Gaining 7 lbs of muscle?

vanillasting009
vanillasting009 Posts: 2
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone i am new to this site. And i think it is cool that you can keep track of everything you eat,and what types of exercises you are doing or what you will be doing.My thing is I'm having a hard time gaining seven pounds of muscle since my metabolism is so high and i have to up everything I eat.I have no problem whatsoever working out and increasing my exercises every week.I've been working out for years but have had gaps in between.So I have been slacking from time to time.But this time I know I will not slip again.I can't as we all continue to get older.But I am challenged to consume 2900 calories just to gain a half a pound a week.But it is becoming expensive to try and keep up eating right and trying to gain muscle mass.If anyone has been there or is going through that, you know what I am talking about.But I know it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to eat healthy.And I do give much respect,and congrats to those who have accomplished losing weight.

Replies

  • HeatherS23
    HeatherS23 Posts: 3
    I just started working out a few weeks ago, but I have a lot of friends that are fit. Do you take any type of supplements or drink Muscle Milk?
  • ashleyxnicole89
    ashleyxnicole89 Posts: 38 Member
    Try eating protein bars, and drinking protein instead of actually eating all your calories, drink some of them too.
  • brandenocs
    brandenocs Posts: 146 Member
    LOTS of protein (there's mass building formulas on bodybuilding.com that are upwards of 1k calories per serving). Creatine. And there's loads of other supplements that can help boost your muscle gains.
  • BigPatrickB
    BigPatrickB Posts: 13 Member
    I have a buddy who is a hard-gainer and he had the same issues. The things he did to put on muscle were to attempt to eat 1-2 grams of protein for every pound of bodyweight he wanted to be. He ended up having to break up his meals into 7 or 8 per day and every 2-3 hours he had to have a can of tuna, 4-6 ounces of chicken, a protein shake, etc. He mixed those with good carbs (potatoes, long grain rice, sweet potatoes, etc.) and had a good amount of vegetables every other "meal." If you read up on what bodybuilders do to gain muscle and keep it on (some of the bigger guys have to eat 8,000-10,000 calories a day just to maintain their muscle mass) you can get some good tips. I remember reading an article on Jay Cutler (the Mr. Olympia, not the Bears QB) and he used to wake up twice a night just to drink protein shakes and go back to sleep. Of course, he was 5'10" tall and 285 pounds with 2% bodyfat, so that's a bit extreme. But it's an option. Also, you HAVE to lift heavy if you're going to be eating like that and you might want to cut back on the cardio.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    I think I need a second stomach.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    you could always trying the gallon of milk a day approach.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    I'm the opposite. I'm naturally muscular especially on my legs where my calves stand out even if I don't do calf raises. The only problem is that its considered a liability for a woman. My mother & other women say that my legs look like a man & that I should not bike or run too much but I love my strong legs & theres no way that I will lose my calves. But I gain weight (fat & muscle) fast & at the same time I lose it pretty quick too. I suggest you try buying Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book. There it includes some tips for every body type.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    minimum 1g protein per lb & +500 over maintenance is a good start.

    Milk is a good option for cals for hard gainers. Generally, when people are hard gainers they just underestimate their activity levels or overestimate their food intake.

    All food doesn't have to be "clean" either. Especially, if you're trying to gain weight.

    7lbs of muscle is a fair bit though and depending on your training level could take a while. Remember, there will be fat gained as well so that is why it's good to keep to a conservative surplus (rather than +2500 per day for example) It is easier to cut fat than it is to gain muscle though IMO.

    Good luck :smile:
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
    minimum 1g protein per lb & +500 over maintenance is a good start.

    Milk is a good option for cals for hard gainers. Generally, when people are hard gainers they just underestimate their activity levels or overestimate their food intake.

    All food doesn't have to be "clean" either. Especially, if you're trying to gain weight.

    7lbs of muscle is a fair bit though and depending on your training level could take a while. Remember, there will be fat gained as well so that is why it's good to keep to a conservative surplus (rather than +2500 per day for example) It is easier to cut fat than it is to gain muscle though IMO.

    Good luck :smile:


    Well said, especially on the milk (homo/full fat 3.25/4%) with lots of cereal, when I do bulking phases I can easily eat 1200 calories a day in just cereal/milk. Do up the oats with brown sugar, raisins (and milk of course, or you can add vanilla protein powder, tis my fave PWO meal), eat tons of sweet and white potatoes, rice, I bake myself fresh bread for cheat day, usually eat an entire loaf on my own in one day (With butter and jam). I am 5'7 140 lbs, 15% bf and when I was doing my last bulk I was eating 2500-3300 before eating back exercise calories. My BMR is 2200-2300 for my activity level. You don't have to worry about food being "clean" per say, because you shouldn't worry about the fats (unless they are trans) or the carbs (unless your bingeing on cupcakes) :).
  • jessicamckay13
    jessicamckay13 Posts: 297
    I have the same problem. I try to net 2200-2500 cals with 150g protein (I weight 107 so that's almost 1.5g per lb bodyweight) and still don't gain. I'm trying to add in more milk (hate drinking milk, so hot chocolate it is!) and orange juice/smoothies. I did gain when I stopped running so much but I was also losing my sanity, so I'm trying to find a happy medium :)
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