Advice Pls - 2255 calories/day needed

Deena_Bean
Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi - I'm writing on behalf of my boyfriend (trying to help him out in a way that's easy for him). He is a tall, thin guy - needs to build up some muscle but has a very hard time getting enough calories in. He is not a big eater a lot of the time and will be starting small (push-ups, some weight lifting, etc). Right now most of his exercise is with me - which is walking. He's not sedentary at work, but he's not doing any heavy lifting/moving for the most part. He has to walk a lot to get to different parts of the building (he's an engineer, but helps the technicians get things done when needed). So basically I need to know the best way to add calories/protein for him without him having to eat a ton of food. He has a very sensitive/finicky stomach so on days that he's having stomach problems, he doesn't like to eat a whole bunch. Here's his info:

Age: 48
Height: 6'
CW: 161 (give or take a pound or two)
BMR: 1640
TDEE: 2255
Recommended for bulking: 2368
Carb (grams per day): 286.1
Protein: 161
Fat: 64.4
Fiber: 32-40

Thanks for any advice you can give me. I'm hoping to order maybe a powder supplement for him on Amazon today (when I order myself a food scale) :)

Replies

  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Given his stats, there's no way he'll bulk on 2368. I'm 5'4" and currently about 128 lbs., and I didn't start gaining until I started hitting 2200 daily. I ran his stats through Scooby's and it's suggesting 2528, and that's with very little exercise.
  • GretaGirl8
    GretaGirl8 Posts: 274 Member
    He is a tall, thin guy - needs to build up some muscle but has a very hard time getting enough calories in.

    does he think he needs to build up some muscle?
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    I agree...if he is alittle active he needs more calories....Pasta, Bananas, protein shakes, Peanut butter and Advocados
  • gentryferguson
    gentryferguson Posts: 3
    Let me say this, I am 29 5'10" and I take in about 3200 calories a day consisting of high protein high carb diet. When I first started I was about 150lbs and it took me a year to get to 185lbs (158lbs muscle mass). So I recommend that you increase that calorie count and eat lots of carbs and proteins (more than what this site recommends). On average I take in about 280g or protein and around 300g of carbs. Then he needs to lift like an animal in the gym and sleep it off at night. He can get there but needs to put in the work. I hope this helps!
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    Thanks everyone, and @GretaGirl8, yes he thinks he needs to build muscle. He thinks he has lost some muscle over the last year or so and his doc was a little concerned about weight loss (he's lost about 10 pounds over the last 1.5 year - he's been really stressed at times so that's probably part of it). I don't personally think he looks unhealthy or bad, but I love the guy and want him to stick around a while ;)

    I'll let him know about the major calorie hike needed. Is there a powder of some sort that will help him reach the calorie/protein goal easier? Like Whey maybe? He won't have an easy time eating that much food. He's not trying to become like a super-man kind of guy, but he wants to build some muscle and maybe gain around 15 or so pounds. This isn't going to be a hobby, it's more about the older you get the more important the muscle/health is.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I agree...if he is alittle active he needs more calories....Pasta, Bananas, protein shakes, Peanut butter and Advocados

    He really loves avocados...pasta is a good one, too for him. Not a big PB fan, though.

    Do any of you know anything about PB2? It's a powdered version of peanut butter from what I understand, that you can add to shakes.
  • DanNight
    DanNight Posts: 74 Member
    We buy PB2 and add it to smoothies, but sometimes I just mix it with some water and make some regular, creamy peanut butter with it. It tastes good and I can't believe it did actually taste like 'real' peanut butter.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    I agree...if he is alittle active he needs more calories....Pasta, Bananas, protein shakes, Peanut butter and Advocados

    He really loves avocados...pasta is a good one, too for him. Not a big PB fan, though.

    Do any of you know anything about PB2? It's a powdered version of peanut butter from what I understand, that you can add to shakes.

    Eating PB2 over regular PB when you're bulking is kinda silly. PB2 has like 1/4 the calories of regular PB.

