Due to the prevalence of obesity in our culture, there is not that much emphasis put on gaining weight, and there is a lack of information for those individuals that are interested in doing so.
There are a variety of reasons why an individual may be underweight and need to gain weight. Being underweight can result from factors such as chronic diseases or eating disorders. Additionally, athletes may also be interested in gaining more weight so that they can build muscle mass.
Once you know the number of calories that you need to maintain your weight then you can easily calculate the number of calories that you need in order to gain weight. If a person wants to gain weight, they need to consume more calories than they burn. One pound of body weight is around 3500 calories, so consuming an extra 500 calories per day could cause a person to gain one pound per week.
What to Look for
In order to gain weight, you need to increase caloric intake with healthy foods and fats. Foods that typically have healthy fat are those that have omega-3 fatty acids such as tuna, salmon, flax and walnuts. It is also important to increase your protein intake with good sources of protein such as lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Changes need to be made to the diet as well in order to increase caloric intake. It may be necessary to increase the number of meals that are eaten each day. The prospective weight gainer should eat five or six well-balanced meals each day. A well-balanced meal is one that is high in carbohydrates, protein, fruits and vegetables. Protein powders and nutritional supplement can be added in between meals and well as with meals to increase the caloric intake.
Follow the steps below to aid in your weight gain:
--Try to eat more often by making time for 3 large meals and 2 to 3 snacks per day.
--Increase your portion sizes.
--Eat calorie-rich foods. Dried fruit, starchy vegetables, dense whole grain breads and cereals are some examples of foods with lots of calories.
--Add healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, nuts, seeds, peanut butter and avocados to your diet.
--Add healthy carbs and protein: Fruits and vegetables, rice, potatoes and pasta.
--Drink shakes, milk and juice instead of water, coffee, tea and diet sodas.
--With weight training you can convert the extra calories into muscle mass rather than fat. Squeeze in 2 to 3 sessions per week.
Common Pitfalls
Everyone has different body compositions and varying activity levels. Nutritionists and health professionals have set varying caloric intake levels for men and women, but these minimal levels are usually distorted because it could vary if you are a sedentary individual with minimal physical activity versus if you are tall and muscular with consistent physical activity. For women the minimum caloric intake is 1200 calories per day while for men it is 1800 calories per day. If a medical condition prompts the need to gain weight, consult with a doctor and a nutritionist for suggestions on how best to do so. Get specific instructions on what your body needs to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
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