I could easily eat more than this app suggests

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Hey guys!
So I'm trying to gain weight and this app tells me my daily goal is 2600 calories. Everyone in the internet says if you want to build muscle you should eat as much as you can etc. Well I could easily eat like 4000 calories a day. (Of course I know it's important to stick to the suggested fat/protein/carbs ratio). So my question is: Should I eat as much as I can or stick to those 2600 calories. Btw my weight still isn't increasing.
Thank you very much in advance!

Cheers!
Tony

Replies

  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    Hey guys!
    So I'm trying to gain weight and this app tells me my daily goal is 2600 calories. Everyone in the internet says if you want to build muscle you should eat as much as you can etc. Well I could easily eat like 4000 calories a day. (Of course I know it's important to stick to the suggested fat/protein/carbs ratio). So my question is: Should I eat as much as I can or stick to those 2600 calories. Btw my weight still isn't increasing.
    Thank you very much in advance!

    Cheers!
    Tony

    "everyone on the Internet" is not an expert.

    You're at a good site for credible information. Take time to read the sticky posts at the top of the forum. SOme of those posts will steer you in the right direction.

    TO your question about the lack of weight increase, you could provide information about yourself, your regime, your diet , your anything that would allow useful feedback from the experienced folks here.

    good luck


  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Without your age, height and current weight, and activity level, it's impossible for us to know if 2600 calories are right for your goals.

    However, what I can say is, the faster you put on weight, the more of it will be fat and not muscle. To prioritize muscle gain, you'll need a slight surplus (250 calories over maintenance or so), adequate protein intake, and a sustained progressive lifting program.
  • nicolemarie__
    nicolemarie__ Posts: 9 Member
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    If your weight isn’t increasing and that’s your goal definitely eat more! The apps amount isn’t foolproof and you have to play around with the amount to find what suits you. The higher you go over your maintenance the quicker you’ll gain weight of course, but if it’s muscle you’re looking to gain, you’ll gain more fat in your bulk then if you increased weight more slowly
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    H Everyone in the internet says if you want to build muscle you should eat as much as you can etc.

    First of all not everyone on the internet says that as it would be utterly stupid.
    That's going back to the 1980's when dirty bulking and a massive amount of PEDs were the thing amongst some body builders.

    What most educated people would realise is that you can't force feed muscle growth - your diet supports your training and recovery but it doesn't drive muscle growth. A massive surplus won't gain more muscle than your potential rate of growth with a sensible surplus, you will just gain more fat.

    Unless you don't care about how much fat you gain while bulking keep your surplus reasonable.

    Questions:
    • What did you put in your goals selection to come up with 2600 - remembering it's 2600 plus exercise calories and only 2600 on a day with no exercise.
    • How long have you been eating 2600? Are you not eating back exercise calories?
    • How long has your weight been stable?
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,217 Member
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    Without your age, height and current weight, and activity level, it's impossible for us to know if 2600 calories are right for your goals.

    However, what I can say is, the faster you put on weight, the more of it will be fat and not muscle. To prioritize muscle gain, you'll need a slight surplus (250 calories over maintenance or so), adequate protein intake, and a sustained progressive lifting program.

    QFT. The old school "eat big to get big" approach will certainly make the scale go up but for lean mass you don't need a huge deficit. It also happens a whole lot slower than anyone in the industry likes to promote, especially if you've been lifting for a while.