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My Sample
Weight Gain Diet Plan
From A to Z

To formulate my sample weight gain diet plan, I start with my weight and my goals. I weigh 171 lbs. and have the goal of reaching 180 lbs., with as much as possible of my gain being in lean muscle mass.

Because I am naturally lean, don't gain weight easily, and have low bodyfat, I decide to start my daily diet at 18 times my weight. The most important thing to remember about all the "beginning numbers" is that they are flexible. You adjust them based on the results they produce.

If 18x bodyweight doesn't get me growing, I will adjust it upwards. If it produces too much body fat, I will adjust it downwards.

(18-20)(Bodyweight in pounds) = Daily Caloric Intake

(18)(171) = 3078 Daily Calories

I decide to go with a 30-40-30 nutrient ratio because I know from past tracking that this ratio works well for me.

(Daily Caloric Intake Goal)(Nutrient ratio %) =
daily caloric intake from nutrient.

Protein	3,078 x 30%(.30) = 923 calories
Carbohydrates	3,078 x 40%(.40) = 1,231 calories
Fat	3,078 x 30%(.30) = 923 calories

AND

(Calories for each nutrient) / (Nutrient's calories per gram) =
Grams from nutrient daily

Protein (4 cal. per gram)	923 / 4 = 231 grams per day
Carbs (4 cal. per gram)	1231 / 4 = 308 grams per day
Fat (9 cal. per gram)	923 / 9 = 103 grams per day

For more on these equations, check out the Diet To Gain Weight Page. Learn more about the food choices on the pages on Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat.

Now I have the guidelines to design my weight gain diet plan. I will consume 3,078 calories a day consisting of 231 grams of protein, 308 grams of carbohydrates and 103 grams of fat. Now I am ready to plan my diet...

A Day in My Sample Weight Gain Diet Plan		Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Meal One	3 Whole Eggs	225	19	2	15
	Juice (8 oz.)	110	2	27	0
	Skim Milk (8 oz.)	80	8	12	0
	Whole Wheat Bread (1 slice)	69	3	13	1
Meal One Totals		484	32	54	16
Meal Two	Myoplex w/ 14 oz. Skim Milk	420	56	45	2
	Udo's Choice Oil (1 Tbsp.)	135	0	0	15
Meal Two Totals		555	56	45	17
Meal Three	Baked Potato (1 medium size)	91	2	21	0
	Six Inch Turkey Sub (Subway)	289	18	46	4
	Skim Milk (8 oz.)	80	8	12	0
Meal Three Totals		460	28	79	4
Meal Four	Myoplex w/ 14 oz. Skim Milk	420	56	45	2
	Udo's Choice Oil (1 Tbsp.)	135	0	0	15
Meal Four Totals		555	56	45	17
Meal Five	Lean Ground Beef Patty	321	29	0	22
	Whole Wheat Bread (2 Slices)	138	6	26	2
	Brown Rice (1 Cup Instant)	235	6	49	2
Meal Five Totals		694	41	75	26
Meal Six	ON's 100% Whey Protein (1 scoop)	120	24	3	1
	Udo's Choice Oil (2 Tbsp.)	270	0	0	29
Meal Six Totals		390	24	3	30
The Day's Totals		Calories 3,138	Protein 237	Carbs 301	Fat 110

 

See Other Sample Weight Gain Diets... Anthony Ellis's Mass Diet Marc David's Sample Weight Gain Meals

Analysis

In my weight gain diet plan, meals 1, 2, 4 and 6 will remain virtually constant from day to day (non-workout days). The breakfast is fairly traditional and I love my eggs and juice in the morning. I also enjoy my meal replacements, the Myoplex shakes. My final meal of the day is a fairly quick chug shortly before bedtime. Meals 3 and 5 will vary. I will eat tuna or chicken breast often, sometimes (as often as I can) I have steak.

Whatever I have, I always get an approximate count on the calories and nutrient breakdown and work this information into my weight gain diet plan. For example, if I have an excess of carbs in meal three, I will make sure to go easy on carbs in meal five. After a little practice, this becomes very easy to plan and do.

This isn't "strict" calorie counting but rather working off of a base diet and making educated guesses on the content of meals not included in the base (see Tom Venuto's Calorie Counting Article for more info on how to make this work).

