Why you are not getting bigger

John berardi sent me this...I thought it was worth passing on:
 
Mistake #1: Eating Too Few Calories.
Most people who want to get big simply eat too few calories.
 
Mistake #2: Cupboards Are Bare.
Most people live like Old Mother Hubbard….not even Harry Houdini could summon calories from thin air.
 
Mistake #3: Failing To Plan Meals.
Not eating enough is one thing. But why don’t most people eat enough? Because they fail to plan their meals!
 
Mistake #4: Limited Food Choices.
Because of convenience, social conditioning, food associations, etc. many people only eat a few foods each day, limiting the number of calories they’re eating dramatically and limiting their vitamin and mineral intake...nutrients which are necessary for GROWTH!
 
Mistake #5: Eating Infrequently.
Most people eat only 3 "squares" a day. As you probably know, our societal feeding structure is centered on the 3-meal day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner....not on growth!
 
Mistake #6: Mood Eating.
Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don’t eat based on what their bodies need to grow.
 

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Good stuff-
We get plenty of people who have hit some sort of plateau, and post their entire routine looking for changes in exercises that will have them gaining mass again. This is definitely something that'll get linked to.

Very awesome... Sticky imo :)

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yea, all of those reasons are all on my reasons why i havent gotten bigger, sad but true

Cool, now you know what to do!

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How do you plan your meals. I have read it everywhere, but what do you do. I hope that doesn't sound stupid.

No Matter How Much You Succeed, Never Stop Striving.

The short answer is to determine your caloric needs, divide by 6, and plan 6 meals that meet that number.
 
Example I am 200 pounds and want to gain...I use 17 as my generalization for calories per pound for bulking (look in those links below for why) so I come up with 3400 calories a day.
 
Divide by 6 meals is about 570 calories a meal.
 
I can use fitday.com as a free meal planner and plan one meal at a time.
 
I try meal 1:
1/4 cup organic harvest trail mix 120 calories
1 ounce whey protein 110 calories
3 cups puffed rice 165 calories
1 cup whole milk 149 calories
 
I come up with 546 calories..just a bit short of my goal.
 
That has 16 g fat 64g carbs and 37 g protein
 
At 200 pounds and bulking I need about 180 grams protein...divided by 6 = 30 pre meal so I have enough of that
 
I would want about 50% carbs or 1700 calories divided by 4 = 425 grams divided by 6 = about 70 grams per meal.  I am close but could add blueberries and bump it up 6 grams or 24 calories making my meal total 570 calories.
 
Plan 6 meals today and every day or every week plan one more new meal...in no time you will have a whole menu book to choose from!
 
As you gain mass...every 10 pounds of muscle requires another 350 - 500 calories to support it!  So you have to bump up the meal contents as you grow!
 
Its more in detail in here:
For Gaining Mass
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/For_Gaining_Mass/m_111173/tm.htm
 
For Losing Fat
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/For_Losing_Fat/m_111175/tm.htm
 

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Nice one fella,ill try that cheers:)

Dan, Berardi is building an empire out of stuff that you've already told us!!  And you have much more reasonable rates!

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

Berardi is building an empire out of stuff that you've already told us!!  And you have much more reasonable rates!

Empire building takes time!

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How do you guys and gals plan 6 meals a day with a busy schedule?

I worked 8 am to probably 6 pm today.
 
I ate at 7:30
Had a meal replacement shake with veggies at 10:30
At 1:30 I had Turkey, peppers, bakes sweet potato and almonds
A 4:30 I will have a meal replacement shake with veggies
Then I will eat  my normal meals..

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What are some foods that are good for you but give you your calories needs.

Read one of these the detail is in there:
For Gaining Mass
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/For_Gaining_Mass/m_111173/tm.htm

For Losing Fat
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/For_Losing_Fat/m_111175/tm.htm

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I would also recommend you take a look at Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition

http://precisionnutrition.com/system.html


Not to take away from dan's advice as a lot of it overlaps with Berardi's. Berardi has laid out an entire course for any goal and answers the whys to boot. 2 thumbs up.

ORIGINAL: Johnny_G

I would also recommend you take a look at Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition

http://precisionnutrition.com/system.html


Not to take away from dan's advice as a lot of it overlaps with Berardi's. Berardi has laid out an entire course for any goal and answers the whys to boot. 2 thumbs up.

I have this course.  I give it only one thumb up. 

The video series is ok.  The lecture is just a taped lecture at some university.  He lacks the charisma that the best speakers have; his rapport with the audience is mediocre at best.  The two segments that are more worth the time are the shopping one (with a female fitness model who, um, has little stage presence, but most guys won't give a d*mn), and the morning ritual (with of course another attractive female).

The recipe book, Gourmet Nutrition, isn't.  It relies too heavily on artificial sweeteners, and there are mistakes that result in culinary disasters.  I even saw in his forums that he had a whole thread dedicated to errors in the cookbook.  Sorry, if it's not proofed, it's not ready for prime time.

PN is not cheap.  Dr. Berardi, Ph.D. [SIC!!!] has quite the ego, btw, which drives me nuts.

Dan's information is just as good, if not better, and damn cheaper. 

Of course, I still bought his latest book Metabolism Advantage, but I haven't read it yet.

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

ORIGINAL: gzinkl

I have this course.  I give it only one thumb up. 

Fair enough. To each their own. To be honest, I didn't even bother with the audio series, as most of it are just reiterations of the guide itself. The DVDs I found fairly informative, and I don't really use the Gourmet Nutrition book since I can come up with my own recipes based on the principles he and others preach. Admittedly, after ommiting all of the things I just did, some might argue that there's really not all that much left, but as I said, I think he does a fairly good job of compiling a lot of information into one convenient course. Worth the price? Ask 10 different people and I'm sure you'll get 10 different opinions.

