Hardgainer Diet Plan

[l99]

Guys, need help. I am a hardgainer. For the last few years I have been around 150-160lbs. Stacking protein I finally got up from 150 to about 160 +/- 3. But I can't seem to gain any more weight.

I am working out 5 times a week, 1 muscle a day, complex training pyramid scheme. I have seen a noticeable difference in my muscle definition and strength but I just can't gain weight. One of my problems is I don't get the 6 meals a day in because of work and I substitute a lot of it for protein shakes. Starting tomorrow I am going to start a new diet and having quite a bit of liberty with work (working for father) I will be able to incorporate meals into my work schedule.

This is what my meal plan will look like. Please opinions/insults/trolling, all is welcome, just need some help from you guys that have really seen good gains.

I workout at 6am everyday so I don't get to eat pre workout. I take jack3d hit the gym.

Post workout:
2 scoops of protein.
1 scoop of creatine.

1 hour later BREAKFAST:
4 scrambled eggs
oat
2 slices of bread

Meal 1 approx. 2-3 hours later
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
a fairly large meat sandwich with low fat mayo
1 protein shake

Lunch:
4-5 pieces of lean chicken/14oz steak
1 baked potatoe
cup of rice
corn/spinach/carrot salad

Meal 2
can tuna
protein shake

Dinner:
Chicken and rice soup or chicken
2 sliced bread with jelly
salad

Before bed
protein shake
glutamine (don't flame me too much for gluta!)


Anyway, please tell me what I should/should not do. If this looks good. I am in a constant struggle to bulk up. I eat a lot but I just don't eat the correct things.

[NewarkBears]

Take in high GI carbs post-workout and eat some kind of carbs with meal 2.

edit: also change your workout routine. the 5-day one muscle per day thing isn't quite conducive for "hardgainers".

[AlwaysTryin]

Take in high GI carbs post-workout

Ignore this

Also there's no such thing as a hardgainer, only someone who doesn't eat enough

[foodandfitness]

Use whole milk for your shakes, put peanut butter on your bread, and include a dessert with your dinner. That should bump up your calories maybe 10-20%.

[krete77]

I'll help ya out here.

Go back and find out exactly how many calories it is total. Bring a break down of your carbs, fats and proteins; then a grand total of all your calories.

Once you got that all squared away, click right here --> http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

Once you have calculated your maintenance, compare the two, and where the difference lies. If it doesn't match up to your maintenance, then your not eating enough. Adjust calories as needed to increase muscle mass. (Some say anywhere from +10-20% of your maintenance)

God speed

[PhiSig2298]

Hard gainer = under eater..


Looks like you need to recalculate your calorie intake & needs.. Eat 10-20% above TDEE & hit those macros! You'll gain weight.. There's no way around it

[l99]

Appreciate the help guys! Hit a slump today and got a nasty fever and was unable to hit up my usual diet, so will re calculate as suggested.

Appreciated again guys!

[l99]

I took all your advice and calculated all my needs.

I came up with at 71kg I need 2600-2700 calories to maintain. I am taking in around 3,150 calories a day now. This is a 20% as stated. Also I am taking in 238~g of protein per day, and 44.2g of fat. I know my fat is low and not the recommended 1/kg.

Does this sound about right to you guys? Does my math seem to be on track to gain weight? I am recording everything I eat to get accurate amounts. To the decimal this was what I took in yesterday:

3176.1 Calories
238.2g Protein
44.2g Fat


Thanks!

[ParsonBrown]

I took all your advice and calculated all my needs.

I came up with at 71kg I need 2600-2700 calories to maintain. I am taking in around 3,150 calories a day now. This is a 20% as stated. Also I am taking in 238~g of protein per day, and 44.2g of fat. I know my fat is low and not the recommended 1/kg.

Does this sound about right to you guys? Does my math seem to be on track to gain weight? I am recording everything I eat to get accurate amounts. To the decimal this was what I took in yesterday:

3176.1 Calories
238.2g Protein
44.2g Fat


Thanks!

You are missing the carbs here in your numbers. I would list them just to keep yourself honest in your math. You don't need that much protein and I would definitely up the fatz!

[lunchboy]

Fats also look low. 44.2 grams at 160? Eat more fat to get more cals. You should be eating around .5/gram of bodyweight on a bulk.

[vinipitta]

Guys, need help. I am a hardgainer. For the last few years I have been around 150-160lbs. Stacking protein I finally got up from 150 to about 160 +/- 3. But I can't seem to gain any more weight.

As already pointed, you aren't a hardgainer. You are under eating as you proved bellow.

I am working out 5 times a week, 1 muscle a day, complex training pyramid scheme. I have seen a noticeable difference in my muscle definition and strength but I just can't gain weight.

Seems that you are nitpicking some things that must be simple! IMHO you should drop this one-muscle-a-day-complex-training-pyramid-scheme-brostatic thing and do a simple upper/lower 4-day week split.

