Beginner!

[vibz89]

Hello
I'm 21 years old and just started going to gym. My weight is 104 pounds and I'm underweight basically I'm seeking for help who could guide me with or which workout programs or any articles that could help me. My goal is to gain weight but don't know how to start of with. Also, I'm vegetarian as I don't eat meat at all and I know lot of people says that in order to gain weight and look built will say I've to eat meat. So any suggestion with nutrient diet, workout plans or article that could help me achieve my goal. Thank You.

[Boss Man]

There plenty of Amino acids in Eggs, Dairy and plant matter, so building muscle mass through these things is perfectly achievable. Flesh is better, particualrly as the Heam Iron is more absorbable than the Non-Heam in plant matter, which is good for promoting more Red Blood Cell, (Erythrocyte), formation and preventing things like Aneamia.

However flesh sources are not vital for muscle building so even Vegans can do it, without any issues incurred.

As for your diet, what do you eat and what times do you eat?

[vibz89]

As far nutrient food I eat Healthy Indian food mostly cooked vegetables food every afternoon, then I eat junk foods or fast foods everyday and sometimes at the restaurant in the night.

[Boss Man]

Well you obviously need to ditch the Junk and add more Protein sources in like Chicken, Ham, Turkey, Eggs etc.

Eat 6 meals a day, 2.5-3 times a day.

Keep the veggies and incorporate them in with the Eggs and flesh.

There's some simple ideas for you to help you work on a daily schedule. hopefully that helps .

[vibz89]

The thing is I cannot eat meat as it is against my religion and Im pure vegetarian. Anyway What kind of supplements would you recommend ? I was thinking of buying Weight Gainer Shakes to gain weight.

[sani.kat]

Hi,

You need lots of protein!! atleats 104 gms of protein and of course you need to work out 3 to 4 times a week. If you dont eat meat here are few options...

Almonds, 7-8 grams of protein per serving

Pistachios 7 grams of protein per serving

Pumpkin Seeds 11 grams of protein per serving

Sunflower Seeds 8 grams of protein per serving

Hempseeds 11 grams of protein per serving

Almond Butter 8 grams of protein per serving

Peanut Butter 8 grams of protein per serving (many people are allergic to peanut butter and it can cause inflammation. When in doubt, stick with almond butter)

Black Beans 8 grams of protein per serving

Lentils 8 grams of protein per serving

Garbanzo Beans 7 grams of protein per serving

Navy Beans 8 grams of protein per serving

Kidney Beans 7 grams of protein per serving

Pinto Beans 7 grams of protein per serving

You can have protein shakes. I recommend boku super protein. Its 95% organic and vegan. Its really good.
Stop eating junk food. Sugar is not good either. As bossman said you should have 6 meals everyday and each meal should have protein and veggies.
Oh one more thing, try getting 1500 calories/day. Remember not junk calories. 200 gms of carbs/per day , 100 gms protein/day and 30 gms of fat.
Fish oil supplement is good, but since you are vegetarian eat lots of flax seeds or have flax seeds oil. Thats a good source of omega 3 and also fat.
Hope this helps.

[Boss Man]

Yes, any type of Beans are good, including Soybeans as they are the only Beans with a complete Amino Acid profile and also are 33% concentrated, the highest in nature and then Hemp is 25% Protein, then I think it's Eggs and Beef at around 18%.

Low Fat Yoghurt and Cheese is pretty good for Protein too and Flax and Peanuts should be too.

Note of caution with Nuts however. They have some protein, but not a massive amount and owing to the levels of Omega 3 and 6 fats, you might find the caloric intake would be very high.

One cup of Nuts typically has more than 600 calories from memory.

[vibz89]

Thanks alot for the advice. I really appreciate it.

[JNicole]

You could also try tempeh & seitan. Tempeh is similar to tofu and seitan is derived from wheat gluten.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_%28food%29


FOOD:AMOUNT,PROTEIN(gm),PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh:1 cup ,41,9.3
Seitan:3 ounces,31,22.1
*Source: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Both are loaded with protein. I plan on incorporating them into my diet soon as I am transitioning to a plant based diet.

[Boss Man]

The small caveat being in relation to people with Gluten, Wheat or Soy intolerances of course.