In addition to supplements, you’re going to want to eat the right foods in order to gain weight. Click here for the complete weight gain diet for skinny guys.
Keyword(s): Weight gain diet
You spend hours at the gym. You pump iron. Yet, no matter what you do, it seems like you just can’t seem to put on weight. If you’ve always been a lean guy, bulking up can be one of the hardest things to do.
However, with the right weight gain diet, you can reach your goals. I can show you how, with the right habits and the right foods. But before you high-tail it to the grocery store to stock up on all the right stuff, it’s best to understand your baseline.
A BMI (body mass indicator) calculator and reference chart can provide information to help you understand your journey. BMI is calculated by comparing your height and weight ratio. You’ll be given a two digit number as a result, and then you can find that number on the chart to see how much weight you can safely gain.
Gaining weight safely is based on gaining the right amount of weight. Gain too little and you’ll be disappointed. Overshoot your target weight and you might have to go in reverse and shed some pounds.
Once you know how many pounds you want to gain, you can begin putting together a plan of action. This guide is here to help you. I’ve broken it up into two different sections:
- How to eat in order to maximize your weight gain diet
- What to eat in order to get the most out of your weight gain diet
Incorporating both of these into your diet will help you put on the pounds you need to get the body you want. Ready to gain some weight? Keep reading.
How to Eat Your Weight Gain Diet
How you eat is, in some ways, as important as what you eat. In this section, we’ll look at the habits of a successful weight gain diet, including:
- Eat more calories than you burn
- Eat often
- Be consistent
How long does it take to form a habit? Even though it can only take minutes to break a habit, forming one can take weeks. I’ve highlighted the most important habits, assuming that you’ll exercise as you see fit as part of your healthy lifestyle.
In the rest of this section, I’ll go over why it’s important to build and keep these three habits going strong.
collage of various food products
Eat more calories.
This is the most basic concept and habit to form if you plan to put on some pounds. No matter your lifestyle, there’s a strong chance that your goal boils down to this point.
Weight loss and weight gain are both related to a simple math equation. If you eat fewer calories than your body burns by exercise and simply existing, you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than your body burns, you’ll gain weight.
Of course, the foods you eat can help move that process along–and I’ll get to that a little later–but it’s important that you eat more calories to gain weight. Just how many calories should you eat? This can vary from person to person, but generally, to gain one pound a week, eating 500 calories extra each day can help.
Eat often.
If you’ve ever wanted to eat like a hobbit, now’s your chance. Breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper make eight meals in a day. You should try for at least six–and now, you don’t have to call any of them “elevensies” unless you really want to.
Eating often can make it easier to consume enough calories. The stomach is only so big; if you try to eat enough calories to gain weight in three square meals, you might have difficulty. You might feel full and come in far short of your target for the day.
For example, if you want to eat 3,000 calories a day, that would be 1,000 calories for each of your three meals. But if you have six meals, you only have to eat 500 calories per meal.
Be Consistent.
If you decide you’re going to eat six meals a day, try your best to be consistent. Don’t go back and forth between three meals a day and six. Your body won’t know how to react and you might find yourself only hitting your calorie target on certain days.
Besides, following a new diet is about building habits that will help you obtain your goals. The only way to successfully build a habit is to practice it consistently.
What to Eat on Your Weight Gain Diet
Since you now know how to eat in order to gain weight, I’m going to switch gears to what you should eat on your weight gain diet. There are certain things you can eat that combine high calories with other important nutrients you need in order to deliver the maximum benefit.
To gain weight:
- Eat protein
- Eat high-carb foods
- Eat high-fat foods
- Drink weight gainer shakes
- Take weight gainer supplements
Just like with the first section, I’m going to take a closer look at each of these so that you know why they’re important to help you gain.
Eat protein.
Protein is responsible for so many bodily functions. One of them is to build muscle mass. Building muscle is a great way to gain weight because it not only weighs more than fat because it’s denser tissue, but it also provides other health benefits, such as increasing strength.
Everything from fish to legumes, to steak, is chock-full of protein. The great part about upping your protein intake is that it doesn’t matter what kind you eat. In fact, any protein source can help you pack on weight.
How many grams of protein you eat each day will depend on where you’re starting (your current BMI) and where you want to end up. No matter how much extra protein you add to your diet, eating more will help you gain weight.
Eat high-carb foods.
Have you ever pigged out on pasta the night before a big game? If you have, you’ve carb-loaded. Carbs provide important energy. Carb energy is typically burned before protein energy, but it’s just as important for weight gain.
Pasta, bread, and potatoes are all great examples of high-carb foods that can help you increase your weight.
Eat high-fat foods.
High-fat foods do just what you think they do–they build up fat cells. Fat is important for lots of reasons. For example, in addition to helping you gain weight, fat can assist your body with nutrient absorption.
High-fat foods include tasty options like dairy, like milk and cheese.
Let’s take a quick break from the list of what to eat. I want to make sure you understand that I’ve named the three main sources of caloric energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. While adding more of all of these will help you gain weight, you still want to maintain a balance between the three.
Too high a percentage of protein can cause health complications. Carbs convert to sugars, so you don’t want to overdo it on those either. Some high-fat foods come with types of fat that are less desirable–like trans fats–that can contribute to health conditions as well.
All three, kept in balance, can be safely increased to help you gain the weight you want.
Let’s get back to the list of what to eat for the last two items.
Drink Weight Gainer Shakes
Perfect for on the go calorie boosts, weight gainer shakes are easy to make and tasty to drink. You can buy them pre-made or mix your own weight gainer shakes. Concocting your own weight gainer shakes as part of your weight gain diet can help you add variety, which is important to success on any new diet plan.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Variety is the spice of life.” This applies to everything, including your diet.
Take Weight Gainer Supplements
Another effective way to bolster your weight gain diet is to take weight gainer supplements. If you’re having a hard time eating enough calories to help you reach your goal weight, supplements can be a huge help by encouraging your body to bulk up without you having to spend your entire day eating.
They’re also highly portable, which means you can take them anywhere and at any time. Going away with friends or family, or for a business trip? Take along some weight gainer supplements and keep your weight gain diet going strong, even if you don’t have time to eat six times a day.
Sometimes you just need a little guidance from an experienced professional. Hopefully, this guide goes a long way toward helping you reach your weight gain goals. If you still have more questions, it’s fine–and I’m happy to help you on your path to the body you want. Just reach out and contact me with your questions about gaining weight, weight gainer shakes and supplements to get the most out of your new habits.
Remember too that weight gain doesn’t happen overnight. The most important piece of advice I can offer is to be patient with yourself.
Alex Rogers is a supplement manufacturing expert. He has been formulating, consulting, & manufacturing dietary supplements since 1998. Alex invented protein customization in 1998 & was the first company to allow consumers to create their own protein blends. He helped create the first supplement to contain natural follistatin, invented whey protein with egg lecithin, & recently imported the world’s first 100% hydrolyzed whey.
