Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
Through food logging I have realised that I am usually way under my calorie needs to gain weight (from 72kg to 75kg). I have been struggling to eat more but think i will be a bit more prescriptive.
The number of calories you take in are much more important than the macro breakdown. It looks like you could use some more protein in your diet though.
Also, watch your saturated fat. I don't think 12% of your daily calories should be coming from saturated fats.
there are also other restrictions:
-must be suitable to eat at work i.e. portable - can be taken in tubs etc
-must be cost effective - I guess I would spend around £20 per week for my lunch food for work.
my goal is to have a 'prescription' of foods I like to eat that I know will get me to around 4000kcal in the healthiest way. As an example, Id like to know what i should eat so i can prepare meal plans for my day at work e.g. 2 bananas, 50g of nuts, 2 yogurts, 1 tuna sandwich etc - weigh it all out in tubs and take it in
I've seen statements for 10-15% sat fat. Not the worst thing in the world.
Look at some vegetarian sources of protein if you're not getting enough and sick of the cheese and milk. Eat eggs? using protein powders?
If you're having trouble eating enough, try some rather calorically dense foods to get in the calories. Peanut butter is good, cook in oil/butter, have cream-based dressings on your salads, use high cal sauces, etc. Sneak them in, so to speak. Use all the calorie traps dieters have to beware of.
I've seen statements for 10-15% sat fat. Not the worst thing in the world.
Look at some vegetarian sources of protein if you're not getting enough and sick of the cheese and milk. Eat eggs? using protein powders?
If you're having trouble eating enough, try some rather calorically dense foods to get in the calories. Peanut butter is good, cook in oil/butter, have cream-based dressings on your salads, use high cal sauces, etc. Sneak them in, so to speak. Use all the calorie traps dieters have to beware of.
I do use eggs and protein powders. usually i try to have 3 eggs and 2 toast for breakfast everyday, and a weight gain shake every day. E.g today just to get to my goal i had to have a weight gain shake, 500ml of chocolate milk, and a can of nurishment (enriched milk)! I cant do that every day for cost reasons.
peanut butter is a good idea though.
i do have full fat dressings and cook in oil/butter - these little things are hard to log on fitday so i guess you can add soem extra calories (and fat!) to my logs.
oil is 100kcal /tbsp. (so is butter) Dressings are usually measured in 2oz servings which can be 100-200kcal each. I'd guess people on average use 2-4oz on a full sized salad if they're just pouring it on the salad (not dipping on side). Just to give you a few estimates to guess with.
Beans are pretty good sources of protein and pretty cheap. Tofu as well.
Egg salad (with full mayo) is a good portable meal and an easier way to eat more eggs.
A package of ramen noodles is 400kcal, and if you don't make it as a soup, it's not super filling. I'll grant you ramen has not too much going for it other than cals and cost, but it's gonna be hard to get all your calls from perfectly "clean" foods and not break your bank account.
Mashed potatoes made with butter and milk.
Alfredo sauce on pasta. Mac & cheese.
Rice with butter.
Ice cream.
Anyway, hopefully you'll find stuff to add in and more easily get your cals in. Also, once you start eating bigger you should be able to increase more. It takes a bit, I'd guess.
oil is 100kcal /tbsp. (so is butter) Dressings are usually measured in 2oz servings which can be 100-200kcal each. I'd guess people on average use 2-4oz on a full sized salad if they're just pouring it on the salad (not dipping on side). Just to give you a few estimates to guess with.
Beans are pretty good sources of protein and pretty cheap. Tofu as well.
Egg salad (with full mayo) is a good portable meal and an easier way to eat more eggs.
A package of ramen noodles is 400kcal, and if you don't make it as a soup, it's not super filling. I'll grant you ramen has not too much going for it other than cals and cost, but it's gonna be hard to get all your calls from perfectly "clean" foods and not break your bank account.
Mashed potatoes made with butter and milk.
Alfredo sauce on pasta. Mac & cheese.
Rice with butter.
Ice cream.
Anyway, hopefully you'll find stuff to add in and more easily get your cals in. Also, once you start eating bigger you should be able to increase more. It takes a bit, I'd guess.
I think Peanut Butter is a wonder food in regards to weight gain.
You could start taking a PB sandwich in addition to what you already take for lunch foods. If you do just 2 slices of bread, and 4 tbsp of PB, you're at around 500 calories.
Or, have one of these right before you go to bed. It's dirt cheap and will push your overall intake higher.
worrying about specific macros is not worth your time.
Eat real food, enough so you are gaining weight, lift progressively heavier, and don't think to much about things.
some cheap foods that will help you get enough cals:
-Trail mix
-1kg bags of peanuts (2.2lbs.. sometimes they are only $4-5 here)
-whole eggs (I eat up to a dozen many days)
-olive oil
-tons of cheap meats. When steaks are on sale buy as much as you can afford. Dont buy chicken breast, buy chicken thighs and such instead because they are so much cheaper and more cals.
-Whole Milk
I actually find it more expensive if im trying to lean out as im buying better cuts of meat.
