How Much Can I Gain In 3 Months?

[Richoss]

Hey guys, im trying to develop some goals to work towards, and one is to gain weight. I want to be specific as in how much weight i could gain in 3 months, but im not sure whats a good target. I dont want to set a un-realistic goal, nor do i want to set a goal thats too easy, i want to be challenged.

So with proper eating and training, whats a good weight gain?

[Marc_MacDouglas]

Originally Posted by Richoss

Hey guys, im trying to develop some goals to work towards, and one is to gain weight. I want to be specific as in how much weight i could gain in 3 months, but im not sure whats a good target. I dont want to set a un-realistic goal, nor do i want to set a goal thats too easy, i want to be challenged.

So with proper eating and training, whats a good weight gain?

Hey Richoss, good question dude. Im starting out and want to gain some weight myself, I'm trying to gain between 15-20 lbs lean muscle in the next 3 months. I think this is a pretty realistic goal to set myself. So long as I eat right, follow a deccent exercise programme and let my body recover properly.

USN Muscle Fuel Anabolic

[wave_length]

For most people, a rate of weight gain greater than 1lb / week won't do much other than adding fat. Even with that rate, for most people a good amount of fat will be gained. It also heavily depends on how much muscle has already been gained from the first two years of serious training. After that, progress usually slows down significantly.

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by wave_length

For most people, a rate of weight gain greater than 1lb / week won't do much other than adding fat. Even with that rate, for most people a good amount of fat will be gained. It also heavily depends on how much muscle has already been gained from the first two years of serious training. After that, progress usually slows down significantly.

so that equals to about 0.5kg a week, so 1kg a fortnight, 2kg a month x 3 months, 6kgs for the overall gain, which should project me in the 60kg+ area. So I guess my goal is to weigh in at 60kg in 3 months, sounds good. so in lbs wise, i should be around 132lbs with a gain of 13lbs+.

whats a good way to tackle this without spending any money on supplements? I created a thread a few weeks ago with the same question, but instead of bumping that, ill post here. Also, oats and tuna i dislike, but im also on a tight food budget at the moment.

I got a general meal plan for the week coming up for dinner,

Monday - Pasta
Tuesday - Chicken Snitznel and Vegetables
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Fish and Vegetables
Friday - Stir Fry

And the weekend im unsure. And for lunch, Monday im not sure, but tuesday will be any left over from Monday dinner, Wednesday would be any left over or sandwiches etc.

I just sorta need some post workout meals or something to eat/drink, keeping in mind of no supps, and good snacks, and some breakfast ideas.

[wave_length]

Originally Posted by Richoss

so that equals to about 0.5kg a week, so 1kg a fortnight, 2kg a month x 3 months, 6kgs for the overall gain, which should project me in the 60kg+ area. So I guess my goal is to weigh in at 60kg in 3 months, sounds good. so in lbs wise, i should be around 132lbs with a gain of 13lbs+.

whats a good way to tackle this without spending any money on supplements? I created a thread a few weeks ago with the same question, but instead of bumping that, ill post here. Also, oats and tuna i dislike, but im also on a tight food budget at the moment.

I got a general meal plan for the week coming up for dinner,

Monday - Pasta
Tuesday - Chicken Snitznel and Vegetables
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Fish and Vegetables
Friday - Stir Fry

And the weekend im unsure. And for lunch, Monday im not sure, but tuesday will be any left over from Monday dinner, Wednesday would be any left over or sandwiches etc.

I just sorta need some post workout meals or something to eat/drink, keeping in mind of no supps, and good snacks, and some breakfast ideas.

Generally, just watch your overall protein intake (I would go for about 2g / kg lean body mass) and eat some veggies, fruit, or salad every day. Other than that eat what you want. You don't need enormous amounts of food for 1/2 kg a week, it's only a surplus of about 500kcals a day. For post workout, just eat a normal meal that also contains some protein.

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by wave_length

Generally, just watch your overall protein intake (I would go for about 2g / kg lean body mass) and eat some veggies, fruit, or salad every day. Other than that eat what you want. You don't need enormous amounts of food for 1/2 kg a week, it's only a surplus of about 500kcals a day. For post workout, just eat a normal meal that also contains some protein.

how do i work out my daily calorie intake? Is 500kcals alot? I weigh in at about 54kg or something, but that isn't all lean mass and i don't know my bodyfat%, so is there a way to work that out?

thanks for your reply, very helpful

[wave_length]

Originally Posted by Richoss

how do i work out my daily calorie intake? Is 500kcals alot? I weigh in at about 54kg or something, but that isn't all lean mass and i don't know my bodyfat%, so is there a way to work that out?
thanks for your reply, very helpful

You can start with your current intake and just increase a little from there. 500kcals e.g. is one Big Mac to give you an idea. You seem to be pretty lean, so just go for about 100g of protein. Don't stress it, a little more or less will also do. By weekly weighing, you will see what your rate of weight gain is. Adjust your intake if it's not where it should be.

