Hi comrades
I want to start handling my nutrition and fitness better. I usually work out at home and can do pushups etc., I would say I’m quite underweight.
While I’m reading the guide by CriticalResist on Prolewiki, I decided to count my calories. I barely reach 1500 calories a day which at this point I’ll go malnourished. I just feel full very quickly. I do not eat processed sugars and avoid sweets, and I’m basically vegan at this point.
I exercise too and can do push ups, squats etc with no problems whatsoever, though as expected I cannot build muscular mass, most likely because of my nutrition. I don’t have the money to go to a gym so I want as much as possible to work out at home, I saw that calisthenics might be a good option? Though they seem unreliable for building muscle mass and strength. I want to put more weight but not fatty weight, which had happened to me in the past. I do eat healthy, but I eat way too less because I feel I just get full quickly. This might be due that in the past I was overweight and conditioned myself to not eat much, but now I’m basically starving myself.
How would I go about increasing my caloric intake while putting muscle mass (preferably at home)?
Peanut butter is good for calorie boosts that are protein dense, same with cheese and dairy in general if you aren’t committed to veganism. Eggs and canned tuna as well!
If you do want to stay vegan (I eat a bunch of vegan stuff), beans (red, black etc), chickpeas, nutritional yeast, soy milk, tofu, seitan etc are all good. I have had bariatric surgery so I can’t eat much either, fair warning that it is difficult to achieve a good protein intake as a vegan but not impossible.
Good luck future Swoletariat, I’m rooting for you 🫡
I will definitely try to eat more beans, as I see it’s recommended everywhere for a good protein intake. Thank you!
Lol I was about to link my guide before reading your post.
1500 calories is where I’m at currently on a cut and losing weight, so I take it what you’re saying is if you stay at 1500, you’ll lose more weight which is dangerous as you are currently underweight?
I would tell you to snack on nuts during the day. 100g of nuts contain 550 calories, they contain good oils and a lot of protein.
Otherwise, add oil to your cooking. Oil has 884 calories for 100g, so adding just two teaspoons of oil to your cooking quickly adds up to 100 calories. If you cook twice in a day, that’s 200 extra calories.
But high fat consumption also leads to disease down the line, I don’t remember the name right now but it’s a problem known in some populations that cook with oil a lot (and other fats).
Is there something in your life or diet that makes you feel full so quickly, or has it been like this forever?
Everything else should be in the guide 😄
1500 calories is where I’m at currently on a cut and losing weight, so I take it what you’re saying is if you stay at 1500, you’ll lose more weight which is dangerous as you are currently underweight?
Yeah, exactly. I don’t want to become even more underweight. I was overweight like 2 years ago, but now I’ve become severely underweight I’d say for my height.
I would tell you to snack on nuts during the day. 100g of nuts contain 550 calories, they contain good oils and a lot of protein.
Yep I love nuts! I try to do this as much as possible.
Otherwise, add oil to your cooking. Oil has 884 calories for 100g, so adding just two teaspoons of oil to your cooking quickly adds up to 100 calories. If you cook twice in a day, that’s 200 extra calories.
I usually avoid products cooked in oil, but I’ll give it a shot.
Is there something in your life or diet that makes you feel full so quickly, or has it been like this forever?
It hasn’t been before like this, as I’ve mentioned above I was overweight for a major portion of my life, although not severely. Without having any knowledge of nutrition and fitness I began losing weight around 2-3 years ago. Since then I’ve basically been quite underweight. Perhaps I mentally conditioned myself to eat less? I remember back then I used to eat lots of bread, now I just eat 4 slices perhaps per day.
I’m guessing what happened was that you severely cut your consumption in terms of volume and your stomach got used to that new standard. At least based on what you’re saying here.
It’s possible to “retrain” your stomach to accept more food and not send the signal for fullness so soon, but the only way I know how is by forcing yourself to eat, and eventually you’ll adjust.
Additionally I should point out that foods high in salt, fat and sugar are sort of a cheat code for fullness; your brain loves them and so you don’t feel full after eating them, which is why some people still feel hungry after eating fast food. But I wouldn’t recommend dirty bulking, it’ll just make you put on fat and no muscle. But I’ve never tried dosing this myself, e.g. adding a teaspoon of sugar to my (air-fried) fries because I’m on the other end of the stomach spectrum, I’m always hungry lol. This would reduce the salt, sugar and oil to let’s say healthier levels and might still not send the signal for fullness.
You could also look at caloric drinks; it’s another cheat code. Our body doesn’t interpret fluids as having calories and you don’t get that feeling of fullness, but we’re back to the same problem where drinks add calories by adding sugar. I mean there’s protein drinks and everything but I’m not sure they would fix the problem of not satiating you.
I’m guessing what happened was that you severely cut your consumption in terms of volume and your stomach got used to that new standard. At least based on what you’re saying here.
Yep, most likely.
It’s possible to “retrain” your stomach to accept more food and not send the signal for fullness so soon, but the only way I know how is by forcing yourself to eat, and eventually you’ll adjust.
I see.
