- well, and assuming that your training, rest and sleep are in good order, you
are almost certainly being held back by nutritional shortcomings.. Nutritional guidelines can be very helpful, but only through personal practi-
cal experience will you find what delivers the goods for you. Find what works
best for you, using what follows in this chapter as a guideline. Always evalu-
ate dietary changes by their effect on your training progress, body composi-
tion and health. If a change does not help your progress, or improve your
health, it has no practical value for you.Dietary needs
. You need a diet abundant in nutrients, and sufficient in calories so that you
can gain size, unless you are looking to lose bodyfat and thus need to cut
calories so that you are in an energy deficit. e fewer calories you need to
consume, the more critical it is to ensure that your calories come from nutri-
ent-dense foods. Calories, by the way, are units of heat energy. One gram
of protein or carbohydrate yields calories, and one gram of fat yields
calories. So you need over twice the weight of protein and carbohydrate to
provide the same number of calories as pure fat.. Your caloric requirements depend upon your lean body mass, age, activity
level and goals. e basic rule for gaining in muscle and might is to con-
sume as many calories and nutrients as you can, but while not getting fat;
and to have feeds frequently enough to prevent your getting very hungry.
Many hard gainers who follow the eat-and-drink-your-way-to-size advice
just become fat as a result. Excessive attention is given by some people and
companies to getting hard gainers to eat and drink way too much. We are
after lots of muscle, not lots of fat. A little fat accompanying a lot of muscle
is acceptable, and often even necessary, but do not overdo matters and line
yourself up for a lot of fat accompanying only a little muscle.Determining maintenance caloric intake
. First you must accurately record your bodyweight. Every time you record
your bodyweight you must use the exact same conditions—same time of
the day and relative to the same activity of your bowels and bladder, and
while maintaining approximately the same intake of fluids (so as not to be
dehydrated).