Tip: You're Not Eating Enough Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip You re Not Eating Enough Can' t seem to gain quality muscle weight Here' s how many calories to shoot for daily and a good macro split by Akash Vaghela January 1, 2018April 5, 2021 Tags Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips The Tough Part If you speak to anyone who's pushed the boundaries of muscle growth, they'll tell you that the training is the easy bit. Eating 4000 to 6000 calories – day in, day out – is the tough part. While it seems like a no-brainer, most people struggling to build muscle simply aren't eating enough. So how much should you be eating? A good starting point for most people would be around 16-18 calories per pound of bodyweight. This'll place you at slightly above-maintenance calories. From here, see how your body responds after 10-14 days and then adjust accordingly. When setting up your diet for muscle growth, use these guidelines for your macronutrient intake: Aim for around 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day Aim for around 20-30% calories to come from fat Save the remainder of your calories for carbs Example If we've got a 175-pound male, these guidelines will give him a starting point of 2800 calories (16 kcal/pound) and goals of 175 grams of protein, 75 grams of fat, and 350 grams of carbs per day. If you're training hard four days a week and you're in good condition, this number will probably need to go up, but it's always best to start on the lower end of the scale and increase as you go on. Once you reach the realm of ingesting 20-24 (maybe more) calories per pound of bodyweight, you may find that you need to push yourself to eat that much food. Providing you're not just getting fat, being consistent with these high calorie intakes will be necessary to spark further muscle growth. But I m Too Full Appetite often becomes the limiting factor, which is why you'll hear many hardgainers claiming they eat "loads" but never put on weight. Opting for hyper-palatable/calorie dense foods work well, as well as using more liquid meals in the day. Some good examples include: whey/oats/nut butter blends, olive oil added to food, and protein shakes. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating Tip The Real Cause of Depression It's as much biological as it is mental. Here's a way to possibly fix it. Calm Down & Sleep, Creatine, Curcumin, Nutrition & Supplements, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Tips TC Luoma August 15 Eating Tip Insulin Sensitivity and Protein Pancakes Breakfast, early morning workouts, and individual differences. Here's what you need to know. Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins, Tips Christian Thibaudeau July 19 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Cutting and Bulking – Age Matters Don't forget to factor in your age the next time you embark on a strict diet or mass cycle. Here's what you need to know. Bodybuilding, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Paul Carter May 16 Eating First Person The Alpha Male Experience What happens when a regular guy takes a powerful T booster? Check it out. Nutrition & Supplements, Testosterone Boosters, Testosterone Optimization, Tribulus Chris Colucci September 28