Should i eat more to gain muscle

If you want to keep it simple, you can also take your current caloric intake and add in a shake containing roughly 30 grams of protein to start, says Dr.

We love this organic whey protein from the Men's Health store. Overeating can quickly put you at risk for gaining body fat if you're not careful, so be smart about where your macronutrients are coming from. Other macronutrients will come into play, though. And as you can imagine, loading up on not-so-healthy options, like fast food, to meet your caloric surplus might do more harm than good.

So to start, avoid these worst foods for building muscle. If you find you have a hard time gaining muscle, shoot for up to 20 calories per pound of bodyweight per day, Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.

That said, you can only eat so much protein. For instance, your muscles can really only absorb up to 35 grams of protein at one time. If you down more than that in one go, it can go to other parts of your body to serve as fuel or even get flushed from your system completely. Your options are carbs and fat, explains Dr. It's important to remember that this extra energy intake isn't about chucking in an extra meal anytime during the day.

According to Spendlove, the key to extra energy not turning into fat comes down to three main factors:. This includes lean protein, slow-release carbohydrates, lots of salad and vegetables, good fats and limited intake of refined sugar and junk food. To get the timing right, McLeod recommends eating a meal or snack with a mix of protein and carbohydrates before and after training.

You'd be looking specifically at a mix of protein and carbohydrates to allow the muscle to build," McLeod said. To successfully build muscle mass, we also need to be doing the right type of training -- namely weight or resistance training. Whereas heavier weights with lower reps are more to help build muscle mass. Having a mix of both is important," McLeod said. However, even if we get the three factors quality of food, food timing and the training right, many people will still gain fat at the same time as building muscle.

You need roughly 2, calories to build a pound of muscle, largely to support protein turnover, which can be elevated with training. Your body can build at most around about g of muscle each week, so if you eat too many extra calories trying to build more muscle, you will gain excess fat, too. We would suggest consuming an extra to calories per day. If you gain fat easily, stay on the lower end of the range, and if you find it difficult to gain weight in general, aim for the higher end of the range.

It will take a bit of trial and error to find the right amount of additional calories to build muscle and stay lean. In addition, research suggests that consuming lean protein 15 to 20 minutes before, during and within one hour of working out may help improve muscle gain.

Since you are probably not going to be eating a steak or chicken breast at the gym, a protein drink or supplement may be beneficial immediately before, during or after workouts, but is not necessary. Here are eight simple tips to help you get on track….

This gives you an immediate burst of energy and helps you to stay full until your next meal or snack. Your best bets if your trying to build muscle mass are omelettes, smoothies and cottage cheese. Eating the right thing at the right time is crucial for helping you boost your muscle mass. The easiest way is to eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner as usual, interspersed with meals post workout, pre-bed and with two snacks in between.

Not eating for long periods can cause you to over-eat at the next meal or topping yourself up with unhealthy snacks from the vending machine.

So to stop any cravings, eat at fixed times every day and your body will get hungry at those fixed times. You need protein to build and maintain muscle. To achieve this, you should be looking to eat at least 1g per g of body-weight. The easiest way to get this amount is to eat a whole protein source with each meal. Beef, pork, lamb, etc. Chicken, turkey, duck, etc. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc. Eat the yolk. Instead of getting a quick fix from protein powders and shakes, choose these post-workout real food alternatives:.

You need even more protein when changing to an exercise routine designed to build muscle. For instance, if you're sedentary, you may only need 0. Dietary carbohydrates provide the body with energy for tough workouts and replenish energy stores in muscles in the form of glycogen.

As popular as low-carb diets may be, they may diminish your athletic performance and leave your muscles aching for nutrients necessary for muscle protein synthesis.

While it may help to cut down on saturated and trans fats , you still need an appropriate amount of healthy fats to boost metabolism and maintain hormonal function. A fat-free diet can impede muscle growth in a person who vigorously exercises. Healthy fats include more than just olive oil. There are a number of other sources, both for cooking and for eating, including:. Restrictive dietary fads go in and out of style and are often not the best choice for building muscle.

If you need help in putting together an appropriate diet plan for muscle growth, speak to a registered dietitian or qualified sports nutritionist. Get nutrition tips and advice to make healthy eating easier. Consumption of whole eggs promotes greater stimulation of postexercise muscle protein synthesis than consumption of isonitrogenous amounts of egg whites in young men. Am J Clin Nutr. Protein: Which is best? J Sports Sci Med.

Paul G, Mendelson GJ. Evidence supports the use of soy protein to promote cardiometabolic health and muscle development. J Am Coll Nutr.