Fastest way to gain weight?

[Nabucodonosor]

Hello guys,

I know this is not a bodybuilding forum, but I think I've come to the right place to ask for this, since 100% of us (around that ratio) care about our looks.
I wanted to know if anybody had a special diet that he could share to the public -or to me via PM- to gain weight. I'm a little under the average, and I'm looking for improvement.

Thank you

 

[switch7]

You need to be eating 5-6 meals a day. Ratio of 2:3 protein to carb more or less. 2 of these meals can be protein shakes with carbs. (Oats are good for mixing) If you want the food to stick to you make sure you are putting the work in in at the gym. Get squatting some heavy weights, throw in some chin ups and other compound movements. Do this at least 3 times a week and ou should start gaining some good weight.

 

[narcissist]

You need to be eating 5-6 meals a day. Ratio of 2:3 protein to carb more or less. 2 of these meals can be protein shakes with carbs. (Oats are good for mixing) If you want the food to stick to you make sure you are putting the work in in at the gym. Get squatting some heavy weights, throw in some chin ups and other compound movements. Do this at least 3 times a week and ou should start gaining some good weight.

Agreed. This is a good startup plan for gaining weight. Make it at least 4 days a week. And make sure you get a caloric surplus (200-500 calories over maintance). Eat calorie dense foods. A good way to do that is in your shakes. Add oats bananas peanut butter homo milk blueberries. Twice a day. And then an extra 4 meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed.

 

[narcissist]

You need to be eating 5-6 meals a day. Ratio of 2:3 protein to carb more or less. 2 of these meals can be protein shakes with carbs. (Oats are good for mixing) If you want the food to stick to you make sure you are putting the work in in at the gym. Get squatting some heavy weights, throw in some chin ups and other compound movements. Do this at least 3 times a week and ou should start gaining some good weight.

Agreed. This is a good startup plan for gaining weight. Make it at least 4 days a week. And make sure you get a caloric surplus (200-500 calories over maintance). Eat calorie dense foods. A good way to do that is in your shakes. Add oats bananas peanut butter homo milk blueberries. Twice a day. And then an extra 4 meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed.

 

[DaddyLongShanks]

I will say this. Your doing great if you gain 2 lbs a muscle per month. People who have not weight trained before might gain more.

Putting on real muscle takes time.

Also it's best to never have gotten fat.

 

[zinc4]

6 meals a day is unhealthy.... Your digestive system needs time to rest.....Herschel Walker is still a beast at 50 something a beast and he eats one meal a day. Two big meals a day is good maybe a shake in between. IMO Bruce lees physique is something every guy should strive for....not sure what this obsession with looking big and bulky is.

 

[switch7]

6 meals a day is unhealthy.... Your digestive system needs time to rest.....Herschel Walker is still a beast at 50 something a beast and he eats one meal a day. Two big meals a day is good maybe a shake in between. IMO Bruce lees physique is something every guy should strive for....not sure what this obsession with looking big and bulky is.

Depends on your body type/metabolism. If you struggle to gain weight (ectomorph body type), then you would end up looking like a pencil on Herschel's diet.

 

[gravityeyelids]

6 meals a day is unhealthy.... Your digestive system needs time to rest.....Herschel Walker is still a beast at 50 something a beast and he eats one meal a day. Two big meals a day is good maybe a shake in between. IMO Bruce lees physique is something every guy should strive for....not sure what this obsession with looking big and bulky is.

That's fine and good, and i agree that the optimal physique for pulling puss is closer to michael phelps than Arnold...but the man wants to gain weight, so let's help him gain weight.

Also your comment about six meals a day being unhealthy isn't supported by current research. A research review referencing more than 80 articles regarding meal frequency concluded "Increased meal frequency appears to have a positive effect on various blood markers of health, particularly LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and insulin." http://www.jissn.com/content/8/1/4 (yes i realize im being a smarta$$ ****, but i figured giving you reasons for disagreeing is better than just screaming "you're WRONG ZINC!")

