People who are extremely thin sometimes become as frustrated with their size as people who are many pounds overweight. When you want to change your body shape and gain fat, you need to have the same type of discipline as you would to lose weight. Of course, the biggest difference is your caloric requirements are going to be completely opposite. Even though your goal is to gain fat, you can do so healthfully by following some key steps.
Step 1
Consume foods that are healthy and high in calories. Stay away from foods that are high in saturated fats and sodium like deep-fried foods, fast food, cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy bars and white flour products. Stick with healthier foods like nuts, seeds, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, dried and fresh fruits, nut butters, starchy vegetables, whole grains and beans.
Step 2
Increase your caloric intake to create an overload. Track your current caloric intake for a week and come up with a daily average. Add 500 calories to this number to get a new average. For example, if you currently consume 2,200 calories, then your new total will be 2,700 calories. Refer to an online site like the Calorie Counter to figure out caloric amounts.
Step 3
Eat meals every two to three hours throughout the day. This will make it easier to get your extra calories. Include protein and complex carbs with your meals. A baked chicken breast with two yams and two servings of steamed broccoli is a meal example. Have a dessert made with natural oils and ingredients such as a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit.
Step 4
Drink high-calorie, healthy beverages in between your meals and with your meals. Fruit juices made with 100 percent juice, milk, sport drinks and nectars are examples of these beverages. Even though soda and sweetened teas are high in calories, they are loaded with simple sugars and have no nutrient value. You should avoid them.
Step 5
Create high-calorie smoothies to use as convenient meals. Make these with soy milk, regular milk, nuts, seeds, yogurt, frozen fruit, nut butters and fresh fruit. As an example, pour 16 oz. of vanilla soy milk into a blender. Add a frozen banana, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 scoop of protein powder, 2 tbsp. of almond butter and three ice cubes. Blend until thoroughly mixed and use it for one of your meals. This smoothie comes out to almost 800 calories.
Step 6
Consume a late evening meal right before going to bed. Mix up a big bowl of cereal made with chocolate soy milk. Add in seeds, chopped nuts, honey and fruit. If you do not like cereal, prepare a couple of turkey and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread.
Tips and Warnings
- If you want to monitor your progress, check your weight every couple of weeks and pay attention to how your clothes are fitting. If you find after two to three weeks that you are not gaining any weight, then add an additional 250 to 500 calories to your daily amount. Continue to check for signs of weight gain every two to three weeks.
Things You'll Need
- Lean meats
- Fish
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Nut butters
- Dried fruits
- Fresh fruit
- Starchy vegetables
- Blender
- Soy milk
- Frozen fruit
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