gaining muscle lbs

btkkterry

Is it possible to muscle lbs by heavy lifting and not changing good eating habits. I want to gain muscle but not change my clean eating habits

_stephanie0

depends how much you are eating. you need to have a calorie surplus to gain muscle. i am going through this right now. my maintenance is 1900 so i will be eating 2000-2300 cals/day with minimal cardio

HeidiMightyRawr

You need a calorie surplus ideally, without one you'll likely just make small newbie gains.

You can definitely get a surplus through clean foods, it's just a little harder, you'd need quite a large appetite! I know if I ate 100% clean I would only make my 3000 calorie target half the time.

geekyjock76

You just need to eat a modest surplus above maintenance. However, it is necessary to gain some fat with muscle - a partitioning of 1:1 lb is acceptable. Men and women can gain about two to one pound of muscle per month, respectively.

bcattoes

Is it possible to muscle lbs by heavy lifting and not changing good eating habits. I want to gain muscle but not change my clean eating habits

You certainly don't have to have bad eating habits to gain muscle, if that is your question.

Sarauk2sf

You can gain muscle on a calorie surplus - no need to change what you eat, just how much you eat, as long as you get enough protein.

btkkterry

After hitting my weight goal the inches came from everywhere, even places that I didn't think I had any fat to lose. My goal was to lose fat from my stomach, not my arms and legs lol

sunsnstatheart

I'm also finding this difficult. I'm using milk with protein powder to boost my calories as there's no other way I can get the extra calories without adding junk. I'm of mixed feeling on the powder it as I'd prefer natural food but keeping it moderate and seeing how it goes.

btkkterry

I'm also finding this difficult. I'm using milk with protein powder to boost my calories as there's no other way I can get the extra calories without adding junk. I'm of mixed feeling on the powder it as I'd prefer natural food but keeping it moderate and seeing how it goes.

I've considered doing the powder also but not sure about it

Sarauk2sf

oops - double post

Sarauk2sf

I'm also finding this difficult. I'm using milk with protein powder to boost my calories as there's no other way I can get the extra calories without adding junk. I'm of mixed feeling on the powder it as I'd prefer natural food but keeping it moderate and seeing how it goes.

I've considered doing the powder also but not sure about it

You can get protein powders that have more 'straight-forward' ingredients Optimum Nutrition does a "natural" line that has no artificial flavors or sweeteners if that is what you are worried about. I am not sure of the taste (the other ON stuff is good) but it may be worthwhile looking into.

sunsnstatheart

I'm also finding this difficult. I'm using milk with protein powder to boost my calories as there's no other way I can get the extra calories without adding junk. I'm of mixed feeling on the powder it as I'd prefer natural food but keeping it moderate and seeing how it goes.

I've considered doing the powder also but not sure about it

You can get protein powders that have more 'straight-forward' ingredients Optimum Nutrition does a "natural" line that has no artificial flavors or sweeteners if that is what you are worried about. I am not sure of the taste (the other ON stuff is good) but it may be worthwhile looking into.

Great input. I've gone round and round with myself on this. If I can eat, I eat, but on those days when I just can't get enough I use the powder. I'm doing my best to find balance in all of this but I'm the type that can get extreme if I don't watch myself. I'm using MuscleMilk because its been around a while and seems to be for the most part accepted. I also use creatine monohydrate but that's where I've drawn the line. I'm sure some of the other supplements may work but I'm generally skeptical and with my number one goal being health (not looks) I'm very cautious.

NRBreit

I'm trying a bulking diet right now as well. My target is 3,100 calories per day. I try to get 1 - 1.5g of Protein per lb. of body weight. I try to limit fats to 25%-30% of calories. The rest of the calories come from carbs (300+g). My staple foods are eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, nuts, brown rice, oatmeal, fruits and veggies. I also have added calorie-dense food like dried fruit, peanut butter, 100% whole wheat bread, cheese (in moderation), and a post-workout shake with 100% Natural Whey Protein. At first, I found it very difficult to eat this many calories. You have to eat all day long every few hours. I'm getting used to it now after a couple of weeks.

yoovie

100%

btkkterry

I really need to up my lean protein, I eat very little, mainly fruits and veges.

zilveti

Lifting weight is an excellent workout for many reasons: when you are in a diet you lose weight and lifting weight helps us to keep strong, avoiding sagging, I have been lifting weight for more than 18 months three times a week and I only started to lose weight 50 days ago, when I started my diet dropping calories. I use mfp and like a lot all of my mates and the posts here.
Congrats and hope to have helped you.

now_or_never12

If you want to make serious gains in muscle mass you need to eat at a surplus of calories. A bulk and cut phase as it's called Eat at a surplus for a while than drop calories down to cut the fat that the body builds up.

