Gaining weight is easy—what’s the problem? Just eat more. Still, there are those who are underweight and want to gain weight in order to improve their health, as well as those who want to gain muscle mass for performance or aesthetic reasons but are unable to do so.
How to Get H Fat
A diet to gain weight must be based on a high-calorie diet associated with physical activity.
Just as those who want to lose weight hope to get results in a very short time, in the same way, there are those who are looking for a diet to gain weight in a short time. Too bad our body doesn’t like sudden changes and needs time to maintain the new, stable weight.
How can I eat more and gain weight more quickly?
Gaining weight quickly is not synonymous with having permanently reached a new body weight. It is only a temporary increase in weight. For example, if you eat a lot of carbohydrates and then weigh yourself, you will immediately notice that the scale needle indicates a higher body weight than usual. In fact, for each gram of glucose stored in the form of glycogen, there is approximately 3 g of water. Speed is not the way to gain weight and keep it off in the long run.
The basis of creating a diet to gain weight is understanding your caloric requirements, which should be increased over time. The more calories you consume, the more weight you will gain, which can be affected by genetics and exercise.
Planning out each step is more effective than trying to do too much at once. For example, if you normally consume 2000 calories a day, try to eat a bit more, such as 2200–2300 calories. Engaging in physical activity that involves weights is recommended, as it can lead to an increase in muscle mass.
How to gain weight in a healthy way?
Increasing muscle mass while avoiding fat gain is the best way to achieve a healthy weight gain. This is difficult because building muscle requires an excess of calories while reducing fat requires a caloric deficit. A hyper- and hypocaloric diet at the same time would therefore be necessary, which obviously does not exist.
It is necessary to accept that a portion of the extra weight gained by increasing calorie intake will be fat, not muscle. A study found that only 30–40% of the weight gained by adding 500–2,000 calories per day is muscle. The rest is adipose tissue, which can be reduced slowly with a careful reduction of calories.
Maintaining a healthy body composition is crucial for gaining weight and remaining healthy; the body would be at risk from increased fat mass. For men and women, respectively, the reference values for maintaining fat mass are 15% and 22%. This percentage needs to be reduced for athletes, sportspeople, and people who want more definition in their bodies (adipose tissue is also important without going overboard!). Maintaining health by
How to do?
Thus, it is strongly advised to combine resistance exercise with a healthy, high-calorie diet in order to promote weight gain over the skeletal muscles (no junk food).In addition, gradualness is crucial. It is suggested that you gain 200 g or 450 g of weight per week. 450 grams are equivalent to a caloric excess of 2300–3600 kcal. Is it a little or a lot? Your desired weight and level of urgency will determine how quickly you lose weight.
I burn 500 kcal per workout whether I practice CrossFit four times per week or run five times per week. I want to store calories, not use them up. Should I stop training because of this? No, just include them as extra calories in your high-calorie diet! The removal of physical activity is still not beneficial, despite the “issue” of needing to consume more calories. But, if gaining muscle is the goal, progressively substituting weight training for running exercises is an excellent idea.
What is the diet to gain weight?
It is quite easy to put on weight in an unhealthy way. Simply indulge in junk food and you will be sure to gain the pounds. Unfortunately, because you have only accumulated fat, your health problems will worsen.
In order to gain weight in a healthy manner, it is important to maintain a diet that is both high in calories and sustainable over the long term. Remember that gaining weight in a healthy way does not happen overnight. Develop a plan that is realistic and can be sustained over:
- Consistently consume a variety of modest meals and snacks throughout the day.
- drink beverages or milk instead of water
- have a snack an hour before bedtime
- consume energy-dense foods
- use sports drinks instead of water during your workout
- during meals, drink at the end of the meal, in order to avoid filling yourself with water
- Avoid carbonated products because they cause bloating and fullness.
How to gain weight without putting on a belly?
Assuming what has already said, the best way to increase mass is to try to limit the deposition of lipids. However, the caloric excess given by the appropriate high-protein diet will certainly also lead to an increase in them. It is, therefore, essential to associate correct and proportional training with the diet.
Also because it is known that excess fat will only lead to further health complications. Reducing energy dispersion (e.g. calories burned with exercise) by stopping physical activity is not the best solution for gaining weight without putting on a belly.
Diet to gain weight in the gym
If you train with weights and want to gain weight, your goal is probably aesthetic or to get stronger. In fact, the more the skeletal muscle increases, the more there is an increase in strength and power.
If you decide to increase your daily calories, carbohydrates are the primary macronutrient to increase, along with protein. The amount of protein and carbohydrates must be increased in direct proportion to the intensity of the workout. For example, as the training intensity increases, so must the protein and carbohydrate quotas. Carbohydrates should comprise 55-60% of the daily caloric requirement, while for proteins the recommended value is 1.4 – 2 g/kg of body weight.
