This is the last installment of an eighteen part series of articles on hardgainers. The first seventeen articles dealt with training, but this article deals with diet and nutritional advice for hardgainers. Remember that two different hardgainers can vary greately in terms of what kind of training and diet they respond to best. It generally takes some trial and error to find the best diet, but you can start with basic guidelines that are presented in this article which is taken from chapter 18 of the book, Individualized Training Strategies For Hardgainers.
Chapter 18
Dietary Guidelines For Hardgainers
Diet is an important factor that contributes to muscle gains. While a good diet plays an extremely important role in helping hardgainers to gain muscle, it can also be overemphasized to the point of spending a fortune on supplements. While some supplements may prove to be helpful, I do not recommend that you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on supplements every month to gain muscle. Instead of investing in large amounts of supplements, the focus of your diet should be on eating quality food.
I believe the majority of hardgainers will benefit most from a basic balanced diet. A balanced diet is derived from the proper caloric balance between protein, carbohydrates, and fats. The number of calories that should be derived from each category consists of approximately 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.
While the balance between protein, carbohydrates and fat is an important element of a muscle building diet, it is also important to eat highly nutritious foods and avoid junk food. Candy, desserts, and pastries do have a lot of calories and may help you gain weight, but it won’t be muscle. This is also true of most chips, fries, baked goods, deep fat fried foods, and any snack foods loaded with sugar or fat. If you work out hard, but fail to eat the right types of foods, you may find that your hard work doesn’t work. Low quality foods will produce a low-quality body, whereas high quality foods combined with high quality workouts will help to build a high-quality body.
Protein
If you are serious about gaining muscle, you must take in enough protein at every meal. Muscle fibers are primarily composed of protein and require protein in order to grow bigger. It is possible to eat very healthy foods but fail to take in enough protein. For example, you may eat a big bowl of oatmeal and a piece of fruit for breakfast, and have a large garden salad for lunch, followed by pasta and a serving of vegetables for supper. All of these meals consist of high-quality foods that are considered very healthy, but they are also very low in protein content. You would not build much muscle on this type of diet as you must include a sufficient amount of protein at every meal.
Quality protein comes from meats such as beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, and fish. Other good sources of protein are eggs and dairy products, although you should limit sugar loaded dairy products such as ice cream and sweetened yogurt. Some vegetarian sources such as tofu have a substantial amount of protein, but it tends to be a lower quality of protein. Most breads are low in protein, but Ezekiel Bread is a unique bread that has a moderate amount of protein per slice, and the protein quality is very high.
Ideally, you should take in 30 or more grams of protein at each meal including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, it would be to your benefit to add a couple of high protein snacks every day. These snacks should provide 20 or more grams of protein and should be eaten between meals, or before you go to bed.
Protein Supplements
You may find that there are times when you don’t have protein foods available for a given meal or snack. This is when a protein supplement would be very beneficial. Most protein supplements come in the form of a dissolvable powder that you can simply mix with water, milk, or a drink. I recommend whey protein powder as it is a high-quality protein and easy for most people to digest. In addition to protein powder, whey protein also comes in the form of pre-made protein drinks and whey protein bars. You can often find these at grocery stores, drug stores, and nutrition stores. A protein supplement is the easiest way to provide instant protein for snacks or meals that would otherwise be low in protein.
Carbohydrates
Most hardgainers should not neglect to take in adequate amounts of carbohydrates as they supply energy for your muscles to function. Just make sure that your diet is based on healthy carbs instead of junk-food carbs. Healthy carbs primarily come from foods such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and dairy products. Healthy carbs help to keep your blood sugar level balanced and often provide fiber to aid with proper digestion.
Of course, there are carbs that you should avoid or eat (or drink) in moderation as they tend to cause your blood sugar level to fluctuate up and down too much. This can lead to periods of low energy when your blood sugar is low, and make it easier to store fat when your blood sugar is high. The type of carbs that you should avoid are high in white flour and sugar as these are high impact carbs. Also, stay away from high fructose corn syrup. High impact carbs tend to spike your blood sugar level and are one of the biggest culprits for causing fat gain and undermining your overall health.
The Right Amount of Carbs for Your Physiology
In general, I recommend eating between twenty to sixty grams of carbs at each meal including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have a super-fast metabolism, you may have to eat quite a bit more, and there may also be a percentage of people who benefit from a diet that is lower than normal in carbohydrates because they don’t tolerate carbohydrates very well. Symptom of this are poor digestion and stomach problems, weight gain, fatigue, and brain fog when you eat too many carbs. If you suspect that you don’t tolerate carbs very well, try limiting your carb intake to twenty grams per meal or less. If you try this and start to feel lousy, switch back to eating more carbs again. However, if you notice a marked improvement in digestion, energy level, and weight control, stick with the lower amount of carbs.
