My Custom Weight-Gain Diet

[joesterizer]

Hey all, when I started SL 5x5 about 11 weeks ago I tried to find a GOMAD or anabolic diet alternative on this forum, and it didn't really exist. I ended up creating my own program by mixing and matching, specifically GOMAD with Berardi's Precision Nutrition. I've been averaging 0.5-1kg weight gain a week, sometimes more, and staying at the same BF% (so I'm gaining as much muscle as fat, which is acceptable when gaining weight). I have plenty of energy, and I feel I'm eating a balanced diet. I only supplement with fish pills, a multivitamin, and whey.

Stats: 169 lbs (up from 160., 5' 11", 14% BF

I drink about a LOMAD, eat every 3 hours, and eat 3500+ calories a day. I eat a tonne of walnuts, eggs, spinich, peppers, and chili. Here is a typical day for me:

Breakfast:

1 cup egg whites + 2 eggs omlette with turkey sausage and peppers, onions, and mushrooms. (450 cal)
1 cup skim milk (90 cal)
2/3 cup oatmeal (220 cal)

Workout: standard 5x5, but I've chosen BB rows over inverted because i can lift more.

Post workout Shake: 500 ml chocolate milk + whey (450 calories)

Post workout meal (only 1 hour after the shake): Chili with lean beef, carrots, peppers, and walnuts. (650 calories)

Snack: Super shake (350 calories)

1 cup milk
1/4 cup nuts
2 scoops whey
1 banana/apple/scoop of berries etc.

Dinner: Stir fry (500 calories)

Chicken breast
Broccoli
peppers
mushrooms

Snack: Super shake (350 calories)

1 cup milk
1/4 cup nuts
2 scoops whey
1 banana/apple/scoop of berries etc.


Pre-bed: Cottage cheese and flax (230 calories)

So that added up to 3290 calories, but I would usually snack on some peanuts or something which would put me over my goal of 3500 a day.

The big change really did come from adding milk and nuts to my diet, and i suspect eating red meat immediately after workout out didn't hurt either. I'm going to stick with this until I hit 180 lbs and then start to add cardio and cut the milk/oatmeal. This worked for me, so try it if you want, but I highly recommend researching and making your own program!

[herf]

Great work! And some nice gains. I really hope more people read that in order to gain muscle/weight you need to eat at least 3000 calories a day. I think that if you follow this same exact diet until you hit 180lbs, your metabolism will be able to handle the 3500 calories a day and you will see body fat% loss. If you are not gaining it now, you should really not gain any fat when you are 180lbs!

Keep up the good work and I hope more people follow what you have been doing!

[joesterizer]

Thanks for the support and enthusiasm Herf! When I first discovered this site, I entered in my average daily diet into fitday, and I was shocked that I was only eating about 2300 calories a day. Mehdi says "skinny guys often overestimate how much they are eating." Very true for me.