little holiday for my birthday so I was able to hit 2500-3000 today and yesterday, feels good.

    I think I shouldn't keep counting calories too precisely, or at all now... Takes a lot of time and eating intuitively would help me refrain myself for getting too calorific foods which I need haha.

    Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions !

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