Protein Intake
To add lean mass, protein intake is must and all of your 6 meals should contain a good source of protein. As a rule of thumb, you should take 1-1.5 grams of protein per day per pound of your body weight. So if you weight 160 pounds, your ideal daily protein should be around 160 – 240 grams per day. And as per 6 meals a day rule, each of your meal should contain 30-40 grams of protein.

Carbohydrates Intake
Carbs are essential for bodybuilders to gain mass. Adequate amount of carbs not only helps in fueling your body with the daily energy but also helps your body to fully utilize the amino acids for muscle growth. Carbs are chiefly responsible for release of “insulin” release which shuttles amino acids and other vital nutrients into your muscles for growth. But it is essential to take as many clean complex carbohydrates as possible, because increased intake can result in fat storage. Processed food induces overproduction of insulin, while fibrous cleaner carbs stabilizes the production of insulin which inturn suppresses the fat storing ability of hormone.
Since carbs is the basic source of energy, minerals, vitamins and fiber for your body, so carb intake is necessary for weight loss diet. But it is essential to stick to a diet plan with clean complex carbohydrates rich in fiber.
There are some diet plans like South Beach Diet and Atkins which are low carb diet. These diets plans will be discussed in details in separate sections.