Ok so I’ve had a revelation! I need to get bigger! I’m 6’1 and around 185lbs. I know from when I was last a regular lifter that at this weight I can get to a 120kgx5 squat, but I’ve set myself a target of 140x5. So I reckon I need to be shooting for 200lbs body weight (also I won’t look as small as I currently do).
So my question is would I be better off working my weight up slower through an increased food intake or would I be ok just doing GOMAD to get the extra weight on? And roughly how many calories would I need to be eating to gain the extra lbs (I work as a landscaper so I imagine I would need to be eating a lot)
I’m not expert in nutrition, but I have always considered GOMAD as a little extreme and not so healthy option for gaining weight. Eat a lot of quality food and ingredients.
[quote]Yogi wrote:
depends on how well you’d tolerate all that milk. I’d be shitting my pants daily if I tried GOMAD[/quote]
I did GOMAD when I first started lifting a couple years ago and successfully put on 15lbs of muscle after dropping the excess water and bit of fat. So while it’s an unpleasant experience I know it works and I can stick it out for a few weeks.
But I’m in no major hurry for the weight so I might try just eating more and seeing how quickly that works. Although the prospect of keeping track of calories is pretty daunting as I’ve never done it before and don’t really know if there’s a best way to do it
If you look like a late term cancer patient and you think taking a quick fix is better than getting into good habits and you look at this (this isn’t some lazy schlep either, I believe he had a 200+kg squat at the end of 6 months) and are okay with it:
This probably sounds crazy but I have basically been doing GOMAD for 3 years. At this point I still tolerate dairy very well. It works well for a few reasons.
As far as macros go, milk is pretty balanced (lots of protein, carbs and fats), so you don’t have to eat much extra food to get more of a particular macro. Also in my area it is CHEAP. I can get a gallon for $2.50. At 2560 calories per gallon, that is an extremely cheap food source. 1 gallon has 128g protein, so if you’re shooting for 200g protein for instance, you could have 1 shake with 2 scoops and some chicken and you’re basically set for the day. And this is basically what I do. I generally eat a can of turkey chili, maybe 1/4 pound of veggies (I like peas the best) and a sandwich that I make at work. I don’t even buy whey anymore and instead use BCAAs before/after workouts.
Overall I gained 70lbs from when I started lifting going from 135 to 205ish at my heaviest, somehwere in that timeframe I started doing judo and became less concerned with mass so I’ve had some ups and downs since then. Currently I’m 197 at 5’11. So for all its worth, I don’t have THE most impressive physique or strength, but I successfully gained a lot of mass and took up a competitive combat sport, so I don’t think GOMAD will necessarily turn you into a slob.
[quote]Paul93 wrote:
But I’m in no major hurry for the weight so I might try just eating more and seeing how quickly that works.[/quote]
Nevermind being in a hurry, it sounds like you’re very physically active with the landscaping and (presumably) training. As for a starting point, start with whatever you’re currently eating, track your morning bodyweight (after bathroom/before food), and adjust as necessary.
You do it by doing it. It takes time, effort, and some mental energy, but not putting work into the nutrition side of things is where most guys screw up.
Even if you track food for just a few days, writing what/how much/when you eat and then spend an hour sitting down to run the numbers on it all, you’ll eventually be able to eyeball things and see that “this much” meat is a “this much” protein and “that much” oatmeal is “that many” carbs, four eggs equals “X” total calories, protein, and fat, etc.
