I want to build up muscles. What diet should I take? And should I take protein or not.

Question

Dear Lybrate User,
Increasing weight does not mean that you will go fatty. In fact, extra fat serves as a precursor of many diseases. In order to increase your weight as well as stay healthy you have to increase the muscle mass of your body.
Normally a muscle undergoes an increase in size when it gets hypertrophied due to weight training. Weight-training leads to the pumping of blood to the muscle resulting in increased protein synthesis in the muscles. This applies to every muscles of human body. So, weight training is a must to increase weight.
Whenever a muscle gets hypertrophied it demands protein to expand. Here comes the need of excess protein in our diet. Many people replenish the demand of extra protein by taking protein supplements. The most effective protein supplement is WHEY protein.
Body-builders take supplements according to a fixed schedule. They take 40 grams of whey just after waking from sleep at morning. They take another 20 grams of whey just 30 minutes before workout. Again they take 40 grams of whey just after finishing workout.
Now you are a normal person & unless you have any intention to compete in bodybuilding competition you do not need to follow the above timings of whey protein. In fact you can get the extra protein from your diet only. Try to take 50- 70 grams of protein daily. That would be sufficient for your daily need. Excess protein produces excess harmful urea. Our kidney has to function more to excrete this excess harmful urea from our body. So excess protein creates excess pressure on our kidneys. For better reasons try to take protein from plant origin. Protein obtained from animal sources like meat & egg are found to play an important role in cancer.
Kindly remember gaining weight is a time -taking process. So do not expect any result within fortnight.

Prithviraj Singha · Accepted Answer

Dear Lybrate User,
Increasing weight does not mean that you will go fatty. In fact, extra fat serves as a precursor of many diseases. In order to increase your weight as well as stay healthy you have to increase the muscle mass of your body.
Normally a muscle undergoes an increase in size when it gets hypertrophied due to weight training. Weight-training leads to the pumping of blood to the muscle resulting in increased protein synthesis in the muscles. This applies to every muscles of human body. So, weight training is a must to increase weight.
Whenever a muscle gets hypertrophied it demands protein to expand. Here comes the need of excess protein in our diet. Many people replenish the demand of extra protein by taking protein supplements. The most effective protein supplement is WHEY protein.
Body-builders take supplements according to a fixed schedule. They take 40 grams of whey just after waking from sleep at morning. They take another 20 grams of whey just 30 minutes before workout. Again they take 40 grams of whey just after finishing workout.
Now you are a normal person & unless you have any intention to compete in bodybuilding competition you do not need to follow the above timings of whey protein. In fact you can get the extra protein from your diet only. Try to take 50- 70 grams of protein daily. That would be sufficient for your daily need. Excess protein produces excess harmful urea. Our kidney has to function more to excrete this excess harmful urea from our body. So excess protein creates excess pressure on our kidneys. For better reasons try to take protein from plant origin. Protein obtained from animal sources like meat & egg are found to play an important role in cancer.
Kindly remember gaining weight is a time -taking process. So do not expect any result within fortnight.

Neha Suryawanshi · Answer

Take high protein foods like all milk and milk products, eggs, pulses, sprouts, nuts etc.