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Gain Weight Diet: Add Muscle, Not Fat
It may seem strange but gaining weight is actually a goal of many instead of losing weight. Guys that have thin frames especially seek to bulk up a bit, but it’s important to gain weight in a healthy way. This means gaining weight by adding muscle mass and not by just getting fat. An effective program that aims to cause weight gain is based on solid nutrition and the right type of exercise.
Some guys can eat a lot of food but never gain any weight. It’s more than just eating a lot of food, but instead, eating the right kind of food and stimulating the muscles to begin using those nutrients for growth.
Calorie Content of Food to Gain Weight
Proteins and all carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram and fats have 9 calories per gram, but different foods have different calorie density due to what the food is made of and its water content.
A person could eat two heads of lettuce and feel quite full, but few calories would be consumed. However, a small stick of butter would contain loads of calories although it would be difficult to eat a stick of butter in one sitting.
If you want to beef up your calorie content to gain weight then choose calorie-concentrated foods.
Choose foods that are both nutritionally dense and calorie dense, as they will help you gain weight by adding muscle mass and not fat.
Foods That Have Few Calories
Foods that have a lot of fiber and a high water content are usually very low in calories. Many vegetables are low calorie foods and won’t help you gain weight but are often used by body builders to “lean up” before a competition. Nutritionally, vegetables should still be included in the diet, but not in bulk. Here are some low calorie options.
- lettuce
- broccoli
- cucumbers
- spinach
- celery
- cauliflower
- peppers
- onions
- oatmeal
Carbs That are Calorie-Dense
Choosing the right carbs is important and just because a food has a lot of calories, it doesn’t mean the food is nutritious or that it will help you gain weight. For instance, white bread and white sugar are calorie dense but they are nutritionally empty and have been shown to cause people to gain weight, although in the form of fat cells not muscle mass.
Pick foods that are made of complex carbs, that will provide your body good nutrition, and that will not spike blood sugar levels. Calorie dense carbs to use as part of a gain weight diet include.
- whole wheat pasta
- brown rice
- quinoa
- sweet potatoes
- potatoes
- fruit
- juices
- beans
- whole grain bread
Calories From Fats
This is an item of great controversy in the area of diet and gaining weight. Some promote eating very little fat, while others say that you can eat as much fat as you like and still lose fat and build muscle.
There is a happy medium. Those wishing to gain weight should eat some fat, but make sure the majority of the fat consumed is healthy fat. Cells actually require fat to function and grow. Stay away from processed fats like hydrogenated oils and eat natural fats found in foods such as;
- nuts
- avocados
- eggs
- olive oil
- fish oil
- flaxseed oil
Muscle Mass Builder: Protein
Since muscles are composed of protein, then it only makes sense that a gain weight diet should contain a lot of protein rich foods. Now protein doesn’t go straight to your muscles but is first broken down into amino acids and then the body uses these amino acids to build the proteins it needs to grow more muscle cells. Most people think of meat as their number one protein source, but legumes, some grains, and some vegetables are good sources of protein as well. Protein rich foods include;
See also High Protein Diets
Gain Weight Diet Supplements
When possible whole foods are the best choice when eating a healthy weight gaining diet, but sometimes protein supplements and weight gain supplements can be useful. Many of these products are loaded with sugar and other additives. Find products that are as pure as possible. Protein supplements don’t have to taste like a chocolate sundae, but are healthier when plain whey protein is mixed into freshly made smoothies.
Weight Gain With Meal Replacement Products
While meal replacement products seem like an easy and convenient way to gain weight, they should be used in limited quantity. Most of these products are full of sugar and processed ingredients. These are expensive and money would be better spent buying natural peanut butter, and other whole foods that are nutritionally and calorie dense.
Diet Recommendation
We recommend Body Building Revealed by Will Brink. This is a totally comprehensive program that uses science, resistance training, and diet for weight gain in the form of lean muscle mass. Some of the program highlights include.
- Extensive and detailed guidance on exactly what to eat for the best muscle gains.
- Well-researched reports into a multitude of supplements. Find out exactly what is hype and what actually works.
- Detailed workout plans and programs from a variety of sources (and yes, they tell you exactly what you need to know if you are a beginner).
This program also has a members only website that gives you the following tools to help you pack on the muscle.
- Training gurus and their programs
- Nutrition Database
- Meal Planner
- Supplement and Book Reviews
- Calorie Planner
- Exercise and Training Videos
- A very active forum!
- Free updates for life.
If you’re willing to put in a little hard work then this program is a great tool to teach you the secrets of professional bodybuilders.
See Also
Muscle Growth Diet by Ori Hofmekler
Natural Physiques- The Healthy Fat Loss and Muscle Building Supersite.
Hey I am 23 yrs old and I need to sincerely gain weight.I am 57kgs and I need to put more meat in my bones aghh!Sometimes I look at myself and find it hard to imagine I look like an Electricity pole.Help me on the best foods to eat.
