How To Increase Calorie Intake i.e. How To Eat More?
Know how to increase the calorie intake/how to eat more to make the gains you want.
Now that you have a basic understanding of Diet & Nutrition & the importance of increasing calorie intake, it's time to incorporate this knowledge into your bulking-up plan. Whatever I am posting here is based on what I have done and still doing.
As you know I had been extremely skinny for more than 23 years (weighing at 46 Kgs and standing 6 feet tall) & underweight till June 2016. At the time of writing this post, I weigh 74 Kgs. The problem with me is & was that I can't eat large portions at a time. My stomach sends out a signal to stop eating once the threshold is reached in a short time. So, I changed my eating habit and I started eating smaller portions but more frequently. Before you even start to lift weights, make sure you are eating more, eating healthy & eating well.
As you know I had been extremely skinny for more than 23 years (weighing at 46 Kgs and standing 6 feet tall) & underweight till June 2016. At the time of writing this post, I weigh 74 Kgs. The problem with me is & was that I can't eat large portions at a time. My stomach sends out a signal to stop eating once the threshold is reached in a short time. So, I changed my eating habit and I started eating smaller portions but more frequently. Before you even start to lift weights, make sure you are eating more, eating healthy & eating well.
Below is how to increase your calorie intake so that you can gain weight. I assume you are not vegan and can consume milk & eggs. This is based on my own diet & you're free to modify it. The goal is to eat more & eat healthy.
Start Drinking Whole Milk or Full Cream Milk:-
If you are not lactose intolerant, start drinking full cream milk. Milk is a wholesome food & it's super easy to drink. Milk is full of protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins & fat (if it's whole milk). I drink around 1.25 liters of whole milk daily. 1 liter of whole milk with added sugar gives you around 1000 calories along with 32 grams of protein!! Not everyone can digest milk in larger quantities and not everyone finds it palatable. If you are not habitual of drinking milk, start drinking a glass daily. Don't jump to a liter per day. Add sugar or anything you like to it to make it taste good. Avoid sugar if you have diabetes. I usually add Rooh Afza to the cold milk & it tastes delicious. Otherwise, I just empty the packet into a glass and drink it straight away. It is the best way to pack calories & protein that you need to build muscles. Just imagine 1000 calories in 4 glasses without eating anything!
Start Drinking Whole Milk or Full Cream Milk:-
If you are not lactose intolerant, start drinking full cream milk. Milk is a wholesome food & it's super easy to drink. Milk is full of protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins & fat (if it's whole milk). I drink around 1.25 liters of whole milk daily. 1 liter of whole milk with added sugar gives you around 1000 calories along with 32 grams of protein!! Not everyone can digest milk in larger quantities and not everyone finds it palatable. If you are not habitual of drinking milk, start drinking a glass daily. Don't jump to a liter per day. Add sugar or anything you like to it to make it taste good. Avoid sugar if you have diabetes. I usually add Rooh Afza to the cold milk & it tastes delicious. Otherwise, I just empty the packet into a glass and drink it straight away. It is the best way to pack calories & protein that you need to build muscles. Just imagine 1000 calories in 4 glasses without eating anything!
Once you start drinking a glass regularly, increase it to 2 & go on until you can't add any more glasses. Know your limits. Not everyone can take it this much.
Start Eating Eggs: -
The egg is a wonderful food. It is rich in protein, minerals & vitamins (and cholesterol too in the case of whole egg). If you are too skinny & don't have high BP/heart issues, EAT the yolk as well. Yolks do have cholesterol but they also have abundant minerals, vitamins & 40% of total protein contents. If your BP is high or you are suffering from heart problems, skip it and stick with egg-whites which is entirely protein(albumin). Eggs' biological value is very high and is sometimes used as a gold standard for other protein sources. It is readily absorbed and used for muscle building in the body. One large egg contains around 6 grams of proteins. If you haven't been eating it regularly, start with one egg daily. I know it's paltry, but this will prepare you to eat more and more of it. If you can eat more eggs, that's better. I now eat 7 whole eggs daily and it gives me 42 grams of very high-quality protein. Eggs can be included easily in the diet without making you feel full. Plus, you get high-quality protein!
