Maintaining or gaining weight

[getaway]

im an ectomorph, i shove in 2500 to 3000 calories to probably GRADUALLY gain weight, im 15, 155-160 and 5'8

Basketball spring league is coming up and there is going to be alot of sweat involved. im gonna be burning like crazy, and ive spent the last 4 months packing on 20lb. so now i probably know im gonna have an extremely hard time gaining, on top of that i have karate, which is pretty much the same thing, very intense and alot of sweat, i already eat 5 meals a day, so what im asking is... what do i need to do to make sure i dont lose a single pound or possibly gain a few too haha... i already eat a bit of junkfood, because its kinda hard for me to gain weight (ecto), so would it be ok to eat more? and another thing i have a tendency to intake more saturates because i eat alot of dairy products, 3 cups of milk, cheese in sandwiches etc. and i guses this is bad because lately ive been off cardio, (only doing pe 10), to gain mass.

[maverick]

You must eat more if you want to maintain the weight if you are increasing your activity, its that simple. And don't complain, 3000 cals a day to gain is nothing. I haven't gained a pound in 4 months and I generally have to eat at least 3500 cals a day to do that.

[scott1x]

The amount of calories you need to maintain your body weight can range from 13 to 23 or more, depending on your activity levels and age. Moderate activity requires about 17 calories per pound. A young person, growing, needs more. Do the math!

[trainerty]

You picked up to high endurance sports. Both also high in explosive power. The "explosive" training will help you keep a high potential to maintain muscle and strength.

I'm an advocate for hard-gainers to take down ice cream, snickers, donuts whatever to keep weight up. Ususally I advise to knock out the big insulin boost an hour after your workouts, but not before you get good supplements or food in you (gatorade/protein whey or trail mix).

Load up on fish oil as well. Oil is pretty calorically dense and will help greatly. PB and J too

[minime]

what about nuts! it would be easy to add 1k per day just by snacking on raw unsalted nuts. Walnuts, Pecans and Macadamias are the most calorie dense. Dried fruit is also a way to get in calories without feeling stuffed.

Nothing wrong with drinking your calories either if you can't fit the food in. I have heard the 'gallon of milk a day' advocated for hard gainers. That is whole milk of course, don't worry about the saturated fat IMO just chug it! Milk is nutritionally balanced and reasonably inexpensive.

[getaway]

who revived this thread, its a year old. thanks for your suggestions a little late on the reply