Muscle is essential for men, but being too thin can make it hard to build muscle. What can be done? Don't worry, with a proper diet and appropriate exercise, you can build muscle. Today, let's teach skinny men what to eat.
How should skinny men eat? Remember these 3 dietary tips
Track your calories: Record your calorie intake weekly. You need to eat 20 times your body weight in calories each day. This might be difficult to achieve now, and that's likely why you're skinny. Eat food that equals your weight * 20Kcal. If you weigh 140lbs, you need 140 x 20 = 2800kcal per day. It will take you about two weeks to get used to eating that many calories, so keep track.
Increase calories: After two weeks, add 500Kcal to your daily intake. If you continue eating the same amount as the first two weeks, you won't feel sick. For someone weighing 140lbs, the calorie intake after two weeks needs to increase from 2800Kcal to 3300kcal.
Track your weight: Weigh yourself weekly. If your weight increases, keep eating the same calories. If not, you need to increase your daily calories by 500kcal for the following week. Continue this method until you reach your desired weight.
What's good for skinny men to eat?
Carbohydrates. It's best to prepare food to be softer, so you can eat more and your stomach can handle it. Skinny people can also eat whole grains to get more vitamins and minerals, allowing muscle and fat to grow together for healthy weight gain. However, it's best to grind whole grains into a paste to reduce the need for chewing and be gentler on the stomach. You can also adjust ingredients; oats are filling, so it's better to use less of them and replace them with millet or rice.
Eat more starchy foods. To eat more, skinny people must diversify their sources of carbohydrates, and starchy foods are a good choice. For example, add potatoes to your dishes; this not only increases your total carbohydrate intake but also makes your nutrition richer. Remember, you can't gain weight overnight by eating high-energy foods like fatty meats or candy. This can easily lead to indigestion, and even if you gain weight, it will be unhealthy fat.
Focus on snacks. In addition to three regular meals a day, skinny people should have a snack between meals. This allows you to eat more without putting too much pressure on your digestive system. Whole grain porridge, bread, yogurt, and a little raisin and jujube are all good snack choices. But be careful with portion sizes; don't eat too much, so it doesn't affect your next main meal.
So, what foods can help men build muscle?
What should men eat to build muscle? 4 top food choices
Eggs: Nutritionists score the muscle-building potential of various protein foods in different ways. Eggs rank at the top in almost every standard. This is because they are the most easily absorbed—the body can easily break them down into amino acids, the building blocks of muscle. Whole eggs are also rich in healthy fats, saturated fats, and lecithin, all of which help muscle growth. The yolk may not be ideal during a cutting phase, but don't forget it during a weight-gaining off-season.
Apple juice: Ironically, the point of going to the gym is to tear your muscles. Afterwards, you will reap the rewards when your body begins to repair and, even better, overcompensate. Drinking 12-16 ounces of apple juice before a workout can provide 45-60 grams of carbohydrates and quickly replenish your energy (from the glucose in the juice), with a sustained energy release (from the fructose). This can help suppress cortisol, reduce muscle damage, and allow you to train more sets.
Salmon: A 6-ounce (170-gram) serving of salmon provides 34 grams of protein, 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids—a healthy fat that reduces inflammation and helps muscle repair—and it can help suppress cortisol. (As cortisol levels drop, testosterone levels gradually rise, helping muscle growth.) A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can also help most of the absorbed glucose go to the muscles instead of being converted to fat.
Lean beef: Many hardgainers mistakenly avoid fat, thinking it will increase body fat. However, with the synergistic effect of omega-3s from fish, the saturated fat in beef can actually help muscle growth. Too little saturated fat intake can harm the levels of hormones like testosterone and IGF-1 that help build muscle. Beef is also a source of cholesterol, which is the main raw material for the body's own testosterone synthesis. Of course, beef is also rich in creatine, vitamin B, and zinc.
If you want to build muscle, why not try the foods mentioned above.