ORIGINAL: gzinkl

Of course, I still bought his latest book Metabolism Advantage, but I haven't read it yet.

Hate to say it gzinkl, but this money was better spent elsewhere. If you've read PN and didn't get much out of it, you'll definately be disappointed with TMA. I clearly liked PN more than you did, and even I was disappointed with TMA. But, then again, to each their own. Let me know what you think.

Hey Johnny, I'll try and read it this weekend or early next week.  I was hoping that with an editor in play and a more traditional means of distribution, that it would blow away PN.  Plus, it would be his first book as a newly minted, shiny Ph.D. and as a professor in Texas.

Maybe we'll kind of disagree again, and I'll like his book!

Don't get me wrong, though, one of the most valuable lessons he taught in PN is the grocery store perimeter method of shopping--I just didn't need to pay THAT much money for it!

Oh, and the morning ritual part had me in agony when I saw what he did to that poor chicken breast (so overcooked, blech).  And the best comedy moment was when his female assistant looks up (er, down) into Berardi's eyes, and says, "Oh thank you so much!" 

No doubt about it, though--he has a great body (what little of it you see), which is one of my criteria for purchasing his product (never buy a fitness product from someone who has gone to seed, or is one his/her way!).

"If there's nothing else that's relevant, I'll be leaving now"

"Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground"

is fast motabalism a reason?

is fast motabalism a reason?

More of an excuse I hear from people who claim they can't gain weight.

If your metabolism is faster than average, then eat more as the article suggests.

If it's slower, than balance that out.

A fast metabolism comes with gaining a lot of muscle but it's also the #1 reason why people who claim they can't gain weight use all the time.

"I can't gain weight because I have a fast metabolism"

Yet when you look at their diets, they aren't eating enough and aren't eating frequently.  So in reality, it's an excuse.

If your have a fast metabolism (which can be the case) then eat more calories to make up for that fact.

It's more of an excuse than a reason why you aren't getting bigger and gaining weight.

Once you get past the excuse, you can deal with the issue and make adjustments and you will gain weight.  You just might have to deal with it differently than a person who is carb sensitive or doesn't have the muscle mass yet.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

great info thanks everybody.

"Sometimes to get to heaven you have to go through hell. But if hell is my heaven where do I turn other than live to feed this raging fire that is MY ADDICTION!"

Sometimes bigger isn't your niche!

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I just returned hitting the gym from a lay off of 13 months. From 143 lbs, I'm now 154 lbs after 25 days of training. I gained 11 lbs of lean muscle and still gaining more. At 5'6", I weighed 176 lbs last year before laying off. I'm only a poor guy, my main sources of protein comes only from eggs(10-12 eggwhites), milk(2 glasses a day), amino acids. I haven't even tried any branded supplements for my protein source. But this month, I hope i will have my cheap whey powder and nitrix .

I believe that genetics is one major factor in bodybuilding, diet  and training comes second.

Genetics - Diet - Training

don't bother with the nitrix man. Its a HUGE waste of money. I hesitate to agree with you on the genetics thing though: that tends to facilitate feeling sorry for yourself, something which I believe should NEVER be done. Good job gaining all that muscle though man

Weight: 179.6
Currently: bulking
BF%=11

ON Whey Protein
MHP Probolic SR (Casein)
Xtend
Green Mag

Nitrix has no effect at all? Have you used it before? Can you please recommend a better one then

Genetics - Diet - Training

Nitrix is an overhyped overpriced NO supplement.
L-Arginine is what makes it an NO supplement.

DO NOT TAKE ARGANINE WITHIN 4 HOURS OF YOUR TRAINING!
If anything, use it before bed! 
(Not NO's with stimulants though! Maybe when you first get up in the AM is a better time for those. )

Just don't take the NOs before or after training unles it is in your protein. 
(L-Arginine is an amino acid and is in all complete proteins)

Remember whey and carbs plus creatine have shown the best training benefits pre and post workout.

After proper training, rest, proper nutrition and hydration, those are the foundation of growth.

What to read more on the issue?
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_332361/mpage_2/tm.htm
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_342799/mpage_1/tm.htm#344119
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_343462/mpage_1/tm.htm#343547

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ORIGINAL: vshtampede

Nitrix has no effect at all? Have you used it before? Can you please recommend a better one then

Because we can manipulate almost all the genetic factors/variables that affect growth, genetics is almost a moot issue.
VERY few people ever get near their genetic potential.
In fact, the threshold of genetics shifts as you train. 
The more and longer you train, the further it shifts.
We control the genetics to a certain extent.

Forget the genetics argument when talking about growth.

Genetics does play some other roles and we can use those to make you grow faster.

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nice. short and straight to the point.

[img]http://top5choices.com/-pics-/juggernaut.jpg[/img]look at me! I'm the Juggernaut, biiiiieeeeeetttttccccchhh!

That would fall under PLANNING AHEAD.

I always have meal replacement powders ready to mix and meal replacement bars with me.

Add a fruit or veggie, as mentioned above, adn you have a meal covered.

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I just noticed something wierd with my body is that i never gain wieght at all unless if go for a diet thats 2 grams of protien per body's wieght also iv been told that thats more than a humans body would ever require.
so what do u guys think is the cause that my body never gains wieght unless if i took 2 grams of protien per pound of bodys wieght and is there another way to gain weight rather than this like increasing my carb or fat intake for example.
By the way im 155 pounds and i would eat 340 grams of protien every day in order to gain wieght and that forces me to have a meal every 2 hours making in totall 9 meals per day.. i guess thats alot eh .