Hi guys,
I would like to bulk and gain more weight and have a toned body but i am having difficulties understanding what do i need to look out for
Some articles says i need to get more calories while avoiding carbs and to also get protein, while some article says i need carbs etc.
Can someone explain to me what is the purpose of these? EG: What is carbs? How is it different from calories, what is calories for and what is protein etc. I can’t seem to find a layman article anywhere explaining all these. Any other additional info would be very helpful!
In: 4
You need all 3 for your body to bulk properly. Fats, proteins, and carbs.
They all have multiple roles in your body but fats provide energy and help regulate healthy cell function. Carbs also provide energy and help with breaking some compounds down. Protein is the building blocks your body and muscles need to grow, so you’ll need a lot.
For fat, try to make sure you don’t get more than ~25-30g of saturated fat, aim for mono/poly unsaturated and omega fats as your primary source (fish, nuts, etc), hell even olive oil is a great source of healthy fats, so coolk with that instead of butter/other unhealthy oils when you can.
Proteins can come from chicken, turkey, fish, nuts. There are many kinds of protein and they’re not all the same, so the bigger your variety of protein sources the better. It’s why you can’t just eat lots of soybeans and expect to bulk from that.
Carbs can come from veggies, fruit, grains, they’re broken down into vital sugars. Sugar has a reputation of being a dirty word but there’s many kinds of sugar, your body definitely needs healthy sugars and also fiber to help with the process of breaking it all down, so aim for high fiber fruit. and other sources.
NOTE: The bad sugar is the stuff that gets added to processed food and is already in sugar form, which can overload your blood sugar levels pretty easily, so avoid when you can.
NOTE NOTE: There’s also simple and complex carbs. Simple carbs are mainly from fruits and they can be used to provide a quick amount of energy because they’re easier for your body to break down, so it’s especially a good idea to have fruit before a workout so you feel more energetic during it. (And have protein after so it’s ready when your body needs it the most during recovery)
Basically maximise your intake of veg/fruit/fish/chicken/turkey/nuts/oats(and other grains). Eat as much of those as you can to hit like 3000-3500 calories a day. (Which leaves you with about 1000+ calories after basal rate, and if a good chunk of that is protein then you’ll be sitting pretty)
Obviously you can dirty bulk (junk food) occaisionally to help.with your goals, and also weight gainers and protein shakes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be careful of your salt intake when you do bulk!! You can easily blow past 2000mg a day if you’re not careful.
Also, fluids are important for your body to make the best use of all this (and needs it to flush excess junk and byproducts while it grows) so drink plenty of water!
So, bottom line. Keep your added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat down, while pumping everything else up. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep.
Good luck!
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