Tips for Gaining Weight
Gaining weight is the opposite of what a lot of people try to do. Diets to lose weight are all the rage and have been for decades. However, there are legitimate reasons why you would want to lose weight. Perhaps you trained hard and lost more weight than you wanted. There are other reasons, too, like stress, illness, and recovery from surgery. You can gain weight by incorporating these easy habits that will help you increase your weight in a healthy way.
Eat More Frequently
If you’re wondering how to gain weight, try eating more frequently. Your body is a 24-hour machine, and it needs fuel all day and night. Avoid skipping meals, and instead eat meals a few hours apart. Stay consistent in making sure you eat on a regular schedule.
Eat from Different Food Groups in One Meal
Incorporate foods from a few food groups when you eat. Some squash and meat isn’t going to give you the full spectrum of nutrients you need. Perhaps try some nuts, grains, vegetables, fruits, and your favorite dairy food. If your are sensitive or allergic to a particular food in a food group, research alternatives that can provide the nutrients that you’re missing out on.
Eat Nutritionally Dense Foods
Avoid eating junk food to gain weight by eating nutrient-dense foods with high amounts of fat, protein, and complex carbs. Dried fruit is a good option, but don’t eat the kinds with preservatives and added sugar. Make some energy bars, trail mix, or other snack foods you can eat throughout the day that have what your body needs to add on some weight. Here are some other foods you can add to help you gain weight: olive oil, avocado, nut butter, quinoa, legumes, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal.
Eat not, but Drink!
When you drink a smoothie, you’re not likely to feel as full as you might if you ate a meal of solid food. Juice, skim milk, milk alternatives, and smoothies are good ways to get a lot of nutrition without feeling overly full. You can add extras to smoothies to make them even more healthy like nut butter, carrot juice, protein powders, etc.
Eat Before You Sleep
Your body engages in metabolic processes when you sleep, so here’s another tip on how to gain weight: eat before bed. The healthy snack provides your body with the fuel it needs to function at its best and to help you gain the weight you need.
Eat. Then Lift
Gaining muscle mass means that you’ll be gaining weight because muscle weighs more than fat, but it’s more compact, meaning you’re not going to look unhealthy. Consume protein after you lift for great results. Also, reducing the amount of cardio exercise you do will reduce how many calories you burn. So focus building strength and lifting weights. Add in some other types of exercise, like yoga, to increase flexibility, strength, and balance.