Need help bulking and meal planning.

[jlorenzo92]

I'm 24 , 140lbs
I was always in the gym and at a steady weight of 185 until a year ago ...
Stopped working out lost all my weight FAST
Just recently started working out again and ive put on a few pounds but nothing sticks and I always go back down to 140.
Basically I want to know what is new in the supplement and gainer world that can help me gain weight. Also a cheap way to get my calorie intake over 3000.
Any vitamin suggestions appreciated as well.

 

[stock28]

Don't need supplements or gainers. Eat more calories then you burn and you'll gain weight. Figure out what your base calories are and increase by about 500 a day and you should start to gain weight.

 

[Sdog77]

PEANUT BUTTER! < Yes, all caps

 

[john.patterson]

Sounds like you have a speedy metabolism, which is both a blessing and a curse. If you're currently eating 3000, you need to increase calories as stock28 said. I would aim for 3500 and see how that treats you. Are you currently tracking macros? Be sure you're getting at least 1g-1.2g per pound of body weight in protein (140g-170g) per day.

For cheap added calories, pb is great suggestion. Also breakfast cereal - shredded wheat, corn flakes, cheerios, etc. All easy ways to get more quality carbs in. If you're struggling to hit your protein intake, I would recommend greek yogurt, chicken breast, and ground beef/ground turkey as a good place to start

 

[MindMuscleRep]

I'm 24 , 140lbs
I was always in the gym and at a steady weight of 185 until a year ago ...
Stopped working out lost all my weight FAST
Just recently started working out again and ive put on a few pounds but nothing sticks and I always go back down to 140.
Basically I want to know what is new in the supplement and gainer world that can help me gain weight. Also a cheap way to get my calorie intake over 3000.
Any vitamin suggestions appreciated as well.

it sounds like you just need a good meal plan and coach that fits your individual needs. have you considered contact Carl "CJ" Jackson? at Mind and Muscle we have on site and online coaching. if its something you are interested in PM or email me and i will direct your email to where it needs to go.

 

[AntM1564]

I'm 24 , 140lbs
I was always in the gym and at a steady weight of 185 until a year ago ...
Stopped working out lost all my weight FAST
Just recently started working out again and ive put on a few pounds but nothing sticks and I always go back down to 140.
Basically I want to know what is new in the supplement and gainer world that can help me gain weight. Also a cheap way to get my calorie intake over 3000.
Any vitamin suggestions appreciated as well.

Are you tracking your calories and macros? If not, that is the very first step to put on weight. You may have a rough estimate of how many caloris you're getting, but often, people grossly over/under estimate.

I would also advise to not put on too much weight too quickly. The more weight you put on in a shorter time period, the more likely the majority of it will be fat. Now, yes, you will gain some fat when putting on weight, but you can control this by eating at a slight surplus versus a drastically higher one. Additionally, are you doing any cardio? If so, scaling that back will help put on weight. I wouldn't cut it out completely, but scale it back some.

A cheap way to get calories in is making your own mass gainer. Also, look at cheap protein, carb and fat sources. For protein, load up on chicken when it is on sale. In your case, I would opt for chicken thighs since they have more fat than the breast. That will get you some additionally calories. Eat whole eggs too.

Carbs, pasta is pretty calorie dense, oatmeal is as well. Calorie dense fruits like bananas are fantastic.

When you cook, add oils to your food. If you make a shake, simply put nut butters, avocados or oils into your shakes. Fats are the easiest way to get more calories, which will help you put on some weight. Add some coconut oil to rice for some extra calories and great tasting rice!

If you're like me, just eat some peanut butter straight from the jar! Also, nuts in general are great for protein, fats, fiber and contain several important minerals.

 

[jlorenzo92]

Are you tracking your calories and macros? If not, that is the very first step to put on weight. You may have a rough estimate of how many caloris you're getting, but often, people grossly over/under estimate.

I would also advise to not put on too much weight too quickly. The more weight you put on in a shorter time period, the more likely the majority of it will be fat. Now, yes, you will gain some fat when putting on weight, but you can control this by eating at a slight surplus versus a drastically higher one. Additionally, are you doing any cardio? If so, scaling that back will help put on weight. I wouldn't cut it out completely, but scale it back some.

A cheap way to get calories in is making your own mass gainer. Also, look at cheap protein, carb and fat sources. For protein, load up on chicken when it is on sale. In your case, I would opt for chicken thighs since they have more fat than the breast. That will get you some additionally calories. Eat whole eggs too.

Carbs, pasta is pretty calorie dense, oatmeal is as well. Calorie dense fruits like bananas are fantastic.

When you cook, add oils to your food. If you make a shake, simply put nut butters, avocados or oils into your shakes. Fats are the easiest way to get more calories, which will help you put on some weight. Add some coconut oil to rice for some extra calories and great tasting rice!

If you're like me, just eat some peanut butter straight from the jar! Also, nuts in general are great for protein, fats, fiber and contain several important minerals.

Thanks man exactly what I was looking for

 

[bwdill]

All of the advice offered has covered the issue. Basically track how many calories you are consuming, and if you are not gaining than add more. Keep it simple and rely on food, not supplements.

 

[swole_on]

To build muscle, you have to create a calorie surplus—eating more calories than your body burns through daily activities, workouts, ect. Most will say is a way to determine how many calories you need is to multiply your body weight in pounds by 20, but I always multiply by 25 and it seems to work much better.

 

[solidsnake]

A big help to track your macros is using an app for your phone, really helps and you'll probably notice where your going wrong pretty quickly.. I use myfitnesspal, it really does help and you can even scan the barcodes of your food. And no, I don't work for them but I highly recommend it bud and you don't need to buy the pro version, the free version is good enough

 

[all4gains]

Up your mass is really good! It's a weight gainer and usually I wouldn't suggest weight gainers, I took a break from them because I wasn't seeing a benefit in taking them. After talking to a friend I bought a tub of up your mass and now I've been gaining weight steadily and it is STAYING!! I have the same problem about weight not staying. It's tough but after time and switching up routines it is starting to stick

 

[fitfreak_CP]

The biggest thing I have found is obviously to consume a caloric surplus to gain weight, but to keep higher carb meals around training and still not have any or very minimal in your last meal (oatmeal as a slow digesting carb overnight). The biggest thing is to bulk up while staying lean as possible so cutting is easier. It is also healthier for your body. At tops 2 cheat meals a week and keep 1 of them just moderate and somewhat "clean" like sushi or something along those lines.

 

[Marvolousj]

Don't need supplements or gainers. Eat more calories then you burn and you'll gain weight. Figure out what your base calories are and increase by about 500 a day and you should start to gain weight.

I hear this all the time but how do you know how much calorie you burn