Advice on suppliments for hardgainer (UK)

[tjwood]

Working out the last 3 days calories intake, I've been over 2500 each of those days. And I would consider those pretty normal.

Take lunch as an example. Just the bread weighs in at over 1200cals, breakfast cereal (wholegrain hoops) & milk is 800cal.

Are you sure your calculations are right? How much bread are you eating for lunch?! 1200 cals is about 500-600 grams of bread, that's between half and three quarters of a large loaf! And if your cereal is something like Cheerios then you must be eating about 150 grams of cereal with a whole pint of semi-skimmed milk to get to 800 calories - that's 4 or 5 standard portions!

In any case 2500 calories is probably too few for someone who is quite active - that's the approximate daily amount generally quoted for the average man - i.e. someone who drives to work, sits at a desk all day, maybe walks to the local shops or goes for a short jog every so often, and that's about it. If you exercise hard several times a week you probably want significantly more than that.


It's a fairly simple equation really. Broadly speaking, eat fewer calories than you burn - you lose weight. Eat more than you burn - you gain weight. Eat about the same amount as you burn - you stay about the same. If you want to gain weight you need to eat more!

[Deviation]

Working out the last 3 days calories intake, I've been over 2500 each of those days. And I would consider those pretty normal.

Take lunch as an example. Just the bread weighs in at over 1200cals, breakfast cereal (wholegrain hoops) & milk is 800cal.

As I say, I'm of a build whereby despite this my weight has changed very little in 20+ years.

What kind of bread are you eating?!? That's enough calories to be at least half loaf of bread. And how much cereal are you taking in? Are you sure you're not using cream? Sheesh.

I agree with tjwood, something isn't adding up correctly.

[nx1977]

Yup, miscalculated these 2. Bread was 452 and cereal inc milk 205.

Going over those days again, Have calculate days as 2251, 2109 and 2002cals. Was just the bread and cereal I messed up calculating. Muddled KJ and KC

[tjwood]

Going over those days again, Have calculate days as 2251, 2109 and 2002cals.

Then the answer is pretty clear, you definitely need to eat more!

[Deviation]

Don't feel bad man, I think we've all been there. I know I have. Ate a week straight thinking I was over my calories only to find out I didn't add them up right.

Try using an app like MyFitnessPal. Works great.

[nx1977]

Don't feel bad man, I think we've all been there. I know I have. Ate a week straight thinking I was over my calories only to find out I didn't add them up right.

Try using an app like MyFitnessPal. Works great.

Thanks.

I thought I was calorie overloading given the Mrs' counting hers like mad and how little she has a day.

Thanks for the app suggestion. Loaded and tracking. Initially back tracking since my last post, I seem to be struggling to get over 2300/day. I'm just plain full or had been thinking I'd done enough.

Need to evaluate replacing a few things it seems.

[nx1977]

Just an update to say I've been hitting my intake targets thanks to the suggested app myfitnesspal.

Seeing strength increases, but struggling to add size.

[Deviation]

It will come. Just keep the calories coming and hit the heavy weights.

[nx1977]

Thanks.

Much harder than I thought, but not giving up given how much better I feel and how much stronger I am now.

[tjwood]

Much harder than I thought, but not giving up given how much better I feel and how much stronger I am now.

If it was easy it wouldn't be so rewarding, would it? :-)