According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, vegetarians generally consume fewer daily calories, have a lower body mass index and get a lower proportion of their diet from saturated fat. However, you can still gain weight successfully when following a carefully planned vegetarian diet. Pairing your diet with the proper exercise program will help limit fat gains when trying to increase your lean body mass.
Background
To successfully gain weight, you must consume more calories than you burn throughout the day. Adding a resistance-training exercise program to your high-calorie vegetarian weight-gain diet will help you build lean muscle and reduce body fat. Weight lifting, pushups, situps, squats and lunges are common resistance exercises. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services encourages adults to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, including strength-training workouts at least two days per week. A dietary supplement is often encouraged when following a vegetarian meal plan to help prevent deficiencies, especially for active individuals.
Calories
Since 3,500 calories equal about one pound of body weight, increasing your daily calories by about 500 per day will help you gain about 1 Ib. per week. Adding calorie-dense vegetarian meals and snacks to your diet such as vegetable oil, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, cheese if you consume dairy products, avocados or hummus can help you increase calories without necessarily increasing food volume. For weight maintenance, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends active adult men consume between 2,400 and 3,000 calories and active adult women consume 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day. Add about 500 calories per day to these recommendations when you're trying to gain weight.
2,800-calorie Plan
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 provides vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian meal plans of different calorie levels, including high-calorie plans. A USDA 2,800-calorie lacto-ovo vegetarian meal plan includes 2.5 cups of fruits, 3.5 cups of vegetables, 10 oz. of grains, 7 oz. of soy products, eggs, legumes, nuts or seeds, 3 cups of dairy products, 26 g of oils and 395 extra calories from solid fats or added sugars per day.
3,200-calorie Plan
A USDA 3,200-calorie lacto-ovo vegetarian meal plan consists of 2.5 cups of fruits, 4 cups of vegetables, 10 oz. of grains, 7 oz. of soy products, eggs, legumes, nuts or seeds, 3 cups of dairy products, 41 g of oils and 596 extra calories from solid fats or added sugars each day.
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