Strong First, Heavy Always: How to Gain Weight for Strength That Actually Pays Off

Strong First, Heavy Always: How to Gain Weight for Strength That Actually Pays Off

The Truth About Gaining Size for Strength

Why Gaining Weight Matters for Strength Sports

Let’s get one thing straight from the start: if your goal is to get stronger, gaining size is not the enemy - it’s often the requirement.

Whether you’re a powerlifter chasing a bigger total, a strongman hauling a 140kg sandbag uphill in the rain, or a combat athlete moving into a higher weight class, added body mass almost always brings with it more leverage, more stability, and more potential for force output. That doesn’t mean you need to balloon up overnight, but it does mean that for most strength athletes, staying shredded year-round is more about aesthetics than it is about performance.

This is where the split happens. Mainstream fitness culture - fuelled by Instagram algorithms, transformation porn, and six-pack fetishism - pushes the narrative that lean equals healthy, and heavy equals failure. But that’s just not how high-level performance works. Look at the strongest people on earth. The best throwers, lifters, strongwomen, Highland Games athletes, and even linemen in the NFL - they’re big. Purposefully, powerfully, unapologetically big. That size isn’t a flaw. It’s the engine room.

As I wrote in Form Follows Function, elite sport demands bodies that perform, not just bodies that photograph well. The ideal physique is whatever best supports the demands of your sport, your goals, and your recovery. Sometimes that means carrying more mass. Sometimes it means being more compact. But it never means starving your performance for the sake of someone else's idea of what a "fit" body should look like.

My own journey has always leaned toward slow, deliberate weight gain - building strength brick by brick while trying to keep my health in check. I’ve gained size across years, not months. No crash bulks, no fantasy numbers, no full pints of olive oil (well, maybe once). But I’ve also worked with athletes who gained 20+kg in a season with purpose, and it worked - because they had a plan. The weight was intentional. It came with a structure behind it. And it produced the results they were after.

Now, let’s be honest - any conversation about size and strength opens the door to body image, cultural stigma, and sometimes even kink. We’ve all heard the jokes, and yes, I’ve seen the occasional lifter tiptoe the line between purposeful eating and accidental feederism. If your partner is cheering you on mid-shake like it’s a cam session, maybe pause for a second. But there’s room for that too - strength sport has always had space for the weird, the wild, and the self-determined.

What matters is that we’re clear on intent.

I want to be unambiguously inclusive here. I’m fat positive. I’m performance positive. I believe your body is yours to build - or not build - on your own terms. I’ve coached elite athletes, chronically ill and disabled athletes, and the thickest of mamas with thighs that can crush bone. They’re all welcome. I don’t believe in using health as a weapon, or weight as a punchline. What I believe in is honesty, autonomy, and building strength that serves you.

This article isn’t about how to look a certain way. It’s about how to gain size that serves your sport, supports your goals, and works with your body instead of against it. Whether you’re trying to move up a class, bulk up for a strongman season, or finally fill out your squat suit without cutting off circulation to your brain - this guide is here to help.

Let’s talk about how to do it properly.

The Long Game: Slow Gaining for Strength

If you’re in this for more than a few Instagram likes, you need to start thinking in years - not weeks.

Slow gaining is about building real, lasting strength with size that actually sticks and performs under a barbell. It’s not glamorous. It doesn’t explode overnight. But it works. And more importantly, it keeps you healthy and capable while it works.

Why go slow?

Because the longer you train, the more you realise that sustainable gains are about tissue quality, not just scale weight. When you gain too fast, you’re not just gaining muscle - you’re stacking fat, inflammation, and stress that your joints, heart, and recovery capacity might not be ready for.

The slow approach lets your body keep up. You gain strength as you grow. Your lifts improve with the weight you carry. You stay mobile, conditioned, and resilient - not sluggish and bloated with ankles that vanish under compression socks.