Maybe my cutting guide can also help, it focuses on cutting but also contains a section on bulking. Cutting and bulking only differ in total intake anyway.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=1305

[kthxbai]

Originally Posted by wave_length

For most people, a rate of weight gain greater than 1lb / week won't do much other than adding fat. Even with that rate, for most people a good amount of fat will be gained..

What about a noobie? I always hear they can gain more without getting fat but noone ever gives a number.

[Mike83]

If your only 123lbs, you could get up to 160 easily if you do things right. Maybe higher if you dont mind more bodyfat.

[xXConsistancYXx]

Originally Posted by Marc_MacDouglas

Hey Richoss, good question dude. Im starting out and want to gain some weight myself, I'm trying to gain between 15-20 lbs lean muscle in the next 3 months. I think this is a pretty realistic goal to set myself. So long as I eat right, follow a deccent exercise programme and let my body recover properly.

USN Muscle Fuel Anabolic

15-20lbs of LEAN MUSCLE is not possible unless on steroids and/or gh you may gain this amount of weight but i would assume 5 lbs most to be lean muscle.

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by Mike83

If your only 123lbs, you could get up to 160 easily if you do things right. Maybe higher if you dont mind more bodyfat.

160lbs (72.5kg)?! What timeframe are speaking of? The three months? and what sort of training/diet would i need to be on to produce that sort of result?

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by wave_length

You can start with your current intake and just increase a little from there. 500kcals e.g. is one Big Mac to give you an idea. You seem to be pretty lean, so just go for about 100g of protein. Don't stress it, a little more or less will also do. By weekly weighing, you will see what your rate of weight gain is. Adjust your intake if it's not where it should be.

Maybe my cutting guide can also help, it focuses on cutting but also contains a section on bulking. Cutting and bulking only differ in total intake anyway.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=1305

noob question cos i have never counted calories, how do i work out my current intake? I like the idea of weekly weighing, my brother did this, if he didn't lose as much as he wanted, he knew he had to work harder that week. Same apply to me, if i don't gain as much as wanted, I know i got to eat more and lift heavier.

What about training wise? Would a bodypart hypertrophy program be better? Or a more full-body or upper/lower split strength program? I was thinking of doing Joe DeFrancos Westside for Skinny Bastards with a bulking diet

[Budjola]

if u add 6 kg in 3 months and if half of that is muscle u will definetly see it. sometimes u could see massive changes on pps who put only 2kg of muscle i say muscle not overall weight gained.

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by xXConsistancYXx

15-20lbs of LEAN MUSCLE is not possible unless on steroids and/or gh you may gain this amount of weight but i would assume 5 lbs most to be lean muscle.

MIGHT be possible for a first time lifter with superior genetics. Other than that, this is a a super lofty goal.......unless youre on the gas.

To the OP, a 500 kcal a day surplus is the standard answer to your question. 1/2lb to 1 lb a week gain MIGHT be mostly lean body mass. But, you have to play with it. Some people struggle to put on a single lb of lean muscle in a month, others might gain 2-3 naturally fairly easily. There are many variables including your training intensity, age, hormone levels, etc.

I just came off an 8 month bulk with super high intensity, especially with my leg training and by my best estimates, I put on 6-7 lbs of lean mass. Total weight gain was 24 lbs.

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

MIGHT be possible for a first time lifter with superior genetics. Other than that, this is a a super lofty goal.......unless youre on the gas.

To the OP, a 500 kcal a day surplus is the standard answer to your question. 1/2lb to 1 lb a week gain MIGHT be mostly lean body mass. But, you have to play with it. Some people struggle to put on a single lb of lean muscle in a month, others might gain 2-3 naturally fairly easily. There are many variables including your training intensity, age, hormone levels, etc.

I just came off an 8 month bulk with super high intensity, especially with my leg training and by my best estimates, I put on 6-7 lbs of lean mass. Total weight gain was 24 lbs.

i asked this earlier to wave_length, but he is offline, how do i calculate my current calorie intake? Is there a website which you can enter your food and it calculates it? Or can you just write it all down and work it out? thanks

[wave_length]

Originally Posted by kthxbai

What about a noobie? I always hear they can gain more without getting fat but noone ever gives a number.

