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Half GOMAD: The Ectomorphs Easy Alternative To The Gallon Of Milk A Day Diet

The GOMAD Diet For Hardgainers

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The GOMAD diet, a hardgainers' best friend when it comes to bulking up and adding some mass to their slender frame.
Drinking an entire gallon of milk each and every day for a month is both physically and mentally taxing, not to mention the extreme caloric surplus that a gallon of milk places on your body can result in a decent addition of stored body fat from a months' worth of dieting.

Some guys choose to cease GOMAD entirely and make do with their skinny physique, others switch to either skim milk or flavored milk and carry on drinking a gallon a day, however neither of these substitutes are a good replacement for full cream milk.

Skim Milk

Skim milk contains a far inferior protein and fat macronutrient profile when compared to full cream milk.
You're going to be drinking just as much milk and coming up a lot shorter in terms of protein and fat (fat, containing 9 calories per gram will assist with placing your body in the caloric surplus it requires to pack on size).

Flavored Milk

Flavored milk is without a doubt more enjoyable to drink than regular full cream milk, however there's a couple of issues with drinking a gallon of flavored milk a day:

  1. As flavored milk is loaded with added sugar you're going to place your body in a far larger caloric surplus than need be, resulting in excess amounts of stored body fat
  2. Bloating from regular milk is bad enough, let alone the sugar high and crash from the ton of simple carbohydrates in your flavored milk
See also
Peri-Workout Nutrition Explained (Before, During & After Your Workout)

Half GOMAD Vs. GOMAD

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Instead of substituting milk or continuing on with full GOMAD when you're struggling or finding yourself gaining weight too fast why not switch to half GOMAD?

Half GOMAD is just that, half a gallon of full cream milk a day.

Caloric Surplus

1 Gallon of Milk contains 2,400 calories with a macronutrient breakdown of:

  • 120 grams of protein
  • 200 grams of carbohydrates
  • 120 grams of fat

2,400 calories on-top of your normal breakfast/lunch/dinner meals may be putting you in far too large of a surplus, half GOMAD on the other hand contains:

1/2 Gallon of Milk contains 1,200 calories with a macronutrient breakdown of:

  • 60 grams of protein
  • 100 grams of carbohydrates
  • 60 grams of fat

Mindset

Chugging down an entire gallon of milk a day is mentally and physically taxing - when you're feeling full and bloated and still have another couple of litres to go you'll probably begin to question what and why you're putting yourself through this.

Half a gallon (or 2 litres) is far more manageable,

Gain Weight, Not Fat

Provided you're eating a decent breakfast/lunch/dinner the 1,200 calories you'll be gaining from drinking half a gallon of milk a day will still place your body in a  decent caloric surplus.
As a result you'll gain weight at a slower rate, however fat gains will also be minimized.

See also
Goal Based Calorie Consumption – Part 1

Should You Do Half GOMAD Instead Of A Gallon Of Milk A Day?

Here's the points I'd consider before switching from GOMAD to half GOMAD...

Your Weight/Body Fat Percentage

If your body fat level is beyond 16% I'd opt to run half GOMAD, I do not recommend bulking when you're beyond the high teens in terms of body fat percentage.
If you're pushing 20% or above I'd focus on lifting heavy while eating at a maintenance level of calories - forget GOMAD and half GOMAD until your body fat level is in check.

Results With GOMAD To Date

Gauge your results with full GOMAD and make an informed decision from there.
Were you gaining weight at a reasonable rate? Were you gaining weight too fast and packing on excess fat?

Look at your progress and pivot based on your results on the scales and in the mirror.

How You Feel

Acne, bloating and regular trips to the bathroom are all part of GOMAD.
Once again, gauge how YOU feel from your time following full GOMAD and continue if you're happy with the results and feel up to it - if need be limit your intake to half a gallon a day for several weeks and once again, measure your results as well as how you feel and pivot or continue based on this.

See also
GOMAD Diet Review - Gallon of Milk A Day for Skinny Guys

What's Your Take On GOMAD And Half GOMAD? Let Me Know In The Comments Below!

Scott J.
Scott J.https://ignorelimits.com
I’m SJ. I’m a fitness enthusiast and published author. I transformed my body from a skinny fat 135lbs with 18% body fat to a solid 192lbs at 8% body fat. I became qualified in a field I was passionate about. I founded several online businesses that allow me to pursue ideas and projects in my life that I am passionate about without having to constantly worry about money. I published several eBooks explaining the training and dieting techniques I used to achieve the body I have today. I learnt a plethora of new information on dieting and fitness by reading and applying what I read, to find out what does work and what doesn’t work, because as I’m sure you’ve noticed the health and fitness industry is full of non-sense claims and BS. I found out what was true and what worked for me and applied that knowledge. And you bet I had fun during the whole process.

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