I'm trying to eat more to gain mass, but I'm never hungry enough..

[MrEgo]

5'8"
190lbs
27 years old

I'm trying my hardest to eat enough protein and calories in my daily diet to gain mass. I'm working out 3 times per week, 2 hours per workout. I'm also playing flag football 1 night per week that lasts about 2 hours.. and it's pretty intense most of the time. I work in IT, so I don't do a lot of exercise during the workday... so really the flag football is the only cardio that I'm getting.

I'm actually starting to burn fat around my lower abs and my love handles, but my strength is going up, considerably. I'm not noticing an increase in mass, really.. but maybe I'm used to seeing my own body every day? The scale is staying pretty consistent, though.. so apparently some of the fat that I'm losing is being replaced by muscle, but I was under the impression that my caloric intake would be much higher than what it is now..

I'm doing a somewhat accurate calorie count of my food, and at best, I'm getting about 2,500 calories per day.. and some days it's below 2,000. I'm trying to eat more, but I just don't have the appetite to eat more than I am, and I would feel bloated if I tried to eat any more than I am.

I normally eat 3 packets of Quaker weight control oatmeal for breakfast, with skim milk. There's about 600 calories. I try to eat a footlong turkey deli sub (wheat bread) or a container of low-fat cottage cheese, or a 12oz can of tuna (with lots of miracle whip) throughout the workday, and I generally drink about a half gallon of water at work as well. There's another 600-700 calories. Dinner usually consists of frozen chicken tenders or breasts, and I will cook quite a bit of it. Other times I will make an entire box of whole grain pasta and throw in a few tablespoons of EVOO with the spaghetti sauce.. and I'll usually eat half of the pot. I MIGHT be getting 1,000-1,200 calories from dinner, but some days it's lower depending on my appetite/time/schedule/etc. Occasionally I'll have a bowl of cereal after dinner, but not often. There's another 250ish calories.

Since I go to bed around 9 or 10 (I need at least 9 hours of sleep), I'm not really starving for food at that point, and I've heard conflicting theories about eating right before you sleep. I'd like some input on that if someone could..

Any suggestions of little things here and there that I can try to bring to work or try to eat throughout the day to bulk up? Am I correct in assuming that if I was eating more than enough, that my stomach fat would NOT go away?

Hopefully I've included most of the important information in here, but I'm sure I missed something.

 

[TallBill]

Make a monster shake....

Example of one I made today -
4 scoops cinnamon weight gainer
1 cup of ground oats
2 cups of milk
1 cup of egg whites
1 banana
2 spoon fulls of peanut butter
1 spoon full of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Added a few ice cubes on top, blended. Ended up being about 1,700 calories.

 

[mchammer187]

increase fat

there is nothing wrong with it

I love gaining because I can eat whatever I want as long as its reasonable (steaks, pork chops, shrimp, eggs) and is not fast food/crappy chain restaurant food; just remember to eat enough fruits and veggies to go along with it

I guess if you dont know or hate cooking it might be a problem but if you are willing to learn than its easy to pick up

if I was trying to gain weight on oatmeal and turkey sandwiches I'd hate it too

that said at your current height/weight and if are a beginner than you will see significant strength gains whether you are on a calorie deficit or not

 

[Red Squirrel]

I had the same issue before, I find joining the gym helped a lot, I would be hungry after I was done so I'd eat a bigger supper. It also builds muscle which is heavier. Fast food helps to some extent but it's not really the healthiest path. It takes lot of work, but if you keep at it you will gain. Just try to do it healthy. The way I did was not exactly the healthiest.

 

[MrEgo]

I'd rather shy away from fast food since it generally costs quite a bit per meal as opposed to cooking it yourself.. although occasionally it's not too bad.

Deep fried food never settles well in my stomach. McDonalds and BK always leave a crappy aftertaste, but I do like a lot of Taco Bell's stuff.. and Subway is pretty good.

