If you want to gain weight and build muscle fast, you are going to need the calories to do it.  That being said it sometimes hard to work in every meal, but don’t despair, that is why they invented smoothies.  Smoothies are not only absolutely delicious, they are easy to make.  I do not advise going on an all smoothie diet, but they can really help when you need a meal on the go and they taste better than any meal replacement powder out there.  Here is one of my personal favorites and all I use is a regular blender and I pour it into a shaker bottle.  The one I use is the type that comes with a little wisk shaped like a ball, I believe they call it the blender bottle, you should be able to pick up one at any GNC or supplement store for about $10.

Without further ado here is the recipe:

• 1 cup oranges
• 1/2 cup of bananas
• 1 cup of mangos
• 1 cup of orange sherbet (I use blue bell)
• 1/2 a cup of ice
• 1 scoop of unflavored protein powder (about 64 grams)

I am telling you it tastes awesome it is the best tasting orange smoothie I have ever had!  For those of you out their counting here is the breakdown.

Calories : 620           Calories from fat: 45

total fat 5g 7%

Saturated fat 2.5 g 13%

Cholesterol 10 mg 4%

Sodium 100 mg 4%

Total carbohydrates 135g 45%

Dietary fiber 5g 19%

Sugars 114g

Protein 68g

Vitamin A 130%

Vitamin C 100%

Calcium 15%

Iron 4%

Start blender on low then once you get that good whirlpool going switch to high.  Once all of the ingredients are blended thoroughly pour into shaker bottle.

Enjoy!!

It basically takes 3500 calories to gain one pound of muscle. I know hard to believe, but this will serve as our general guide to putting on the pounds that we want. It is also important to distinguish between simply gaining fat, and actually building muscle. What we want to do is build muscle so that we look good at the beach. After all we are after good health too. If we use our above number of 3500 calories a week, we can easily see that we need to consume an extra 500 calories to what we are currently consuming. I know that this may seem daunting at first, but I promise you that you can do this. The following is my little guide that I started on to incorporate the needed extra calories.

• Eat Often: You need to make a time to have 3 large meals and at least 2 substantial snacks every single day.

• Eat Bigger: Your normal portions are not big enough, you will have to increase the portions of the meals that you are currently eating.

• Higher Calorie Foods: Dried fruit, starchy vegetables, dense whole grain breads,cereals,nuts

• Bring on the Extras: No more eating things just plain
  • Unsaturated Fats: Olive and canola oil,nuts,seeds,peanut butter,avocados
    Healthy Carbs and proteins: Jam, Honey, dried fruit, wheat germ, protein powder

• Every Beverage Counts: No more soda as a main food source. Milk, juice,water and we all know my love for the Smoothie.

• Resistance Training : You are never going to gain any true meaningful weight that is going to translate into muscle without weight training. I know everyone hates going to the gym in the beginning, but you are going to have to if you really want to build an impressive physique. You are also going to have to find a good program to follow. Failing to plan is a plan for failure.

This is just a quick little guide. If you are like me, you want to keep it simple in the beginning. As you learn more you can vary your routine, but in the beginning the shortest distance between two points is a straight simple line.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM THAT HELPED ME CLICK HERE.

One day when we all live in a perfect world you will be able to go to any convenience store and buy a perfectly balanced meal or snack., good foods can be hard to find on the go. Unfortunately for us that day is not today.  There are so many websites that say you have to eat better, but they don’t ever tell you exactly what is better.  It is frustrating I know, I have been there.

With that in mind I have created a list which is by no means comprehensive, but it will serve as a good starting point for you.  Before you ask, you do not have to eat everything on the list, that is not the idea.  If you pick out a portion of from each list you will have a good balanced meal.  Use your common sense though, some of them are snacks while others are an actual meal.  I am not going to lie to you in the beginning it is going to take a little while to get use too, but to be honest you will succeed if you are sincerely trying.  Without further ado……….the list
THE GOOD FOODS LIST
good lean proteins:

• Chicken Breast
• Turkey Breast
• Lean Ground Beef
• Lean trimmed Beef
• Lean Trimmed lamb
• Ham
• Trimmed Pork
• Trimmed Veal
• Game Birds
• Crab
• Fish of all kinds
• Lobster
• Shrimp
• Shellfish like clams,oysters, and mussels
• Eggs
• Cottage Cheese
• Whey Protein

Good Vegetables

• Artichokes
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Vauliflower
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Green Beans
• Leafy Salad Greens
• Lentils
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peas
• Peppers
• Spinach
• Squash
• Zucchini

Good Fruits

• Apples
• Apricots
• Avocados
• Berries of all kinds
• Cantaloupes
• Cherries
• Cucumber
• Figs
• Grapes
• Honeydew melon
• Kiwis
• Lemons
• Limes
• Nectarines
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Strawberries
• Tangerines
• Tomatoes

Good Beans

• Black Beans
• Chick Peas
• Fava Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Lentils
• Lima Beans
• Navy Beans
• Peas
• Pinto Beans
• Soybeans

Good Rice and Grains

• Brown Rice
• Whole Rice
• Wild Rice
• Barley
• Whole Oats
• Whole Wheat
• Whole Grain Pastas

Good Fat Sources

• Canola Oil
• Flaxseed Oil
• Olive oil, extra virgin
• Peanut Oil
• Fats found in all fish
• Seeds
• Pure butter in small amounts

Please keep in mind that I am not saying you have to choke down every single one of these items.  I assure you that I do not like everything on this list.  This is just to serve as a starting point.  If you picked one thing from each category you would have a balanced meal.

Good nutrition is going to be cornerstone of any worthwhile exercise system.  There really is just no way to get around the fact that to get a washboard style ab, a lot of the work is done in the kitchen.  Again I am not recommending that you only eat what is on this list, but if you look it over carefully you might find that you actually like a lot more on this list than you probably thought at first glance.

Enjoy

Ahh protein we certainly need a lot of it if we are going to put on some muscle.  Let’s be honest one of the reasons you want to put on weight is you want the muscle, so you can look good at the beach.  You are going to need protein.  Your body uses protein to repair muscles, it is that simple.

Not giving your body enough protein is going to hinder their ability to heal the muscles and become stronger.  On average a person needs about one gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight to build and maintain muscle, and that is what we are after.  Exercise and working out is also going to affect the body’s need for more protein, so if you are serious about putting on muscle and your working out I would suggest 2 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight per day.

Do not make the mistake of trying to get all of that protein in you in one sitting, it will not work.  You need to divide out throughout the day or else people at work will just be saying ‘Here comes Old Gassy.”  Do not obsess over it, or it will just leave you to confused just make sure you get the appropriate amount everyday.