6 Steps To Gaining Weight And Body Mass

Gaining weight can be as much as a struggle for some people as losing weight can be for others. Whether you are trying to gain weight to add muscle mass or look less like a string bean, it requires a lot of hard work to gain weight while still maintaining a healthy diet. People who are trying to gain weight often don’t want to do so by eating ice cream and pizza.  Loading up on junk often leads to other health concerns and only helps you gain fat.

To gain weight and look good, you need to build up lean muscle, which requires a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. If you are trying to gain weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, this article is going to show you how to do it. 

1. Track Your Calories:  Just as you would track your calories to lose weight, you are going to track them in order to gain weight. To begin, you are going to want to figure out how many calories you are consuming to maintain your weight. Most women maintain their weight consuming between 1800 and 2000 calories per day, depending on their level of physical activity, while most men maintain their weight consuming about 2500 calories per day. Once you know how many calories you are consuming to maintain your weight, you can add 200-500 calories a day.

2. Eat A Balanced Diet: Lean muscle looks good and benefits your body in many ways. This means eating a balanced diet and eliminating empty calorie foods such as cookies, white starches, and junk food. A general rule is to consume 50 to 60 percent of your calories each day from  carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent from protein, and 25 to 30 percent from healthy fats. It is important not to go overboard on protein. While protein is good for getting toned, it also tends to be very filling and requires a lot of energy to digest.

3. Consume Healthy Fats:  Olive oils, canola oils, and coconut oils are going to be your new best friends when you are trying to gain weight. This is because they are easily added to salads, smoothies, grains and other foods, which will increase the calories of your meal without making you feel more full. When you are making rice, grains, couscous, and other foods that absorb liquid add a generous amount of a healthy fat to it because the starch will absorb it and it won’t be overpowering.

4. Eat Wisely: It is also recommended that you eat 5-7 meals throughout the day. This will help you avoid feeling uncomfortably full and trying to force yourself to continue eating.

5. Supplement: A final struggle to gaining weight is getting to the end of the day and realizing you haven’t consumed nearly enough calories. When this happens, it can be tempting to gorge on ice cream and French fries, but in the long run, if you are gaining weight from unhealthy foods, you are going to end up unhealthy as well. Instead, use protein shakes and other gain supplements available in health food stores to supplement your diet. 

6. Snack Wisely: Nuts are a great option for a snack food throughout the day. Just a handful of walnuts pack more than 200 calories, which is great when you are trying to add calories to your day.

Bottom Line

Consider consulting with a nutritionist, these specialists can provide you with customized menu plans, help you set realistic goals and provide advice tailored toy our specific situation.  Gaining weight may require lifelong maintenance once you have reached your goal. By choosing nutritious foods, you are going to ensure that the extra calories you are consuming are going to keep you healthier than ever.

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