    Anything high in fat will generally be very calorie dense. Make him Nutella and PB sandwiches. With a hearty bread you can get 600-700 calories out of a single sandwich easily. Ice cream is very energy dense too, hint hint. Drink whole milk, add heavy cream to oatmeal (along with plenty of maple syrup/brown sugar/honey). It's really easy to hit 2255. Hell I'd be starving if I had to eat that little.

    They do make weight gainer shakes, they are basically whey and some form of sugar (maltodextrin or similar usually). Adding in some nut butter will make it even heavier. It's not the optimal choice but it's better than being 6' and 161lbs I guess.
  • GretaGirl8
    GretaGirl8 Posts: 274 Member
    Thanks everyone, and @GretaGirl8, yes he thinks he needs to build muscle. He thinks he has lost some muscle over the last year or so and his doc was a little concerned about weight loss (he's lost about 10 pounds over the last 1.5 year - he's been really stressed at times so that's probably part of it). I don't personally think he looks unhealthy or bad, but I love the guy and want him to stick around a while ;)

    I'll let him know about the major calorie hike needed. Is there a powder of some sort that will help him reach the calorie/protein goal easier? Like Whey maybe? He won't have an easy time eating that much food. He's not trying to become like a super-man kind of guy, but he wants to build some muscle and maybe gain around 15 or so pounds. This isn't going to be a hobby, it's more about the older you get the more important the muscle/health is.

    thanks for your response. i was just checking if he was on board with the weight gain. (some people who post on this board don't always want to gain weight).

    I know it sounds silly, but if he could eat just 1/4th a cup of peanut butter a day...that would add 400 calories per day. 1/4th a cup is not hard to do (well, for us peanut butter fanatics out there). adding olive oil to cooked veggies and meat is another good way to get calories in without really realizing it. use a high calorie salad dressing to his side salad. cheese. poptarts (I am always amazed how one measly poptart has 200 calories). good luck.
  • pstmd
    pstmd Posts: 2
    If he is loosing muscle mass at 48 without a significant change in his activity level he may want to ask his doctor to check his Testosterone level. Low T will lead to muscle mass loss, low energy, loss of libido (we don't need to know the details). Its an simple blood test. Might want to throw in a Thyroid panel as well.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    not for nothing- but why is he not here doing this and asking?

    Does he want to gain the weight? or is there something else driving that?

    The reason I ask is that typically if someone is not willing to do the work to find the answers to their questions- they aren't willing to do the work and put in the effort to make the actual changes.

    It's gotta be self driven.

    But to answer your question- if he can't eat all his food- drinking it is a great option.
    I'm a big fan of oreo's and ice cream.

    What you eat in gain is significantly less important than how much you eat- all that "junk food" people cry about is a bulking person's best friend when they struggle to eat enough.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    not for nothing- but why is he not here doing this and asking?

    Does he want to gain the weight? or is there something else driving that?

    The reason I ask is that typically if someone is not willing to do the work to find the answers to their questions- they aren't willing to do the work and put in the effort to make the actual changes.

    It's gotta be self driven.

    But to answer your question- if he can't eat all his food- drinking it is a great option.
    I'm a big fan of oreo's and ice cream.

    What you eat in gain is significantly less important than how much you eat- all that "junk food" people cry about is a bulking person's best friend when they struggle to eat enough.

    He may join the site, just a matter of making time for it and logging food is not high on his list. If I know enough about what he needs to eat, etc, then he will do it...but I doubt he'll be into the hard-core logging everything he does. That's why I'm asking - mostly to get ideas and pass the info on. He will definitely be willing to eat/do the things I bring up, I don't doubt that. He thinks that gaining weight is "a good idea" but isn't on a major mission. I can recommend things, though, and see how it goes. Obviously I can't force it all upon him, but he's willing to listen and try, so I'll start there with him.

    @pstmd - he has been tested for low T quite some time ago, it was borderline. They'll test it again, but aside from losing muscle mass the other 'symptoms' of low T are not there.

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