I was talking about natural noobies. As a natural advanved lifter, it's more like a few pounds LBM a year, if that.

Originally Posted by Richoss

noob question cos i have never counted calories, how do i work out my current intake? I like the idea of weekly weighing, my brother did this, if he didn't lose as much as he wanted, he knew he had to work harder that week. Same apply to me, if i don't gain as much as wanted, I know i got to eat more and lift heavier.

What about training wise? Would a bodypart hypertrophy program be better? Or a more full-body or upper/lower split strength program? I was thinking of doing Joe DeFrancos Westside for Skinny Bastards with a bulking diet

I did a simple split on my last cut, see my signature. I always change training plans as soon as they don't provide progress anymore. Both full body and splits are OK as long as they give you progress.

Originally Posted by Richoss

i asked this earlier to wave_length, but he is offline, how do i calculate my current calorie intake? Is there a website which you can enter your food and it calculates it? Or can you just write it all down and work it out? thanks

You can check Robby99999' calculator (sticky in this forum)
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=114980801

[Richoss]

Originally Posted by wave_length

I was talking about natural noobies. As a natural advanved lifter, it's more like a few pounds LBM a year, if that.



I did a simple split on my last cut, see my signature. I always change training plans as soon as they don't provide progress anymore. Both full body and splits are OK as long as they give you progress.



You can check Robby99999' calculator (sticky in this forum)
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=114980801

Thanks again for another informative reply. I might go ahead and start on WS4SB for the first couple months and see how it's going for me.

Okay, downloaded his calculator, think I entered it all correct. My results were

Thermogenic Effect Of Food At Maintenance 14.8%

Total Daily Calorie Expenditure 2398

Metabolic Rating 118%

Goal Weight - 60kg
Rate of Gain - .05

Starting Date - June 15th, 09
Projected Time of Arrival - September 7th, 09

Calorie Needs To Gain 0.5 Kilogram/Week
Without Adaptive Thermogenesis 3019
At 3% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3093
At 9% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3242
At 18% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3464


Now my question being, what is this Adaptive Thermogenesis? It sounds like temperature to the body, possibly caused by environment or certain foods affecting the body temperature. I am most likely wrong, so please correct. But im looking at pretty much a daily calorie intake of 3464, a surplus of 1066.

I know i should be researching this myself, but i want to ask you wave_length, when buying food, and looking at labels and such and it has the nutritional value and such, what do i want to look for? Like whats a good amount of Carbs, Protein etc per serving? Like for example, in my room (cos I can't be bothered to go to my kitchen downstairs) I have the box of my McDonalds Chicken Deluxe burger and we have

Nutrition Information
Serving Per Package: 1 Average Serving Size: 204g

Energy (Cal) - 1540 (369) per serve, 756 (181) per 100g
Protein (g) - 29.6 per serve, 14.5 per 100g
Fat, total (g) - 13.1 per serve, 6.4 per 100g
- saturated fat (g) - 4.5 per serve, 2.2 per 100g
Carbohydrate (g) - 31.7 per serve, 15.5 per 100g
- sugars (g) - 4.7 per serve 2.3 per 100g
Sodium (mg) - 735 per serve, 360 per 100g

That is for seared chicken, it doesn't say for crispy, and i ordered crispy, but it has a per serve for Crispy and it has
Energy - 1990kj per serve
Protein - 26.5g per serve
Fat - 22.5g per serve
Carbohydrate - 40.9g per serve

Anyway, back to my original inquiry, what type of food should I be looking at buying by looking at the labels like that? High in everything i guess, but how do i tell if its high, whats a high number of Energy, Protein, Fat (want to keep low i guess) and Carbohydrates. And what about with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat that don't come with labels, how do you calculate that information?

Wave, you have been a big help!

[Mike83]

Originally Posted by Richoss

160lbs (72.5kg)?! What timeframe are speaking of? The three months? and what sort of training/diet would i need to be on to produce that sort of result?

You will have to dedicate yourself 120% to truly transform and grow like that. You will need to train very intense every workout, short rest periods, just train harder than you ever have every workout. For your diet, this will be the most important part. You will have to eat 1.5 to 2grams of protein per lb you weigh daily, which is not much since you do not weigh much. For carbs, you will need 2+ grams per lb you weigh daily. Also alot of healthy fats daily, if you can do this, you will grow and grow. Nothing will stop your growing if you do things right.

