How Many Calories Do I Need To Eat To Gain Weight or Build Muscle. If youre here, it means you want to build muscle. You may just want to gain weight in general, but the weight you typically want to gain is muscle. Either way, youre ready to figure out how many calories you need to eat per day to make that happen as effectively as possible. Awesome. Before we get to that, heres a quick recap of what youve done so far You learned that in order to build muscle or gain weight, a caloric surplus is the 1 requirement. You learned that a caloric surplus means eating more calories than your body needs, which means you need to be above your calorie maintenance level. Muscle cant be built out of thin air. Paleo-Diet-couples-7-Day-1800-Calorie-Meal-Plan-Free-Download-768x994.jpg' alt='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' title='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' />Additional calories above what your body normally needs is required for new muscle tissue to be created. You estimated what your daily calorie maintenance level is. If you skipped that step, now is the time to go back and do it. Now, with your estimated calorie maintenance level in mind, the next obvious step in figuring out how many calories you need to eat per day to build muscle is figuring out what size the caloric surplus should be. Meaning, how many calories above your maintenance level should you be each day to build muscle Lets answer thatCreating Your Ideal Caloric Surplus. Even though your 1 goal here is to build muscle, theres really always 2 goals that need to be kept in mind when creating a caloric surplus Maximizing muscle gains. Paleo-Diet-1-6-Day-Meal-Plans-1000-Calories-a-day-520x245.jpg' alt='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' title='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' />Minimizing fat gains. Because of this, there are 2 main factors that dictate what the ideal size of the caloric surplus should be The surplus needs to be big enough to build muscle as effectively as possible. The surplus needs to be small enough to avoid gaining unnecessary fat. Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' title='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' />You see, since there is a limit to the amount of muscle the human body is capable of building and the rate at which it can be built, that means there is also a limit to the number of calories your body is capable of using to build muscle. If you supply your body with more calories than that amount, those extra calories will always be stored in the form of fat, not muscle. Its almost like an extra surplus on top of the required surplus. For that reason, we need to avoid making the surplus TOO big. At the same time, if the caloric surplus is TOO small, muscle will either not be built at all, or it will be built at a rate so unbelievably slow that it might as well not even exist in the first place. This means that the goal here is to get the surplus just right. So, with all of that said, here are my recommendations for most people, most of the timeHow Many Calories Should I Eat Per Day To Build MuscleThe Ideal Caloric Surplus for MEN 2. The Ideal Caloric Surplus for WOMEN 1. Let me break that downMen 2. For example, if you are a guy with a daily calorie maintenance level of 2. Whatever your maintenance level is, just be 2. Women 1. 25 additional calories per day. For example, if you are a girl with a daily calorie maintenance level of 2. Whatever your maintenance level is, just be 1. So, take the estimated calorie maintenance level you got in the previous step and create your ideal caloric surplus. Did you do it Good. Thats how many calories you need to eat per day to build muscle. Taaadaaa Make sure you write it down. How to Count Calories. Whether it is that postholiday time of year, the end of a pregnancy, or just the result of a sedentary lifestyle, somehow the extra pounds got. Additional calories above this amount would cause too much fat gain, and fewer calories would likely slow down muscle growth to nonexistent levels. Thats why this is the caloric surplus that will usually produce the best results possible in terms of maximizing muscle gains and minimizing fat gains for the majority of the population looking to build muscle. Of course, one of the main reasons this surplus is so ideal is that it will cause you to gain weight at the ideal rate of weight gain. What ideal rate of weight gain, you ask This oneThe Ideal Rate of Weight Gain. You see, if you have properly created the ideal caloric surplus and are therefore eating the right amount of calories each day, it will cause you to gain weight at the ideal rate. What makes this rate so ideal is that, if you exceed it, youll be gaining too much fat. If you fall below it, youll be gaining way too little muscle or more likely, none whatsoever. So, just what is the ideal rate of weight gain when trying to build muscle This isThe Ideal Rate Of Weight Gain For Men Women. Gender. Ideal Rate Of Weight Gain For Building Muscle. Men. 0. 5 pound per week. Women. So, men looking to build muscle should aim to gain about 0. Women looking to build muscle should aim to gain about 0. Got all that Good. Now lets make sure it all works correctlyHow To Guarantee Youre Eating The Right Amount Of Calories Per Day. OK, lets recap real fast. First, you learned what the ideal caloric surplus is. Hypersonic 2 Team Air Win7 64Bit Java. Then, you used that information to adjust your estimated calorie maintenance level and figure out exactly how many calories you need to eat per day to build muscle or just gain weight in general. After that, you learned what the ideal rate of weight gain is for you and this new ideal calorie intake of yours. All thats left to do now is make sure everything is 1. Remember in the previous step when I mentioned that there would be a way to double check your daily calorie intake to make sure it was 1. Well, here it is. All you need to do is start eating your new ideal amount of calories each day and then just weigh yourself about once per week first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and watch what happens. Blog/DGA/MHS-Nutrion_Labels_03.jpg?t=1475683489033&width=926&height=599&name=MHS-Nutrion_Labels_03.jpg' alt='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' title='Meaning Of 2000 Calories Diet' />Based on what your weight is doing from week to week, heres what you should do Are you gaining weight at the ideal rate If so, congrats. Keep eating this