If you want to build muscle you need to consume more protein as protein is the building blocks of muscles. Look at something like a protein shake to add calories and protein or consuming more meats.

wswilliams67

To build muscle you have to 'damage' the muscle fibers by lifting. You need to have a caloric surplus and have a lot of healthy clean proteins in your diet to aid in muscle repair. You do not build muscle in the gym... you build it while resting/sleeping. The workout breaks down the muscle fibers (causes micro-tears) and your body uses amino acids and protein to repair the micro-tears with new muscle tissue thus increasing the size of the muscle. But it takes time to build muscle so be patient. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, eat clean and lots of proteins. Whey & casine protein powders are good sources if you can't eat chicken, fish, or egg whites.

Oh one very important tip about weightlifting... QUALITY over quantity. Better to lift a bit lighter weight and keep good form than to lift heavy with bad form. Lifting too heavy with bad form can lead to injury and then where will you be? ;-)

btkkterry

Thanks for the great advice. My arms went from 11.5 to 10.4 and thighs from 19.5 to 17.5 after my weight loss. I feel that I lost muscle
I want to get back to at least where I was

btkkterry

To build muscle you have to 'damage' the muscle fibers by lifting. You need to have a caloric surplus and have a lot of healthy clean proteins in your diet to aid in muscle repair. You do not build muscle in the gym... you build it while resting/sleeping. The workout breaks down the muscle fibers (causes micro-tears) and your body uses amino acids and protein to repair the micro-tears with new muscle tissue thus increasing the size of the muscle. But it takes time to build muscle so be patient. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, eat clean and lots of proteins. Whey & casine protein powders are good sources if you can't eat chicken, fish, or egg whites.

Oh one very important tip about weightlifting... QUALITY over quantity. Better to lift a bit lighter weight and keep good form than to lift heavy with bad form. Lifting too heavy with bad form can lead to injury and then where will you be? ;-)

thanks, great advice

AntWrig

I'm also finding this difficult. I'm using milk with protein powder to boost my calories as there's no other way I can get the extra calories without adding junk. I'm of mixed feeling on the powder it as I'd prefer natural food but keeping it moderate and seeing how it goes.

I find this very hard to believe.

White rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes are your friends. Oh and there is no such thing as "junk" food. Food is food.

monty619

umm... muscle is best gained through good eating habbits.

AntWrig

umm... muscle is best gained through good eating habbits.

What exactly is good "eating" habits?

AnvilHead

I find this very hard to believe.

White rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes are your friends. Oh and there is no such thing as "junk" food. Food is food.

Or if he needs more protein in his diet (which sounds highly likely from his description): Eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chicken, turkey, lean beef/pork, etc. Protein powders are a great supplement if you can't manage enough of the above to get your required protein (which, if you're trying to build muscle, should be a minimum of around 1g/lb. of lean body mass).

OP, there's nothing wrong with supplementing your protein intake with powders/shakes. There are plenty of good ones on the market with minimal carbs/fats added to them. They're not a "magic pill" - they just help you make sure you're getting enough protein to support muscle gain.

monty619

umm... muscle is best gained through good eating habbits.

What exactly is good "eating" habits?

clearly its a relative term just like the question.. to me it would mean that you track your cals and macros and consume micronutrient dense food on a consistant basis.

wackyfunster

There is no reason why you can't eat 'clean' and gain lean body mass. The 3 main factors here:
1) Adequate caloric intake (i.e. caloric surplus)
2) Adequate protein intake (1g/lb. lbm is a good target)
3) Adequate stimulus from resistance training

Great calorie-dense foods you can use to increase net caloric intake:
eggs
whole milk
nuts (including e.g. almond butter)
fatty cuts of meat (select cuts of ribeye are amazing)

AntWrig

I find this very hard to believe.

White rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes are your friends. Oh and there is no such thing as "junk" food. Food is food.

Or if he needs more protein in his diet (which sounds highly likely from his description): Eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chicken, turkey, lean beef/pork, etc. Protein powders are a great supplement if you can't manage enough of the above to get your required protein (which, if you're trying to build muscle, should be a minimum of around 1g/lb. of lean body mass).

OP, there's nothing wrong with supplementing your protein intake with powders/shakes. There are plenty of good ones on the market with minimal carbs/fats added to them. They're not a "magic pill" - they just help you make sure you're getting enough protein to support muscle gain.

He should already be at 1g/lb. So, I didn't even need to go there.

AnvilHead

He should already be at 1g/lb. So, I didn't even need to go there.

About three posts before your original post, he said:

I really need to up my lean protein, I eat very little, mainly fruits and veges.

Hence the presumed need for a LOT more protein in his diet. If he's eating mainly fruits and vegetables as he said, adding rice and potatoes will definitely bulk up his calories, but won't give him the protein that he badly needs if his goal is to build muscle.

eblack25

Hi everyone thank you for all the tips,. I am looking for some friends to help me out thtough this i have a goal to gain some muscle and weigh about 200lbs. I am at 180 now. anyone feel free to friend me and help me thanks

eblack25

hello everyone I'm new to myfitpal my name is eric black . Im trying to gain muscle mass. I try the muscle protein and milk and about 3 to 5 five I go to the gym and lift but I do not see much muscle mass. so if you can please send me anythings tips to help me out