Gaining lean mass, while avoiding putting on excess fat, is a challenge. The reason is because in order to gain lean mass, you must consume more calories. Professional bodybuilder Tom Venuto recommends taking in an additional 300 to 500 calories per day in order gain approximately one-half to 1 lb. of body weight per week. The key to minimizing fat gain is to choose the right foods, and certain diets can help you gain lean muscle mass without putting on fat.
USDA Recommended Diet
The USDA recommends that Americans consume a diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products and lean meats. These are all foods that are nutritionally dense, meaning that they are full of calories rich in vitamins and nutrients, and they are all foods that can help in building lean muscle. The only slight modification to the USDA's recommended diet would be to consume slightly more protein than would be recommended to the average American; this is because protein is essential for building muscle. BodyBuilding.com recommends taking in one or two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. According to the USDA recommended diet, this means you should aim to consume a lean meat---chicken, fish, turkey---or low-fat dairy product with every meal. A chicken breast, for instance, can contain between 20 and 40 grams of protein.
Vegetarian Diet
The advantage of a vegetarian diet is that it can help you to lose fat quickly because most of the foods are rich in vitamins and nutrients yet contain very few calories. This also happens to be one of the drawbacks of this type of diet for those looking to gain muscle mass. Vegetarians may find it difficult to put on lean muscle due to lack of adequate caloric intake, although it is still possible. While focusing on all of the major food sources common to a vegetarian diet---beans, whole grains, oats, tofu, fruits and others---you should also supplement a soy protein shake each day, and in some cases two protein shakes per day. Following the guidelines of one or two grams of protein per pound of body weight, you will most likely need to supplement anywhere from 50 to 100 grams of protein via protein shakes each day in order to reach this goal. Spread your protein intake throughout the day, because your body cannot process more than about 40 grams of protein in a four hour period. Furthermore, you must keep an eye on the number of calories you're consuming each day---remember, you should be adding between 300 and 500 calories per day in order to gain lean muscle mass.
Bodybuilder Diet
Professional bodybuilder Tom Venuto recommends eating a diet rich in carbohydrates, protein and fat---in that order. Eat five to six small meals each day, and spread out your daily caloric intake equally among each meal---this will usually equate to approximately 400 to 800 calories per meal. By eating more frequently, your metabolism stays high, and thus your body burns calories more efficiently and helps to keep you lean. Bodybuilders eat much of the same foods recommended by the USDA diet, including vegetables, grains, fruit, low-fat dairy and lean proteins. Venuto recommends dividing your overall food intake using the following guidelines: 55 percent carbs, 30 percent lean protein, and 15 percent fat. The best sources of carbohydrates include whole grain cereals/breads, potatoes, oatmeal, beans vegetables and fruits. Your protein intake should come from egg whites, low-fat dairy, chicken fish, turkey and limited lean red meats.
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