Increased Portion Sizes, Plus
Snacks
In order to gain weight you need to increase your
normal portion sizes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to eating one
to two snacks throughout the day. The key to eating snacks is packing them in
advance when you are on the go. Put them in your gym bag, book bag, or your
locker at school or work. When you know that food will not be readily available, it is
up to you to make sure you have the food you need for your diet. In order to
get the maximum benefit from your increased calorie intake, your timing needs
to be right.
Timing is Key
After lifting weights your protein and glycogen synthesis levels are at their
peak. In order to take advantage of this and thus maximize the benefits of
resistance training, you need to ingest protein within 45 minutes of completing
your workout and carbohydrates within 15 minutes. So how much protein and
carbohydrates should you take in? Make sure to ingest 10-20g of protein within
45 minutes of completing your workout and you should take in the appropriate amount of carbs within 15 minutes of lifting. To
figure out how many grams of carbohydrates you should eat, simply divide your
body weight by 2.
Example: a 200 pound person needs 100g of carbs (200/2 = 100). They then need to continue to take
in 100g of carbs every 30 minutes for the next 4 to 5 hours.
The combination of
protein and carbohydrate will also reduce cortisol in your body, which is a
hormone that breaks down muscle fiber. Studies have shown that athletes who
consume protein and carbohydrates immediately before and after their workouts
gained more muscle mass than those who did not time their protein and carb intake
in this way. Beyond working out, you should aim to eat at least every four
hours throughout the day. Break up long gaps between your three main meals with
healthful, calorie dense snacks as discussed above.
Perseverance
Weight gain of this nature is going to take patience and increasing your calorie intake this much is going to be hard work. Do not give up. Think of your food as your weight gaining medicine. You will not get over a virus by skipping on your antibiotics the same way you will not gain weight by skimping on your food intake. Your weight gain will not happen overnight, but instead will happen gradually. It will be tempting to take supplements such as protein and weight gaining shakes. These are a waste of money and have not been proven to add any benefit for those who eat correctly. You will reach your goals without supplements by lifting weights and sticking with larger portions of healthful foods for meals and snacks.
For a 3 day healthy, mass gaining meal plan... shoot me an email! strengthbymatt@gmail.com
Real soon here, I'll highlight a proven, easy to follow weight lifting strategy that'll get ya allllll kinds of gains!
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