Start Eating Cheese/Paneer: -
Another food item that you can add to your meals is cheese or paneer. Cheese/Paneer contains around 20 grams of protein per 100 grams. While this is debatable as I didn't find a trustworthy source, there is no denying the fact that paneer does have substantial protein contents. And it also adds calories. It's very easy to add to your usual meals. So, start with adding 50 grams of paneer daily to your food. You can add it to pulaav. You can add it to any sabzi/vegetable curry. If you can eat more, add more paneer or cheese. I now eat 200 grams of paneer on the days when I can't eat eggs. It's super easy to add to the meals & it tastes yummy.
Start Eating Bananas: -
Bananas are packed with carbohydrates & will definitely help you bulk up. It tastes great & can add a lot of variety to your diet. You can make banana shake, banana custard, banana slice or banana salad. There was a time when I used to eat 8 bananas daily. If you are not habitual of eating that much, start with 1 banana daily and gradually increase the number.
Start Eating Eggs: -
The egg is a wonderful food. It is rich in protein, minerals & vitamins (and cholesterol too in the case of whole egg). If you are too skinny & don't have high BP/heart issues, EAT the yolk as well. Yolks do have cholesterol but they also have abundant minerals, vitamins & 40% of total protein contents. If your BP is high or you are suffering from heart problems, skip it and stick with egg-whites which is entirely protein(albumin). Eggs' biological value is very high and is sometimes used as a gold standard for other protein sources. It is readily absorbed and used for muscle building in the body. One large egg contains around 6 grams of proteins. If you haven't been eating it regularly, start with one egg daily. I know it's paltry, but this will prepare you to eat more and more of it. If you can eat more eggs, that's better. I now eat 7 whole eggs daily and it gives me 42 grams of very high-quality protein. Eggs can be included easily in the diet without making you feel full. Plus, you get high-quality protein!
Start Eating Cheese/Paneer: -
Another food item that you can add to your meals is cheese or paneer. Cheese/Paneer contains around 20 grams of protein per 100 grams. While this is debatable as I didn't find a trustworthy source, there is no denying the fact that paneer does have substantial protein contents. And it also adds calories. It's very easy to add to your usual meals. So, start with adding 50 grams of paneer daily to your food. You can add it to pulaav. You can add it to any sabzi/vegetable curry. If you can eat more, add more paneer or cheese. I now eat 200 grams of paneer on the days when I can't eat eggs. It's super easy to add to the meals & it tastes yummy.
Start Eating Bananas: -
Bananas are packed with carbohydrates & will definitely help you bulk up. It tastes great & can add a lot of variety to your diet. You can make banana shake, banana custard, banana slice or banana salad. There was a time when I used to eat 8 bananas daily. If you are not habitual of eating that much, start with 1 banana daily and gradually increase the number.
Conclusion.
These four food items along with your typical meals will give you enough calories & nutrition to kick-start your bulking-up journey. Start doing it & soon you will start gaining weight. I will discuss workout regimen in my next post. But it's far more important to eat well before you lift weights. And if you think, I am lying or making false claims, below are my before/after pictures. I have accomplished all this without taking any medicine/mass-gainer or supplements. I don't rely on protein supplements and I don't intend to become a body-builder. I am quite proud of my 100% natural gains.
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| Me in 2007. See my biceps & chest! |
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| Me in July 2016 :-) |
Disclaimer : - I am not a medical expert. Please check with your doctor/physician before your decide to eat too much. Make sure you have got yourself tested. Please do consult a doctor or physician. All the content on my blog is my personal experience & efforts. It may or may not suit you. I am here to put you in the right direction only.
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