I eat almost the same food everyday, can I build some muscle increasing these foods?

[whitebetty]

I should start with I've a pretty sensitive stomach, so typically eat the same foods daily. I'm vegan for 4 years and this is what I usually eat.

I'm around 5' 9" (176cm) and consistently around 147 lbs (66.5 kg). I play football/soccer 2-3 per week and want to add some lifting 2-3 per week also to add a small amount of muscle for some definition, I look on the skinnier/lean side currently.

My question would be, could I build some muscle by simply increasing some of my existing diet without adding many new foods e.g. double the tofu? Or is this not going to work without adding other foods?

I usually hit about 100g protein per day according to Cronometer

https://preview.redd.it/r0908wqom47...bp&s=ad18d147cdb9d73732c0ad60971f98789d3b52a5

 

[noah16]

@whitebetty Yes. Of course. Your diet ticks all the boxes for muscle building. More protein helps, but you’ve got a fine basis to start.

Begin with some weight-bearing exercise and see how your body responds.

 

[noah16]

If you changed anything, I’d start with more calories. You can’t gain muscle without gaining weight.

Try downloading MacroFactor and aim to gain a half kilo a week. I suspect you’ll need to up your caloric intake, especially if you’re playing sports and are quite active.

 

[kdudkey]

@whitebetty So here’s the thing; increasing protein and overall calorie intake alongside adding resistance training will grow muscle. You can worry over particular amounts and attempt to optimize it or you can simply settle in for the long haul and eat what feels like a good amount and accept a non-optimal amount of growth

That’s what I did. I’ve always had an active lifestyle but started training seriously about nine years ago. Since then I have been able to enjoy balancing a normal life that doesn’t revolve around getting gains and just letting them come naturally.

 

[shiningstar89]

@whitebetty Personally, if I were on your diet and looking to increase my muscle mass, I would be looking to increase my protein intake to a minimum of around 150g. If you search online, there are a lot of different figures of how much protein you need to build muscle. I’m 6ft 2”, 32m, 94kg and I consume around 180g of protein a day which is likely more than necessary, but I figure better to be over the optimal protein intake than under it!

It’s definitely worth doing some research!

 

[nirodim]

@shiningstar89 What do you eat on a day to day basis to get that much protein? Thanks

 

[shiningstar89]

@nirodim I’ve found a ‘protein cereal’ and a high protein soya milk which is normally my breakfast along with a high protein soya yoghurt for lunch which takes me to around 45g.

I normally have two ‘protein bagels’ with peanut butter which is 20g of protein.

I’ll normally have a protein bar or shake for a snack between dinner which is between 20-40g.

Dinner normally involves a block of tempeh which is another 40g of protein, along with what ever carb & veg I’m fancying.

If I’m short in the evenings, I’ll either have some more cereal or another shake.

Nothing particularly adventurous, it’s nice and easy and ticks all the boxes for me, that being said, I’m fortunate where I live that there are so many options now. (UK)

 

[atlas2023]

@shiningstar89 150g is way over the top for someone Ops weight

 

[anniejey]

@whitebetty At 5’9”. Your ideal bodyweight could go to 155 at 15%.

I would suggest to eat similar foods that you already tolerate well but try these macros (not medical advice, just based on my training experience):

2125 kcal/day

Protein: 155g. (1g/lbs of target weight)

Carbs: 180g

Fat: 85g

Add Creatine. 5g/day

Add a good quality Pea protein isolate powder for a supplement.
Can use it as a smoothie and even add to foods.

I use NAKED NUTRITION brand of creatine & pea protein. Great quality

Combined w the added resistance training should get you there nicely.

 

[jollybriston]

@whitebetty Soybeans and pumpkin seeds have the highest amount of leucine, which is used for muscle protein synthesis. Hard work and consistency at lifting will get you results. You can also take creatine or find out what foods have the most arginine and glycine amino acids to produce more of your own creatine. Listen to your body and you'll be eating more naturally from being hungry from all the cardio and weightlifting.

 

[tipmoses]

@whitebetty I would increase protein to at least 1g per pound of bodyweight. Otherwise, looks really good! I used to have IBS and SIBO, so I hear you on the sensitive stomach.

 

[amae90]

@whitebetty not enough protein and not enough quality protein (mycoprotein, soy)