In this nutritional aspect, from a training point of view, to increase the volume of the muscle fiber, hypertrophic training is optimal (e.g. 3-5 series of 8-12 repetitions) involving large muscles (e.g. glutes). This is because proper weight training causes muscle mass to increase, which is heavier than fat mass. In fact, with the same mass, muscle weighs more than fat. The same reason why relying solely on weight to assess your condition and health is incorrect.
If you weigh more and see yourself more toned in the mirror after a few months of working out and eating healthy, the increased weight is an indication of better body composition. You have lost some adipose tissue (fewer pounds), but you also have more muscle tissue (extra pounds).
What are the best foods to gain weight?
As indicated earlier, foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates are preferable. As a matter of convenience, calorie-dense foods help to increase daily calories since a small, “pocket” quantity corresponds to a high energy intake. For example, a handful of dried fruit.
The foods recommended for gaining mass remain those that should never be missing from everyone’s meals. Reduce your intake of salt, sugar, saturated fats, and meals right before bed.
By exclusion, to be preferred and introduced into the fattening diet are complex carbohydrates (preferably whole), proteins (preferably animal to have a complete amino acid spectrum), and, to a greater extent, fats (preferably polyunsaturated such as w-3). Macronutrients that you find, for example, in pasta, rice, lean meats, extra virgin olive oil, dried fruit, potatoes, and eggs.
Do not forget the right amount of micronutrients, which must go hand in hand with the needs of the body as it gains weight.
Can you gain weight 2-5 kg per week?
From what has been said so far, the answer is “usually not”. It is a sudden change in which the body is not used. Even assuming the right amount of calories, which theoretically corresponds to an increase of 2–5 kg of mass, in practice we must consider physiology. Our body is acclimated to digesting and depositing a particular amount of nutrients from a metabolic and hormonal viewpoint.
The metabolic and hormonal structure adapts to a gradual and constant variation leading to a tangible result, but if it is sudden, the result will not be there. Even when you gain weight for no reason, the same principle applies. You’re probably gaining gradually.
Diet to gain weight of 10 kg
If there is an increase of a few kilos, it is sufficient to apply what has been said so far. If 10 kg more is achieved, the same principles apply. It is certainly more difficult and takes more time. As a result, for such a significant weight gain (consider a girl who needs to go from 50 kg to 60 kg to be normal weight). It is best to consult a nutritionist.
The 10 kg increase will not be continuous. There will probably be phases of stalling or maintaining weight and calories and then gradually continuing to increase them until the desired weight.
Are there supplements to gain weight fast?
As always, being “supplements” or “integrations,” they are not indispensable.
But let’s talk about creatine, a compound already present in our body and fundamental at a muscle level to regenerate energy (ATP). Physiologically, we need 2 g of this molecule per day usually, 1 g is independently produced by our metabolism, while 1 g is taken through the diet.
Creatine supplements (soon analyzed with numbers in hand) guarantee weight gain, given mainly by lean mass (muscle) rather than fat mass. Also, the advantage of this substance is that it has short-term and long-term effects. For both training and rest days, a regular intake of 3-7 grams per day is recommended. Best taken post-workout and/or when eating carbs.
With the quantity just indicated:
- In the short term (1 week) you can increase by 0.8 – 1.7 kg ;
- In the long term (2 months) up to 2.8 – 3.2 kg.
As always, we are not all the same, and our bodies, depending on genetics and external factors, respond differently to supplementation. In addition to ensuring weight gain, the assimilation of creatine improves submaximal energy and the storage of carbohydrates (muscle glycogen).
Also, if reaching your protein intake through food is difficult, you can supplement it with protein powders. If you do not have this problem, solid protein foods are preferable. Keeping the context in mind, taking more protein than you require to gain muscle mass has no effect. Excess protein is stored as fat.
I hope it is obvious: taking creatine while having the wrong diet and training plan is useless.
Conclusions
In conclusion, gaining weight can be a complex process that involves a combination of factors including genetics, metabolism, lifestyle habits, and underlying medical conditions. While some individuals may desire to gain weight for aesthetic reasons, others may need to gain weight for medical reasons such as to improve overall health or to address nutritional deficiencies.
To gain weight in a healthy way, it is important to focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods, increasing calorie intake, and engaging in regular exercise to promote muscle growth. It is also important to work with a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be contributing to difficulty gaining weight.
It is worth noting that gaining weight too rapidly or without proper guidance can lead to negative health consequences, such as an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Therefore, it is essential to approach weight gain with caution and prioritize a balanced approach that promotes overall health and wellness.
