The problem faced by skinny guys and vegetarians is not basically because they are short of meals. But they are faced with this situation of low calories, because their meals are basically high on fiber, what with the huge load of fruits and raw veggies that are rich in fiber and lend a filling effect to one’s appetite, while at the same time being really low on calories.
It is highly important that you consume anywhere between say 15 to 20 calories of food, for every pound of body weight that you are carrying on yourself. So for example, say that you are weighing 180 pounds in terms of your body weight you will need to have a total of 2700 to 3600 calories worth of food in an entire day. This implies that if you are consuming 6 meals per day, you will need to have anywhere between 450 to 600 calories worth of food per meal.
Ideally, it would be a great idea to get started on the lower end of the scale and gradually adjust yourself to reach the higher levels of the scale, as your body gradually gets adjusted to the increasing intake or consumption. However, it is important for you to keep a check on the amount you are eating and the kind of reaction that your body is giving.
If for instance, you have been steadily putting on weight, but most of it is fat mass instead of lean muscle mass, then you need to gradually reduce your intake, till you see an increase in lean muscle mass, when compared to the gain in fat mass. On the other hand if you see a steady increase in the lean muscle mass of your body, as compared to the fat mass of your body, then you can continue to maintain your current rate of intake of calories. Finally, if you see a steady increase in the lean muscle mass of your body, accompanied by a steady decrease in the fat mass of your body, then its time to increase your intake of calories, until you reach a state of equilibrium, or until you feel that you are happy with the current bulk of your muscles.
Finally, as compared to all the other nutrients that you must consume, it is equally necessary to consume healthy fats as well. It is a recommended best practice that at least 30% of all calories that you consume in a day be derived from healthy fats. An example of healthy fats is the Omega 5 fatty acids. One example source of deriving the Omega 5 healthy fatty acids is through the consumption of dry nuts.
Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to eat the right way, in spite of being a vegetarian or a skinny guy or a hard gainer, and you will be able to see how, you start building up those muscles, with the help of your regular body building work outs, coupled with the diet guidelines, as illustrated in this article.