How do I kick my appetite into high gear?

[FloridaRoofer]

I'm a newbie... Be warned. I have been using free wieghts for about a year now along with body weight excersizes, i started out with a body weight of 127 and in 6 months went up to 140... And have stayed at that weight since. I'd like to gain 10 more pounds of muscle but for the life of me i cannot get around to eating enough, mostly due to just plain not being hungry at all. I estimate my caloric intake on a good day at about 2000-2500. I've got a decent diet in check now but i just can't seem to up my caloric intake. How can i kick my appetite into high gear?

 

[benmayro]

just eat, if you only eat when you hungry you will never reach your goals, eat good like you are but eat good every two hours most. you basically describe that you are only reaching maintence everyday, bump it up 100 a day untill you start seeing gains. i recondmemd using a website or an app. i personally use myfitnesspal

 

[NYiron]

just eat, if you only eat when you hungry you will never reach your goals, eat good like you are but eat good every two hours most. you basically describe that you are only reaching maintence everyday, bump it up 100 a day untill you start seeing gains. i recondmemd using a website or an app. i personally use myfitnesspal

^ Agreed! Just eat, force it when you have to! Put in place small meals in between your already established meals and build on them from there, until you start to see those gains. This will also increase your hunger. As you feed your body, your substrate metabolism will increase and you'll need more food throughout the day. Just remember the more muscle you put on the higher your basal metabolic rate is going to be. The higher your BMR the more your going to have to eat to maintain and the more your going to have to eat to progress. Also need to take into consideration your lifestyle outside of the gym, how active you are and the caloric demands as a result just to fuel your daily routines. As benmayro said about every 2-3 hours is a good reference. If your still reading this its time for your next meal :burger:

 

[Doss]

^ Fairly good advice here. I agree with the eating every 2-3 hours, but in addition to that you might want to try throwing in a protein shake about 45 minutes after each meal. You can usually just chug them down, and if you put them together correctly 3-4 shakes could add as much as 1000 Cal to your daily intake.

Year round I try not to go more than 3 hours without eating something, and alternating meals with shakes is a good way to go if you're just not hungry enough to sit down and plow through some chicken and rice. I'll caveat that and say you should be wary of relying on them, though, as a solid meal generally has much more nutritive value than the ingredients thrown into a typical lifter's shake.

 

[AaronJP1]

PB & bananas are always good.
I know this may sound like a long shot, but Compound 20 & M-Stak both increased my appetite.

 

[GeovanniG]

^ Fairly good advice here. I agree with the eating every 2-3 hours, but in addition to that you might want to try throwing in a protein shake about 45 minutes after each meal. You can usually just chug them down, and if you put them together correctly 3-4 shakes could add as much as 1000 Cal to your daily intake.

Year round I try not to go more than 3 hours without eating something, and alternating meals with shakes is a good way to go if you're just not hungry enough to sit down and plow through some chicken and rice. I'll caveat that and say you should be wary of relying on them, though, as a solid meal generally has much more nutritive value than the ingredients thrown into a typical lifter's shake.

Follow this advice, and you'll get big in no time.

 

[Gerbil]

I dont know about anyone else but when ever I lift heavy I am starving afterwords. But not eating enough has never been a problem for me. Controlled Labs Black hole is supposed to increase appetite but never tried it.

 

[Tboz]

Street with adding a few snacks in between ur meals the gradually increase those snacks into meals. Try to do this every 2-3 hrs.

Protein shakes or
Mass gainers one shake is almost 1000 cals.

 

[Tboz]

Street with adding a few snacks in between ur meals the gradually increase those snacks into meals. Try to do this every 2-3 hrs.

Protein shakes or
Mass gainers one shake is almost 1000 cals.

 

[FloridaRoofer]

Thanks for the advice. I already ingest 2-3 protien shakes a day whenever i can get around to it. I guess i'll just have to start preparing 5-6 meals in advance for each day and just eat it weather i like it or not.

 

[Torobestia]

Try consuming a large breakfast. I follow IF right now (since eating big and gaining is no problem for me, I have to worry about how much I gain at once), but back when I ate breakfast in the morning I would eat 5 fried eggs, 2 turkey sausages, a glass of OJ, and a large bowl of oatmeal cooked in milk (.75-1 cup of oats in a cup and a half of milk). I would often also include fruit in this meal, alternating between grapes, berries, and cantaloupe. This would net me around 1000 calories. A large breakfast is said to increase your appetite throughout the day.

 

[princevince]

lot's of food, protein/weightgainer, prime, anabeta, titanium xl, m-stak/animal-stak, proper training and rest.

money in the bank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rodja]

Saying you can't up your calorie intake is BS. Unless you can only eat 1 meal a day, then you can eat more than 2500 kcals. You do not need to eat every 2-3 hours like is said verbatim in the magazines, but you do need to eat. Buy fattier cuts of meat, whole eggs, cheese, whole milk, etc. Hell, 12 oz whole milk, 1 oz EVOO, and 1-2 scoops of protein is nearly 700 kcals. Drink one of those 2x/day in addition to you whole foods and you're set.

 

[Torobestia]

Saying you can't up your calorie intake is BS. Unless you can only eat 1 meal a day, then you can eat more than 2500 kcals. You do not need to eat every 2-3 hours like is said verbatim in the magazines, but you do need to eat. Buy fattier cuts of meat, whole eggs, cheese, whole milk, etc. Hell, 12 oz whole milk, 1 oz EVOO, and 1-2 scoops of protein is nearly 700 kcals. Drink one of those 2x/day in addition to you whole foods and you're set.

Yeah, even I get hungry on only 2500 calories. I know the qualifier in this thread are healthy food suggestions, but a large pizza hut pizza has over 2500 calories, and I remember running through one in minutes as a kid.

 

[Rodja]

Yeah, even I get hungry on only 2500 calories. I know the qualifier in this thread are healthy food suggestions, but a large pizza hut pizza has over 2500 calories, and I remember running through one in minutes as a kid.

You touched on a very important thing and that is the overly clean phobia. If you're having trouble packing in the kcals, then there is nothing wrong with the occasional pizza, burgers, fajitas, etc.

 

[FloridaRoofer]

Good points. My foods just may be on the "overly clean" side. I didn't realize the whole milk, evoo, protien combo could actualy have that many cals. Nice to know. So whole milk and a couple greasy items here or there won't effect my cut? I started as a pretty cut guy and haven't lost it yet so i was worried about that. Either way, it looks like the breakfast part is where i'm having trouble once i really break down my daily eating habbits. I just get up at 5am, get dressed and hurry out the door... So maybe if I can make time for a real breakfast instead of just a shake, then my appetite through the day may improve as I need it to. The imput is appretiated guys.