 

[brikis98]

First, check out the fat loss sticky so you have a good understanding of weight management. After that, it should become clear to you that if you are eating a caloric surplus to gain mass (bulking) you are not likely to lose any fat. Beginners to weight training can lose fat and add muscle at the same time, but the effects don't last long and after that most people alternate periods of bulking and cutting. If you are having trouble eating enough calories, a popular approach for adding a lot of mass in a hurry is to drink a Gallon of Milk a Day (GOMAD). Do that and lift heavy (squat, deadlift, press, etc) and I guarantee that you'll get all the calories, protein, vitamins, etc that you need to add mass.

 

[MrEgo]

I like the GOMAD approach... especially since I love milk. Are there any health risks to drinking too much whole milk or 2% milk? I hear so many people say saturated fat is horrible.. it's not bad at all.. it cures cancer.. etc.

I've been lifting heavy. I am cutting all of my reps down to 5 and under with the appropriate amount of weight. I'm not a beginner to lifting, although some of my lifts I just started for the first time. I took about a year off of weightlifting (laziness) and I just started again in August. I was able to bench press 325 lbs in August of 2008, but I never did any lower body exercises. My biceps, chest, and triceps were built, but nothing else was.. but now I'm getting a complete workout since I've added exercises such as the dead lift, overhead press, squats, hamstring curls, calf raises, standing rows, and reverse flys (among others).

I'm now able to bench 275, squat 255, and deadlift 285. My squat and deadlift gains are increasing exponentially right now since I just started doing them last month. It does make me feel better overall that I'm now including the power lifts into my routine, but my body is demanding a lot of calories to keep up 😀

 

[brikis98]

I like the GOMAD approach... especially since I love milk. Are there any health risks to drinking too much whole milk or 2% milk? I hear so many people say saturated fat is horrible.. it's not bad at all.. it cures cancer.. etc.

Whole milk and saturated fat are fine in moderation. GOMAD is not moderation, but it also isn't a long term diet plan: you'll gain weight really quickly with it, so most people only do it for a few months.

I've been lifting heavy. I am cutting all of my reps down to 5 and under with the appropriate amount of weight. I'm not a beginner to lifting, although some of my lifts I just started for the first time. I took about a year off of weightlifting (laziness) and I just started again in August. I was able to bench press 325 lbs in August of 2008, but I never did any lower body exercises. My biceps, chest, and triceps were built, but nothing else was.. but now I'm getting a complete workout since I've added exercises such as the dead lift, overhead press, squats, hamstring curls, calf raises, standing rows, and reverse flys (among others).

I'm now able to bench 275, squat 255, and deadlift 285. My squat and deadlift gains are increasing exponentially right now since I just started doing them last month. It does make me feel better overall that I'm now including the power lifts into my routine, but my body is demanding a lot of calories to keep up 😀

Keep working on that squat and deadlift - both should get up much higher than your bench. Moreover, those two are amongst the best exercises for adding a lot of mass and building functional, real-world strength. Also, even if you aren't a beginner in terms of upper body, it sounds like you are still making beginner gains ("exponentially") with your lower body, so you'd probably see the fastest gains from doing a beginner-style routine such as the one in Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5. In particular, Starting Strength + GOMAD is a notorious combination for building ridiculous amounts of mass and strength extremely quickly.

 

[elitejp]

Eat more frequently throughout the day. For bulking you should be eating 6 medium sized meals rather than 3 large meals. Your body will do better with a constant supply of protein, and it will help you to increase your metabolism which will have a two fold benefit. 1. you will be able to eat more and 2. you will be able to burn more calories which will help you stay slimmer as your trying to bulk. Adding fish oil, flax oil/seeds and evoo will all help to increase calories in a healthy manner.

I also recommend b12 shots (not drinking but with a needle). It gives you energy and increases your appetite. However if you are in the usa this may be hard to get. Its not dangerous, but the health system in the us is extremely careful when it comes to self medication because some idiot will inevitably take an entire bottle rather than a pill and then sue the drug companies. Also a 20 min run in the morn will spike your appetite without burning your needed calories. Aslo take some metamucil. It will empty you out so you can fill yourself back up. Those are just some tips from a hardgainer.

