So, nutrition for starters! Let me start by saying that I'm not an expert on nutrition, but I do have an interest in the subject, and I have a decent knowledge base when it comes to proper eating, even before taking on the project. The first, and arguably most important aspect of this whole experiment is food. Thinking you're going to size up simply by lifting heavy things at the gym is like trying to turn a garden shed into a house with like an axe or something. Seriously, this is what you look like without proper nutrition. You're not going to gain (or lose!) the mass unless you change the building blocks. The primary building blocks for weight and strength gain are these:
Calories - The big number everybody's trying to bring down to lose weight, so it's no surprise that if you want to increase in size, you need more of these. Calories are pretty simple, for the most part. The body uses them as energy to fuel different processes, like walking your dog, repairing muscles after a tough workout, or lifting a succulent spoonful of Ben & Jerry's up to that expectant, trembling gob of yours. Or it's stored as fat, what your body presumes will be used at a later date for said processes.. little does it know. Here at One-Month Slackmaster though, I'm a big fan of keeping things concise. While eating habits and exercise can have a big impact, in the most basic sense: more calories = more weight gain. Less calories = less weight gain. Duh. I'm what's referred to in the lifting world as a hard gainer, which basically means I have the metabolism of a teenage furnace. For someone like me, taking in around 15-20 kcal/lb bodyweight is the only way I'm going to put on some pounds. That's roughly 2400-3200 calories per day, and if you're trying to keep a healthy diet on top of that, you're talking about a LOT of food.
Protein - One of the main building blocks of a healthy body, and for the purposes of this challenge, muscle. We're talking about meats, legumes (beans, lentils, etc.), dairy, nuts. All great sources of protein. No matter how hard you're lifting, muscle size and strength aren't going to see any major improvement unless you have sufficient protein intake. For the purposes of the experiment, I'm shooting for 1.5-2g/lb bodyweight in grams. Even 1x is a good amount if you're trying to achieve gains, but in order to push things a little further, I'm trying to get anywhere from 240-320g of protein. Supplements play a big role here as well, but you can't get numbers like these without making a major effort to increase protein intake. You want proteins particularly before and after workouts, after waking up and before bed.
Carbohydrates - There are two main types here. Low glycemic and high glycemic. When you're thinking high glycemic, generally you're looking at more sugary sweet foods like candy, or tropical fruits, starchy white breads/potatoes, that sorta thang. Something that gives your body a quick shot of energy. This is what you want first thing in the morning and after/during a workout. We've learned over the years that most of this stuff is really quite bad for you, but if you limit the intake to only when you need it, those Tootsie Rolls might be just the thing right after a hard session at the gym. The low glycemics, on the other hand, help give your body a constant source of energy through the day, and are especially important around dinner time so your body can make use of the energy during sleep. These are pretty abundant in naturally ocurring foods, most fruits, grains, veggies, nuts; these aren't hard to find as long as you aren't chowing down on convenience foods all day. The intake for these is similar to my protein intake of 1.5-2g/lb bodyweight. Though having a higher intake of carbs than protein is probably more typical for a normal healthy diet.
Fats - One of the biggest misconceptions about fats is linked right to the name. Fat. Eating fats will not make you fat. We already discussed that calories do that part. Certainly several fatty foods are high in calories, but fats are required for a number of different processes in the body, which can get complicated, but basically there are three main types of fat that you want. Saturated fats have had the worst rep over the years, and only recently has there been more debate on the positive effects, mostly found in meat products. Monounsaturated fats are considered the healthiest, and where you want to be getting most of your fat intake. Things like avocados, various nuts and oils are generally higher in monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats are the last one, typically the Omega 3s and 6s you hear so much about. More of these are found in fatty fish and seeds; like flax. These different types can be found all across the board at varying levels in different nuts, meat, dairy, cooking oils, seeds, and a few others, so make sure you're getting them, the majority being monounsaturated. For my purposes, I'm recommending a fat intake at about 0.5g/lb bodyweight.
On top of these bulky building blocks, you want to make sure you're getting a balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals, a few of which I'll describe in the supplements section. I haven't done any actual calculations on what I've been eating so far, to be totally honest. I've been putting most of my effort into making sure I have plenty of food available at any given time, but that calorie counting sounds like a topic for next week. Now, for those looking for some eating suggestions, here's a basic breakdown of what my diet's been like so far: Eggs - fried, scrambled, and hardboiled are a nice little portable fat/protein pill you can wolf back any time of day. Muesli and grainy natural cereals were a staple for a bit, but I've moved onto a cheaper alternative of slow cooking steel cut oats, and snacking on different nuts through the day. Never leave home without a bag of almonds! Canned fish like herring and sardines are another great snack and protein boost, and there's a never-ending list of fruit that are solid on the go too. Oranges, apples, bananas, whatever. Peanut butter and whatever sweet addition I can find on bread is another snack you can make a bunch of, store in the fridge, and have handy any time. Speaking of having food handy, I looove having copious amounts of leftovers, and doubly so when I'm eating so much. I'm cooking huge portions that'll typically get me through 6 BIG meals or so. Currently working on a big batch of chili. I've also done some thick-ass spaghetti sauce, and a super-sized chicken stir-fry. You can cook as much or as little as you want, just as long as you're moving your diet in a positive direction that works for your goals and leaves you feeling satisfied. Also tried making some energy bars with a blender instead of a food processor. Ended with a smoking blender... will have to make some modifications.
Oh yeah, I make a pretty mean smoothie. It's a staple of mine, drink em' just about every day. So I'd like to share a recipe of mine that I've been playing with over the years, and I've modified a bit for this month. It's easily tweaked, and it tends to change based on what I have around the house. I'll call it the Berry Bodacious Banana Blend. Pretty smooth title, right...? Yeah. So you'll need a blender and these:
1 banana
1/2 cup Frozen Berries (I personally use a mixed medley)
1/2 Avocado
2-3 Ice cubes
1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt (Coconut flavour's my fav for this)
1 Small Piece of Kale without stalk (Other dark greens like spinach work too)
Milk Product for consistency (I use almond milk)
Supplements (If you've got em')
1 Scoop Whey Protein (Preferably Vanilla or something matching the other ingredients)
1 Scoop Greens Supplement
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
Throw the ingredients into the blender in the order listed. For the milk, I generally use enough to cover about 1/4 to 1/2 of the solid ingredients in the blender, depending on how thick you want it. Turn it on a medium high setting to grind down the frozen ingredients, then a medium low setting to get everything blending nice and smooth. You may need to use the pulse to ensure all the ingredients combine. That's it! Nice and simple!
So that's my bit on nutrition and bulking! Have some nutritional tips? Additions? Need advice? Bulking or no, if you've got something to say, leave a comment.
I'm also going to retroactively add some cool resources that I really like on food and nutrition at the bottom here:
Colour Chart for Fruits and Veggies
Ultimate Guide to Nuts
Alberta Seasonal Food Guide
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