When To Avoid Eating A Lot of Carbs
Those who have a slow metabolism and are trying to lose fat should be especially careful about taking in too many carbs at the wrong time of day. Unused carbs that are not burned as energy or stored in your muscles as glycogen have nowhere to go and will be stored as fat. This happens when you eat too many carbs followed by several hours of inactivity. The worst time to eat a lot of carbs is before retiring for bed. I would also advise that you avoid eating a dinner high in carbohydrates. There are a couple of exceptions to this: the first would be if you are going to work out after eating dinner; the second would be if you have starved yourself of carbs throughout the day before eating dinner. Even so, if you are trying to lose fat, limit the carbs to 30 grams per meal.
Fats
Having enough fat in your diet is essential for promoting healthy metabolic function and for the utilization of various nutrients. If you are a hardgainer, approximately 30% of your calories should come from fat. If you have a fast metabolism and neglect to take in enough fat, you may find it very difficult to gain weight. Don’t neglect to take in fat, but don’t overdo it with fat either. One of the most important considerations in regard to fat is to be careful about the type of fat that you ingest, as not all fats are created equal.
There are three basic types of fats consisting of unsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans-fat.
Trans-fat may show up as partially hydrogenated oil on food nutrition labels and trans-fats are often thought of as unhealthy fat.
Unsaturated fats come from vegetarian sources and fish, and are generally considered to be safe and healthy to eat.
Saturated fats are found in meats, dairy products, and eggs. There is controversy over saturated fats as some medical authorities believe that too much saturated fat can contribute to heart disease and other medical problems in some people. Others are not convinced that this is true and believe the true problem is over indulgence in high impact carbs and trans-fat.
Of all the types of fats, nutritional authorities generally agree that trans-fat should be avoided by anyone who is striving for optimum health. Trans-fat is most likely to be found in fried foods, baked goods, cookies, crackers, icings, packaged snack foods, and some margarines.
If your primary objective is to build muscle, lose fat, and be healthy, I would advise avoiding trans-fat. If you eat foods that contain it, only eat them in small amounts. Also, if your family has a history of heart disease, consider limiting the amount foods that are high in saturated fats. If you eat lean meats, low fat or non-fat dairy products, and remove the yolks from your eggs, you will greatly reduce the amount of saturated fat in the foods where it is commonly found. For those who find it difficult to gain weight and want to add fat to a protein drink, I recommend adding coconut oil.
Creatine
Creatine can be an extremely powerful supplement for gaining muscle and strength in a lot of people. Not everyone responds the same to creatine. Some people will find it to be tremendously beneficial, others will only receive a moderate amount of benefit, and others don’t respond to it. The only way to know is to try it and see if it helps you. Like any food or supplement, some people don’t tolerate creatine very well and may find that it upsets their stomach or that it causes some other side effect. Proponents of creatine insist that it does not cause kidney problems as long as you stay hydrated and drink plenty of water, but some medical authorities warn that it could cause kidney problems in a small percentage of people. I recommend that you listen to your body when using any type of supplement, and stop taking it if it causes any problems or health concerns.
Multiple Vitamin Mineral Supplement
In order to make sure that you are receiving an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals, I recommend taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. Not everyone absorbs all nutrients in an optimal manner and some people may have a habit of selecting foods that lack an adequate amount of certain vitamins and minerals. A multiple vitamin and mineral supplement will help to counteract these problems.
Food Intolerances
Not all hardgainers have food intolerances, but some do, and it is one of the factors that makes it so hard for them to gain weight. Milk is a fantastic muscle builder for many people, but others don’t tolerate it well. Eggs are a perfect muscle builder for some people, but others will suffer with digestive problems when they eat eggs. Many people are also sensitive to foods that contain gluten. No matter how nutritious and healthy a given food is thought to be among nutrition experts, it is possible that it doesn’t mix with your personal physiology. If this is the case, avoid the food that is causing the problem and stick with foods that you can eat without digestive disorders or unwanted side effects.
