It's time to structure some form of
eating plan, and add calories. Use this as a starting point:
- Calories. Add 500 daily calories to the average you calculated above.
- Protein. Make sure you are eating at least 180 grams of protein per day.
- Fats. Make sure at least 20% of your daily calorie intake comes from healthy fats.
- Carbs. With your protein and fats in place, fill in the rest of your daily calorie intake with quality carbs - fruits, veggies, grains, etc.
It is certainly ok to eat more than
180 grams of protein per day. While studies indicate you may only need 150
grams per day for muscle growth, you have to consider the reality that you are
currently underweight, and your body may gain muscle at a relatively rapid
pace. Because of this, it's better to eat a little more daily protein, rather
than a little less.
High protein intake is perfectly
safe to those of you without pre-existing kidney issues. Eating more protein
can also help to balance out your eating plan, so that you don't have to be so
carb reliant. It can be hard to force feed yourself heavy carb meals when you
aren't feeling overly hungry.
The recommended 20% fat intake
should also be considered a minimum. Fat is calorie dense, holding 9 calories
per gram, compared to proteins and carbs
which only have 4 calories per gram. What does this mean? It's easier to get in
your daily calories if you increase your fat intake. You won't feel as full,
because fats are more calorie dense.
If you are having a hard time enough
enough food, you may want to increase your fat intake as high as 40% daily.
This will make reaching your daily calorie goals much easier.