When I do buy meat (for my wife) I always buy free range, and for fish I buy the marine stewardhsip grade (?) as I am very conscious of animal welfare! I am willing to pay more and eat less for this.
anyhow, I will get some peanut butter I think as it is a food I am a bit neautral to - i wouldnt particularly enjoy a peanut butter sandwich but i could get it down!
thanks for the helpful suggestions!
another thing - does the time of day you eat the cals make a difference or not? Looking at an extreme example of Michael Phelps' diet, he seems to have half of his calories for breakfast.
I know people who do that, (1/2 cals for bfast), it's usually for weight loss, in that they'll get in a good hearty breakfast and not be hungry for a while and eat less rest of day. Doesn't work for others, as it makes them hungrier all day. But there's nothing magical about it.
Same, I would assume for gaining. It's an easy way to be sure to get in enough food, will give you energy for the day, and may make you hungrier the rest of the day making eating more easier. But it's not like meal timing really matters. Phelps likely in part needs the energy for the hours of training. *shrug* Plus, a LOT of people just do what they do and it doesn't not work so they think it works. Versus just realizing that pretty much anything would work.
anyhow, I will get some peanut butter I think as it is a food I am a bit neautral to - i wouldnt particularly enjoy a peanut butter sandwich but i could get it down!
If you aren't terribly fond of plain peanut butter sandwiches you can try jazzing them up or try peanut butter mixed in other things. After all if you can find stuff you actually like it makes it a whole lot easier to follow your plan.
Some random ideas:
There are lots of flavorings that can work with peanut butter.
Try adding marmalade to your peanut butter sandwiches, or bananas, or mixing some form of chocolate with the peanut butter, or honey mixed with the peanut butter, or cinnamon and sugar on top.
Also it doesn't have to be a bread sandwich. It can be a muffin with peanut butter, a pancake with peanut butter (rolled up or flat), cornbread topped with peanut butter, etc...
Peanut butter can go in a million things with a million flavorings.
There are african inspired peanut butter soups that are super cheap. (I don't have a recipe for that but I remember a housemate making that back when we lived on uber cheap foods like ramen so I know it's not spendy.)
There are peanut sauces you can make with peanut butter for your veggies. I haven't tried this one yet, but I clipped out this recipe recently for a sauce to top a cooked spinach & asparagus mix: In a bowl mix 3 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Add milk as needed to make smooth. (up to 2 Tbsp nonfat milk -though I doubt there's any reason to use nonfat, just what that recipe calls for.)
Can you tell I like peanut butter?
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I know people who do that, (1/2 cals for bfast), it's usually for weight loss, in that they'll get in a good hearty breakfast and not be hungry for a while and eat less rest of day. Doesn't work for others, as it makes them hungrier all day. But there's nothing magical about it.
Same, I would assume for gaining. It's an easy way to be sure to get in enough food, will give you energy for the day, and may make you hungrier the rest of the day making eating more easier.
I beg to differ. Look at how normal Americans eat:
Breakfast: nothing. too big a hurry to get to work.
Mid-morning snack: donut. maybe some toast.
Lunch: getting pretty hungry. maybe a burger/fries.
Afternoon snack: munchies building. chips and coke time.
Dinner: HOLY CRAP FEED ME FEED ME massive gorgings
Late night snack: continued munchies on salty and sweet stuff
See? It's a back-loaded day of calories and it's inarguably been effective for bulking for millions of Americans.
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Don't worry too much about saturated fats. Concerns are overrated. Dietary cholesterol does not cause heart disease.
I would be more concerned about the Poly fats. Make sure you balance the Omega 6 with the same amount of Omega 3. More protein would be good. If you want to experiment with meat, look at grass fed meat from a small local farmer. Visit the farm, see how the cattle are raised. I'd recommend this to anyone, not just animal welfare types. It is definitely healthier meat. Eggs should be a cornerstone of your diet.
I ave had extreme thirst and weight loss and a history of diabetes in the familly. I had a urine test yesterday and GP found high glucose in it.
He has now referred me for full blood tests (FBC ESR, GLU, liver function).
That explans a lot of my symptoms in the past, its just going to be difficult to find a vegetarian, diabetic weight gain diet!
If you're a vegetarian for health reasons, it's time to stop it.
If it's for moral reasons, then eggs and dairy are fine? You can eat a ton of eggs and cheese and gain all the weight you want. You'll just be eating eggs, cheese and protein powder instead of meat.
That being said, health first, gain weight second.
OK, got my full bloods back...and they are normal?!?!
I need a follow up doc appointment but it may be something like Renal glycosuria which apparently doesnt need treatment.
As for the weight gain - I have really upped my intake, with 4 eggs and 2 weetabix for breakfast every day, a protein shake, and generally more nuts and cheese and dnacking through the day - generally I'm having at least 3,500 kcal per day now. I have put on 1kg and am the heaviest Ive ever been at 73.5kg. I just realised that all the times I thought I was eating lots I was never eating enough!
Diet proportions for weight gain?
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