I need to put on weight

yankeesfan

Diamond Member
Aug 6, 2004
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I am working out daily, taking protein shakes afterwards. However, I'd like to put on some weight as well. I don't think my calorie intake is high enough (actually, I know it isn't) to put on bulk. So, I am looking for high calorie, healthy, easy to prepare breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. What would this include? What foods should I avoid?
 

deejayshakur

Platinum Member
Aug 7, 2000
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seriously, just eat more period. i have the same problem but i have yet to solve it. i've tried to snack more on crackers, cheez its, bread. avoid nothing. high metabolic rate is hard to combat.
 

Last Rezort

Banned
Apr 16, 2005
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I WAS a work out nut, i just was not getting bigger. I was pissed. I decided that for best results i would need to stop working out and start gaining fat. Im now 180 pounds. I want to hit 190 before i start lifting agian, but i'd reccomend just eating tons and working out very little for a while.
 

deejayshakur

Platinum Member
Aug 7, 2000
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Originally posted by: yankeesfan
Does anyone notice that I asked for healthy snacks?

'healthy snack' is almost a misnomer. anything you eat is going to have some sort of negative impact on your body. eggs? high cholesterol. (try egg whites). crackers? potentially high sodium. (try low sodium goldfish crackers). meat? high fat and cholesterol.

like i said, just eat a variety of stuff. that way, you won't throw your body chemsitry into a deep hole.

people are fat/big by 1 of 2 ways. 1) by genetics (which you obviously don't have). and 2) by eating unhealthy. then again, there's always testosterone therapy...
 

Ikonomi

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2003
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Eggs, chicken (even the canned chicken breast is high in protein and low in fat), tuna. Don't be afraid of milk and cheese at meals or snack time. Dairy isn't really the highest in protein or lowest in fat, but it's tasty. For dinner try to eat good cuts of meat. A solid piece of chicken/beef/pork/fish/turkey is extremely high in protein. Processed foods are where you lose out on nutritional content.

If you can, cook extra dinner so you have healthy leftovers to eat for lunch the next day. It works great.

Try eating fruits or vegetables as snacks, not just at meals. They don't have the protein or calories you need, but they supply fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Remember, there's no benefit to putting on fat weight, and putting on muscle is just a matter of enough healthy calories and work.
 

drnickriviera

Platinum Member
Jan 30, 2001
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Ameesh is right. PB&J. with white bread, you are looking at around 350 calories per. I usually eat 2. + you get some protein with the PB
 

Ikonomi

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2003
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I guess my philosophy is a bit different. Looking at this jar of peanut butter, the serving size is 2 Tbsp (32 grams), and each serving contains 16g of fat, 6g carbs, and 8g protein.

I just ate a Sargento string cheese stick for a quick snack (28g serving size), and while it only had 80 calories, it also only contained 6g of fat, and 8g of protein, the same as the peanut butter. So, if I wasn't concerned with fat, I could eat just over 4 pieces of cheese to get the same calories, but a much higher amount of protein.

My idea is that fat is useless, and putting on weight means building muscle. To do that, you need protein, and so I try to find foods that have a high percentage of calories from protein. Cheese sticks aren't a great example of that, but it's what I had handy. Lean meats, however, are your best friend for protein, period. Basically, I try to stay away from foods that have empty calories (sodas, cookies, candies) and foods that get most of their calories from fat (mayonnaise, salad dressing, oils, chips). Instead of soda, I drink water, because hydration is also essential for a healthy body. Instead of chips or cookies for a snack, I eat fruit. I don't avoid these less-than-healthy foods entirely, as a salad without dressing is kind of boring, but when I do use them, I use them sparingly.
 

skypilot

Golden Member
Mar 20, 2000
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Originally posted by: Ikonomi
I guess my philosophy is a bit different. Looking at this jar of peanut butter, the serving size is 2 Tbsp (32 grams), and each serving contains 16g of fat, 6g carbs, and 8g protein.

I just ate a Sargento string cheese stick for a quick snack (28g serving size), and while it only had 80 calories, it also only contained 6g of fat, and 8g of protein, the same as the peanut butter. So, if I wasn't concerned with fat, I could eat just over 4 pieces of cheese to get the same calories, but a much higher amount of protein.

My idea is that fat is useless, and putting on weight means building muscle. To do that, you need protein, and so I try to find foods that have a high percentage of calories from protein. Cheese sticks aren't a great example of that, but it's what I had handy. Lean meats, however, are your best friend for protein, period. Basically, I try to stay away from foods that have empty calories (sodas, cookies, candies) and foods that get most of their calories from fat (mayonnaise, salad dressing, oils, chips). Instead of soda, I drink water, because hydration is also essential for a healthy body. Instead of chips or cookies for a snack, I eat fruit. I don't avoid these less-than-healthy foods entirely, as a salad without dressing is kind of boring, but when I do use them, I use them sparingly.


You all need to educate yourselves. Fat is almost as good as carbs at fueling your body while protein helps you build muscle. You need to take in more calories than you consume in order to gain mass, and fat is the most efficient way to get those calories, as it contains 9 calories per gram. Without some significant amount of fat (unsaturated) calories, it is almost impossible to gait weight.