One of my problems is I don't get the 6 meals a day in because of work and I substitute a lot of it for protein shakes. Starting tomorrow I am going to start a new diet and having quite a bit of liberty with work (working for father) I will be able to incorporate meals into my work schedule.

No. Don't eat 6 meals a day isn't a problem! The most important thing to you is to find the meal frequency that allows you to eat enough, be productive and fit your lifestyle so it is doable.

This is what my meal plan will look like. Please opinions/insults/trolling, all is welcome, just need some help from you guys that have really seen good gains.

I workout at 6am everyday so I don't get to eat pre workout. I take jack3d hit the gym.

Post workout:
2 scoops of protein.
1 scoop of creatine.

1 hour later BREAKFAST:
4 scrambled eggs
oat
2 slices of bread

Meal 1 approx. 2-3 hours later
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 cup sliced pineapple
a fairly large meat sandwich with low fat mayo
1 protein shake

Lunch:
4-5 pieces of lean chicken/14oz steak
1 baked potatoe
cup of rice
corn/spinach/carrot salad

Meal 2
can tuna
protein shake

Dinner:
Chicken and rice soup or chicken
2 sliced bread with jelly
salad

Before bed
protein shake
glutamine (don't flame me too much for gluta!)


Anyway, please tell me what I should/should not do. If this looks good. I am in a constant struggle to bulk up. I eat a lot but I just don't eat the correct things.

Your meal plan seems boring, poor and have a lot of room to calorie improvement. Don't simple change your meal plan because you think there is a magical solution to your plateau.

You are complaining about don't gain weight and using low fat mayo?! Are you f! serious, dude?!

Here is the deal: Increase your calories with simple changes (big suddenly lifestyle changes are prone to fail). Use whole milk and add some caloric dense stuff to your protein shakes like PB, cocoa powder, honey or whatever you enjoy. Improve your lunch and dinner with some tasteful stuff like sauces or whatever caloric dense stuff you find.

Remember: things don't need to be complex to work.

Some people may not enjoy my advices. I am a minimalist guy. I prefer doable things... My advices are primarily based on my own battle to get bigger.

GL

[l99]

You are missing the carbs here in your numbers. I would list them just to keep yourself honest in your math. You don't need that much protein and I would definitely up the fatz!

456.4g of Carbs if I calculated right using that formula on that sticky.

As already pointed, you aren't a hardgainer. You are under eating as you proved bellow.



Seems that you are nitpicking some things that must be simple! IMHO you should drop this one-muscle-a-day-complex-training-pyramid-scheme-brostatic thing and do a simple upper/lower 4-day week split.



No. Don't eat 6 meals a day isn't a problem! The most important thing to you is to find the meal frequency that allows you to eat enough, be productive and fit your lifestyle so it is doable.



Your meal plan seems boring, poor and have a lot of room to calorie improvement. Don't simple change your meal plan because you think there is a magical solution to your plateau.

You are complaining about don't gain weight and using low fat mayo?! Are you f! serious, dude?!

Here is the deal: Increase your calories with simple changes (big suddenly lifestyle changes are prone to fail). Use whole milk and add some caloric dense stuff to your protein shakes like PB, cocoa powder, honey or whatever you enjoy. Improve your lunch and dinner with some tasteful stuff like sauces or whatever caloric dense stuff you find.

Remember: things don't need to be complex to work.

Some people may not enjoy my advices. I am a minimalist guy. I prefer doable things... My advices are primarily based on my own battle to get bigger.

GL

Appreciate it. I'm just starting to get into actually recording and seeing exactly how I take in. I'm new to this diet thing. I use to erroneously believe that supplements made up for a good diet.

I'm trying to stick to 3 big meals per day with snacks between them to calorie stack. With my post workout protein, and my breakfast I have already taken in 1,100 calories/67g protein/22g fat and it's not even 9am.

My question is, is stacking hard like this a bad thing? Taking in this amount of calories in 1 meal? (4 eggs with cheese, 2 slices oat bread with 2 tbspoons jelly jam, banana, 24oz passion fruit).

[sunchienlee]

I would increase fat to at LEAST 80g, lower protein or lower carbs (but IMO you could lower your protein to about 160g, especially that you are bulking)

A lot of people here on the forum IF, so sometimes one meal for them with some caloric dense food could add up to about 2000kcal!! I myself eat ~1500kcal meals all the time. Hitting your daily macros is what is important OP

[vinipitta]

My question is, is stacking hard like this a bad thing? Taking in this amount of calories in 1 meal? (4 eggs with cheese, 2 slices oat bread with 2 tbspoons jelly jam, banana, 24oz passion fruit).

This is a bad thing only if you puke it after eat. If you can handle this (or more), no problem.

Keep things simple.