Weightlifter Trying to Put On Weight

[wemjii]

Hey All,

 

I am trying to put on some weight so I can perform better in my sport. I am a strict weightlifter so I don't do crossfit at all, however I do swim occasionally to maintain my fitness as a lifeguard.  I've been involved in powerlifting before this summer and I weighed around 155lbs (70kg).  After starting oly weightlifting I am about 149lbs ish (68kg) and I am a little worried that my weight is going to keep dropping. 

I am new and skeptical towards the whole 30 program because it greatly limits my food choices and kinda scares me haha.  I currently eat all my foods gluten free with mostly fresh produce. My main sources of carbohydrate are rice and gluten-free pasta.  

 

My chiropractor encouraged me to check this program out, but unlike most people on the site I am not here to lose weight.  I understand how energy input needs to be higher than energy output to put on weight.  I have problems with doing that especially now I don't eat much processed foods.

I am right now 5'11 with a skinny build.  

How can I gain weight if I was to follow whole 30 while not draining all the $ I have?

 

Thanks

[GFChris]

On a Whole30, you would switch your carb sources to carb-dense vegetables, such as potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots, jicama, plaintains, rutabaga and parsnips.

 

Here's an article on maintaining weight on a Whole30 that might interest you: http://whole30.com/2013/12/keeping-weight-whole30/

And here is an article for doing a Whole30 on a budget: http://whole9life.com/2011/01/paleo-poor-your-guide-to-the-grocery-store/

[MeadowLily]

I'll send mine to you for a Christmas present....only promise me, you will not 'Return to Sender'.   

Load up on sweet and white potatoes.  You could eat them at every meal.

Don't forget your pre/post work-out meals.   Those will help you, too.

 

If compliant nuts aren't a problem for your digestion...remember nut butters galore and nuts.   Smear your bananas with nut butters and handfuls of nuts.  Eat dried fruits with nut butters.   Ohhh, how I could help you put some pounds on.   

 

Sweet Potato Hash and Eggs

 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

Do not sprinkle any Parmesan Cheese on your dishes, though.

[Tom Denham]

Your food choices are not limited. There are a million foods you can eat during a Whole30, just not the same handful of things weightlifters typically consume. Really, every kind of meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs are available and every vegetable on the planet. 

 

I've grown a lot of muscle over the past four years eating Whole30-style. I'm 6'2" and not sure if I still qualify as having a skinny build. I guess I do. I look like a thin guy when I am wearing clothes, but I've got size in my back, chest, arms, and calves that I didn't have before and I am 57 years old. 

 

I train 8 times per week and take two rest days. I train with kettlebells 5 days per week, dead-lift 3 days per week, and do a variety of body-weight exercises (lots of pull-ups). What I ate yesterday is typical of how I eat, so let me give you a report on Monday's food:

 

Breakfast - 3 jumbo eggs scrambled with a tablespoon of ghee and a big serving of cold sauerkraut.

Pre-workout snack - 2 brazil nuts

Home workout

Post-workout meal - 1 can of tuna packed in olive oil (packed in water is best for post-workout food, but I like the oily stuff better and my recovery from strain is good)

Gym workout

Post-workout meal - 1 can of tuna

Lunch - Ground beef chili with onions, carrots, and tomatoes over wilted greens and pan-fried white potatoes. 

Supper - Same as lunch

 

I drank a lot of water and one bottle of kombucha and maybe one or two cups of herbal tea. 

 

I should probably acknowledge that the volume I consume at lunch and supper is... significant. I typically pile food to the depth of the second knuckle on my index finder across a standard-size dinner plate. More ordinary eaters would probably compose a plate with somewhat less than half of what I usually eat.

 

There are days that I require 4 meals, usually when I have supper as early as 5 PM. On those days, I often need to eat another small meal at 7:30 to make sure I don't wake up hungry in the night. 

 

I made my chili with 80/20 ground chuck, so it is far from lean. One of the tricks for staying satisfied (and not spending all your money on meat) is to make sure you get plenty of fat in your diet. I eat a lot of canned salmon with homemade mayo and work with avocados a lot. And I use lots of ghee when I cook. I rarely eat lean meats like chicken or turkey. I prefer organ meats and roasts with some fat like chuck roast. 

 

When I first began Whole30-style eating, I ate 4, 5, and even 6 meals per day. It took me a while to learn to incorporate enough fat into my meals and to eat as much as I do now in one sitting. 

[MeadowLily]

Bananas and mangoes are good, too.

 

[wemjii]

Thanks for all the input guys!
Your support and advice are greatly appreciated.
I found a new favorite snack that I eat regularly and it's banana with peanut butter.  
I'll try all of the foods you guys showed me as well

[GFChris]

I found a new favorite snack that I eat regularly and it's banana with peanut butter.  

 

 

Um ... are you on a Whole30?  Peanut butter is not compliant (no peanuts on a Whole30, as they are legumes).

 

The recommended snack on a Whole30 is a mini-meal containing protein, vegetables and fat. Save fruit to have with or immediately after your main meals.