The first thing to remember is that you have to eat a lot to build muscle mass. Your body needs to have a surplus of calories even after it has burned up its basic needs. The body repairs the muscles that your workout has damaged and builds new muscles using the caloric surplus. To achieve this, you need a daily calorie intake that is 18-20 times your body weight in pounds. This total needs to be divided into six small meals each day, eaten at three hour intervals. This technique gives the body an opportunity to use those calories efficiently throughout the day and not store them as fat. That total calorie intake should, however, be made up of only the right types of food.
Take most of those calories from high quality whole protein. All the amino acids needed by the body for muscle repair, maintenance and growth can be found in whole protein. As protein builds muscle it also promotes fat loss as an added benefit. To be able to add more muscle mass, you should give your body a minimum of one gram of whole protein for every pound of your weight. Some excellent sources of high quality whole protein are meat, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, cheese and milk. You will be able to take in the right amount of calories at each meal by learning the calorie count of these food items. Protein is, however, acidic and you have to remember to eat your vegetables at every meal to be able to have an alkaline balance.
Even as your goal is to build muscles and lose fat, you should not have a totally fat-free diet. In fact, your body needs good fats, specifically essential fatty acids, to produce the hormones needed for muscle growth and strength. Good fats can be sourced from olive oil, peanut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, flaxseed oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and the oil from nuts, as well as from food high in Omega 3 such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and anchovies.
Eating the right amount of calories from the right types of food at the right time will properly support your weight training efforts toward building the muscle mass you desire. Just do not forget to also drink a lot of water with your food throughout the day to keep your muscles well hydrated.
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