I call my meals 1,2,4 and 6 my "constants" and my meals 3 and 5 my "change-ups." You may choose to have more change-ups if you have the time and creativity. The more change-ups you have, the more planning you will need to do. The more constants you have, the more likely you are to grow tired of your weight gain diet plan and start hating to eat (not a good place to be when trying to gain weight).

Two change-ups works well for me, you may need more in your weight gain diet plan if your palate demands more variety.

Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition

For more information, check out the Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition Page.

These are the most important meals in your weight gain diet plan. The key on workout days is to increase the carbohydrate consumption called for by your weight gain diet plan. This is done to address the extra energy needs created by your intense workouts. You must then provide the body with the protein it needs to repair and rebuild muscle.

My pre-workout meal is heavy on complex carbs. Meal number three from above is a typical pre-workout meal for me. About an hour later, I drink a small glass of fruit juice (4 oz.) for immediate energy and then I hit the weights.

Immediately after finishing my workout, I quickly suck down more carbs. This usually will come from Twinlab's Ultra Fuel which is a sports drink that provides an excellent mix of complex and simple carbs (100 grams). It is also a great drink to mix your creatine in and the best time to get your creatine is immediately after a workout. Not done yet, I then mix and drink 1/2 serving of Optimum Nutrition's N-Large 2. It is very important to get protein to your hungry muscles and liquid meals are digested faster than solid food. Therefore they can deliver nutrients to the muscles quicker.

Total Post-Workout Nutrition
700 calories
26 grams protein
143 grams carbs
3 grams fat

I do not include the calories or carbs from my post-workout meal in my weight gain diet plan (I don't count it towards my calorie or macronutrient goals). This is a practice sometimes called "cycling." Another way to look at it is that your post-workout nutrition is simply replenishing what your body utilized in energy and nutrients during an intense workout.

In other words, my total calorie goal on workout days will actually be for about 3,788 calories. I will actually eat 7 meals on these days (though you could count it as a meal and just up the caloric content of your other meals).

Notes:

• This is just my sample weight gain diet plan. There are infinite possibilities. Concentrate (as much as possible) on eating the foods you like to eat, the foods that fit your schedule.
  
  
• Don't fret about hitting your goals exactly. If your goal is 231 grams of protein, rarely will you consume exactly 231 grams of protein in a day. No big deal if you get 210 or 250. Your goal here is just to come reasonably close to what your weight gain diet plan calls for. Don't lose sight of the big picture by trying to get too precise.
  
  
• Keep an eye on fiber and saturated fat totals as well. The above diet provides about 20 grams of fiber. That may be a little low (generally aim for 10 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. I can add fiber supplements (or more fruits and vegetables) if necessary.
  
  It also gives me about 23 grams (207 calories) of saturated fat. This is about 7% of total caloric intake, so I am fine with the goal of keeping saturated fat intake below 10% of my daily intake.
  
  
• Don't forget about water. This can't be emphasized enough. Though not shown in my sample weight gain diet plan, throughout the day I will be consuming 136 ounces of water, seventeen 8 oz. glasses (one 8 oz. glass for every 10 pounds of bodyweight).
  
  
• Record what you eat. A weight gain diet plan is only as good as its results. When you find something that works OR something that doesn't work for you, you have made a valuable discovery. Make sure you have this recorded. Check out how to track your bodybuilding program.
  

Keeping up a bodybuilding diet day after day is a challenge.

Planning it is the easy part. Following it is the hard part. But the longer you follow your weight gain diet, the easier it becomes. And once you start seeing the"muscle" results, you won't want to go back to your old eating styles.

For some tips to help keep you going, check out - Making the Healthy Weight Gain Diet Stick.

 

Related Articles

All The Muscle Building Diet Articles

	Diet To Gain Weight: How Much of What To Eat A guide to helping you decide how much to eat and what your macronutrient ratio should be.
	Building Muscle With Six Meals a Day Better nutrient absorption and better results by eating six meals a day.
	Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition What nutrition you need before and after your workout - the most critical feeding times.
	Anthony Ellis's Mass Diet Learn how Anthony insures that his body has the nutrition it needs to grow.
	Marc David's Sample Weight Gain Meals Marc shows you the meals in a day of his productive mass gain diet.
	Nutrition Resources for the Bodybuilding Diet Resources to help you plan and maintain your diet - Food databases, diet calculator and more.