Tips

Trying to gain weight through diet and exercise can be attained with consistency and patience. And like with weight loss, it should be approached in a balanced and healthy manner. Nutrient and protein-rich foods, strength exercises, and supplements can all help.

Here are a few tips for gaining weight that can additionally help you out along the way:

 

  • Avoid drinking beverages before eating 

When trying to gain weight, it helps to avoid drinking water and juices before you eat. These liquids will cause you to feel fuller than you actually are, which can be counteractive when trying to consume more calories.

  • Grab a bigger plate

If it helps, try to grab a bigger plate with your meals. This will lead you to increase your proportions and give you extra calories for weight gain.

  • Start gradually

If you want to gain weight, it is important that you start by gradually increasing your load – in both diet and exercise. Consuming too much food or doing too extraneous of exercise can backfire and cause unwanted side effects. Increase the number of extra calories you consume by a few hundred each week. Start doing your exercises in smaller time intervals or repetitions, and then increase bi-weekly.

  • Download a health & fitness tracker app

Keeping track of your progress can help to keep you motivated and in the right direction. These applications allow you to record the amount of calories you have consumed and/or burned off through exercise. There are many available that you can find that best suit your lifestyle.

  • Gaining muscle mass at home can be done

You don’t necessarily have to join a gym to build and gain muscle mass, many exercises can be done at home. Simply grab an exercise mat, and/or some dumbbells if you’d like, and start with the basics. There are an array of other detailed strength-training workouts available online.

  • Eat more healthy carbohydrates

Carbohydrates tend to get a bad rep. because many people associate them with unhealthy sugars. But this isn’t always true – in fact, some carbohydrates are healthy and can be beneficial when it comes to trying to gain weight.

Fruits contain certain types of healthy sugars (e.g. glucose) and are classified as a carbohydrate. Certain types of vegetables, such as potatoes and greens, are also considered carbohydrates. Consuming more healthy carbohydrates will additionally allow your body to turn these nutrients into energy.

  • Eat at least 3 meals per day

When trying to gain weight, you’re going to want to consume more calories than you burn off. Eating at least 3 meals a day will help to do so, along with a few healthy snacks in between. 300-500 extra calories from your recommended daily consumption will help to add on a few pounds.

  • Supplement weight gain shakes when possible

Weight gain shakes contain protein and many other nutrients beneficial for supplementing extra calories into your diet. There are many tasty flavored and affordable ones available. Try drinking one of these shakes at breakfast, or sometime throughout the day when possible to help with adding calories.

  • Weights are what will help you to gain weight the most

Lifting weights are going to be what helps you to build muscle mass the fastest. As you advance, try to increase your weight load – your muscle mass will compound and build.

  • Do strength exercises 

Strength exercises are going to help you build muscle mass and contribute to your overall weight gain. Certain intense cardio exercises can burn off an excess of calories, and essentially could cancel out the gained calories you have consumed.

  • Choose high-calorie foods instead of just eating more food 

If you want to gain weight, it obviously helps to eat more food. However, try to aim for foods that contain a high number of calories in itself, instead of eating a bunch of different foods, as that can become demanding. Examples include potatoes, meats, nuts, etc. Supplements can also be of great help for high-calorie sources.

  • Make breakfast count

As the saying goes, breakfast really does count. Consuming a healthful breakfast will give you a boost of energy and get you ready for the day. This meal is also important when trying to gain weight, as skipping out on breakfast can throw off your balance of calories.

  • Go for the extra toppings and condiments

When you can, go ahead and add the extra toppings and grab the condiments with your meals. This can be an additional source of added calories to contribute towards your gains.

  • Don’t be afraid to treat yourself

While you should consume healthy high-calorie foods when it comes to trying to gain weight, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself once in a while to a few sweet calories. In fact, there are snacks such as dark chocolate and certain cheeses that have many health benefits while also still having a delicious taste.