amount of calories each day and make sure youre using an intelligent and effective workout program more about that later. The best possible muscle building results are guaranteed to follow. Are you losing weight or just maintaining your current weight If so, your surplus is too low or it just doesnt exist at all and therefore needs to be increased. So, just add about 2. Based on what happens, come right back here and follow the appropriate instructions. Cold Therapy WeightLoss Expert Ray Cronise The Optimal Diet, and Is Exercise UnnecessaryAre you gaining weight faster than the ideal rate If so, your surplus is too big and it needs to be reduced. Just remove about 2. Based on what happens, come right back here and follow the appropriate instructions. Basically, weigh yourself once per week first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and keep track of it somewhere or, weigh in every morning and take the weekly average. If you are gaining weight at the ideal rate, youre perfect. If you arent, then just adjust your calorie intake up or down in small 2. Simple as that. What if I reach a plateau and I stop gaining weightmuscle Depending on how much muscle youre looking to build, its possible that some people may eventually reach a point where they are no longer gaining weight at the ideal rate. If this happens and its been like that for a couple of weeks in a row, guess what you should do Yup, just increase your current daily calorie intake by about 2. And with that, the most important part of your diet is all figured out and ready to go. Good job Whats Next Now that you know how many calories you should eat per day to build musclegain weight, its time to figure out where those calories will come from. First up is protein, which is the second most important part of every muscle building diet. Ways to Count Calories. Plan meals that have the right number of calories. Life is busy its easy to eat whatever is in the house or to head for the nearest drive through and order something that sounds good. Instead, resisting the urge to eat junk food, plan what you will eat each day. To keep yourself on track, buy the necessary groceries to get you through a few days or a week. In the beginning, this exercise will be harder because you wont be very good at estimating which foods have which calories. After a few weeks of being strict with yourself, you should be a pro at estimating how caloric certain foods are. Choose healthy foods. Healthy foods may not taste the greatest, but they usually have far fewer calories in them, meaning that you can eat more of it. On the flip side, unhealthy foods usually have more calories a large cola at Mc. Donalds weighs in at over 3. Mc. Donalds cheeseburger. Thats a lot of calories for a drink. When looking for foods, generally choose. Lean, white protein chicken breast, fish, tofu instead of dark, fatty meat. Colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables instead of dried fruits and vegetables. Whole wheat grains brown rice, whole grain bread instead of processed grains white rice, white breadMonounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats. Omega 3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed, cod liver oil, and salmon. Nuts, seeds, and grains instead of sweets and candies. Drink plenty of water, especially before a meal. Water is essential for the health of your bodys organs. It also takes up space in your stomach, suppressing your appetite. Best of all, water contains absolutely no calories. Thats like stealing calories each time you drink. Your body spends calories digesting food and water. If youre serious about losing weight, drink water and stay away from any sweetened drinks like energy drinks, sodas, or fruit juices. Unsweetened green tea is acceptable to drink. Check the calorie content of every food item before you buy it. Whether its bread, snacks or packaged frozen foods, check the products number of calories per serving and choose the one with the lowest reading. If youre younger, go with your parents when they go grocery shopping. Itll be a bonding experience, and youll get to pick out healthy, nutritional foods for yourself, with dietary information that you can understand. Pay attention to serving sizes. If a nutritional label says the entire package has about 4 servings, then divide the entire contents of the package into 4 even groups. One group is equal to one serving. Look up calories on nutritional websites. Not all foods have packaging that shows the number of calories, but there are many websites that tell you the calories of nearly any food. Just make sure that after you check the calories for a 4 oz. Get out the measuring spoons and cups to keep serving sizes exact. This way, you will know you really are putting exactly a tablespoon of creamer in the coffee or cup of cheese in scrambled eggs. Write down everything you eat and drink, and record the number of calories per item. You can use a computer spreadsheet program to make this easier. Setup Factory 7.0 5.1 Cracked. Record what you eat even on a scrap of paper, and plug the information into your spreadsheet at the end of the day. Then, total up the calories. Not only does writing it down help you to stay motivated and on track, it is also helpful to look back and see the calories of certain foods you eat regularly. One plus of having a food journal is that it will help you remember healthy dishes that you really liked. Put it down in your journal and youre less likely to forget that grilled asparagus with quinoa is actually pretty darn good. Expect it to get easier. In the beginning, when you dont know the number of calories of any food item, counting calories requires quite a bit of time and research, which can be frustrating. But once you automatically know an apple is 7. Get a tally counter. You can find them for less than 1 apiece on most auction sites. Increase the count every time you eat something its most practical to make one click per 1. Alternatively, many smartphones have apps available that will look up caloric values for you, as well as calculate how many calories you should consume per day if you want to lose weight. Be patient. Dont expect your weight loss program to happen overnight. Too often, people with really good intentions get discouraged right before they start to see real results. Had they just kept with it for a little bit longer, they would have started reaping the rewards. So stick with your program, believe in it, and be patient. You owe it to yourself.