Sir. I m 20 yrs . My hight 6″1 . My wait 124 lbs. I wanna gain wieght . Because i m thin n please tell me diet plan
proberbly the best weight gain infomation ive found on the internet, it is honest and correct plus its not trying to sell somthing to me but too help me.
thank you
Rob James
Hey Shantal at 45kgs for 15 years, with golf stick legs, sounds fun.. I think this image is totally attractive.. even more attractive is the image of a girl no matter what size looks at herself in the mirror and sees an attractive woman..
Live Laugh love with the kindest regards Nathan.
so how do you gain weight wat do you eat, drink, and snack
Thanks for the tips abovementioned.Gives me the confidence to gain weight.I`ve been skinny since I was young,until now,I`m still skinny.How sad can that be?.I`m 1.72cm and weighing 48-50kg.Quite frustrating though.I won`t give up
well im gonna change my diet then and see if this works what you are saying. I eat unhealthy foods all the time and still cant gain wait. maybe you could email me a list of foods i can eat and when too. i will report back in a few months. thanks
I have been 45kg for the last 15 years of my life , i have tried everything under sun to gain weight, i have the skinniest waist and golf stick legs …… its embarrassing , i am 27 years old . please help someone!!!
Oh, sorry, I meant low metabolism.
OMG!
This has given me so much help!
I’m 5’4 and 85 lbs. and I couldn’t seem to get anymore fatter. I went to my weight specialist and he told me that I had a very high metabolism and it would be hard for me to keep my weight. So, I searched on google for a way to gain weight without get high cholesterol or diabetes…This is probably the best information I’ve gotten! Much Thanks :]
hey my age is 16 and im 85kg and i really want to gain wight to play football and i really think that this will help thanks so much
currently im goin to gym n i cn feel ma diffrence,i nid to knw wat to do gain a lot muscle..
hi my name is natalea. im 17 and way 6 stone!! i look like a twig and its depressing me. help me please!!!!
i have also been thin all my life, but 5 years ago i bought some whey protein. at first i didn`t see any results. but then suddenly people started to say i was putting on weight. at first it might seem like you`re losing weight but you`re not. just eat 5 to 6 small meals a day and trust me you will see results. don`t give up. you will gain the weight. just keep eating even if you don`t want to. force yourself if you have to. if i can remember, i started to see weight gain within the first three months.
I WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT MY AGE IS 18 MY WEIGHT IS 50
Thankx good for me !!!
actually i am 22 years old and my weight is 52 Kg (:S)
so i want a gain my weight more more than 65.
i will try to do this.
Thanks again
hey i m 5 11′ and weight only 56kg
plz give me a shedule diet which will give me a quick weight gain
Hi…. my weight is 42 kg n my height is 5.2 and also i look very thin and my Thais is also very thin so please tell me how i can gain weight,..kindly email me on taniya.merai@gmail.com..thnx
Hi,
Myself Joanna here….I have been trying to gain weight from past two years but then i have failed…………….so please let me know how to gain weight…
Dear Viewers
my height is 5.0 and my weight is 37 kg which is too low. plz help me to what should i do. send me whole day plan for diet. thank u
Straight Up drink 3 protein shakes a day.. and dont go buy the expensive stuff theres no point your body can only handle 30-35 grams of protein every 2.5 hours and eat 4 meals aday and if you dont feel like the last protein shake eat ice cream before bed.. i use to be 6’0 155lbs i have been eating healthy with lots of meat and prtein shakes for this past year and i am now 6’0 188 lbs so try it and its not magic it takes time
this is alot of bs talking i been trying 2 gain weight for like 2yrs now at the age of 20 i was hit with the crazy illness diabetes with being 160bls and 37yrs old i will reach my goal by 4-01-2009 and that is 190lbs and when i get there it will be no more isulin for this type 1 diabetic
Okay so PINKY! Do you realize that all these steps are talking about eating healthy and not junk foods. So if you do the opposite your gonna be eating fatty foods. Empty calories. Sorry I gotta laugh bwahahahahahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent article and very good advice. I have been following this type of schedule for some time and it does work. Results do take time if you want to grow bigger so be patient and keep it up, it will pay off!
thanks for tha tips… very helpful!
These are good and common information. I would like to add this to the info, If trying to gain mass, its not going to happen fast. its gonna take like years and years to look muscular good unless there is a secret that i don’t know. I have tried steroids too but you need to take alot of it to look big and good.
hmm its hardly a bunch of crap emo_chick but it IS very general and may not work for all of us as we’re all different. I found a lack of advise on lifestyle and what NOT to eat/drink eg coffee, smoking, exersize, alcohol which i have found can hinder my progress when trying to gain weight. Overall I found the article quite helpful, if not a little obvious in places.
i have tried this and it works. the main thing that people dont understand is that you have to work out alot. eating properly is just 50% of what is needed to gain weight….the other half is simply having the ambition to sit down for at LEAST an hour a day and do STRENUOUS workouts. another point i would like to make is that for some people losing weight is literally as easy as breathing. for people with this problem, gaining weight is just as hard as for those who constantly try to lose it. dont be ignorant when making your comments….
I’ve had this kinda thing work for me before but I’ve never had it summarised so neatly! Thanks for making it easier to digest. (pardon the pun)
Great information!thnx