 

[spamsk8r]

Eat more frequently throughout the day. For bulking you should be eating 6 medium sized meals rather than 3 large meals. Your body will do better with a constant supply of protein, and it will help you to increase your metabolism which will have a two fold benefit. 1. you will be able to eat more and 2. you will be able to burn more calories which will help you stay slimmer as your trying to bulk. Adding fish oil, flax oil/seeds and evoo will all help to increase calories in a healthy manner.

Eating more frequently does not increase metabolism. I just wish that myth would die already. It may make it easier to eat more (or less, if one wanted to lose weight) but it doesn't have any effect on metabolism. Whether you eat 1 meal or 6 meals a day your base metabolic rate will be effectively the same.

 

[brikis98]

Eat more frequently throughout the day. For bulking you should be eating 6 medium sized meals rather than 3 large meals. Your body will do better with a constant supply of protein, and it will help you to increase your metabolism which will have a two fold benefit. 1. you will be able to eat more and 2. you will be able to burn more calories which will help you stay slimmer as your trying to bulk.

This is a bunch of nonsense. Eating more often does not increase your metabolism. And if it did, this would be counter-productive for bulking, as you'd need to eat more to be in a caloric surplus.

Also a 20 min run in the morn will spike your appetite without burning your needed calories.

How will a 20 minute run not burn calories?

I also recommend b12 shots (not drinking but with a needle).
...
Aslo take some metamucil. It will empty you out so you can fill yourself back up.

Neither of these is at all necessary to gain mass.

 

[Eric62]

I believe in several feedings a day. Preferably 30 + grams of complete protein, 6 to 8 times per day.
I believe that keeping a constant supply of nutrients in your blood stream is critical to gaining mass.
That means you eat SOMETHING at bedtime. My suggestion is oatmeal with non fat cottage cheese mixed with Chocolate flavored whey protein and skim milk. The casein in the cottage cheese will provide a slow release of protein as you sleep, and the oatmeal (as opposed to fruit for example) will prevent insulin spikes that would favor fat deposits at bedtime.
Also if you frequently get up to use the bathroom as I do, then storing a premixed protein drink (I prefer original Met-Rx) in the fridge is a helpful addition to gaining mass.
These are just suggestions based upon my personal experience. I'm not claiming any scientific data...

Good Luck.

 

[z1ggy]

How are you lifting? Sometimes that determines if you just gain strength.. or put on mass too. Are you taking any type of pre workout supplements? I find that when I do, I can lift much more aggressively, and that afterwards I get extremely hunger about 2-3 hours later.

 

[elitejp]

How will a 20 minute run not burn calories?

Sorry that should have been written more specifically. The 20 min running will increase your appetite without burning an excess amount of calories.
As for the rest of my principles I still stand by them as i have always made very good increase in size by doing what i recommended. Once you hit a point when you stop growing in size thats when you learn what it really takes to put on the mass. You do realize that GOMAD that everyone seems to be recommending also suggests eating every 3 hours or roughly 6 meals a day🙄 and Eric62 states another good reason why thats important.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Sorry that should have been written more specifically. The 20 min running will increase your appetite without burning an excess amount of calories.
As for the rest of my principles I still stand by them as i have always made very good increase in size by doing what i recommended. Once you hit a point when you stop growing in size thats when you learn what it really takes to put on the mass. You do realize that GOMAD that everyone seems to be recommending also suggests eating every 3 hours or roughly 6 meals a day🙄 and Eric62 states another good reason why thats important.

Yeah, eating frequently makes it easier to consume a large amount of calories. However, it does not increase metabolism. A bunch of research has been done and has shown no increase at all. Also those supplements don't really have any basis in research either so what you say doesn't really prove true when done with large groups of people in a controlled setting.

 

[darkxshade]

5'8" 190lbs 27 years old

Is it me or does anyone else think this weight is high enough for his height as it is? I'm 5'8 29 now and used to weigh ~200lbs and I thought I was chunky. Why would you want to gain more mass?

 

[brikis98]

The 20 min running will increase your appetite without burning an excess amount of calories.

That is going to depend on the individual. If you have poor running efficiency, weigh a lot, or run fast, you can burn through quite a few calories in a 20 minute run. Whether or not that increases your appetite to eat significantly more calories than you burned is not guaranteed.

