Some tip to help you gain weight, sensibly.
1.) |
CONSUME MASS QUANTITIES. Although seemingly
obvious, most persons trying to gain weight simply do not eat enough. To facilitate
desirable weight-gain (a.k.a. lean mass) you should eat about 25-30 calories
per pound of your current body weight every day. This recommendation
should provide enough energy to pack on some real muscle without increasing
your body fat percentage substantially.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to eat
several small calorie-dense meals and snacks. Start off with 4 meals
and 3 snacks/day and increase this to 5 meals and 4 snacks daily, if necessary.
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2.) |
DRINK LIKE A FISH. Drink 1 liter of
fluid for every 1,000 calories of food you eat each day. Based
on the recommendations in tip #1, a 125 lb. Individual would need to drink
at least 3.1-3.7 liters of fluids each day (125 lb. x 25-30 calories/lb. x
1 liter fluid/1,000 calories consumed). It is also important to remember
to replace of the fluids that you lose during exercise. A good rule
of thumb is to drink about 8 oz. every 20 minutes during your workout. Since
your goal is to gain weight, choose liquids that provide considerable
energy over calorie-free beverages like water, tea or coffee. Best
bets include sports drinks
, whole
milk, fruit juices (esp. cranberry, grape and apple), Protein shakes and cream
soups.
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3.) |
DRIVE PAST THE DRIVE-THRU. Even if you can
stomach the grease (read-fat, saturated fat and cholesterol) and sugar with
anthropometric impunity, you're not providing your body with the raw materials
it needs to build bulk in the right places. Do your health and appearance
a favor by doubling, or tripling, the portion sizes of foods that are most
conducive to your goal. Some examples include: bananas-170 calories(1
large), Cranberry or Apple juice-160 calories (8 oz.), Granola cereal-780
calories (1 large bowl), split pea or bean soup-150 calories (1 medium bowl),
baked beans-260 (1 Medium bowl), peanut butter-200 calories (2 Tbs.), nuts
& seeds-200 calories (1 oz.).
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4.) |
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS. Though the plight of the
ectomorph (a term used to describe persons with a propensity to be very thin)
appears to be unrelated to that of the endomorph (a body type that is generally
characterized by rounded features, short stature, large skeletal frame, considerable
strength and a inclination to gain weight), upon closer examination we find
that the problem is one and the same-difficulty manipulating energy balance.
For the endomorph, it is important to create a situation where the body
uses more energy that it takes in each day (negative energy balance). This
is achieved with careful caloric intake monitoring and increased physical
activity.
The ectomorph must also manipulate the energy
balance, but in a different manner. To increase in size, the ectomorph
must consume more calories than he/she needs to get through the day without
undesired weight-loss (positive energy balance). Once again, this can
be achieved by carefully monitoring what (and more importantly how much )
you eat and how many calories you expend during each workout.
Most successful dieters jot down everything,
at least initially, that they eat so that they can monitor their progress
throughout the day. The ectomorph could also benefit from this strategy
to ensure that calories in > calories out.
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5.) |
EDUCATE YOURSELF. You can learn a lot about
healthy eating without ever reading a nutrition book or attending a nutrition
course; just visit the grocery store. The Nutrition Facts panel, located
on the back/side of nearly everyone of the over 100,000 items generally found
in any given supermarket, gives you all of the information that you really
need to know, namely-calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein. Use
this newfound information in conjunction with the recommendations that I have
made above for best (i.e. fastest and lasting) results.
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6.) |
SUPPLEMENT SAVVY.
Of all of the mega-touted supplements on the market, only two are of any use
to the individual trying to gain some lean mass; They are creatine and weight-gainer
shakes. Though these two supplements work through completely different
mechanisms, the end result (weight-gain) is the same. To get the most
out of creatine, ingest 20 grams (4 (5g) servings)/day with a sugary, non-acidic,
decaffeinated beverage such as grape or apple juice for 5-7 days. Upon
completion of the "loading phase", continue to consume 1-2 (5g) servings
daily (with a sugary, non-acidic, decaffeinated beverage) to maintain creatine
saturation in the muscle tissue. Discontinue using creatine for a couple
of weeks and re-load, if at some point you notice that your results with this
supplement start to decline.
To maximize your success with a weight-gainer,
supplement your normal daily food intake with 1-3 servings/day. If your
cannot bring yourself to drink one large serving at one sitting, split the
recommended serving size into 2, or more, smaller servings. In addition,
if you only consume one serving per day, make sure to do so immediately before
going to sleep so that your body has the materials that it needs to grow during
this unavoidable period of catabolism. |
Information provided by Optimum Nutrition
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