If you are a regular reader of the site, you have more than likely noticed my opinion on what formula to use when determining the amount of calories you should consume in order to pack on size. The formula is based on weight lifters who perform high intensity workouts 3-5 days a week.
Your body weight multiplied by 24
For example: 155 x 24 = 3720 calories per day
Now, this does not mean; consume 3720 calories a day and workout 3-5 days to become a bodybuilding masterpiece. There is actually a specific breakdown of what types of calories should be taken daily.
Calorie type breakdown
50 percent carbohydrates
30 percent protein
20 percent fat
For example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet
1860 calories from carbohydrates
1116 calories from protein and
744 calories from fat
Total: 3720
So now you know the breakdown of how many calories and what kinds of calories you should be consuming daily in order to put on mass. If only it where that easy right? That is just the basics; you must also know what kinds of foods provide the right types of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. As a hardgainer, we have the ability to cheat a little by eating a fair amount of simple carbs and unnatural fats. For the most part though, when taking in carbs for the day, focus mainly on the complex ones. These carbs are much healthier and give your more time to use them up as energy before they are stored as fat. It is also very important that we eat the correct types of fats. Believe it or not, fats are very necessary when building muscle mass. The problem is, most people consume the wrong types of fats. Focus your attention on the natural fats when consuming your 20 percent for the day.
Complex carbohydrates
Wheat bread
Wheat pasta
Oatmeal
Whole wheat
Brown rice
Vegetables
Natural fats
Peanut butter
Olive oil
Avocados
Nuts
You now understand the “weight gain formula”, the types of calories, and where to get the calories from. So now we can simplify this whole thing once we learn the calories per gram formula. I have noticed that more then anything, people who look at the nutritional facts of their foods, mainly look at grams. With the”weight gain formula”, we can determine how many grams of protein and how many grams of fat we will need for the day.
Example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet, we will consume 1116 calories of protein.
OK? So how many grams of protein should I consume daily?
1 gram of protein equals 4 calories
1116 calories of protein equal 279 grams of protein
Example: Based on a 3720 calorie diet, we will consume 744 calories from fat
OK? So how many grams of fat should I consume daily?
1 gram of fat equals 9 calories
744 calories of fat equal 82.6 grams of fat
Calories per gram formula
1 gram of protein equals 4 calories
1 gram of fat equals 9 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates equal 4 calories
There you have it, as complicated as it may seem, calculating your food intake for the day is quite easy. As you gain weight from following this, I recommend recalculating your daily intake every 3-5 pounds. Remember, as a hardgainer, the main struggle is weight gain. The main focus point when gaining weight is proper food consumption. With that being said, it is very important that you are aware of how to calculate the proper amounts of foods to take in daily.
Sponsored Links
4 comments:
I see that you're using picapp. I didn't even notice until I rechecked the image. This is a great post for hardgainers, man. Great job! Keep up the great work!
COdy Ore
just about to begin on fallowing the formula of what i should consume. I will repost agian after a few months as of now im 120 pounds and only 5'5" lets see what happens, thanks for posting this your doing an awsome job!
Jan 13, 2010
should i up the calorie intake as i build muscle?
Absolutely, every week when you weigh yourself, recalculate with your new bodyweight to assure you continue to gain weight.
Post a Comment