✅ Pros:

• Less fat gain

• Better tissue adaptation (your tendons and joints keep pace with your muscle)

• You stay athletic and mobile - which matters if you want to do anything with the size you gain

⚠️ Cons:

• You need patience

• The visual payoff is slow - you won’t wake up jacked in six weeks, and you might question if it’s working at all

But if you commit, this approach becomes a foundation you can build on for a decade.

How I Do It

This has been my strategy for years - gaining at a controlled pace, keeping health in check, and aiming for steady strength progress over flash-in-the-pan size.

Here’s what that actually looks like:

• Add 200–300 kcal above maintenance Not 1,000. Not "just eat until you hate yourself." Slight surplus, monitored weekly. Enough to grow, not enough to get sloppy.

• Simple food swaps that add up

  • Drizzle olive oil or butter on meals

  • Add a banana and oats to your shake

  • Use full-fat everything

  • Hot dogs as snacks - call it performance charcuterie

  • Replace water with milk in smoothies These aren’t “cheats” - they’re smart, efficient, and sustainable calories.

• Use food timing and training stimulus to drive hunger Heavy training sessions? Follow them with a big meal window. Struggling with appetite? Train in the morning or midday, then stack calories post-session. Hunger = leverage.

• Track your progress beyond the scale Use a weekly weigh-in, sure - but also log:

  • Gym performance

  • Recovery markers

  • Waist measurement every few weeks

  • How clothes fit

  • How food volume feels This is about building useful size, not just chasing a number on the bathroom floor.

You don’t need to reinvent your diet every month or eat 6,000 calories of sludge. You need consistency, intent, and a plan that moves you forward slowly but steadily.

Bulk like you train: smart, measured, and with a bigger picture in mind.

The “Eat Big” Approach: Dirty Bulking and High-Calorie Hacks

Let’s talk about the other end of the spectrum.

If slow gaining is the long, steady haul - dirty bulking is the full-throttle smash-and-grab. You’re not tiptoeing around maintenance anymore. You’re throwing calories at your body like you’re trying to drown it in mass. Shakes with ice cream and peanut butter. Pizza with olive oil drizzled on top. Four breakfasts. Whole milk in everything. Second dinner at 10 p.m. You know the vibe.

And the truth is, it works. For a while.

✅ Pros:

• Rapid weight gain - the scale moves quickly, which can feel rewarding

• Easier to overcome low appetite - if you hate eating, high-calorie foods and liquids can shortcut the struggle

• Great for off-season strongman, geared powerlifting, or first-time mass gainers who need the weight now

Sometimes, you just need to put size on fast. Maybe you’ve got a comp coming up in a heavier class. Maybe you’re trying to fill out a bench shirt. Maybe your event work is wrecking your appetite and the only way you’re getting enough calories is to drink them while lying on the floor. Fair enough.

But it’s not without cost.

⚠️ Cons:

• Digestive issues - bloating, reflux, random gut rage

• Health markers drift - blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides can all take a hit

• Mobility and conditioning decline - suddenly, your shoelaces feel really far away

• Long-term regret if unchecked - gaining fast is easy. Taking it off again without losing performance? Not so much.

This isn’t a scare tactic. I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m saying know what you’re choosing.

If you’re in your first year of strongman, or just got your first taste of multiply powerlifting, this approach can serve a purpose. It can be the fast lane to a new weight class or the difference between a loose suit and a competition-ready fit. Just understand the trade-offs. What you gain in speed, you might pay for in control, digestion, and long-term sustainability.

There’s also a point where this stops being about performance and starts looking suspiciously like a kink. At a certain point, you’re not eating for recovery - you’re living out someone’s feederism fantasy. If your post-workout shake has a scoop of olive oil and your partner is asking if you need a funnel, maybe pull back. Maybe.

Some athletes thrive on this. Some regret it for years. The key is to use it strategically, not as a permanent solution.

A dirty bulk should be a phase - not an identity.

So if you’re gonna eat big, eat smart. Load up, train hard, watch your blood pressure, and know when to stop. Because there’s a difference between “getting strong” and “getting stuffed.”

