Who is this diet for?
The described nutrition model will be perfect for people who have difficulty increasing body weight. They are characterized by the so-called “rapid metabolism” and are called ectomorphs, that is, people who consume relatively large portions, are often hungry, and yet their body weight does not increase. Those who want to sculpt a figure or practice typically strength disciplines will also benefit from the use of the diet.
The main principles
The basic principle of this eating plan is a positive energy balance (consuming more energy than is expended). It is equally important to provide the body with protein, which performs primarily building functions and makes it possible to increase muscle mass. However, a balanced diet is half the battle. To obtain the intended effect, it is necessary to engage in physical activity that stimulates the tissue to grow. What else is worth paying attention to?
- Proper selection of caloric content — this is a key aspect, because in this diet we want to increase muscle mass, not body fat. Too much caloric content can have the opposite effect. Addition of 200-300 kcal to the daily energy requirement appears to be the most optimal and allows you to effectively increase the muscle component. However, this process is lengthy and requires patience. It also depends on many variables, including, among others, the amount of body fat — with its initial, lower level, it is easier to lead to an increase in muscle mass.
- Number of meals — in case of weight building, it is important to regularly provide energy and nutrient substrates (eg 4-6 meals distributed in the plan every 3-4 hours). To achieve the goal, too long breaks between meals should be avoided, which can cause, among other things, weakening the regeneration of muscle tissue. For people who train intensively, the calorie content of the plan can be very high, which usually translates into a greater volume of food consumed. This, in turn, can contribute to excessive load on the gastrointestinal tract, so it is necessary to introduce more meals during the day with a smaller volume.
- Whole-value protein It has primarily a building function. For a diet for weight, not only its quantity is important, but also its quality. To enable the growth of muscle mass, protein intake should be 1.6-2.2 g/kg body weight/day. And it is worth sticking to this value, because as studies indicate, a greater supply is not associated with faster muscle building. For this process to be effective, the diet should include protein sources such as: meat (in particular lean, e.g. skinless poultry), fish, milk and dairy products (up to 2% fat, e.g. cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, cheeses), eggs, as well as vegetable sources of this ingredient, including dry legume seeds and their products, e.g. tofu.
- Quality of carbohydrates and fats — extracorporeal energy sources enable efficient synthesis of new muscle structures. Carbohydrates are directly used for energy purposes, so they should meet about half of the need. Adequate intake can promote greater effort (e.g., with greater intensity and longer duration) and delay the feeling of fatigue. Sources of carbohydrates include: root vegetables, fruits, legumes, bread, pasta, as well as rice and groats.
In the case of fats, an important factor is their type. The diet should contain mainly mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are necessary for the construction of, among others: cell membranes, hormones or myelin sheaths. In the menu of people who want to gain weight, fatty acids from the omega-3 family are also particularly important due to their effect on the stimulation of muscle hypertrophy and reduction of inflammation. We find them in: oils (eg rapeseed, linseed), olive oil, nuts, seeds, seeds, avocados and oily sea fish.
- Strength training — it is a type of training in which the muscles obtain energy mainly in anaerobic conditions. Resistance exercises strengthen skeletal muscles and allow them to grow with an adequate supply of nutrients. Of course, weight, number of repetitions and series, recovery or even hormonal balance are important. Due to the higher testosterone levels in men, building muscle mass is easier in their case.
What foods do we find in the diet?
Meals in the diet for the mass in MultiLife are very diverse, so you don't have to be afraid of boredom! Breakfasts are combinations of omelets, sandwiches, cottage cheese, porridge or scrambled eggs. Dinners are mainly meat or fish dishes. Since we usually do our workouts in the afternoon, dinners have been balanced so that they can be a good post-workout meal.
Bibliography:
- Bean A.: Nutrition in sports. Poznan. Zysk i S-ka Wydawnictwo; 2008
- Jeukendrup AE, Gleeson M.: Sport Nutrition: An introduction to energy production and performance. Human Kinetics, 2010
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016; 48 (3) :543-568