Whether you are currently underweight or want to put on some muscle, you should definitely consider adding those desired pounds in a healthy way. You’ll not only feel better but also ensure you don’t inadvertently damage your health.
Here’s how you can gain weight in a healthy way.
Set a clear goal
Your first step is to know how much weight you want to gain and calculate your caloric intake from there.
One kilogram of weight equals 9000 calories. Depending on your lifestyle, it may be put on as mostly fat or as partly fat and partly muscle. It is not recommended to eat more than 300-500 excess calories per day, no matter how much weight you want to put on. Staying within the prescribed extra-calorie range will keep you healthy and feeling good.
Make sure to keep the goal realistic. If you’ve never been very active, you won’t be able to change your eating and fitness habits overnight. Plan for smaller steps and stages, and arm yourself with patience.
Eat more often
A simple lifestyle hack you can make to start gaining weight is to eat more often. If you currently eat three main meals and only one snack, consider throwing another snack into your routine.
You can, of course, also try eating more food than usual, but this may be more difficult to keep track of, and there will be more calculations involved. The simplest option is to calculate your current caloric intake based on your usual meals and throw in a 300-calorie healthy snack.
Don’t eat junk food
While the simplest thing in the world would be to eat more unhealthy foods and stuff yourself with sugar when you’re trying to gain weight, this won’t be good for you. Yes, you can eat some sweets and some questionable fast foods. But you shouldn’t make them the cornerstone of your new diet.
You can splurge once a week on something that is high in calories, like a large portion of ice cream or a hamburger. The rest of the time, stick to quality, fresh, nutrient-dense foods.
Eat more protein
Speaking of nutrient-dense foods, try increasing your protein intake to increase your caloric intake. True, eating more meat and dairy products will keep you fuller, but it will also feed your bones and muscles. So, if you’re trying to bulk up, extra protein is definitely the way to go.
Try adding a whey protein isolate to your diet. You can drink it as a shake or add it to smoothies and your morning oatmeal for an extra protein kick.
Improve your sleep
When trying to gain weight, you need to make sure that your entire lifestyle is in check and that you’re making overall healthy choices. This will mean ensuring you get plenty of quality sleep, as this is what will help your body manage the extra calories and build some muscle.
Stop looking at screens an hour before bedtime and prepare your mind for relaxation. Meditate, listen to soothing music, journal, or paint: anything to get your mind rid of the excess thoughts and into a state of calm.
Rethink your workouts
Working out is a major part of staying healthy and gaining weight in a sustainable way. If you are already very physically active and looking to pack on some muscle, you will need to eat a lot more protein (2 grams per kilogram of body weight) and make sure you’re fueling your workouts with fats and carbs too.
If you’re just getting started with a workout routine, you will need to calculate roughly how many calories you’ll be burning and adjust your diet accordingly. Once again, upping your protein intake is highly recommended.
Wrapping up
Gaining weight in a healthy and sustainable way is all about patience and perseverance. Sure, there’s an obvious shortcut to packing on the pounds — i.e., eating everything that comes within arm’s reach. But this won’t bring you satisfactory results, and you may significantly jeopardize your health in the long run.
Eat fresh, healthy, seasonal foods and move your body every day to see the best results.
With thanks to Total Shape for allowing us to use their weight gain image as our lead photo.