Tactical Weight Gain: Seasonal and Short-Term Strategies

Not all weight gain is about slow growth or all-out bulking. Sometimes, it’s a matter of timing - knowing when to be heavier, when to hold steady, and when to drop weight without losing performance.

This is where tactical weight gain comes into play. Whether you're planning for a specific comp, playing the weight class game, or just trying to get the most out of your gear, being able to shift bodyweight on purpose is a serious tool in your kit.

📆 Strongman: In-Season Heavy, Off-Season Leaner

In strongman, it’s normal to carry more bodyweight during your competitive season. You’re recovering from heavy events, training volume is lower, and the added weight helps with loading, bracing, and leverages. In contrast, the off-season is a good time to lean out slightly - not for vanity, but to improve work capacity, manage joint stress, and move more freely.

You’ll often see top-level strongmen shed 5–10kg after a season to give their body a break, then slowly build back up as comp prep begins again.

Think of it like a tide: mass comes in to compete, and goes out to rebuild.

⚖️ Cutting Then Rebounding Between Comps

For lifters in weight-class sports (especially under 105kg strongman and powerlifting), the goal is often to weigh in light and compete heavy. A mild-to-moderate cut in the lead-up, followed by an aggressive 24–48 hour rebound, can give you a significant advantage on comp day.

This usually looks like:

• A drop in sodium, carbs, and water in the final 2–4 days

• A timed weigh-in

• A structured rebound with fluid, sodium, simple carbs, and fast-digesting protein

Done right, you can weigh in at 104.5kg and step on the platform at 110. This isn’t bro science - it’s basic physiology and water manipulation. But it takes practice, planning, and a stomach that can handle some abuse.

💧 Short-Term Water, Glycogen & Sodium Tricks

Need to hit a higher bodyweight for bench shirt tightness, suit fit, or leverage? That’s where the short-term tricks come in:

• Slam a litre of electrolyte drink before training

• Load sodium with simple carbs the day prior

• Add high-glycaemic foods like rice cakes with honey, jam bagels, or sugary cereal

• Minimise fibre the day before to keep GI mass light

This can help you artificially fill out a weight class or tighten up equipment without needing to actually gain more bodyfat or muscle.

Use this for:

• Max effort attempts in equipped lifting

• Looking “full” on camera

• Squeezing extra kilo leverage out of your gear

🧨 Bloating for Gear: Bench Shirts & Squat Suits

Let’s be honest - sometimes you just need to bloat yourself to fit the damn shirt.

If you lift in multiply or even tight single-ply gear, the tighter the fit, the more the pop. But that also means your leverages need to match the kit. If you’re too light, you’ll collapse under the pressure - literally.

Some lifters purposefully overeat, overdrink, and even wear extra layers pre-lift to lock themselves into the gear. It’s not pretty, it’s not always fun, but it works - and that extra “bloat weight” can make or break a third attempt.

Just know where the line is. Bench shirts don’t care how sick you feel - and the bar won’t either.

Tactical weight gain isn’t about long-term progress. It’s about short-term advantage. Used sparingly and intentionally, it can help you:

• Move up a class

• Win a comp

• Make your kit work for you

• Or just survive a brutal event circuit when your regular size isn’t cutting it

Know the strategy. Know the risks. Then use it to win.

How to Stay Healthy While Gaining

Gaining size for strength is powerful. Gaining size without blowing out your blood pressure, destroying your digestion, or becoming a permanently sweaty mess is better.

Let’s be clear: you can get as big as you want. I’m not here to tell you to stay lean, keep abs, or fit into the same jeans forever. I love a big lifter. I coach them. I am one. But if your goal is to train hard, lift heavy, and stay in the game for more than a few years, you’ve got to manage the side effects of getting bigger - not just the gains.

✅ What to Monitor

• Blood Pressure: You’re eating more. You’re heavier. Your cardiovascular system notices. Get a home cuff. Check a few times a week. Resting BP shouldn’t be climbing just because your scale weight is.