Additionally I should point out that foods high in salt, fat and sugar are sort of a cheat code for fullness; your brain loves them and so you don’t feel full after eating them, which is why some people still feel hungry after eating fast food. But I wouldn’t recommend dirty bulking, it’ll just make you put on fat and no muscle. But I’ve never tried dosing this myself, e.g. adding a teaspoon of sugar to my (air-fried) fries because I’m on the other end of the stomach spectrum, I’m always hungry lol. This would reduce the salt, sugar and oil to let’s say healthier levels and might still not send the signal for fullness.
You could also look at caloric drinks; it’s another cheat code. Our body doesn’t interpret fluids as having calories and you don’t get that feeling of fullness, but we’re back to the same problem where drinks add calories by adding sugar. I mean there’s protein drinks and everything but I’m not sure they would fix the problem of not satiating you.
Thank you for detailing this here more! I’ve already read the portion where you explain this in your guide. I’ve never got into fitness properly due to the whole reactionary content involving it, it’s hard to find reliable information without it being sponsored by a food corporation or so. Thank you for your work comrade!
Thank you comrade, that was the whole reason I set out to writing this guide in the first place.
You want to gain weight slowly but surely if you’re underweight. Since your muscle mass is low you may be insulin resistant and overeating may cause health problems. Avoid saturated fats, eat a moderate amount of carbs at every meal, and do 10-25 minutes easy to moderate physical activity like walking, light strength training exercises that are used in physical therapy, or housework after you eat, especially a big meal, to help move the nutrients into your tissue. Do do normal resistance training with heavy weights as well but increase the difficulty slowly and don’t do too much as you are probably deconditioned. Make sure to get enough rest and sleep as this is the time when your muscles grow.
Fat and carbohydrates are also necessary to help move the protein into place. I don’t recommend getting more than about 10 grams per day from protein powder as it can throw off your microbiome.
As for specific foods I recommend tempeh, olives, lentil soup, hemp seeds, and vollkornbrot. Eat fruits and vegetables too. And make sure to take your damn B12 supplements!
- Do meal prep and eat more frequent meals
- When i was younger, I did Gallon of Milk a day (GoMad) with a weight lifting routine. I don’t recommend it, but I did gain 10 pounds! You could also do half a gallon a day. This is in addition to eating meals, not a replacement.
- It’s kinda hard to gain muscle without gaining at least SOME fat. You’re going to want to eat a decent amount of protein and add some healthy fats to your cooking (olive oil, etc). I really like curry or butter
chickentofu over whole grain pasta or with naan as a meal prep. Make a whole bunch of a dish and freeze all but three servings and bring them out of the freezer as needed. Lentils are very nutritious and cheap for adding to a flavorful soup/stew, I prefer them on the mushy side but some people prefer texture. - https://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8 has all kinds of routines and many are free. There should be some calisthenics-based plans. Or just search “calisthenic workout program no equipment”
- Straight-up just eat faster. The slower you eat, the more time your body has to send satiety signals.
You first goal will be to just focus on protein intake. Try to avoid heavily processed stuff but protein supplements are fine as long as you don’t chug them and don’t make them you main source. I’ll say now, I am not vegan in my protein intake. Not like I am eating a ton of meat and eggs for every meal but I do consume animal products so it’s a little easier for me to get in my protein. I do also eat a ton of high protein vegetables. I basically do not consume things that don’t have some significant protein content unless it’s paired WITH someone with a high protein content.
As far as supplements are concerned I mainly use pea protein. It’s not the best shake maker and is kind gritty but there’s other ways to cook and ingest it. I have some other protein powders I supplement it with too. They are not vegan but there are other vegan oriented ones that pair with pea protein to get in all the appropriate types of protein you need.
As far as whole foods, beans are one of the cheapest and best protein sources from a non-animal based point. In fact, you can lacto-ferment the beans (like you would sauerkraut, pickles, etc) to not only reduce sugars and carbs but make the protein in them more digestible by the body. If you have the ability to do this it’s very easy. Even without that though just beans in general. If you want muscle weight you need protein. Just loading up with carbs or fat will be pointless. Your body eats for protein. It wants protein. If you aren’t giving it that protein you won’t put on muscle mass plain and simple. You CAN build muscle at a caloric deficit IF you get in enough protein.
Peanuts (and nuts in general) are also a good source of both protein and fat while not being overly expensive if you know where to get them. Idk where you are based out of but Aldi’s has pretty good prices. They are high calorie and could be a possible source to help fill up your caloric and protein needs.
When you say you are “mostly vegan” what does that mean? You want to eventually be full vegan or just not eat meat directly and avoid most animal products? Are things like greek yogurt off the table? I assume eggs are out? Seafood etc? It’s hard to give a more detailed advice without knowing specifics.
Yep I eat peanuts on an almost daily basis, they’re quite expensive here, though.
You want to eventually be full vegan or just not eat meat directly and avoid most animal products
Yeah that’s my aim basically. I still consume meat once in a while, but very rarely. I do eat animal products.
Are things like greek yogurt off the table? I assume eggs are out?
