Growth

kellbell62016
kellbell62016 Posts: 24 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi, trying to gain 7 lbs is very hard for me. I have a very fast metabolism and I'm in pretty good shape as is, eating healthy and working out at least 4 days a week. Recently changed my gym routine, cut out a lot of cardio. Any suggestions on building muscle weight or adding in certain foods to my diet? Trying to consume double the calories I'm use to in one day is very challenging.

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2016
    Calorie dense food is where it as for you. Try this link.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

    Up the calories as needed each week or two. If you need to, cut the cardio out entirely (or back that down to just doing some walking (I really do not know what type of cardio you do and how often) for a while until you see at least .5 pound gain each week. You might could also separate any cardio from your lifting so for example only do it on alternate days or if you do both in the same day, separate these to a window far apart enough that the cardio will not impede your lifting perhaps at least 4 hours a apart.
  • kellbell62016
    kellbell62016 Posts: 24 Member
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Calorie dense food is where it as for you. Try this link.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

    Up the calories as needed each week or two. If you need to, cut the cardio out entirely (or back that down to just doing some walking (I really do not know what type of cardio you do and how often) for a while until you see at least .5 pound gain each week. You might could also separate any cardio from your lifting so for example only do it on alternate days or if you do both in the same day, separate these to a window far apart enough that the cardio will not impede your lifting perhaps at least 4 hours a apart.

    Thank you, very helpful!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you#latest

    Follow a structured routine like one of the above. As RoxieDawn stated, you need to eat higher calorie dense foods. Protein should be around .8g per lb of weight. And reading some of the stickies at the top of the page can be helpful.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    edited June 2016
    I wrote something for another user, I think this will benefit you:
    HamsterManV2 wrote: »
    Calculate your TDEE - this is how many calories to eat to MAINTAIN weight. Scientifically, 3500 calories = 1lb. So if we divide 3500 calories by 7 days of the week, you need to eat TDEE plus 500 calories to gain 1lb per week.

    So that means you need to log and measure EVERYTHING you put in your mouth, and eat TDEE + 500 calories. I assume you are lifting during this time, as the caloric surplus will greatly aid in strength and muscle growth. I would not recommend going any more than that, as you can only build a certain amount of muscle and any excess will turn into fat.

    i.e. I am a 27/male/5'7", gymming 4 days a week. I put in my stats and my TDEE comes out to 2300 calories. To bulk, I have to eat 2800 calories DAILY for +1lb per week. If I wanted to gain 10 lbs, that's roughly 3 months of bulking. If I wanted to lose weight, I'd cut and eat 1800 calories daily for -1lb per week.

    Remember, consistency over intensity. Skinny people overestimate how much they eat (and overweight people underestimate). The scale and food tracking keeps us all honest. It's not how much you eat in 1 meal or 1 weekend, but what you do day-in-day-out.

    Since you are a smaller person, +500 calories may be too much for you. You can do +10% to 20% of your TDEE instead as that is more in line with your weight. Or else you can do +250 calories for +0.5lbs per week (or +2lbs per month).

    I will say DO NOT GIVE UP CARDIO - just eat more. Cardio is good for your heart, and on a caloric surplus you may find yourself with more energy and push yourself harder.

    If you aren't gaining weight, just add 100 calories to your diet, and wait a couple of weeks then re-assess.
  • kellbell62016
    kellbell62016 Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you so much
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you don't have a "fast metabolism" you are just very active...

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