Hardgainer diet

[Apollo]

Well I don't know about you guys but I'm getting a little tired about talking about dicks all the time on here so here's a question about a different subject.

As you guys may or may not know I'm currently trying to gain weight (mostly in the form of lean muscle mass). I've been skinny my whole life and this is just something that's important to me.

At the beginning of summer '09 I weighed 145 pounds on a 5'10" frame. As of right now I weigh around 159 with very little increase in bodyfat.

My diet has consisted of:

Bagels and cream cheese (~400 calories!)
Salads with olive oil, sunflower seeds and avocado (loaded with healthy fats)
Rice
Salmon fillets
Grilled chicken breast
Ground beef in tomato sauce on pasta
Hamburgers
Weight gainers (maltodextrin + whey)
High calorie protein bars
Fruit juice
Almonds
Sandwiches with lunch meat

I try to eat every three hours and aim for 2700-3100 calories daily.

Are any of you guys trying to do the same thing? Any suggestions on what foods to eat?

[Frenchcock]

Hmm... I would like to weigh more too. But I don't want to gain fat : only muscle...
Anyway, I can't be fat : I eat like a pig all the time and weigh 121 ibs (and my height is 5'7").

[Apollo]

Shiet, must be a buncha fatties in this forum :mrgreen

[KaFish]

A few things you guys gaining weight need to understand. If you ever want to be truly huge you will end up putting on some fat along the way, unless you have elite genetics for building muscle which 99% of the population do not.

Food choices look pretty good apollo, I would also suggest adding in whole milk...liquid calories are very easy to consume and make gaining weight much easier. Also, do not be afraid to add extra virgin olive oil (healthy fats) to your protein shakes or salads. Natural peanut butter is also a great choice for gaining (I prefer smuckers).

Make sure you are getting in enough protein, I am a firm believer in at least 1.5g per pound of bodyweight. Do not be afraid to bump up calories if you need to, good luck man.

[Apollo]

A few things you guys gaining weight need to understand. If you ever want to be truly huge you will end up putting on some fat along the way, unless you have elite genetics for building muscle which 99% of the population do not.

Food choices look pretty good apollo, I would also suggest adding in whole milk...liquid calories are very easy to consume and make gaining weight much easier. Also, do not be afraid to add extra virgin olive oil (healthy fats) to your protein shakes or salads. Natural peanut butter is also a great choice for gaining (I prefer smuckers).

Make sure you are getting in enough protein, I am a firm believer in at least 1.5g per pound of bodyweight. Do not be afraid to bump up calories if you need to, good luck man.

Thanks for the help. You'll notice that I do put olive oil on my salads, quite a lot actually. In fact I used to take straight shots of olive oil, but nowadays I just can't stomach it anymore. I do not like getting my fats from animal sources as there's too much saturated fat and even though I'm young I don't think it's healthy for my body. And I would eat a lot more peanut butter but I'm allergic to peanuts.

My problem is that if I eat too much fat and protein in a meal I will not be hungry for a long time. I've bought some digestive enzyme tablets that help with this a little.

Other tricks I've tried is not drinking with my meals, and just drinking on an empty stomach so that I don't dilute my stomach acids and digestive enzymes, and eating protein/fat 30 minutes before carbs to digest them first. But with a full time job and other responsibilities I've been reduced to just eating whatever I can get my hands on, whenever I have the chance.

[KaFish]

Thanks for the help. You'll notice that I do put olive oil on my salads, quite a lot actually. In fact I used to take straight shots of olive oil, but nowadays I just can't stomach it anymore. I do not like getting my fats from animal sources as there's too much saturated fat and even though I'm young I don't think it's healthy for my body. And I would eat a lot more peanut butter but I'm allergic to peanuts.

My problem is that if I eat too much fat and protein in a meal I will not be hungry for a long time. I've bought some digestive enzyme tablets that help with this a little.

Other tricks I've tried is not drinking with my meals, and just drinking on an empty stomach so that I don't dilute my stomach acids and digestive enzymes, and eating protein/fat 30 minutes before carbs to digest them first. But with a full time job and other responsibilities I've been reduced to just eating whatever I can get my hands on, whenever I have the chance.

