To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than your body needs. If you’re a so called “hardgainer” you’ll need at least 5000kcal/day on average before you start to see weight gain. Anything less and you’ll remain skinny.

But how do you eat that much? By spreading your calories into as many meals as you can. That’s why building the habit of eating breakfast is crucial to gain weight. Here are the top 5 breakfast recipes for weight gain.

1. Oatmeal. 400kcal per 100g. I recommend rolled oats. Quick oats are fine too, but I feel it tastes like sand. Mix with one or more of the ingredients below and microwave it. Then top with cinnamon.

• Natural peanut butter.
• Milk. Especially whole milk.
• Nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts.
• Fruits. Bananas, apples, pears, pineapple.
• Dried Fruits. Raisins, dates, prunes, apricots.
• Cottage Cheese. Or quark cheese or plain yogurt.
• Tuna. I have a friend who mixes it with oats & milk. Try it.

Granola and Muesli are great alternatives to oatmeal since they contain similar amount of calories. Make sure you buy them without added sugars. The more they come into their raw form, the better. You’ll avoid fat gains.

2. Omelets. Whole eggs are fine because dietary cholesterol doesn’t influence blood cholesterol. Remove the yolk if you don’t believe this. But realize you’re throwing away half the vitamins and half the protein. Some ideas:

• Meats. Ground round, minced beef, chicken ground/slices, tuna, bacon.
• Cheese. Feta cheese, grated cheese like Pecorino and Parmesan.
• Starchy Vegetables. (Sweet) potatoes, beans, lentils, yams.
• Spices. Cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sea salt.
• Bread. Whole wheat is best.

Definitely try Spanish Omelets. Cook double portions potatoes. Eat half post workout. Use the for your breakfast omelet.

3. Whole Milk. 1 liter whole milk (1/4 US gallon) contains 600kcal. Liquid calories digest faster than solid ones. Drink 1 liter whole milk after your breakfast meal. Read the GOMAD guides for more info on how to use milk for weight gain.

4. Weight Gain Shakes. Liquid meals are easier to get in and digest faster than solid ones. They also take less time to prepare. Avoid weight gainers, they often have added sugars. Make your own shakes. Best ingredients:

• Bananas, apples.
• Olive oil, flax seeds.
• Rolled or quick oats.
• Natural peanut butter.
• Whole milk, plain fat free yogurt.
• Fruit juice (without added sugars).

5. Bread. Whole grain causes less fat gains than white. Eat dense breads like whole wheat, rye, oat bran & pumpernickel. Eat a banana or apple with it and drink some whole milk afterwards. Some ideas for inside your sandwich:

• Chicken deli, eggs, bacon.
• Natural peanut butter, honey, hummus.
• Cream cheese, cottage cheese (mix it with tuna).

Check the official StrongLifts.com recipe thread for more ideas. And feel free to post any weight gain recipe you have in that thread.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

A healthy breakfast is key to fat loss. By eating a healthy breakfast, you’re less likely to eat something unhealthy the rest of the day. Eating breakfast will also make you less hungry which prevents cravings.

But what should you eat for breakfast? The most common fat loss mistake is to start your day with starchy carbs like cereals or muesli or oats. While you need carbs for energy, it’s easy to overdo them and get fat.

That’s why the 8 nutrition rules advise to avoid starchy carbs at breakfast. What should you eat then? Here are the 3 simplest & quickest breakfast recipes that don’t contain starchy carbs and that will help you lose fat.

1. Omelets. High in protein, low in carbs, high in veggies. You can remove the yolk if you don’t believe dietary cholesterol doesn’t influence blood cholesterol. But realize you’re throwing away all the vitamins and half the protein.

Avoid boredom by rotating the veggies. For even more variety, add meats or cheese and learn to use spices. Here are some ideas:

• Veggies. Baby spinach, mixed peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, …
• Meats. Ground round, minced beef, chicken ground/slices, tuna, bacon, …
• Cheese. Feta cheese, grated cheese like Pecorino or Parmesan, …
• Spices. Cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sea salt, …

2. Cottage Cheese. High in protein, no carbs, zero preparation time. You might need time to get used to its taste. Quark cheese works too if you can find it. So does plain fat free yogurt although it’s lower in protein.

Avoid boredom by switching the fruits and/or nuts. And try cottage cheese with tuna so you can also add veggies like cucumber. Ideas:

• Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, cashew, peanut butter, …
• Fruit. Chopped banana, pineapple, apples, pears or berries.
• Tuna. Sounds gross, but tastes good: try tuna with cottage cheese.

3. Smoothies. Take zero time to prepare. Get a strong blender. Throw (frozen) veggies, fruits & whey in there. Mix it. Done. Some tips:

• Get cheap whey with little carbs like ON whey.
• Vary your fruits and veggies to avoid boredom.
• Check the smoothie/shake recipe thread in the forum.

What about portion size and calories? If you stick to the 8 nutrition rules for fat loss, you can eat your stomach full without ever having to worry about this and while losing fat. Check them out.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

You’ll never achieve your goals if you don’t prepare your own food. Here are 5 muscle building recipes I use. They all include spinach & proteins. They’re also easy to make and rather tasty. Enjoy.

Why Spinach? Spinach can prevent cancer and heart diseases. It’s one of the richest sources of vitamins & minerals.

