Bulking Up Diets: Dates and Cucumbers?

College is a time of change for a lot of young people these days. If you’re a skinny guy then it gets intimidating seeing all your friends from high school getting fit and looking built. Honestly, you're Steve Rogers looking to be Captain America and WHY WOULDN’T YOU? HAVE YOU SEEN THE GUY?!

But here we are, hearts of gold and bones of old.

There is plenty of information out there about bulking but let's keep it simple. As we mentioned in a previous post here it’s all about the calories. If you are planning to gain weight you will need to consume more calories than burning off.

For Example:

Here are your stats:

Age: 20

Current: Weight: 140 lbs

Height: 5’7

Average Calories consumed 1700 Calories a day

How much exercise do you get in: Let’s say you get moderate exercise in

How much are you burning off: 1750 calories daily

Now your goals are different, you want to gain weight and build muscle. So at this moment your body is actually losing some weight every week.

Here is a sample plan:

Desired Weight: 160 lbs More muscle (of course)

Exercise: Get in exercise with Weight Training 3 times a week

Timeline: 6 months

Calculations:

So 6 months sound great, that’s roughly 24 weeks to gain 20 pounds

20/24 is about .8 pounds a week for the sake of simplicity lets say 1 pound a week.

So calorie intake has to have about 2500-3500 more calories a week for one pound a week.

SO IT'S EASY AS THAT 500 ADDITIONAL CALORIES A DAY

Where to get these extra calories?

I broke it down to 4 basic food groups to help with our Eat This Not That portion of this post.

As far as foods go there is a tradition founded in the Muslim tradition regarding WEIGHT GAIN.

The tradition mentions the positive effects of Cucumber and Dates

“But nothing which she desired benefited me till she gave me a cucumber with fresh dates to eat. Then I gained as much weight (as she desired).”

Sunan Abi Dawud 3903

So you might say wait what? How?

Dates have been credited with many different uses and nutritional value such as:

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving provides the following nutrients (1):

Calories: 277

Carbs: 75 grams

Fiber: 7 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Potassium: 20% of the RDI

Magnesium: 14% of the RDI

Copper: 18% of the RDI

Manganese: 15% of the RDI

Iron: 5% of the RDI

Vitamin B6: 12% of the RDI

A single serving of dates is jam packed with fiber and calories that your body can actually break down without any wild side effects. And they’re easy to add on to your breakfast or pre-workout regimen.

Other Benefits of dates include being filled with antioxidants which promotes better metabolism, improve bone health, brain health and blood sugar control.

Cucumbers are typically credited with weight loss..so why is it here? Cucumbers are great when it comes to keeping you hydrated. So they are easy to include in your diet if you are exercising. All the excess food that you are eating might make you feel sick or heavy, cucumbers can help you feel better and refreshed.

Nutritionally speaking One 11-ounce (300-gram) unpeeled, raw cucumber contains the following:

Calories: 45

Total fat: 0 grams

Carbs: 11 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Vitamin C: 14% of the RDI

Vitamin K: 62% of the RDI

Magnesium: 10% of the RDI

Potassium: 13% of the RDI

Manganese: 12% of the RDI

Cucumbers are also a natural diuretic, so that would be helpful in reducing constipation and boosting metabolism so you can get your nutrients quicker.

Although cucumbers by themselves do not assist in weight gain, the combination of both dates and cucumbers can help your body maintain a balance that fulfills your body’s daily needs.

As always healthy calories is where we gain our sustenance, try incorporating the foods mentioned here and add a few dates pre-workout for a boost of energy. Diet and exercise are a combination, so make a plan and stay consistent!

Thank You for Reading and Hope to hear from you all soon!

Subscribe & Follow Me

Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Medium