3 Easy Changes When You are Eating to Build Muscle

Eating to build muscle is probably the one thing most skinny people get absolutely wrong when trying to gain mass and build muscle. Every skinny guy swears they can eat more than all of their bigger friends. They brag about how much they put down in a sitting. It must be lifting that’s the problem. This is just not true. If you aren’t putting on weight, you aren’t eating enough.

So let’s talk about 3 easy changes to make in your diet to unlock gains.

Measure what you’re eating to build muscle

You’ve probably heard the tired quote before, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” It’s absolutely true. Trying to guess if you are getting the fuel your body needs to grow is impossible to do. You just need to know the direct answer. This doesn’t have to be complicated.

First, make sure you understand caloric surplus.

• Caloric Surplus: You eat more calories than your body uses per day. You gain weight.
• Caloric Deficit: You eat less calories than your body uses per day. You lose weight.

In order to gain 1 pound of muscle per week, you need to have a caloric surplus of 500 calories each day, or 3,500 calories per week. I aimed for 2 pounds of gain per week, so I needed a caloric surplus of 1,000 calories each day.

Apply your personal caloric needs to what you eat

Do the math for your personal situation. Remember, we’re looking to figure out how many total calories you need per day. So, if you want to gain one pound per week, you have to add a caloric surplus of 500 calories to the amount of calories your body uses every day. In my post about the basics to gain mass, I recommend a couple of calculators and apps to help with this.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so I recommend using an online calculator to get an estimate of the number of calories you personally need. There are options through an online search like this basic calculator from the Mayo Clinic, or this more involved one from the National Institutes of Health that helps you understand calories needed to hit a goal. Then, I recommend using a calorie tracking app to ensure you hit that calorie count every single day. I used MyPlate because it did a great job of breaking down daily intake by meal, and estimates the calories if you’re not sure.

https://skinnygainz.com/gain-mass-quickly/

Here’s an example of how this all works together. Let’s say I am 6’2″ and 150 lbs. I want to gain 2 pounds per week, so that I can weight 166 pounds in 8 weeks. To gain 2 pounds per week, I need to eat 1,000 additional calories per day.

• The calculator shows me that my body uses 2,450 calories per day.
• I need to eat 2,450 calories + 1,000 calories = 3,450 calories per day.
• This caloric surplus of 1,000 calories per day will lead to 7,000 extra calories per week and 2 pounds gained.

Protein, Protein, and … Veggies to build muscle?

The fitness industry focuses on protein. If you can’t eat enough protein, shake it, chug it, add it to milk, add it to water, and on and on. Protein is important. In fact, it’s the building block for your muscles. When you train, you need to eat protein to fuel your muscle growth.

However, when I followed only that advice, I hated it. My meals were always anchored around chicken breast or a steak. For a week, I felt great, but soon I was sluggish and bloated during my workouts. The diet just wasn’t sustainable.

My personal breakthrough came when I mixed in veggies, fruits and nuts into my diet at a much greater ratio than before. I was still eating enough calories, but I didn’t feel bogged down, and I wasn’t deathly bored of my meals. Your body still needs protein to build muscle and help you recover, but it also needs carbohydrates to fuel your work outs, and veggies and fruits with vitamins and minerals. By shifting my diet to one that was still protein heavy, but balanced with a more holistic approach to food, my energy shot up in training and I started making gains like I had never experienced before.

Be prepared to feast if you want to build muscle

Preparation is the key term. Food prep makes a world of difference when you are skinny and eating to build muscle. Getting a caloric surplus every day is a non-negotiable. Set yourself up for success by having the high calorie meals you need prepared to go. If it’s not readily accessible, you will slip back into your old habits and will not eat enough to build muscle. I like to think of food prep in 2 parts.

Prep the anchor meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Some of you may even consider a post-work or post-school full meal to get an additional meal in there to easily boost your calorie count. Make sure you have these meals ready to go, so you don’t use the excuse of time. For example, a pre-made egg, cheese and sausage burrito in your fridge will be a great calorie rich option on the go as you head to your commute. I would suggest bringing your lunch to work or school also. This prevents you from having to rely on what’s available to create a high calorie meal in the moment.

Prep for constant snacking

Skinny people need to snack between meals. If you’re not absolutely stuffed, keep eating. I recommend having a variety of high calorie snacks ready to go. For example, I kept containers of pistachios or almonds, individually wrapped jerky, and a variety of high protein bars in my backpack. If I had consistent access to a fridge, I stored yogurt, cottage cheese, and deli meat for easy snacks. You want an endless supply of snacks to keep munching on. Eliminate the time you spend thinking about what to it and finding it. This way, you’ll add calories constantly and hit your goals.