# Girl trying to add mass



## lilly (Sep 21, 2015)

Hey guys I'm Lilly
I started my weight lifting journey a few weeks ago and I could do with some advice. I would like to gain weight and muscle, and my aim would be to have a body like Ronda Rousey when she was "chunky" and not with a beach body.

My stats:
Weight 55kg
Height 170cm

Now to the advice, I'm having trouble eating!
I have upped my calories and try to hit at least 2500 without eating junk food, which I'm finding really hard to consume so much food. My aim is to gain weight steadily, is that the right thing to do?

My typical daily food intake looks something like this

80 grams of oats with soya yoghurt and a handful of strawberrys
granola bar
3 egg omelette usually with spring onions, garlic and tomatoes 
wrap with 150grams of chicken and a little lettuce.
2 shredded wheat with sweetener and lactose free milk
handfull of nuts
dinner is usually brown rice/pasta with chicken/mince and sauce
another handful of nuts

Is this ok? Money is very tight so I have to stick to cheap foods. Ive been trying to introduce tuna into my diet but I'm not a fan of fish and usually the smell is enough to turn my stomach.

Any replies are appreciated
Thanks guys


----------



## aseeby19 (May 3, 2010)

cheap foods full of cals

olive oil , milk , peanut butter cant think of anything else but i love pb

if you aren't worried about bloat and money is tight than just drink more milk and up the cardio a little if you start to get fat .

buy supermarket brand tuna , its really cheap ! as far as the taste is concerned rinse and drain it thoroughly , throw in some green peas olive oil black pepper and you are all set

as far your actual daily calorific intake is concerned keep a record of things (weigh your food & keep a track of macros ) adjust your macros accordingly .

pick up a nutrition book read about digestion absorption etc

don't eat to hit 2500 cals , eat enough to see a change , god luck


----------



## 195645855 (Jun 26, 2015)

2500kcals a hell of a lot for your body weight.

I'd be surprised if you didn't put on a lot of body fat, very quickly.

Drop it down to around 1800 to begin with with protein around 120-140g a day. This should just be enough to begin to gain some lean tissue permitting you're training well.

In terms of what to eat, following something like an 80:20 split works well for most.

80% of your kcals should be from whole sources...

So things like eggs, meat, fish, whey, fruits, veg, rice, potatoes, oats, nut butters, oils (not seed or veg oils) ...

With the remaining 20% from whatever sources you fancy.

If certain foods dont agree with you (bloating is a prime example) then remove them from your diet.

Once you stop gaining on your current kcals, up them slightly by a couple hundred a day and up again further if required.

It's not gonna happen over night, just be consistent, train hard, eat well and rest up.


----------



## Dark sim (May 18, 2013)

lilly said:


> Hey guys I'm Lilly
> I started my weight lifting journey a few weeks ago and I could do with some advice. I would like to gain weight and muscle, and my aim would be to have a body like Ronda Rousey when she was "chunky" and not with a beach body.
> 
> My stats:
> ...


What is your normal calorie intake? Just add 300-500 kcals and go from there. Not just a random number and hope it is ok, you are just going to add fat quicker.


----------



## lilly (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you all for your replies, very helpful so keep them coming.
My usual calorie intake is around 2000 to 2100, if I eat any less than 2k I drop weight quickly! I have a reasonably physical job and I cycle to and from work which is 10 miles a day, plus 2 lively dogs that need a lot of walking lol. I have been tracking my calories on myfitnespal so I can see what I'm eating. Ive been gaining around a pound a week, is that too much?

Thanks again for your comments, more the better!


----------



## dannythinx (Oct 4, 2014)

If you struggle to eat your calories you can always make your own smoothies. Something like 400ml milk 40g oats two scoops protein powder a banana couple raw eggs a dessert spoon olive oil and some ice cubes. If it's too thick add a bit of water.

A pound a week I'd say is too much. If your activity levels don't match your Cals in you'll fatten up pretty quick


----------



## Dark sim (May 18, 2013)

lilly said:


> Thank you all for your replies, very helpful so keep them coming.
> My usual calorie intake is around 2000 to 2100, if I eat any less than 2k I drop weight quickly! I have a reasonably physical job and I cycle to and from work which is 10 miles a day, plus 2 lively dogs that need a lot of walking lol. I have been tracking my calories on myfitnespal so I can see what I'm eating. Ive been gaining around a pound a week, is that too much?
> 
> Thanks again for your comments, more the better!


Ok so 2500 is good starting point. 1lb a week is fine imo, anymore and I'd pull 100-200kcals.


----------



## 195645855 (Jun 26, 2015)

Sounds like your kcals are actually not far off then.

I'd personally say 1lb a week is a little too much for a woman. A newbie male lifter could maybe hope to gain 20-25lb of muscle in a year so that's around 0.5lb a week (very rough maths)

With men being biologically better equipped to build muscle I would put a woman's capability below this.

You're 1lb a week gain is going to be at least 0.5lb of fat in my opinion...

I'm not an expert but I dont think dropping to around 2300 wouldn't be a bad idea to begin with.

In terms of getting you kcals in then drinking them is always a winner. Cant go wrong with a whey, banana, PB and oat shake.


----------



## lilly (Sep 21, 2015)

Thanks again guys, I'll lower my calorie intake to 2300 and give that ago.
The shakes sound delicious!!! I'll order some protein powder asap. I don't digest dairy too well ( gives me the runs and cramps) looking on theproteinworks, would their soy protein 90 be any good?


----------



## 195645855 (Jun 26, 2015)

If you don't get on with dairy you could use eggs/egg whites in your shakes for your protein. Raw eggs are fine and you wont notice them when they're all blitzed up.

There's always beef protein too: http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/beef-protein-isolate-97-hydrobeef.html

I've used that one from Bulk Powders myself and it's not bad at all.

I generally don't touch soy so wouldn't tell someone else too but that's your choice if you wanna give it a go.


----------



## lilly (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you Alex, i'll try the eggs and I'll take a look at the link


----------



## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Tuna with full fat Mayo is pretty good to disguise the smell a bit, I have it in a wrap

2300 cals sounds a good start point as said, good luck!


----------



## lilly (Sep 21, 2015)

Thanks again for the advice guys! A lot of food for thought (pun intended  ) 
I'll order some protein powder in the week, and I think i'll write down what food I eat per day and the calories consumed so I can keep track. Hopefully it will motivate me to eat as its a struggle, but it will be worth it in the end.


----------

