Women seeking to gain weight should shoot for healthful foods, no matter what. After all, nutritious meals lay the foundation for basic good health, and just because you need to gain weight does not mean you get to ditch the veggies. Once your basic nutrition is met, then you can increase your calories to meet your energy needs.
Check Your Current Eating Habits
To create your personal weight-gain meal plan, assess your current diet. It should already draw from a wide array of whole foods emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and other legumes, and including moderate amounts of fish, dairy, eggs, lean meat and heart-healthy extras such as olive oil. This broad food selection ensures complex carbohydrates and fats for energy, protein for muscle repair, and sufficient iron, of which females must get 18 mg daily, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Choose High-Calorie, Nutrient-Rich Foods
Avocados run around 289 calories each, with 17 g of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and 11.8 g fiber. Walnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds have abundant calories--approximately 200 per 1/4 cup--along with protein, minerals and essential fatty acids. Milkshakes made with low-fat milk, yogurt and a couple tablespoons each of peanut butter and honey provide calcium-rich calories. If you are lactose intolerant, try a nourishing smoothie made with fruit nectar, nut butter and wheat germ.
Seek Varied and Sufficient Calories
An average female requires 1,500 to 2,000 calories daily; the American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 1,200 calories. However, to achieve significant weight gain, growing girls and active women require anywhere between 2,300 and 3,500 calories. High school athletes need even more. Per Diet and Fitness Today's calculation, a 125-lb. high school girl running for 90 minutes can burn 804 calories. Her basic calorie needs may already approximate 2,200 calories, so she has to consume serious amounts--sometimes 4,000 calories total--to gain any weight at all. This is when energy-dense, low-cholesterol foods such as avocados, nuts and nut butters, honey, olives, whole grain granola and low-fat milkshakes make a real difference.
Athlete's Daily Weight-Gain Menu
Your meal plan should reflect The Runners Guide's ideal of 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat and encompass several meals. A breakfast of honey-sweetened granola with banana, walnuts, wheat germ and low-fat milk provides 600 to 800 calories. A mid-morning milkshake and two oatmeal cookies add 500 calories. Two large slices of pizza topped with veggies, olives and pineapple make up a 600-calorie lunch. A snack of whole grain toast with peanut butter and jam plus a glass of low-fat chocolate milk yields 600 to 700 calories. Dinner of lasagna, raisin-carrot salad and bread with heart-healthy oleo nets 700 to 1000 calories, and a dessert or snack of pumpkin pie or banana-walnut cake contains 500 to 700 calories. Total per diem 3,400 to 4,200 calories.
Gaining Weight Requires Effort
It is not always easy to consistently consume high-calorie meals. Three things to keep in mind are to eat frequently, get regular exercise and rest well. It all comes down to managing appetite and energy expenditure; you might happily run for an hour or two along a spectacular cross-country trail, but you must replace those calories if you want weight-gain. Stock up on energy-dense, healthy foods and relax. The weight will come.
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