Gaining muscle with minimal fat

Drake940
Drake940 Posts: 39 Member
edited December 4 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I just started going to the gym and I wanted to increase my calories by a few hundred to gain lean muscle. To gain 0.5 lbs a week, I have to eat around 400 calories more than before. My question is, does it matter whether the excess Calories Come from protein, carbs or fat or does it have to be protein to gain lean muscle. I have a protein goal which I easily Achieve but I don't set carb or fat goals specifically like protein.

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Protein should be 0.8-1g/pound. Fat 0.4g/pound. The rest can be carbs.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Assuming you are already eating enough protein and fat then no. The first rule of bulking is just get your calories in.
  • Andropolice
    Andropolice Posts: 9 Member
    If you're eating around a gram of protein per lb of your body weight then it can be carbs or fats. Everyone's different so you could try getting the excess calories from carbs to see how it affects you :) Should help in workouts.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Just to add; to gain 0.5lbs a week you require a 250 calorie surplus daily.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    KasimH1996 wrote: »
    I just started going to the gym and I wanted to increase my calories by a few hundred to gain lean muscle. To gain 0.5 lbs a week, I have to eat around 400 calories more than before. My question is, does it matter whether the excess Calories Come from protein, carbs or fat or does it have to be protein to gain lean muscle. I have a protein goal which I easily Achieve but I don't set carb or fat goals specifically like protein.

    Muscle is naturally lean. What determines how much fat you gain are a few other factors; how new you are to lifting, how lean you are to start, how good your training is, how large your surplus is, age, and genetics. Men typically have a 50/50 ratio of fat to muscle, women 75/25.
  • 143353326
    143353326 Posts: 14 Member
    Diet is extremely important when you are about to gain muscles.Your muscles are made up of over 25% protein along with up to 75% water and stored glycogen (carbohydrates).So,I think it is safe to say that if you are trying to build muscle, you need to eat a few extra grams of protein to get your calories up.
  • demo_man805
    demo_man805 Posts: 87 Member
    I like protein at 1.2/lb of body mass. The. I do 25% of daily calories from fat and backfill the rest with carbs.

    But when in a surplus it's probably not that important where the calories come from as much.
  • chamberlainsamantha46
    chamberlainsamantha46 Posts: 23 Member
    KasimH1996 wrote: »
    I just started going to the gym and I wanted to increase my calories by a few hundred to gain lean muscle. To gain 0.5 lbs a week, I have to eat around 400 calories more than before. My question is, does it matter whether the excess Calories Come from protein, carbs or fat or does it have to be protein to gain lean muscle. I have a protein goal which I easily Achieve but I don't set carb or fat goals specifically like protein.

  • chamberlainsamantha46
    chamberlainsamantha46 Posts: 23 Member
    First of all you have to lose the weight first and you will start gaining muscle I lost all the weight first and I gained muscle fast legs and my arms and abs and booty baby I look super sexy and toned by eating healthy and portion and veggies are healthy and fresh salmon
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    chamberlainsamantha46 wrote: »
    First of all you have to lose the weight first and you will start gaining muscle I lost all the weight first and I gained muscle fast legs and my arms and abs and booty baby I look super sexy and toned by eating healthy and portion and veggies are healthy and fresh salmon

    No.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    chamberlainsamantha46 wrote: »
    First of all you have to lose the weight first and you will start gaining muscle I lost all the weight first and I gained muscle fast legs and my arms and abs and booty baby I look super sexy and toned by eating healthy and portion and veggies are healthy and fresh salmon

    You don't have to... in the past 12 months I have put on 7kg lean mass and dropped 12.4% body fat. It is just a slow process to recomp and you need to be patient
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