• Sleep: Bigger neck, bigger snores. Weight gain often comes with more sleep apnoea symptoms. If you’re waking up choking, snorting, or feeling hungover every morning - go get assessed. A CPAP might save your recovery and your life.

• Digestion: Constant gas, bloating, unpredictable bathroom routines? It’s not just annoying. It’s a sign that your food choices or pace might be overwhelming your gut. Dial back the sludge. Eat slower. Add in low-FODMAP options if you’re struggling. You shouldn’t be in gastrointestinal crisis every afternoon.

• Bloodwork & Labs: Check-ins every 6–12 months go a long way:

  • Fasting glucose

  • Lipids (especially triglycerides)

  • Liver enzymes

  • CRP or other inflammation markers

  • Kidney function This isn’t about being a perfect wellness influencer - it’s about knowing what’s happening inside so your outside can keep doing its job.

🔁 Training Volume & Conditioning: Don’t Ditch the Work

As you gain size, your body needs to earn it. That means:

• Maintaining conditioning work

• Managing total volume to avoid joint overload

• Avoiding long gaps without GPP, loaded carries, sleds, etc.

• Keeping a reasonable step count and basic movement quality

You don’t have to turn into a crossfitter. You just have to stay useful.

🧠 Don’t Let the Bulk Become an Excuse

There’s a fine line between purpose and apathy.

“Bulking” doesn’t mean:

• Eating like a trash compactor

• Skipping warm-ups

• Never doing cardio again

• Using size as a shield from effort

Size is earned. It’s managed. It’s trained into. You don’t get extra strong just because you’re heavier - you get strong because you use that extra weight to move more, recover better, and generate force.

🧵 Signs Your Bulk Has Gone Too Far

This part’s mostly in fun.

You’re still allowed to be huge. I’ll cheer you on. But if more than three of these are true, maybe… just maybe… it’s time to tighten things up a bit.

• You’re sweating while tying your shoes

• Your belt notch has disappeared like Atlantis

• You had to upgrade your car seat

• You’re out of breath before your warm-up is done

• Your partner has started calling you “big guy” - but with fear in their eyes

• Buttons are popping during a yawn

• Every chair creaks like a horror film soundtrack

• You’ve started leaning on things to brush your teeth

• People keep asking when your off-season ends - and you’re not in one

You can stay big. Just don’t let your bulk become the reason your lifts stall, your recovery sucks, or you’re in pain doing basic tasks.

Grow smart. Stay strong. Live to lift another day.

Mindset and Body Image: Gaining Weight Without Losing Your Head

For a lot of lifters, gaining weight isn’t just about eating more - it’s about confronting some deeply held beliefs about body image, control, and self-worth.

We’ve all been bombarded with the idea that lean is better. That abs equal discipline. That size without definition is just “letting yourself go.” And when you start deliberately gaining weight - even for strength - those voices don’t always go quiet.

Here’s the truth: mainstream fitness culture is not built for strength athletes.

It’s built to sell insecurity. To profit from guilt. And to reward aesthetics over application.

But your job - if you want to get genuinely strong - is to rewire that narrative.

💡 Start Valuing Performance Over Aesthetics

Every kilo you gain in a bulk should be judged by what it does under the bar - not how it looks in a changing room mirror.

Are you recovering better? Are your lifts moving faster? Is your sleep improving, your workload increasing, your joints happier? Then the bulk is doing its job.

Strength athletes don’t need to chase perfection - they need to chase outcomes.

The mirror is not the scoreboard.

🎯 How to Stay Objective During a Size Phase

• Take regular videos of your lifts. Watch the bar speed improve.

• Keep track of your recovery. Are you adapting faster between sessions?

• Log small wins: more reps at old weights, better bracing, tighter technique

• Use clothes fit and feel, not abs and veins, as feedback

If your definition fades but your deadlift climbs - that’s progress.

You’re not letting yourself go. You’re letting yourself grow.

The Post-Bulk Blues: Coming Back Down Without Losing Your Mind

Here’s something not enough people talk about: ending a bulk is emotionally harder than starting one.

