Nutritional Strategies for Gaining Weight by Building Strong Muscles
Calorie Needs
If you want to build strong muscles and gain weight as you grow, you first need to know how many calories you need per day, how many calories you are eating daily, how many calories you are burning. To gain weight, you need to add an additional 350 to 475 calories per day.
To determine how many calories, you need per day use the following calculator, https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html, if you are 15 or older.
Calories needed Each Day for Boys & Teens*
Age Not Active Somewhat Active Very Active
9-13 yrs 1600-2000 calories 1800-2200 2000-2600
14-18 yrs 2000-2400 calories 2400-2800 2800-3200
Calories needed Each Day for Girls & Teens
Age Not Active Somewhat Active Very Active
9-13 yrs 1400-1600 calories 1600-2000 1800-2200
14-18 yrs 1800 calories 2000 2400
*From: http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov.
How Many Calories Are You Eating Each Day?
The free calorie-counting app, FatSecret (www.FatSecret.com)
includes a food diary, a very large food database, an exercise log, healthy recipes and a Barcode scanner you can use to track packaged foods. In addition, there is a monthly summary view which can be helpful to help track your overall progress. FatSecret is easy to use.
How Many Calories Are You Burning from Weight Training and Sports
I especially like the fitness part of the FatSecret App. You can plug in your weight and it tells you how many calories you burn for many exercises and sports.
Calories Burned from Weight Training
150-pound person*
Weight Training
Moderate 30 minutes 102
Vigorous 30 minutes 204
Calories Burned from Working Out
150-pound person*
Conditioning, Calisthenics
Moderate 30 minutes 119
Vigorous 30 minutes 272
Stretching 20 minutes 57
Basketball
Game 1 hour 544
Non-game 1 hour 408
Shooting Baskets 30 minutes 153
Soccer
Competitive 1 hour 630
Soccer, Casual 1 hour 476
Volleyball
Beach Volleyball 1 hour 544
Competitive 1 hour 544
Non-competitive 1 hour 204
Water Volleyball 1 hour 204
You can Estimate how many calories you burn during your workout by putting in your weight. Then add them to your Daily Totals to see how many calories you burned.
*https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-exercise-calculator
What Foods Should Make-up the Additional Muscle Building Calories
Protein Needs
Besides having a good strength training program, choosing the right stuff to eat can help jump start your strength and help prevent injuries.
Protein is important for growth and development, required for healing injuries, and necessary for the maintenance of body tissues. As our body grows, it uses protein to manufacture cells. The protein, collagen, serves as both building and mending material in tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Enzymes, hormones, and antibodies are synthesized from protein. Proteins within each cell are also constantly turning over – being made and being broken down.
The amount of protein needed each day is based on an estimated amount of grams per pound (lb.) of body weight. An active adult needs 0.6 grams/lb. A growing athlete, teen age – 24 years needs 0.9 grams/lb. An adult building muscle mass through strength/weight training needs 0.9 grams/lb. An endurance athlete needs 0.7 grams/lb. Protein rich foods include: meat, seafood, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, beans, and peanut butter. Look at food labels of the foods you eat each day to determine if you are getting enough protein. Check out the Protein Content of Common Foods below to determine how much protein you are eating per day.
Protein Content of Common Foods*
Meat, Poultry and Fish Portion Size Grams of Protein
Beef/Turkey Jerky 1 oz dried 10-15
Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb 1 oz 7
Fish, Tuna Fish 1 oz 7
Imitation Crab Meat 1 oz 3
Seafood (Crabmeat, Shrimp, Lobster) 1 oz 6
Egg 1 6
Soy and Vegetable Protein Portion Size Grams of Protein
Soy Milk 8 oz 7
Edamame, fresh or frozen ½ cup 8
Edamame, dry roasted 1 oz 13
Tofu 1 oz 3
Legumes and Nuts Portion Size Grams of Protein
Lentils ½ cup 9
Lima Beans ½ cup 7
Kidney, Black, Navy, Cannellini Beans ½ cup 8
Refried Beans ½ cup 6
Hummus 1/3 cup 7
Chili Beans, drained ½ cup 10
Peanut Butter 2 tbsp 7
Nuts 1 oz (1/4 cup) 4-6
Sunflower Seeds 1 oz 5
Almond Milk 8 oz 1
Chia Seeds 1 oz 5
Flax Seeds 1 tbsp 2
Pumpkin Seeds ½ cup 6
Milk and Dairy Portion Size Grams of Protein
Milk, skim or 1% 8 oz 8
High Protein ultra-filtered, fat free or 1% 8 oz 13
Yogurt, fat free, light 6 oz 5
Greek, yogurt, plain, nonfat, light 5 oz 12-18
Cheese, hard (low fat) 1 oz 7
American cheese (low fat) 1 slice (0.7 oz) 5
Cottage cheese, Ricotta (part-skim) ½ cup 14
Pudding made with milk ½ cup 4
Grains Portion Size Grams of Protein
Bread, any type 1 oz slice 3
Cereal ½ cup hot 3
¾ cup cold
High protein cereals ¾ – 1 1/3 cup 7-15
Rice, Pasta 1/3 cup 3
Quinoa 1/3 cup 6
Vegetables Portion Size Grams of Protein
Fresh, frozen, canned ½ cup 2
Raw leafy greens 1 cup 2
Fruit Portion Size Grams of Protein
Fresh or canned fruit
in 100% juice 1 small, ½ cup 0
Note: The amount of protein in each food listed is an average. Protein content of foods may vary slightly depending on manufacturer. You can also get portion size and the grams of protein off the food label.
