How to Gain Weight
Some people have trouble figuring out how to gain weight. Some people’s metabolisms are so active that weight gain seems impossible. But habits and foods can help. The main idea behind gaining weight for both men and women is to eat more calories than are being used daily and to build muscle through weight training so that all the weight gained is healthy weight.
It’s important to eat healthy foods even if your goal is to gain weight. Proper nutrition and exercise are the keys to gaining weight in a healthy manner.
Here are 7 tips to remember before starting your weight gain routine:
- Never sacrifice quality for quantity. Body fat never shows up where you want it. You may be genetically predisposed to an apple or pear shape, which may cause you to have large and lumpy hips, or a big belly. When you gain fat instead of muscle, it seldom looks good.
- Do not use steroids to gain weight faster. You may want a body builder appearance before summer, but it’s not worth the risk of taking steroids. They cause severe acne (including embarrassing acne on the back), aggressive behavior, and added strain on the heart. Steroids also takes years off your lifespan. You will not look like a body builder in a few weeks, but you can build a lean, muscular physique that you will be proud to show off.
- Eat good foods, not sugary foods. Type 2 Diabetes is becoming a serious health issue and you do not have to add yourself to the list of people with diabetes just to gain a little weight. Do not eat simple sugars more often than you did before. They will make it more difficult for you to finish important workouts, and simple sugars can also give you headaches and make you fatigued.
- Pick up some weights. The best workout for those looking to gain weight and look good is weight lifting. Men need to try shorter repetitions of heavier weights than they are used to, and women need to wipe the fear of looking masculine out of their minds. For a woman to look like a body builder, it takes years of intense workouts. Casual weight lifting won’t turn a woman into a man.
How to Gain Weight
- Eat properly to help build muscle tissue. Both men and women need to eat more protein and more carbohydrates. Protein is helps you build muscle, and carbohydrates help you keep going throughout the day. Eating some fats is a good idea as well. Still take a vitamin supplement in case you are lacking anything from your diet. Also increase the amount of meals you eat in a day.
- Count calories. Counting calories sounds like something only people on a weight loss diet plan should do, but it isn’t. You will not be able to tell if you are being consistent in eating more calories unless you count how much you are actually consuming. Soups and meats can fill you up quickly but have fewer calories than you might expect. See how many calories you normally eat in a day, then add four hundred calories to that amount and see if you gain weight in the course of two to three weeks. Decrease intake if you gain too much and increase if you don’t gain enough.
- Consider factors other than diet that may be causing your low weight. Some medications (such as those that treat ADD and ADHD) cause people to lose weight or be unable to gain weight because of suppressed appetite. Smoking can also cause you to feel less hungry and just quitting may cause you to gain some weight.
Bulking up and gaining weight can be accomplished by anyone. Giving your body only good, protein-rich foods and weight lifting instead of kicking up the old running routine will provide results. Don’t get discouraged though. Every body is different and has different requirements so you are going to have to experiment a little if you have found that your first attempt did not work.
Keep in mind what you are looking for also. Some people may say that they just want to stop being so thin, but they don’t realize that the more likely outcome of a month long fast food binge with no weight training routine will be a sloppy appearance. What you want is muscle tone and a healthier appearance, so eat and exercise like somebody with a toned, healthy appearance.