At the moment I still consume them
As for exercise, you best bet initially is body weight fitness. In the end though you will probably want to look into actual weight training. What are you home conditions like in regards to space and ability to do diy stuff? Makes your own weights is fairly easy and on the cheaper side of things IF you have the ability to do it. Concrete mix is cheap and dumbbells are versatile. I made my own with various sized food cans, pipe (PVC or metal), and concrete.
I think I’ll try to save up some money and try to go to a gym. Although I must learn more aobut the subject first, because trainers are expensive
You don’t need trainers if you follow the mass building routine in my guide (been following it myself for 2 years now with great improvement); however where a second opinion might be interesting is on proper form when doing the exercises. Most people at the gym will be happy to coach you a bit but everyone has their own ideas, and sifting through the bs takes some knowledge.
I see. I want to go for a checkup first at the doctor to see I don’t have back problems since some family members have scoliosis. I plan to try to get a gym membership around July, until then I can monitor my calories and try to get them up while doing the workout mentioned in the other comment of mine, or try to keep them at this level until I begin going to the gym?
If you have scoliosis (I apparently have it) it’s important to know beforehand, but if you don’t notice it, physical activity can only help you, especially if you do back extensions. My symptoms have completely disappeared since I started really targetting my lumbar muscles; they form sort of a protective layer.
You can improve your caloric intake (and follow protein quotas as per the guide) while doing this routine, but you need to add some progressive overload. Every time you workout, add more 1 rep on each set. Eventually, add a whole set. Eventually, start looking at more difficult variations.
And yes it should have some pullups in there too 😀
My symptoms have completely disappeared since I started really targetting my lumbar muscles; they form sort of a protective layer.
I’ve heard of that helping. I also have the “flat feet” syndrome, I think it’s called in English? I don’t know if exactly would impair me if I work with weights. I also seem to have a degree of reduced mobility since I was young, I think I can train and get over it, hopefully.
You can improve your caloric intake (and follow protein quotas as per the guide) while doing this routine, but you need to add some progressive overload. Every time you workout, add more 1 rep on each set. Eventually, add a whole set. Eventually, start looking at more difficult variations.
And yes it should have some pullups in there too 😀
Got it! Thanks a bunch again!
Lol I also have flat feet. It’s not an issue, you need custom-made insoles for your shoes, and I have two pairs: one for my sports shoes, and one for my every shoes. They’re the exact same insoles, it’s just that I was tired of changing them out every time (also helps their longevity) so I got two made.
Resistance training is great for mobility, the stereotype of the huge buff dude who can’t scratch his back is just a stereotype, muscles are the basis of mobility, and training them with resistance improves their elasticity as this is what they are, springs 👍
deleted by creator
Beans baby. In fact, with the right kind of beans you can actually get in your daily protein needs at a caloric deficit with JUST beans. It’s would be a lot of beans, but you can do it. I know because I was doing math on how I could do this the cheapest way possible in the event I lost my job and had to go hard on money. lol. A 25lb bag of Kidney beans (I think) could be all the protein you would need for close to a month I believe. Not like, hard muscle mass building levels but more of a steady maintain and slight growth situation. lol
I need to double check my notes. It may have been a different kind of bean but I’m pretty sure it was kidney beans.
That’s very interesting, I didn’t know this before, thank you! I’ll make sure to check this out
deleted by creator
What’s your protein intake like? What kinds of food do you eat for protein?
As I’ve said in another comment, I aim to be fully vegan or at first vegetarian, so at the moment I eat nuts and eggs in this case.
You say you work out at home, how often do you do that? What kind of exercises and progression are you doing (i.e., if you can do 3x10 pushups one session, do you do more the next)?
I try to work out daily. My exercises are the following:
(The ones from CjkOvPDwQw’s comment a bit modified)
- 1min Jumping Jacks
- 2x10 push ups
- 1 min High knees
- 5x10 squats
- 1min plank
And these:
- 3x10 leg raises
- 2x10 heel touches
- 3x10 knee crunches
- 2x10 bicycle crunches
I think I need to vary them a bit more to be more full-body focused
deleted by creator
I’ll definitely check out the link. Hm yeah I never did any pullups, I’ll make sure to add some. I’ll also bump the number of reps. Thank you comrade!
deleted by creator
While I see comments about cranking up protein intake, could I suggest a more moderate approach?
If you want to grow at a realistic rate, you don’t need that much excess food and only increasing protein won’t gain you much unless you have a big protein deficiency. Your metabolism can’t change so quickly to use extra without chemical enhancement.
You still need to moderately increase carbs and fats in a balance. You use carbs and fats to fuel your workouts which should be higher load to stimulate muscle growth. A lot of calisthenics is endurance-based which is not that suitable.
As you stated, you were overweight from overeating in the past. You only want to bump up your daily calorie intake slightly now rather than going crazy.
I.e. A 10% increase is 150 extra calories per day which is one small snack with a balance of macros. E.g. since you’re vegan maybe some humus on a slice of bread or similar.
Once you have that calorie excess, then you want to tune your workouts and your recovery time to stimulate growth.
Check out this article for a less protein heavy approach: https://physicalculturestudy.com/2020/03/13/mike-mentzer-the-essential-nutrients-heavy-duty-nutrition-1993-11-14-2/
