The amount of calories you need to eat for muscle gain depends on a few factors, including your activity level, age, weight, and muscle-building goals. For example, if you’re relatively inactive or new to strength training, you may only need about 15 calories per pound of body weight (or about 2,700 calories for a 180-pound person).
If you’re looking to bulk up, it’s essential to know how many calories you should eat per day. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends that men eat between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day, and women eat 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day, depending on their activity level. However, you may need to eat more than the ADA’s recommendations to gain muscle.
The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) found that people who have successfully maintained a 30-pound weight loss for at least one year typically eat about 3,000 calories per day. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should eat 3,000 calories per day if you’re trying to gain muscle, but it’s a starting point.
If you’re eating the ADA’s recommended amount of calories and not gaining weight, you may need to increase your intake. An excellent way to do this is by adding 500-750 calories per day until you gain weight. Then, once you start gaining weight, you can adjust your intake accordingly.
Keep in mind that not all calories are created equal. It would help if you focused on eating healthy, protein-rich foods to help you gain muscle. Foods like chicken, fish, beef, eggs and dairy products are good protein sources.
Helpful Tips To Watch Your Calories To Gain Muscle
Here are the top tips to help you watch your calories and gain muscle:
#1: Count Your Calories
If you want to gain muscle, you need to know how many calories you’re eating. An excellent way to do this is to count your calories. This can be done with a food journal or online calorie calculator
#2: Eat More Protein
To gain muscle, you need to eat more protein. Protein is the building block of muscle, so you need to make sure you’re getting enough. Good sources of protein include chicken, fish, beef, eggs, and dairy products
#3: Increase Your Intake Slowly
If you’re not gaining weight, you may need to increase your calorie intake. An excellent way to do this is by adding500-750 calories per day until you start gaining weight. Once you start gaining weight, you can adjust your intake accordingly
#4: Watch Your Macronutrients
Not all calories are created equal. It would help if you focused on eating healthy, protein-rich foods to help you gain muscle.
A good rule of thumb is to ensure that 50-60% of your calories come from carbs, 20-30% from protein, and 20-30% from fat.
#5: Eat Frequently
To gain muscle, you need to eat often. It would help if you aimed to eat every 3-4 hours. This will help keep your body fueled and help you reach your calorie goals.
The reason to eat frequently when bulking is to add as many calories as possible while still keeping the body anabolic. It’s not good to let yourself go long periods without eating since your body will start burning muscle for fuel.
#6 Consume Enough Calories
To gain muscle, you need to be eating more calories than you are burning. If you aren’t sure how many calories you need, use a calorie calculator to find out.
It’s unnecessary to count every calorie, but eating enough to support muscle growth is essential. In addition, gaining weight is essential when bulking, so make sure you take in more calories than you are burning.
#7 Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are often high in calories but low in nutrients. They can also contain unhealthy additives that can sabotage your muscle-building efforts. So it’s best to avoid them if you’re trying to gain muscle mass.
Fitness buffs recommend consuming complex carbohydrates such as oats, brown rice, and quinoa instead of processed carbs like white bread and pasta. These complex carbs provide energy and nutrients that are essential for building muscle.
#8 Eat Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are an essential part of any diet, but they are essential when you’re trying to gain muscle. Healthy fats help your body absorb vitamins and minerals and promote joint health.
Some good sources of healthy fats include avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
In terms of calories of these healthy fats, one oz of nuts has about 163 calories, one tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, half an avocado has 235 calories.
# 9 Hydrate
It’s essential to stay hydrated when you’re trying to gain muscle. However, dehydration can lead to fatigue and impede your training ability.
Water is the best beverage for hydration, but you can also drink tea, coffee, or sports drinks. Just be sure to avoid sugary drinks high in calories and affect your muscle growth or bulking goals.
Conclusion
To gain muscle, you need to eat enough calories and ensure that most calories come from healthy, protein-rich foods. Avoid processed foods, and make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats. Eat frequently, and make sure to adjust your calorie intake as needed.