In general, 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) or a portion of poultry, beef, pork, or fish the size of 1/3 of a deck of cards would equal to 1 ounce (oz) and provide about 7 grams of protein. A whole deck of cards would equal 3 ounces and provide about 21 grams of protein.
How Much Carbohydrate Should You Eat Per Day
Carbohydrate (CHO) are one of the body’s main sources of energy. There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate. If you are strength training you should be eating from 2 to 3 grams per pound of body weight. You can read the food label to determine how much carbohydrate is in the foods you eat.
Carbohydrate Content of Common Foods*
Beans, Grains, Pasta Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Bagel, large 1 80-100
Bagel, medium 1 40-50
Beans, legumes, lentils ½ cup 15
Bread 1 slice 15-25
English muffin 1 30
Hamburger or hot dog bun 1 15-30
Oatmeal, cooked ½ cup 10
Pasta, cooked ½ cup 15-20
Pita bread, 6 inches 1 30
Rice, white or brown cooked ½ cup 20-30
Tortilla, corn 7 inches 1 15
Vegetables Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Corn, cooked ½ cup 15
Parsnips, cooked ½ cup 15
Peas, cooked ½ cup 10
Potato, large baked with skin 1 60
Potato, mashed with milk ½ cup 15
Squash 1 cup 20
Sweet potatoes, yams 1 medium 20
Dairy Products Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Milk 1 cup 12
Rice milk, plain 1 cup 23
Soy milk, plain 1 cup 8
Yogurt, flavored, artificially sweetened 1 cup 18
Yogurt, flavored 1 cup 45
Yogurt, plain 1 cup 18
Fruits Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Apple 1 15
Banana, 6 inches 1 20
Blackberries 1 cup 15
Blueberries 1 cup 15
Cherries 12 15
Grapefruit, large ½ 15
Grapes 15 15
Nectarine, medium 1 15
Orange, medium 1 15
Raspberries 2 cups 15
Strawberries, halved 2 cups 15
Watermelon, diced 1 cup 10
Condiments Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Honey 1 tablespoon 15
Jam and jelly 1 tablespoon 15
Ketchup ¼ cup 15
Sugar 1 tablespoon 15
Snacks & Baked Goods Portion Size Grams of CHO (g)
Donut, plain 1 25
Melba toast 4 15
Popcorn, popped 3 cups 15
Potato chips 10 to 15 15
Pretzels, small 33 14
Saltine crackers 7 15
Tortilla chips 10 to 15 20
*You can also read the food label to determine how many calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat are in each food. Make sure you look at the serving size for accuracy.
How Much Fat Do You Need Each Day
Fat is used to supply some energy to your muscles during some types of exercise. A general guideline is fat should make up 20 to 35% of total calories. To find out how many fat grams you should be eating you can take your total calories multiply by either .20 or .35 then divide by 9 since there are 9 grams of fat per grams. Example, 2000/.20 = 44 grams of fat/day. 2000/.35 = 77 grams of fat/day. Focus on heart-healthy fats which include vegetables oils like olive oil, canola oil and avocados. Nuts, like peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, etc. and fatty fish like salmon, herring, sardines and trout are all good sources of both protein and healthier fats.
Primary Source of Calories During Weight Training
Carbohydrate is the primary source of fuel when weight training. A hard lifting session can deplete muscle glycogen by 30-40% so eating enough carbohydrate will help your ability to train hard. Getting enough fluids each day also effects the amount of muscle glycogen you can store. Basic rule: Take your weight & divide by 2 = how many ounces of fluids you need each day. 150/2 = 75 ounces. You can also weigh yourself before and after heavy workouts. For every pound loss during exercise, drink back 16 – 20 ounces of fluid.
When to Eat to Maximize Muscle Mass Gain
Eating your meals and snacks throughout the day is the most of effective way to gain weight. Try to eat every 4 hours. A good rule would be to plan meals with .15 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For a 150-pound athlete, that’s about 25 grams of protein per meal and snack. Eating a good snack before bedtime is also helpful.
Bottom Line
Eat more of the best and less of the rest to make sure the weight you are gaining is in muscle mass and not just fat.
By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. She is the Chief Blog Organizer for www.DayByDayLiving.net
Barbara worked as a research nutritionist with the military’s tri-service medical school & working as a performance nutrition consultant to Navy SEALS’ BUD/S Training Program and West Coast active Navy SEAL Teams. Barbara is the former nutrition performance consultant to the University of Louisville Athletic Department. She is the author of Fast Facts on Fast Food For Fast People and High Energy Eating Sports Nutrition Workbook for Active People used by the University of Louisville, University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the Tennessee football program, the LSU basketball program, the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland Browns and by the United States Navy SEALs.
The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara is a former runner who walks, a spinner, hiker a mother and grandmother to 13 grandchildren.
