High-carbohydrate diet for men (for hardgainers) to gain muscle mass

Author: Margarita Kuts - doctor-dietitian, gastroenterologist, and body mesotherapist.
2016-11-28

Number of meals: 4

Ratio of Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates (grams): 21% | 16% | 63%

This diet is designed for men who find it difficult to gain weight. It consists of simple dishes and a large amount of carbohydrates, both simple and complex. Additionally, it includes the intake of a gainer to increase carbohydrate quantity. The main features of this diet are:

1. 4 meals per day. 3 full meals and 1 time – a cocktail of gainer and milk. This way, you won’t have to eat 6 times a day, as not everyone can afford to eat that frequently.

2. More than 50% of your calories will come from carbohydrates. This is about 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight. Carbohydrates will be distributed throughout the day, but you’ll eat most of them in the morning and at lunch.

3. You will get about 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight on this diet. Ideally, it should be 2 grams, but remember that this is a high-carbohydrate diet. Hence, the focus is on carbohydrates to help shift your weight from a standstill.

4. The dishes are quite simple. Any man can boil buckwheat, grill sausages, or fry fish. So, you won’t have to spend much time preparing meals or attend culinary courses.

I’d like to point out that all food items are considered in their ready-to-eat form. For example, 100 g of rice means exactly 100 g of cooked rice, and so on.

Of course, this menu is indicative, and you can make your own adjustments as you wish. You can also use ready-made recipes from the "Dietitian's Recipes" section and incorporate them into your personal diet plan.

When compiling the material, the following recommendations were used:
1. Rospotrebnadzor: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CITIZENS: healthy eating
2. World Health Organization: Healthy diet

Amateur sausages

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	10 gr (average)
Fats	30 gr (very much)
Carbohydrates	1.5 gr (little)
Caloric content	316 kcal (high)

Analogues:
«Milk» sausages
«Russian» sausages
«Children's» sausages
«Groningen» sausages

Boiled potatoes

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	2 gr (little)
Fats	0.4 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	18 gr (average)
Caloric content	82 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Mashed potatoes without butter
Baked potatoes with skin

Classic cottage cheese 5% fat content with sour cream and sugar

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	16 gr (lots)
Fats	9 gr (average)
Carbohydrates	14 (average)
Caloric content	201 kcal (average)

Analogues:
Fat-free cottage cheese with sour cream and jam (jelly)
Fat-free cottage cheese with sour cream and honey
Fat-free cottage cheese with sour cream and dried fruits

Black tea with sugar

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	0 gr
Fats	0 gr
Carbohydrates	10 gr (little)
Caloric content	40 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Coffee with sugar
Rosehip tea
Chicory
Hibiscus tea
Fruit tea

High-protein gainer

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	30 gr (very much)
Fats	5 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	57 gr (very much)
Caloric content	390 kcal (very high)

Analogues:
Scitec Nutrition: Volumass 35
Optimum Nutrition: Pro Gainer
Nutrabolics: IsoGainer

Milk 2.5%

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	2.8 gr (little)
Fats	2.5 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	4.7 gr (little)
Caloric content	52 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Kefir 2%
Sour milk 2.5%
Ryazhenka 2.5%

Pea soup

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	4.4 gr (little)
Fats	2.4 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	9 gr (little)
Caloric content	75 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Bean soup
Lentil soup
Rice soup
Wheat soup

Bread with bran

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	7.5 gr (average)
Fats	1.3 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	45.2 gr (very much)
Caloric content	227 kcal (average)

Analogues:
Rye-wheat bread
Wheat bread
Oat bread

Marshmallows

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	1.2 gr (little)
Fats	0 gr
Carbohydrates	78 gr (very much)
Caloric content	317 kcal (high)

Analogues:
Marmalade
Fruit pastila
Rahat-lukum
Homemade marshmallows
Fruit jelly

Black tea with milk without sugar/li>

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	1.4 gr (little)
Fats	1.3 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	2.4 gr (little)
Caloric content	26 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Green tea with milk without sugar
Coffee with milk without sugar
Chicory with milk without sugar
Fruit tea with milk without sugar
All the same with the substitute «Fit Parade»

Buckwheat porridge with butter and sugar

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	6 gr (little)
Fats	3 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	26 gr (lots)
Caloric content	155 kcal (average)

Analogues:
Buckwheat porridge with butter and honey
Buckwheat porridge with dried fruits and milk
Buckwheat porridge with butter and dried fruits

Fatty fish poached in soy sauce without oil

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	18 gr (lots)
Fats	15 gr (average)
Carbohydrates	0 gr
Caloric content	200 kcal (average)

Analogues:
Steamed salmon with soy sauce and spices
Steamed trout with herbs and ginger

Boiled brown rice without oil

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	3 gr (little)
Fats	0.5 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	23 gr (lots)
Caloric content	109 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Wild rice without oil
Marbled rice without oil
White rice without oil

Black tea with milk and sugar

Composition per 100 grams

Proteins	1.4 gr (little)
Fats	1.3 gr (little)
Carbohydrates	7 gr (little)
Caloric content	46 kcal (low)

Analogues:
Green tea with milk and sugar
Coffee with milk and sugar
Chicory with milk and sugar
Fruit tea with milk and sugar

1. Men's diet for gaining weight
2. Men's three-meal diet for gaining muscle mass