You get used to being full. You get used to feeling heavy, grounded, and braced under big weights. You associate that size with strength. So when the food drops and the weight dips, it can feel like your power is fading with it.

Some lifters panic. They over-correct. They go straight into aggressive calorie cuts and high-volume work to “get lean again” - and in the process, they throw away the strength they just spent months building.

This is where mindset has to lead the process.

🧠 How to Come Off a Bulk Without Losing Your Grip

• Ease the drop - lower calories gradually and keep training intensity high

• Keep your bar speed and power work in the program - don’t replace everything with circuits

• Remember your goals - if you bulked for strength, your leaner phase should support that strength, not erase it

• Stay focused on movement quality, not mirror quality

Your body might feel less “thick” under the bar - but you’re not suddenly weak.

That’s your mind talking, not your training data.

Give yourself time to adapt. Let your body settle at its new baseline. Rebuild with the same intent and patience that got you there.

You can be strong, big, lean, athletic, thick, jacked, fluffy - whatever version serves you right now. The trick is to understand why you're doing what you’re doing - and not let the mirror, the algorithm, or your own insecurity dictate the next phase of your training.

Size is a tool. Strength is the outcome. Identity is yours to decide.

Practical Tools and Templates

Theory is great, but at some point you just need to eat the food. This section is for the lifter who knows they need more calories but doesn’t want to live on sludge shakes and shame.

Whether you're trying to gain slowly, bulk aggressively, or just hit today's numbers without chewing for 90 minutes, here’s what actually works - from real-food approaches to tactical dirty hacks, and maybe a few tongue-in-cheek ideas for the more… enthusiastically fed among us.

🍽️ Sample Real-Food Bulking Day

This is a realistic day, if a bit dull, for someone adding 200–500 extra calories above maintenance, focused on performance, digestion, and recovery - not just stuffing for size.

Breakfast

• 4 scrambled eggs with cheese

• 2 slices sourdough with butter

• 1 banana

• 1 glass whole milk

Snack

• 2 hot dogs with buns and mustard

• Small tub of Greek yoghurt with honey

Lunch

• Chicken thigh rice bowl with olive oil drizzle

• Roasted veg

• Orange juice or diluted cordial

Pre-Training

• 1 jam bagel

• 1 scoop whey protein with milk

Post-Training

• Protein smoothie: 2 scoops whey, oats, banana, peanut butter, milk

• Handful of cereal or biscuits

Dinner

• 200g beef mince with white rice, avocado, and salsa

• Chocolate bar or 2 squares dark chocolate for dessert

Evening Snack

• Ice cream or cottage cheese with berries

• Trail mix or peanut butter spoon

🧠 Simple tip: Add 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil across meals to bump calories without more chewing.

⚡ High-Calorie Hacks for Lifters in Crisis

Sometimes you just need more - fast. These options are ideal when appetite is down, you’re deep in prep, or you want to gain weight and dignity is optional.

• Ice cream + whey protein shakes (seriously, this works)

• Pizza with olive oil drizzle

• Bagels with cream cheese and honey

• Mashed potatoes with butter and cheddar stirred in

• Full-fat chocolate milk between meals

• Cereal as a pre-bed snack (or dinner, no judgement)

• Granola bars dipped in peanut butter

• Leftovers in a wrap as a “second breakfast”

🧪 Tip: If digestion is slowing down, remove raw veggies for a few days and swap for cooked/steamed options. Bulking isn’t the time for a spinach mountain.