• Alkaline. The protein you eat to build muscle is acidic. Spinach is one of the most alkaline foods. It prevents muscle & bone loss.
• Nutrient Dense. Spinach is rich in vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, iron, folate, potassium, and many more vitamins & minerals.
• Fat Loss. Spinach fills your stomach, but is low calorie (25kcal/100g). It’s also high in insoluble fiber, improving digestion.

Keep it simple. Buy frozen, unprepared spinach leaves. Put some in a colander the night before consumption. They’ll be unfrozen on waking up. If necessary, drain the spinach by pressing it with a spoon against the colander.

1. Scrambled Eggs & Spinach. Nothing beats eggs & meat pre workout. I eat a variation of this spinach recipe each morning.

• 4x whole eggs
• 100g ground round (or chicken/turkey/tuna)
• 100g spinach (or broccoli/sprouts)
• Tomato/onion/bell pepper/mushrooms (whatever you like)
• Cumin/black pepper/sea salt

Cut veggies into pieces. Fry them with the meat in real butter or olive oil. Add the beaten eggs. Add spinach leaves on top. Spice. Double wrap when ready. Train 1 hour later and hit personal records.

2. Spinach Pizza with Ground Round. I made homemade pizzas with tomato paste for years until I got a spinach recipe with one of the pizza doughs. This is my variation of that recipe. I eat it post strength training.

• 1x pizza dough
• 300g spinach
• 250g ground round
• Tomato/onion/bell pepper/olives/mushrooms (whatever you like)
• Thyme, pepper, oregano

Preheat your oven to 240°C. Cut the veggies into pieces. Spread the spinach over the dough. Top with ground round & veggies. Spice. Bake for 15mins. The original recipe had shrimps instead of ground round.

3. Quinoa Chicken with Spinach. Quinoa is an alternative to rice & pasta. This recipes comes from Gourmet Nutrition. Ingredients are for a double portion. I eat this one post & post post strength training.

• 250g quinoa
• 300g chicken breast
• 300g spinach
• Chicken spice, sea salt, pepper

Cook quinoa in boiled water for 20 mins. Cut the chicken into pieces. Spice it. Fry it with the spinach in real butter or olive oil. Mix the spinach, quinoa and chicken. Add salt & pepper to taste. Done.

4. Chicken Pasta with Spinach. Brother cooked too much pasta. Asks if I want some. I have a qunoa chicken portion left, but feel like pasta. Turns out this tastes even better than chicken quinoa.

• 250g pasta
• 300g chicken breast (or turkey)
• 300g spinach
• Chicken spice, sea salt, pepper

Cook pasta al dente. Cut the chicken into pieces. Spice it. Fry it with the spinach in real butter or olive oil. Mix the spinach, pasta and chicken. Add salt & pepper to taste. Done. Eat this post strength training.

5. Turkey & Spinach Wrap. Fast foods sell doner kebab at every corner of the street in Belgium. The turkey & spinach wrap is a healthier version of the durum filled with kebab/french fries.

• 2x flour tortilla
• 200g turkey (or chicken/ground round)
• 200g spinach
• Tomato/onion/bell pepper
• Chicken spice, sea salt, pepper

Cut turkey into pieces. Spice it. Fry it with the spinach & veggies in real butter or olive oil. Throw everything on the toritillas. Fold them on one end and roll them up to form a wrap. Eat post strength training.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Why Post Workout Shakes? If you workout in a commercial gym, it can take you an hour before you can eat something. You first have to shower & drive back home. Easier is taking a shake with you & drinking it post workout.

But whole food remains better than supplements. I workout in my home gym. When I’m done working out, I go straight to the kitchen & get a whole meal. Usually tuna, rice & banana.

Ingredients for Post Workout Shakes. Protein for muscle recovery. Carbs for energy. Water for rehydration.

• Whey. Get 1g/lbs protein daily. 40g per meal if you weigh 200lbs & eat 5 meals daily. 1.5 scoops whey contains 40g protein.
• Oats. Quick oats work best: they’re smaller than instant or rolled oats. Get as much carbs out of oats as you get out of whey.
• Milk. Helps weight gain if you’re skinny. But watch out with milk if you want to lose fat.
• Fruit. Full of vitamins & minerals. Bananas, raisins, etc.

What about Dextrose & Maltodextrin? Both have a higher Glycemic Index (GI) than oats. However their GI is irrelevant. Other ingredients influence the total GI: whey also spikes insulin for example.

Oats contain vitamins, minerals & fiber. Dextrose/maltodextrin don’t. Stick to oats. You’ll never achieve immediate absorption of nutrients anyway. Eat well pre workout so you have nutrients available when your muscles need them.

How to Make Post Workout Shakes

1. Take Shaker. Fill your Protein Shaker with 500 ml water (or milk). The whey won’t stick at the bottom of your shaker if you add water first.
2. Add Whey & Oats. I use Optimum Nutrition Whey: never clumps & tastes good. Add quick oats.
3. Shake it. Make sure your shaker doesn’t leak. Close the shaker & shake it hard. Add water if the mixture is too thick.

Quick oats. Instant & rolled oats are too thick for shakes unless you grind them.

Water first so the whey doesn’t stick at the bottom. Quality whey won’t clump.

Shake it. Add water if necessary. Put in gym bag. Done.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.