Do you want to add more muscle and get more lean? Of course you do. Here’s how I did it.

Part 2: Diet

OK, there are some things to get you started on the weights side, but you also need to consider your diet. It’s especially important to ensure that you’re getting enough protein to add weight and also that you take in some of this protein within a certain time period of your weight lifting sessions.

It’s recommended that for those aiming to gain muscle mass you should try to intake 1.5–2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight. I currently weigh about 75kg so I should aim for 112.5–150 grams per day. To put that into perspective, a chicken breast will have about 30 grams of protein and a protein shake will have a similar amount per serving, so you really do need to put in the effort to get to an ideal protein intake. I’m sure I fall short a fairly large percentage of the time, but having the goal in mind will get you closer.

Here are a few things I do to add protein as well as time the protein intake around my weightlifting:

• I try to have a small bowl of bone broth with lunch daily. Bone broth has a number of beneficial ingredients good for your overall health, but also contains some protein. I buy both chicken and beef bone broth frozen and defrost in the fridge as needed. You can make your own but it’s time consuming.
• I have a pretty regular lunch when I work from home: 2–3 boiled eggs with grass-fed butter, peas and bone broth. I’m about 50/50 on eating lunch before I go to the gym or after I get back and this just depends on my work schedule and what time I can go. Peas have a surprisingly high level of protein so are a great way to get the benefits of vegetables plus protein. Here’s the breakdown of that meal by protein:

3 boiled eggs = 18 grams

½ cup peas = 8 grams

1 cup bone broth = 5 grams

1 cup oat milk = 4 grams

Total = 35 grams

As you can see, even with this high protein meal, I’m not very close to my daily goal of 112.5–150 grams. You really need to put in the effort to get enough protein to build muscle!

• I have this salad at least once per week which has great nutrients and also a good level of pre or post workout protein (45 grams).
• When I get back from the gym I have a protein shake. Studies show that you should ideally have protein in your system within ~30 minutes of your workout to ensure efficient muscle building. I’m currently using this version but there are many options out there. You may want to do some basic research on the protein shake options and what you think works best for you.
• I try to snack on higher protein foods like nuts. I particularly like roasted shelled peanuts but also eat walnuts and almonds as they have higher overall health benefits.
• Healthy breads can have a decent amount of protein too. Aim for fresh bakery bread, or better yet bake it yourself as I sometimes do. Here are some high protein breads to look for.
• Here are some more high protein foods that you might consider adding to your diet. You might be surprised that some of these are on the list. Potatoes surprised me and I now ensure to have baked potatoes with grass-fed butter weekly.

I should also note that I practice intermittent fasting. I don’t think this has a positive (and hopefully not a negative) effect on my muscle mass, but I just wanted to note this. There are many studies showing benefits to intermittent fasting, but also some that show no effects. I follow the 16:8 schedule where I eat my food within an eight hour block daily by skipping breakfast.

In the morning I drink black coffee and apple cider vinegar diluted by water. Apple cider vinegar has been shown to have positive health effects, but many do not like the taste. Usually once per week I will have a small breakfast of greek yogurt with oats, blueberries and honey, all of which are very beneficial to health.

I also want to note that I’m not nearly a perfect eater. I drink alcohol, eat burgers and fries sometimes, etc. I try to keep pretty good discipline during the week and let myself go a bit on the weekends. Striving for balance is important and I do check my weight and my reflection in the mirror to ensure not to wander too far off track. You’ll want to try some things and see what works best for you.