Eating Bigger On A Budget

This was larger than an infant. True story.

At least once a day, someone will write in and ask how to get huge without spending their entire paycheck on meals. Roughly one year ago, I wrote an article detailing 3 ways to eat big on a budget .  I am going to expand on that article and discuss a few ways to eat big that aren't exactly perfect in the eyes of the paleo gods, but still fairly decent meals nonetheless. Getting big is hard and uncomfortable enough without breaking the bank along with it, wouldn't you say?

The first thing you will want to do on your gaining journey is increase your water intake to 150-200% of your normal intake. This is a mistake I made two years ago by not having enough water. Water will actually help decrease some of the feelings of bloat you will encounter, as well as flushing your system of excess junk that will inevitably accumulate.

The next thing you will need to do is get yourself a 5-8 quart crockpot. This is your crockpot, there are many like it, but this one is yours. Without your crockpot, you are nothing. Obviously, the greatest thing about a crockpot is you can throw in all the ingredients, go about your day, and come back to a crockpot that will contain at least 2-3 meals worth of food.

Loco moco

A couple of my favorite crockpot dishes are loco moco and crockpot lasagna. These ingredients can be found reasonably cheap, especially if you live in an area with an ethnic grocery store.  These stores don't usually look as crisp and pristine as your local grocery store, but the food is the same, so get over it, ya freaking snob.

If preparing food isn't your style, you can go to Costco and get prepared meals that you just have to stick in the oven. No, these meals aren't technically "paleo", but none of the world's biggest/strongest people are paleo, so that is something to chew on. One of my favorite Costco meals is their Kirkland Signature Lasagna (yea you know the one I'm talking about). The label says it feeds a family of twelve, but I just ate half of one for dinner. Nevertheless, for the low price of 13 dollars with ingredients you can actually pronounce, that is incredibly cheap. In my opinion, lasagna is one of the greatest meals to get big on: It contains numerous meat and protein sources (beef, sausage, ricotta cheese) fats (swiss and cheddar cheese) and carbs (noodles, tomato sauce).

Crockpot lasagna

At LBEB, we are all about eating out of giant bowls, it makes easier to finish a large meal when you don't have to keep going back to fill your plate because it's a small plate. I like to take this one step further and eat/prepare meals that are what I like to call: "all-inclusive". Casseroles, meat and rice dishes (rice should be your best friend by now), and any meal that is cooked with equals parts of all macronutrients. Grilling steaks is delicious, but when time is a factor, making 3 separate parts of the meal can be a pain in the ass. Try to start cooking more all-inclusive meals to save yourself some time.

Getting big isn't always pretty

Another way that you can eat big without spending big is to buy a few staple ingredients like beans, white rice, ground beef, chicken, avocados, and various vegetables. Then, buy a butt-ton of spices. A few different spices can change the same macronutrients from a Mexican meal to an Asian meal.

Again, I advocate buying yourself a 1/4 or 1/2 a cow from a local butcher who specializes in grass-fed beef. It will cost a good chunk of change up front, but when you can buy high-quality beef for less than $5 for EVERY CUT on the cow, it makes the offer hard to turn down.

A lot of people want to get big with minimal fat gain. This is possible, but it can take a very long time, and honestly a little fat never hurt anyone. Are you a bodybuilder? Do you need less than 10% body fat? How much time do you really spend with your shirt off in anterior trunk flexion? Getting big is about getting strong, you can lose the fat later. It is better to gain strength quickly, with 5-10lbs of fat gain. You can easily lose the fat after you have gained strength and muscle size. If you are afraid of a little temporary chub, I really question your desire to get huge.

Now, get out there and bury your face in a lasagna.