Nutrition basics for putting on weight

Some of the basic things you need to know about eating.

When it comes to gaining weight, nutrition is one of the key things that will make it, or break it. Unlike a lot of other people, that can pile on the pounds if they simply don't watch what they eat, hard gainers have a tough time putting on any weight even if they do eat like a fat guy. The basic principle is the more and the healthier you eat, the better your weigh gaining journey will go. Here is a list of things you need to know about your diet before you can start bulking up.

Calories in, calories out. You need to be consuming more calories then your body needs. Your body requires the extra energy and the nutrients from the food to be able to grow new tissue. The amount of calories will be different for everyone, but as a general guide, if you take your bodyweight in pounds, multiply it by two and add another 100 to 200 calories you should have the average amount of calories you need to be consuming. This is just a rough estimate and if you have an active lifestyle you may need more. Keep checking that scale and if it hasn't budged in a week, add another 250-500 calories.

Macro Nutrient ratio. For the caloric excess to be the most effective, you need to be consuming a good balance of macro nutrients. Those are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. A rough guide is to have about 35-45% of your calories come from carbohydrates, 25-35% of your calories need to come from protein and the remaining 20-30% to be coming from fat.

Healthy Sources. The healthier the food you eat is, the more value your body will get out of it. Imagine it like getting two books, both full of information on a subject. One of them is full of fluff and babble, while the other one is full of very useful information that is relevant to your interest or goal. Which one do you think will benefit you the most? Whole natural food is the best way to go.

Start reading the labels. Just because a food is labeled sugar free or made for diets, doesn't mean it's healthy. Any processed food isn't perfect for you. As Jack Lalanne once said: "if man made it, don't eat it, if it tastes good, spit it out." The man is 94, still exercises every day and did some amazing feats of fitness when he was 70. At first you probably won't know what to look for, what's good for you and what's not. Just get used to reading the labels and looking at every food for it's functionality, soon enough you'll start realizing which foods, do what, to your body. Obviously try to stay away from the sugary, pre made junk food. However if you just can't get all your calories from the healthy sources it might be a good idea to turn to some unhealthy options. As long as your diet is based of healthy foods, having some unhealthy food to catch up on those calories will be better then nothing.

Consistency. It is very important not to skip meals and have a consistent stream of nutrients going into your system all the time. If you have no choice - eat junk food. But try to not eat it all at once, and maybe split it into a few portions and eat them with a bit of time in between.

Frequency. Start eating more frequently. If you can only get 3 meals a day, make sure that those are big meals. Also have a good snack between each meal. I love having smoothies. Eating every 3 hours is the advised. Try and have 4 to 6 meals a day if you can, if not, snack ALOT!

Vitamins and minerals. Often overlooked by a lot of people, but may be the most important factor in gaining weight. Make sure you get them from things like fruit and vegetables, suplements and multivitamins are very inferior. They say you need 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. I say stuff that. Aim for like 20. The more the better. 5 should be your bear minimum. Again I recommend smoothies. Look at it this way, if you don't get the vitamins and minerals, your body will simply flush all those calories you're eating down the toilet.

Water. Very important, you need to be drinking loads of it. Aim for at least 3 liters of pure H2O a day. If your urine isn't clear then have a big glass or two. I usually drink my water from a pint glass. I have one before and one after each meal. I also drink a lot throughout the day.

Those are some of the very basic things you need to know. I have so much information to share I could literally write a book on some of the points up there. The books I have listed on the right explain this stuff in a lot more detail and give you the exact things you need to be eating in exact quantities. Check them out.

 

Today's top 3:

1. The Truth About Building Muscle

Hands down the best book on gaining muscle weight, out there.

 

2. No Nonsense Muscle Building

An excellent book by a true expert.

 

3. Amazing Smoothies

Getting the extra needed calories and nutrients couldn't be easier.

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