💊 Supplements, Timing & Grocery Staples

Supplements that actually help in a bulk:

• Creatine (always)

• Digestive enzymes if meals are huge

• Electrolytes (if eating a lot or sweating often)

• Magnesium + zinc (for sleep, muscle recovery)

• Whey or casein protein - fast and slow options

• Highly branched cyclic dextrin or carb powders (intra/post if needed)

Grocery Staples to Keep Stocked:

• Olive oil, nut butters, full-fat dairy

• Bagels, rice, oats, white bread

• Eggs, mince, chicken thighs, deli meats

• Chocolate, honey, jam, cereal, crisps

• Milk, juice, frozen fruit for smoothies

• Ready-made rice pouches, pasta, butter, sauces

Meal Timing Ideas:

• Anchor big meals around training

• Use shakes or liquid calories when appetite is low

• Pre-bed snack = easy bonus calories and helps recovery

• Don’t fast or skip meals “because you’re not hungry” - train your appetite like your squat

💉 A Quick Word on PEDs and Water Retention

If you’re using PEDs, especially orals or compounds known for estrogenic activity or fluid retention, your scale weight can shift fast - and not always in ways that reflect actual tissue gain. That bloated, tight, can’t-bend-over feeling might not be from food alone. Monitor blood pressure, stay hydrated, and don’t confuse water weight for progress. Use photos, performance, and fit as your real checkpoints.

🍾 The Feederism Kink Interlude

If your post-workout shake involves a funnel, a crowd, and a deeply committed partner whispering “just one more bite for me, big guy” - you’ve gone from performance eating to full performance art.

Let’s be honest:

• Funnel feeding exists.

• Belly rub encouragement is real.

• Some of you like being force-fed high-fat shakes while watching World's Strongest Man reruns.

Am I judging? Not even slightly. Is this a practical section? Also yes.

If you need a psychological push to get the calories down, and that push comes in the form of praise, domination, or a lovingly prepared 2,000kcal bowl of macaroni cheese delivered with eye contact - lean in.

The only rule is this: know your why. Are you eating to perform? Eating to grow? Eating to satisfy a craving for control, attention, or power?

All answers are valid - just be honest with yourself about the difference between goal-oriented eating and a full-blown lifestyle choice.

Fuel with purpose. Eat with intent. And if you want to add whipped cream and roleplay into the equation - well, no one’s stopping you.

Build Size Like You Build Strength

There’s no perfect way to gain size - but there is a smart one.

Whether you’re chasing a bigger total, a heavier sandbag, or just the satisfaction of filling out your weight class with intent, the key is to treat size the same way you treat strength:

With patience, planning, and commitment.

No panic bulks. No starving rebounds. No copying what someone else did on TikTok because it “looked hard.”

Instead:

• Choose your pace

• Know your reason

• Match your food to your training

• Keep your health in check

• And give yourself enough time to actually adapt

You can eat clean. You can eat dirty. You can do both. What matters most is that you do it on purpose.

Because if your bulk has no strategy, it won’t just stall your performance - it’ll wreck your mindset, your recovery, and your identity as a lifter.

Need help putting it all together?

I’ve written multiple resources to guide you through every phase of the process - whether you're just starting your journey or looking to take your bulk and strength to the next level.

Outsider Strength: Everything They Didn’t Want You to Learn About Lifting - Con

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📘 Outsider Strength - Rebuild your mindset, refine your training logic, and reconnect with why you’re doing this in the first place.

Barebones Powerlifting Intro to Conjugate Program EBook

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📗 Barebones Conjugate Program - A 12-week strength training plan that pairs perfectly with a structured bulk. Minimal equipment, maximal intent.

How to Coach Yourself - Micro Ebook For Lifters Who Want Clarity, Confidence & C

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📕 How to Coach Yourself - Stop blindly following shit programs. Learn how to assess your training and adjust with confidence.

The Full Conjugate System: 12 Months of Progress, Peaking, and Powerlifting Prec

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💪 The Full Conjugate System - 12 months of rotating strength cycles to keep your training as intentional as your diet.

Fix Your Weaknesses: A Conjugate Guide to Building Unstoppable Strength

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🧠 Fix Your Weaknesses - Target your true limiting factors so your bulk actually translates to better performance - not just bigger jeans.

Or if you want to skip the guesswork and work directly with someone who’s coached lifters at every level to gain size, strength, and structure:

👥 Join my coaching roster - Online programming, feedback, accountability, and progress that actually makes sense.

* Online Coaching

Buy Now

You can stay small and frustrated. Or you can start building - the right way.

