Have you been skinny for whole life? Do you want to gain weight very fast? This is not going to be that easy. Let us talk about how to gain weight fast in this article.
People even search for how to gain weight in 7 days! My God, that’s impossible. It takes time and dedication. Leave alone a week, you may not see significant weight gain even in a month!
Weight gain may take much more time than weight loss…
A skinny guy, eating a lot and living an active life is actually an ectomorph. This can be identified easily. Calculate the BMI (Basal Metabolic Index) from your weight and height. (Wt in Kg/(Ht in meters)^2. You can also use our calculator. If the BMI < 18, you are underweight and you need to gain weight.
The reason is normally genetic but there may be other reasons for that like :
Eating disorders – like anorexia or bulimia nervosa
Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
Malnutrition and malabsorption
Gluten intolerance and celiac disease
Some chronic diseases like diabetes, chronic kidney failure, cancer, infections etc.
Now, if your weight is extremely less, or lost weight fast recently, you need to see a doctor. Rule out any serious underlying disease too before going for weight gain.
Now eating a lot of unhealthy foods won’t help. This will burn off the calories or deposit them in the belly. That may again lead to the belly fat in a skinny body frame. That looks even worse and is dangerous for your health.
You need to follow a few principles:
If you want to gain weight slowly and steadily, go for 500-700 Kcal excess than your daily need or TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure)
If you want to gain faster, ake 1000-1500 Kcal excess than your TDEE
Weight training, for at least 3 to 4 days a week, is a must. Give at least a day gap between the workout days.
Weight training should be intense with supersets, dropsets, isometrics, eccentrics etc. Just try to push the muscles harder for more!
Protein is absolutely essential. The dosage should be adequate for muscle building ie a minimum of 1.5-2.5gm/kg body weight.
The quality of protein must be very high with good amino acid profiles like eggs, fish, meat, chicken etc.
Supplements like whey protein or even casein protein (mainly night) can be taken if protein requirements cannot be met with diet.
Some nutritional ideas for weight gain
Now one of the basics for weight gain is to eat energy dense foods. Think about the types of foods given to the children or toddlers. Let is site a few ideas…
This can be your own Khichri along with egg (or fish/chicken/paneer) and ghee/butter. This is the perfect balanced meal option and try to have it daily (lunch or dinner).
Take frequent feeds, preferably within 3 to 4 hours of last feed. Avoid fasting or any diet extremism. Try to eat a lot around exercise time.
You can add a few egg whites for good and cheap protein source. (An egg white contains 3.5 to 4 gm of protein and you can definitely take 6-8 per day). Read my blog on : Are boiled eggs bad for you?
Soyabeans, lentils and legumes are extremely high sources of plant proteins and complex carbs. Take them.
Eat a lot of nuts like peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts etc. They are of high calories and contain healthy fats, overall being very calorie dense.
Eat lots of starchy carbs like rice, roti, bread, potatoes etc. After exercise you should definitely eat a lot of these. These are required to replenish your glycogen stores and for your muscle gain.
If you are still short of your calorie goals, get some ghee or butter in to make it tasty (remember, fat contains 9 kcal/kg body weight).
Eat dairy products like milk, paneer, curd cheese etc. Full dairy or full fat milk products are fine. Use grains to mix with milk/curd like corn, oats, muesli, ragi etc. to prepare prefect, energy dense meals. (Avoid sweets and sugar though, those are bad) – Read : Does sugar make you fat
Now regarding exercise, follow these ideas :
Reduce the cardio. You need muscles to grow and not burn them out. Do strength training.
Don’t do bodybuilder type body part training per week. Do the whole body split or even the push/pull or upper/lower body splits. Keep a day or two minimum for a muscle group to recover and grow.
Don’t take steroids. Several young people are drawn toward juicing for quick muscle gain. They finally destroy themselves and is the worst option for gaining.
Normal small duration cardio of low intensity like walking, light jogging, cycling can be done. Yoga is a good choice too. These are good for overall fitness, flexibility, mobility, relaxation etc.
Don’t miss high carb starchy and simple carbs around workout.
Conclusion :
Follow the above simple tips for weight gain. Weight for time and results will show up. Gain muscles and not the belly fat. Take good proteins and lots of carbs with good fats. Food should be energy dense and frequent. Full body weight training is the mainstay of your exercise. And the most important, don’t stop until you achieve your goal!
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