[BoGii]

Originally Posted by Mike83

If your only 123lbs, you could get up to 160 easily if you do things right. Maybe higher if you dont mind more bodyfat.

Seriously? I mean 160 is pretty damn high in 3 months.
I was wondering if I could even hit 160 by next March or so.

[Mike83]

Originally Posted by BoGii

Seriously? I mean 160 is pretty damn high in 3 months.
I was wondering if I could even hit 160 by next March or so.

If you can really dedicate yourself to the lifestyle needed to achieve a task that seems impossible, it can happen.

[jackedrabbit]

A pound per week, max. So 3 months = 12 weeks = 12 pounds.

You'll gain some fat with it but I feel that gaining about 1 pound per week allows you to SEE and FEEL the weight being put on you! Slower is better, because it's probably closer to 1/4 pound of pure lean new tissue you can build and put on per week but whatever. Feels good to be eating a lot and pushing heavy weight.

If you are really meticulous with your diet, you could probably hammer out some macros to allow you to put on 1/2 pound per week. It's just that going that slow can be hard to measure and you could end up going for a whole month and gain nothing.

I personally do 1 pound per week, and just scale back and do a short cut if I get sloppy for my liking. Something like 10 week bulk, 4 week cut.

[wave_length]

Originally Posted by Richoss

Thanks again for another informative reply. I might go ahead and start on WS4SB for the first couple months and see how it's going for me.

Okay, downloaded his calculator, think I entered it all correct. My results were

Thermogenic Effect Of Food At Maintenance 14.8%

Total Daily Calorie Expenditure 2398

Metabolic Rating 118%

Goal Weight - 60kg
Rate of Gain - .05

Starting Date - June 15th, 09
Projected Time of Arrival - September 7th, 09

Calorie Needs To Gain 0.5 Kilogram/Week
Without Adaptive Thermogenesis 3019
At 3% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3093
At 9% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3242
At 18% Adaptive Thermogenesis 3464


Now my question being, what is this Adaptive Thermogenesis? It sounds like temperature to the body, possibly caused by environment or certain foods affecting the body temperature. I am most likely wrong, so please correct. But im looking at pretty much a daily calorie intake of 3464, a surplus of 1066.

I think it's best to ask Robby99999 about that, I'm not that much an expert on calorie calculation.

Originally Posted by Richoss

I know i should be researching this myself, but i want to ask you wave_length, when buying food, and looking at labels and such and it has the nutritional value and such, what do i want to look for? Like whats a good amount of Carbs, Protein etc per serving? Like for example, in my room (cos I can't be bothered to go to my kitchen downstairs) I have the box of my McDonalds Chicken Deluxe burger and we have

Nutrition Information
Serving Per Package: 1 Average Serving Size: 204g

Energy (Cal) - 1540 (369) per serve, 756 (181) per 100g
Protein (g) - 29.6 per serve, 14.5 per 100g
Fat, total (g) - 13.1 per serve, 6.4 per 100g
- saturated fat (g) - 4.5 per serve, 2.2 per 100g
Carbohydrate (g) - 31.7 per serve, 15.5 per 100g
- sugars (g) - 4.7 per serve 2.3 per 100g
Sodium (mg) - 735 per serve, 360 per 100g

That is for seared chicken, it doesn't say for crispy, and i ordered crispy, but it has a per serve for Crispy and it has
Energy - 1990kj per serve
Protein - 26.5g per serve
Fat - 22.5g per serve
Carbohydrate - 40.9g per serve

What's most important is that your daily protein requirements are met and that total calories add up. Don't stress it, check my cutting guide.

Originally Posted by Richoss

Anyway, back to my original inquiry, what type of food should I be looking at buying by looking at the labels like that? High in everything i guess, but how do i tell if its high, whats a high number of Energy, Protein, Fat (want to keep low i guess) and Carbohydrates. And what about with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat that don't come with labels, how do you calculate that information?
Wave, you have been a big help!

If you want to count calories, which can be a great help for noobies, you will have to add up all the information you have and look up the rest in nutrition tables. There are a few available online, you can just google for e.g. "beef calories" and you will get a number of hits. Regarding which foods to buy, well everything you like within the rules of the cutting guide IMO. You don't have to keep fat low, what matters most is total calories and protein. I don't really understand you question regarding "what's a high numner of ...". At the end of the day, when you add everything up, protein should be above 1g / lb lean body mass and calories should be at target.