For many people undertaking a diet to gain weight, a lot of the time they simply just need help re-organizing their eating habits. Here are some general guidelines for eating healthy to gain weight.
Eat Healthy Calorie Dense Foods
From my experience I have found that a 50/30/20 diet, which is the ratio of carbohydrates to protein to fat, works best for gaining healthy weight. Consuming more protein then this is not necessary, and you shouldn’t be scared to eat some healthy fats.
The main point is to eat a variety of healthy foods and make sure you are getting the sufficient calories and nutrients you need to gain weight. However, when you have an on-the-go lifestyle it can be difficult staying consistent with your eating schedule, so weight gainers can provide a convenient and affordable way to consume extra calories.
Eating 6-7 meals throughout the day enables you to stabilize your blood sugar levels and use the food you’re eating. Stick with 2-3 main meals and high calorie snacks/supplements to fill in the gaps.
If you struggle with a poor appetite and it is preventing you from eating a sufficient amount of calories to gain weight, then you should consider taking non-prescription or prescription medication such as periactin appetite stimulant. You will feel hungrier and eating won’t feel like such a chore.
Remember, gaining weight is a gradual process when following a diet to gain weight. You don’t need to increase your caloric intake a lot in one go. If you increase your calorie consumption in small increments, once your body gets used to eating this amount of food, then increase the calories by 300 calories or so every few weeks.
Drink Plenty of Water
I can’t drill this into your head more, it is very important. Do you know why water is so important? Let me tell you! If your body is dehydrated (which most people are) it is going to have to use the water it does have very efficiently. Your body is very smart, it will determine where it needs water most and where it can “afford” to cut it out.
One way the body handles dehydration is by shutting down the kidneys. That may not seem like a big deal, however, if the kidneys are shut down the liver will have to eliminate the toxins that build up in the body. That may not seem like a big deal either, but if the liver is getting rid of toxins, it can’t do its number one function, which is utilizing stored fat as energy. You must drink water for general health, and it’s clear that dehydration can negatively effect your muscle building progress.
How Many Calories Should I Eat Per Day?
There are a number of different formulas used for calculating your daily caloric requirements to gain weight, which vary depending on energy expenditure, weight, and gender. However, this information is readily available on the Internet, and you can just read this article how many calories do you need to gain weight which doesn’t over complicate things.
A few more tidbits…
Caffeine dehydrates the body. For every coffee, coke, tea, mountain dew etc. you drink, you need to drink another 2 glasses of water. If you have a drink which contains caffeine before working out for its stimulant benefits, make sure to drink water to prevent dehydration during the workout.
Alcohol also dehydrates the body and there is no question that it’s detrimental to your muscle building and fat loss efforts when consumed in excessive amounts. It is a toxin your body has to eliminate and for every ounce of liquor or 6 ounces of beer or wine, you need to drink another 2 or 3 glasses of water, first to hydrate the body again and then to help eliminate the toxin of alcohol.