Size is a tool. Strength is the outcome.

Use both with purpose.

Appendix: Budget Bulking & Dirty Tricks - Feed the Beast Without Going Broke

Let’s face it – not everyone can afford grass-fed ribeye, artisan almond butter, or weekly sushi. That doesn’t mean you can’t grow. Gaining weight doesn’t have to mean draining your wallet. In fact, some of the dirtiest, densest, and most deliciously dodgy calories come cheap.

Whether you’re a broke student, a tight-budget strongwoman, or just saving your pennies for knee wraps and protein powder, this is your no-frills, full-throttle guide to getting bigger without financial ruin.

🧀 Budget Bulking Staples

• Eggs – The MVP. Protein, fat, choline, and dirt cheap.

• Whole milk – Calories, protein, and nostalgia. Buy in 4-pint jugs. Bonus: doubles as intra-lift hydration if you’re truly wild.

• Peanut butter – Spoon it, spread it, add it to shakes. Tesco Value or Lidl Crunchy? Works just fine.

• Rice – White, long grain, microwave pouches when you’re lazy. Pair with anything.

• Oats – Hot or cold, milk or water, sweet or savoury – they’ll keep you growing.

• Minced meat – Beef, pork, turkey, whatever’s on offer. High protein, easy to bulk cook.

• Bananas – Pre-, post-, or during training. Often discounted when a little brown (still elite).

• Frozen veg – Steam it, microwave it, or ignore it (temporarily). Cheap fibre and micronutrients.

• Tinned fish – Tuna, sardines, mackerel. High protein, lasts forever, smells like commitment.

🥪 Dirty But Delicious (and Under £2 per Meal)

• Instant noodles + eggs + cheese – It’s ramen, but make it anabolic.

• Toasties with cheese and cheap ham – Add butter. Add more cheese. Fry it if you hate yourself.

• Supermarket meal deals – £3.50 for 900+ calories. Thank you, capitalism.

• Microwave mac & cheese with tuna stirred in – It's cursed. It's protein. It works.

• Hot dogs in buns + ketchup + crisps on the side – Don’t knock it ‘til you’re 105kg.

🍹 Cheap High-Calorie Shakes (Shame Optional)

• Milk + oats + peanut butter + banana + scoop of whey (or value hot chocolate mix)Shake it, chug it, nap it off.

• Vanilla ice cream + coffee + whey + olive oil drizzle (yep)Call it a dirty affogato bulkaccino if it makes you feel better.

• Porridge + jam + butter blended with milkThe blender will scream. So will your conscience. But you’ll grow.

🛒 £20 Grocery List for 3–4 Days of Bulking

Item	Cost	Use
12 Eggs	£2	Breakfasts, shakes, noodles
2L Whole Milk	£1.60	Shakes, drinks, porridge
1kg White Rice	£1.40	Meals, bulk filler
1 Jar Peanut Butter	£1.90	Shakes, spoons, toast
1kg Chicken Thighs (frozen)	£4.50	Meals
2x Instant Noodles 5-pack	£2.00	Dirty dinners
1kg Oats	£1.20	Breakfasts, shakes
1 Bunch Bananas	£1.00	Snacks, pre-workout
2 Tins Tuna	£1.80	Sandwiches, rice bowls
Frozen Mixed Veg	£1.60	Micronutrient penance

Total: ~£19.90(Enough for ~3,000–3,500 kcal/day if you play your cards right)

😈 Naughty Hacks (Use with Glee or Shame)

• Steal condiment packets from cafés – mayo, ketchup = bonus calories

• Double up on sandwiches – Two sandwiches > one. Always.

• Binge-and-shake – Leftovers + stock cube + blender = poor man’s gain broth

• Eat off someone else’s plate – Unofficially known as the “dad tax”

• Tube of condensed milk for the road – If you know, you know.

It's Only Weird If It Doesn’t Work

Getting strong doesn’t have to be clean, curated, or Instagrammable. You can build a 700kg total on hot dogs and Lidl peanut butter if you train hard, eat enough, and keep showing up.