For what it's worth I eat 3-4 pounds of steak each day and my blood work is exceptional. Unfortunately, the media loves to make a huge deal about saturated fat and trick people into thinking they will have a heart attack if they consume it regularly and it's just not true. As long as you are having mono and polyunsaturated fats from the extra virgin olive oil and consistently consume a fish oil supplement containing EPA and DHA you will be totally fine. I always think it is interesting that people have no problems doing drugs or getting drunk with no concern to their health, and then worry about something like saturated fat. I'm not saying this is your case, but just something I notice when I speak with people. Fact is, you have to look at what the big guys eat to get big, and that is pounds of fish/steak/chicken...it's just how it works.

Props on taking shots of EVOO haha, that shit is nasty. I usually mix it with my protein if I'm going to have some.

If you have anymore questions or anything just lemme know. I'm more than happy to share what I know in this aspect in return for the info I will learn from you guys about NPE while I'm here.

[Apollo]

Yeah I gotta question, how do you afford 3-4 pounds of steak every day? What cuts/grade do you get and how do you prepare it?

[KaFish]

Yeah I gotta question, how do you afford 3-4 pounds of steak every day? What cuts/grade do you get and how do you prepare it?

I rarely can afford actual "steak" cuts, so I usually get 90% lean ground sirloin but have no issues getting 80% lean ground beef if my budget is tight. As far as actually affording this stuff, there is plenty of money to be made in bars/clubs if you know how to go about it. I wish I was a bartender so I could go home with 4-500 bucks a night haha but I'm just a bouncer :( I did have some guy pay me 120 bucks the other night so I wouldn't throw him out after I caught him pissing in a trashcan though lol.

As far as preparation goes... I just fry it up in a pan, dump it into a strainer and rinse it off with very hot water (removes the grease) then dump it in a big bowl and mix it with salsa and sour cream.....fucking delicious.

[zeolite]

Also, do not be afraid to add extra virgin olive oil (healthy fats) to your protein shakes or salads.I've never tried that before. Is it a pain to clean the shaker out afterwards?

[KaFish]

I've never tried that before. Is it a pain to clean the shaker out afterwards?

Nah man rinses right out, I have no issues at all.

[Apollo]

I rarely can afford actual "steak" cuts, so I usually get 90% lean ground sirloin but have no issues getting 80% lean ground beef if my budget is tight. As far as actually affording this stuff, there is plenty of money to be made in bars/clubs if you know how to go about it. I wish I was a bartender so I could go home with 4-500 bucks a night haha but I'm just a bouncer :( I did have some guy pay me 120 bucks the other night so I wouldn't throw him out after I caught him pissing in a trashcan though lol.

As far as preparation goes... I just fry it up in a pan, dump it into a strainer and rinse it off with very hot water (removes the grease) then dump it in a big bowl and mix it with salsa and sour cream.....fucking delicious.

Haha so basically you're making this

http://thestrategicretreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/bchow1.jpg

Yeah I figured that most of it would be ground beef. I eat a lot of 93/7 ground beef myself. I'm trying to cut back on my consumption of it because I learned how they make it... did you know that to try to get rid of E. coli they wash the beef with ammonia? So nasty.

For money I'm working a full time 9-5 job, and I also DJ college parties, which will net me 3-500 a night. I tutor kids too, that gets me 20-30/hr. But still not enough to buy steak every day...

I guess I'll try your method. Gonna pick me up some salsa and sour cream....

[Apollo]

Went to the store to get ground beef salsa and sour cream and I thought to myself, if i'm gonna get alll these things I might as well buy some taco shells, lettuce, cheese, and taco mix and make myself some tacos. Which I did. And they were delicious. Thanks for the idea!

[Kefitzat Haderech]

This thread is making me hungry.
Also, a bit off topic, 20$ for one hour of tutoring? I charge at least the equivalent of 27$

[Apollo]

I tutor for two different companies, at one I get 30 an hour and at the other I get 20, but I can get significantly more hours at the second one. Both companies do all the booking/advertising so I just say I'll work this many hours and they give me clients. It's less hassle for me since I have another job.