The Blood Type Diet
One of the ways to solve the problem of food intolerances is to follow the Blood Type Diet. The Blood Type Diet is based on eating foods that are compatible with your particular blood type. This means the first step is to find out your blood type. You will either be a type O, type A, type, B, or type AB. Once you know this information, you will need to look online or find a book that tells you which foods are compatible with your blood type and stick with those foods. If you have tried weight gain diets, and you hate them because you find that they cause all kinds of digestive problems and discomfort, you may find that the blood type diet makes a very big difference in how much food you can tolerate. Some of you may find the blood type diet to be enormously beneficial.
Gut Health
The condition of your stomach and intestines determines your gut health. Healthy intestines are absolutely imperative for hardgainers. No matter how much food and nutrients you take in, you won’t utilize it properly if your stomach and intestinal tract aren’t working properly. Make sure you get enough fiber in your diet to keep your intestinal tract healthy. You can do this by eating plenty of vegetables as well as fresh fruits and whole grains. Take a fiber supplement if necessary and consider taking digestive enzymes and a probiotic supplement to maintain a healthy intestinal flora. And I’ll say it once again, only eat foods that are compatible with your personal digestion and avoid foods that cause any type of digestive distress.
Gaining weight
There is no single formula for eating to gain weight. The one thing that you must do is to take in more calories than you expend. The number of calories that a hardgainer should eat can vary greatly. Some hardgainers have a super-fast metabolism and need to eat at least 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day to gain any weight at all. If you are a hardgainer with a slow metabolism, 4,000 calories per day will be a nightmare that will make you feel awful. You must eat according to your personal needs and according to your own capacity for meal sizes.
Vince Gironda was one of the most highly esteemed trainers in the 1940’s – 1980’s. He claimed that huge meals often caused skinny hardgainers to lose weight because it messed up their digestion. This is why he advocated that hardgainers eat smaller meals five to six times per day because it was the only way they could take in enough calories without suffering the consequences of overeating during a given meal. I agree with Vince; make sure you spread your calories throughout the course of five to six meals per day instead of trying to cram them into two or three meals per day.
Losing Weight
For some soft or overweight hardgainers, the primary goal may be to lose body fat. I recommend the following ten guidelines:
If you have been habitually eating over 3,000 calories per day, start by restricting your calories to 1,600 calories per day. Don’t forget to include the calories in drinks when counting how many calories you consume each day.
If you continue to gain weight when eating 1,600 calories or less per day, you have a slow metabolism and need to decrease to 1,400 calories per day and do the workout designated for the hardgainer with a slow metabolism plus extra exercise.
Limit your meals to 400 calories or less per meal.
Limit your snacks to 200 calories per snack.
Make it a goal to lose one pound per week.
If you are not losing weight when restricting your calories to 1,600 or 1,400 calories per day, gradually decrease the number of calories per day until you start to lose one pound per week.
If you consistently lose two or more pounds per week, some of the weight loss is probably muscle and you should gradually increase your caloric intake until you are only losing a pound per week.
Eat meals that have a caloric balance of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat.
As an alternative, you can try restricting your carbs to 10% to 20% of you daily caloric intake. If you feel good when restricting carbs, keep doing it. If you feel terrible, return to a balanced diet where carbs make up 40% of you daily caloric intake.
Never eat excessive carbs or high impact carbs that contain sugar or white flour before you retire for bed or during a period where you will be inactive for several hours.
This is the conclusion of the series of articles on hardgainers. If you want to refer back to the previous articles, they are listed below; just click on the article you want to read. Best of training to you.
Refer back to the previous seventeen articles if you want to read the series of chapters from Individual Training Strategies For Hardgainers that are lead up articles to this article.
Hardgainers Part 1: Four Types
Hardgainers Part 2: Physiological Characteristics
Hardgainers Part 3: Conditional Hardgainers
Hardgainers Part 4: Intensity Responsive
Hardgainers Part 5: Volume Responsive
Hardgainers Part 6: Volume Responsive Training
Hardgainers Part 7: 8 x 8 Training For Volume Responsive
Hardgainers Part 8: Misinterpretation Of Rapid Gains
Hardgainers Part 9: The True Hardgainer
Hardgainers Part 10: Training Tresholds
Hardgainers Part 11: How Much Training Intensityprecisionpointtraining.com/…/hardgainers-part-13-microloading
Hardgainers Part 12: Add Weight At The Right Rate
Hardgainers Part 13: Microloading
Hardgainers Part 14: Hardgainers With A Fast Metabolism
Hardgainers Part 15: Hardgainer with Normal And Slow Metabolisms
Hardgainers Part 16: Workouts for Hardgainers With Normal or Slow Metabolisms
Hardgainers Part 17: High Volume – Low Volume Periodization