So whether you’re feeding your total, your ego, or your kink – eat like it matters.

Because it does.

What to Feed Your Growing Lifter

If you’ve found yourself not just supporting but actively participating in someone’s bulk - feeding them shakes, planning their snacks, encouraging “one more bite” like it’s an act of devotion - congratulations. You’ve crossed into the sacred and subversive realm of performance-oriented feederism.

This isn’t just about kink. It’s about control, encouragement, ritual, and - let’s be honest - mutual satisfaction.

Here’s your guide to feeding a lifter who wants to grow, needs to grow, and maybe gets a little giddy when you serve dessert with their second dinner.

🐷 What Makes a Great Feederism Meal?

• High-calorie density (small bites, big calories)

• Easy to chew/swallow (don’t slow the momentum)

• Appetite-enhancing flavours (salt, sugar, umami = open wide, baby)

• Praise and pressure (serve it hot, serve it slow, serve it with intent)

🍲 Top Tier Feeder Meals (For Calories & Compliance)

1. Mac & Cheese with Heavy Cream and Butter

   • Add bacon bits or sausage slices.

   • Bonus: serve from a mixing bowl. With a big spoon. And a napkin tucked into their shirt collar.

2. Triple-Decker PB&J with Honey and Banana

   • Toasted bread. Gooey layers. Cut into quarters so they feel manageable (even when they’re not).

3. Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Cheese, Butter, and Gravy

   • Goes down smooth. Can be eaten with a fork, spoon, or shame.

4. Milkshake with Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, Oats, Banana, and Chocolate Syrup

   • Serve with a straw and a spoon. Whisper encouragement between gulps.

5. Pancake Stack with Butter, Maple Syrup, Nutella, and Whipped Cream

   • No utensils needed. Just hands, lips, and perhaps a small towel for cleanup.

6. Loaded Burgers with Cheese, Bacon, Mayo, and Fries

   • Drip factor: high. Lap napkins advised. Fork-feeding optional.

7. Rice Pudding or Semolina with Jam and Cream

   • Childhood comfort food meets high-fat adult growth strategy.

🥤 Liquid Calories for Lazy Stuffers

Ideal for when they’re too full to chew but not too full to please you:

• Gainer Shakes: Ice cream + oats + nut butter + milk + whey

• Condensed Milk Coffee: Espresso + condensed milk + chocolate syrup

• Chocolate Banana Smoothie: Banana, cocoa powder, peanut butter, cream, whey, milk

Use phrases like “just sip this for me” or “one more for your total” — psychology matters here.

🍰 Desserts That Disarm Resistance

• Cheesecake slices fed by hand

• Chocolate lava cake + melted ice cream

• Custard-soaked sponge fingers in a bowl

• Doughnuts, slowly broken in half and placed in the mouth

If they moan mid-bite, you're doing it right.

💋 Tips for the Committed Feeder

• Slow it down. Stretch the moment. Make every mouthful count.

• Use your voice. Encouragement is calories. “You’re doing so well” hits different when their jaw is full.

• Touch helps. Belly rubs, thigh squeezes, stroking their hair between bites — turn feeding into ritual.

• Reinforce the goal. “Bigger bench.” “Thicker legs.” “One more kilo for me, baby.” Performance language with erotic weight.

🛑 When to Pull Back

Even in kink or committed bulking, respect comes first.

Stop if:

• They’re visibly distressed

• Appetite has turned into aversion

• You’re pushing more than they’re choosing

• It’s no longer about performance - just punishment

Feeding can be loving, affirming, powerful. But it should always be chosen, mutual, and clear in purpose.

❤️ Power, Pleasure, Progress

Feederism and bulking can exist on the same plate. It’s not about shame - it’s about shared purpose. Whether you’re gaining for performance, for play, or for both - lean in with intent.

Feed them like you want them stronger.

Feed them like you love watching them grow.

And remember: calories are compliance. Praise is progress. The next bite is power.