Nabur Research on meal frequency in athletes is limited, but for your specific goal (quickly increasing lean muscle mass), the evidence supports higher meal frequency, along with the vast majority of anecdotal evidence from bodybuilders (both natural and juicing builders). My own experience also supports this.


A great, well-researched resource for nutrition is a book called Advanced Sports Nutrition. It's cheap and has a ton of great advice regarding diet, hydration, nutrition, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Sports-Nutrition-2nd-Edition-Benardot/dp/1450401619

Basically eat as frequently and as clean as your schedule allows. Probably the biggest obstacle to gaining clean weight is not having the time to prepare and consume enough healthy calories throughout the day. I would shoot for three large meals and two secondary "meals" which are closer to snacks in that they dont take long to prepare but still give enough protein and calories.

I'm a hardgainer, so i've found an easy shake that covers all bases and is super quick and full of stuff you have lying around. And it tastes fvcking amazing. I normally mix one of these up right when i wake up. (The amounts may vary, i always forget exactly how much ice and milk and stuff to put in, just play around)...but basically:
1-2 Scoops Whey/Casein/whatever Protein
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 Banana
1/2 cup to cup of frozen berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, whatever)
1ish tablespoons of peanut butter (preferably Natural PB)
1/2 Cup Milk
1 cup Crushed ice (cubes would probably work fine if your blender is powerful)

(optional: dash of olive oil (for more good fats), ground flax seed, small bit of ice cream, maybe yogurt)

If you dont have a blender handy, then try to make due...at the very least make sure to have enough protein and complex carbs for your smaller "meals". If nothing else, make sure you keep snacking on carbs throughout the day (fruit, cliff bars, veggies) to prevent muscle breakdown (im assuming you're pretty skinny)

 

[Infern0]

Shakes are good

1 cup oats
Frozen banana
Scoop of whey
500mls milk
Frozen berries
Tablespoon of pb

1000 calories, goes down eaay

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

As far as diet goes, in the last week or two I have been properly observing the acid-alkaline bases of what I eat. Popular opinion dictates that a healthy balance is 20-30% acidic foods and 70-80% alkaline intake.

After a week of doing this - basically eating a load of salad (like two a day), with fish, beans and some pasta for energy - I can honestly say I haven't felt quite so healthy in years:
-Digestion almost completely normal now, almost no gas nor bowel issues.
-Don't feel hungry between meals (probably two large meals a day), and I've been playing ball most days too. This will probably increase as workout rate increases though. Even exercise is easier though, probably owing to a better pH balance in my body, I don't get fatigued nearly as quick - would say stamina has at least doubled in the last week.
-Resisting temptation for unhealthy snacks, though this has never been an issue for me. When peckish, a banana has done the job fine.
-Generally feeling much more alert and energised throughout the day and driven to get up in the mornings.

With workouts, quality over quantity; if you're doing it right, 2-4 sessions a week where you f*ck your body to the point of feeling physically sick will see far more gains than half-heartedly building up a sweat every day. Other days are simply rest days. I also take a week off every other month to rest and repair.
-If you're competing in sport etc, same principles apply, but you'll probably have one rest day only and be doing cardio on extra 2-3 sessions too. People chat sh!t about cardio, but it should not be under-rated for stamina and fat-burning when done right.

For cheap and cheerful workouts, check out Brandon Carter's bodyweight workouts on youtube. That guy is in serious shape.

 

[dk1990S111]

I was pretty underweight up until about a year ago. Used to be around 140 at 6'2'' now I'm 186 at 6'3'' and still raising.

I'm not gunna go into what to eat but I'm just gunna say that if you are an ectomorph like me then you just have to eat as much as you can. I mean there came a point where I just got tired of eating lol it was a chore, not something I enjoyed anymore like before. But if you want it bad enough then it's totally worth it.