As for the rest of my principles I still stand by them as i have always made very good increase in size by doing what i recommended. Once you hit a point when you stop growing in size thats when you learn what it really takes to put on the mass. You do realize that GOMAD that everyone seems to be recommending also suggests eating every 3 hours or roughly 6 meals a day🙄 and Eric62 states another good reason why thats important.

Eating more often might make it easier to consume more calories but it does NOT increase your metabolism, which is what I argued against. And if it did increase your metabolism, that wouldn't necessarily be beneficial for weight gain.

 

[MrEgo]

Is it me or does anyone else think this weight is high enough for his height as it is? I'm 5'8 29 now and used to weigh ~200lbs and I thought I was chunky. Why would you want to gain more mass?

I admit that I do look pretty built for my height, but I would like to look built and be 200lbs of lean muscle. I weigh 190, and I'm sure I could safely lose 15lbs of bodyfat around my lower abs and love handles.. so that means I'd need to put on 25 more lbs of muscle to get to my goal.

At this point, I still have distance-runner legs (thin and lean) from when I ran cross-country and track in high school, so I have a lot of room for improvement in my quads, hammies, and calves.

 

[bob4432]

Is it me or does anyone else think this weight is high enough for his height as it is? I'm 5'8 29 now and used to weigh ~200lbs and I thought I was chunky. Why would you want to gain more mass?

guess depends on frame - before injury and 5'8" @ 175 my hip bones were clearly visible along w/ others, but i did a lot of cardio then, @ 185 i was good.

 

[MrEgo]

Just wanted to give an update to the GOMAD situation - I've been on this for 7 days now. I started with 2% (since I'm used to skim), and next week I'm going to bump it up to whole milk.

Even a gallon of 2% has over 2,000 calories, and it's so much easier on my stomach than solid foods. I'm able to eat solid foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on top of the gallon of milk. For example, yesterday I had 3 packets of oatmeal for breakfast (~600 calories), I had a home-made bean burrito (whole grain) for lunch (~700 calories), and I made 2 burgers of 96/4 ground beef with whole grain buns and pepper jack cheese (~1,000 calories). This totalled up to at least over 4,000 calories - which I was NEVER able to do eating solid foods all day, and I'm sure I injested well over 200 grams of protein since the milk itself is 128g.

So anyway, so far so good. I added 10lbs onto my bench press max yesterday. I went from 275 a couple of weeks ago to 285 yesterday. It might have just been a coincidence, but I'm feeling pretty confident mentally.

 

[KlokWyze]

make a monster shake....

Example of one i made today -
4 scoops cinnamon weight gainer
1 cup of ground oats
2 cups of milk
1 cup of egg whites
1 banana
2 spoon fulls of peanut butter
1 spoon full of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil

added a few ice cubes on top, blended. Ended up being about 1,700 calories.

D: Lol!

 

[Jeffg010]

Like other people are saying add in a protein shake one in the morning one after work out. It sounds to me like you not getting enough protein. Adding 2 shakes would boost the protein by 100 grams. I like to spread out the shakes because the body will only absorb so much protein before it will piss it out.

I had good results with this stuff pricey but worth it.
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3509954

 

[MrEgo]

I don't think the protein intake was the issue. I was eating roughly 150-250g of protein per day, depending on how much chicken I eat for dinner. I was losing weight, so I was obviously in caloric deficit. I just wasn't getting enough calories.

GOMAD seems very easy and cheap to do, and it's working great for me so far. Milk is only $2/gallon here in Michigan, and even if I ONLY throw in a $2 12oz can of tuna in a given day, there's an extra 65g of protein and ~500 calories (I use miracle whip) on top of the 128g of protein and 2,400 calories that that whole milk provides.

I'm actually eating a breakfast, lunch, and dinner on top of the milk, so I'm getting more than enough protein and more than enough calories. Like I said, I went from ~2,000-2,500 calories in a given day to over 4,000 now. Milk doesn't make me feel full like solid foods do. Gaining weight should not be an issue anymore.

 

[KoolDrew]

Milk and peanut butter are my favorite for easy calories. I just ate an apple with some peanut butter that was just under 1000 calories.