Weight gain seems to be everybody’s problem these days; people are running, dieting, giving in to crash courses and diets, seeking expert advice, and of course hitting the gym. But most people do not succeed in losing the right amount of weight, for some there is no improvement at all, and why so?
Gaining weight can be a taxing task for those with a fast metabolism. Whether putting on weight for your own personal appearance or for sports/competition, weight gain puts forth challenges that need to be met healthily. When eyeing weight gain on a 1-month timeline; you need to give a dedicated effort. Slight changes in diet and a weight training regimen can help you achieve the desired weight gain. To make sure that you don’t have a hard time gaining weight, here is what you need to pack on the pounds safely and mindfully. But remember that the truth is that gaining weight is as difficult as losing weight, and you have to prepare yourself with a plan in order to succeed.
Eat more carbs
You must stock up on the carbohydrates when trying to gain weight. Carbs such as pasta, rice, potatoes and cereals will give you the impetus to move towards your weight gain goal. Besides, combine carbohydrates with healthy fats (milk products and nuts) to ascertain that you are getting much-needed calories. If you eat a bagel, you will load up on 60 grams of carbohydrates; Sweet Potatoes also contain 60grams, and half a cup of raisins have 45 grams of carbohydrates!
Increase your calorie intake
You need to increase your calorie intake week-by-week, increasing it slowly over a month’s time. You can add 100 calories to your everyday intake until you increase the intake to 1,000 or more calories a day. This way you can make your body used to the increased calories without making it too full. Chocolates have 535 calories in per 100 grams, Peanut Butter has 589 calories per 100 grams, Nuts have 576 calories per 100 grams, and Olive Oil has 884 calories per 100 grams!
Eat Frequently
You have to feed your body every 4 hours to achieve weight gain goal in a 1-month timeline. This will also ensure that you have a high metabolic rate so that you remain on course with your weight gain plan. Make a well-rounded diet chart that gives you sufficient major nutrients – protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates. Make whole-grains, vegetables, kidney beans, lean red meat, eggs, chicken and fish a part of your diet. Furthermore, it is advised that you don’t skip any meals and eat healthy snacks in between the meals.
Add calories to meals
Since you have set a one month target, you must add the extras that can help stack up your caloric intake. Extra toppings, sauces and second helpings are some of the good ways to add some calories quickly. Moreover, you can drink smoothies, milkshakes, juice and milk with your meals to add calories that won’t make your body feel bloated. Remember that Olive Oil is a great source to add calories, so you could include olive oil to your cooking instead of other oils that we usually use. When eating snacks, avoid junk foods, and include nuts and fruits as this will be healthier and therefore bea healthy source of calories in your diet. You could add pistachios to your evening snacking!
Include healthy fats
Healthy fats are good for your health, and therefore you should eat plenty of these. You should eat egg yolks, meat with fat, coconut oil, and so on. Even bananas count as a healthy fat option for you. The truth is that fat is not always a bad thing for your waistline. Bad fats are trans fat and saturated fats and this is what you should feel guilty about. Bad fats can clog your arteries and cause trouble for your heart. But healthy fats can have the opposite effect on you; these are monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega 3 fatty acids. Healthy fights can additionally manage your mood well, by fighting fatigue, and bettering your mental health and well-being.
Do weight training
In order to gain weight, the workout is equally important as eating calorie-dense foods, in fact, the two of them go hand in hand. Do weight training to effectively gain weight in a month, particularly the exercises that work for large muscle groups. Include exercises such as bench presses, squats, military press and deadlifts in your exercise regimen. These old school exercises ensure that your big muscle groups get all the attention and thereby making you bigger in a muscular way. Remember eating and working out are the best way to gain muscle mass and you can avoid any excess fat.
Reduce aerobic exercises
Long periods of aerobic exercises (such as jogging, running or cycling) can make it difficult for you to pack on the pounds as they burn a substantial amount of calories. When eyeing weight gain, cardio should be kept aside of the equation completely or kept to a minimum. These exercises definitely work well for your heart health, but apart from that it tones you down and makes you lose weight. You are not aiming for that, so do some stretching and limit your cardiovascular exercises.
There are several crash courses touting weight gain in minimum time, but you must learn that there are good way and a bad ways to gain weight. Your goal should be to gain weight in a healthy and safe manner. By going for such crash courses you could be jeopardizing your health.
Credit: Only My Health