Gaining Muscle Mass On a Tight Budget

Putting on weight can be difficult for many people that have a fast metabolism. This can be the same for putting on muscle as well. Shopping will not be like those fun exercises so here is a guide to making it easier for you. 

Buy in bulk 

Buying in bulk is what is needed if you are on a very tight budget. For example, do not try to eat various different amounts of foods. Instead buy high amounts of pasta, oats, etc because you will be eating the same foods a lot.

Knowing what foods you need to buy is vital. Other foods that you should be buying are rice and dried fruit. However, as you can see there is no source of protein in the foods previously mentioned and that is because it comes at a cost. If you do wish to buy meat then the best meat that you can buy in bulk for a cheaper price compared to other meats is chicken. 

Tins of tuna is another food item that you can buy as this has high amounts of protein in as well and is not that expensive.  If you wish to stay clear from meat because of the price then beans are a good source of protein. 

Fresh fruit and vegetables are also missing off that list and that is because they can go out of date very quickly. That means that you will have to continue to buy more fresh fruit and vegetables every few days which means more money on that shopping list. Frozen fruit and vegetables should be bought instead because they cannot go out of date when they are in the freezer. 

Learning how to cook

Learning how to cook can save you plenty of money because you are not buying fast food and you will not be buying ready meals. Buying ready meals can cost you a lot for just one meal so avoid these as much as possible. The internet can be terrible at times but it can also be very educational and one thing that it is good for is, providing cooking recipes. 

Do not make it too difficult for yourself early on either. You do not want to cook for over an hour-long as it can be very hard and boring for you. Try and keep your cooking times below 40 minutes as this means they require less ingredients (Less money on your food bill) and also less challenging. 

Make sure you get all your required vitamins and minerals

This will be the most expensive thing on your shopping list but it is essential. If you know what your foods contain, work out which vitamins and minerals you are short on. Do not just buy a multivitamin because it is easier.

Find out if you are low on vitamin C, vitamin D, Magnesium, etc. Multivitamins are more expensive in terms of quantity compared to something like magnesium supplements. Understand your foods and what they contain before you purchase to make sure you do not waste money. 

Cooking in bulk is a must as well

You will often be eating the same meal every day so it is best to cook in bulk. Not only does this save time but it also helps when you cannot be bothered to cook a meal. Cooking one portion will take just as long as cooking multiple meals. 

Make sure you have the right size pots and pans to fit the quantity of food that you will be cooking. Once you have cooked your meals, you can separate them into different portions throughout the week. You can put tomorrow’s meal in the fridge and the others in the freezer.

Obviously, you will have to get your meals out for about 6+ hours before you start reheating them to eat. Or you can microwave them if you have one and defrost them with that. This saves plenty of time for your meals and keeps it cheap as well. 

Remain loyal to your shop

There are many places now where you shop and they reward you for your loyalty. Food stores are the same and sometimes will have a points system that can help save money on your next shop. 

This is something that you should look into because if you are doing a shop every week then eventually the amount of points you have earned can help get discounts on your food or even pay for the full shop. 

Conclusion

Remember, nutrition is key to putting on muscle mass, and eating the right foods will help with that. It is mainly about your nutrition before you start seeing any results with your body in the gym. Just eat healthily, have one cheat day a week and stick to a strict diet and then you will see results.