How to gain weight if you are thin. From skeleton to athlete: three golden rules for weight gain for men

Losing weight, of course, is not easy, but adding a few kilograms can be even more difficult. How can this be achieved? Find out from the article and take note of 31 ways that will help you gain weight quickly.

Lately we've been writing only about how to lose weight. But what if you're looking for something different? Perhaps you realize that you are too thin and need to gain weight? Yes, for such people this is really a problem that cannot be solved by eating fast food. As with losing weight, a balance of proper nutrition and exercise is a must. For some girls, gaining weight and keeping it at the desired level is not so easy, so we offer 31 effective tips for gaining weight quickly and safely.

Add calories

If you are naturally thin but want to have a beautiful, curvy body, start by adding 500 calories to your daily food intake. 500 kcal is not much, so you won’t feel bad, but these extra calories will make it easy for a girl to gain weight. A large chocolate bar or thick milkshake works just fine!

Drink soda

Some people recommend adding high-calorie soda to your diet if you want to gain weight. A couple of bottles will provide you with an extra hundred calories a day! If you're interested in healthier drinks (which is a smart idea), try replacing soda with fruit juice. Fruit juices are delicious and high in calories, so they will help and provide extra energy.

Eat in the evening

Nutritionists always tell us not to eat after 6 if we want to lose weight, so why not try the opposite? It will most likely be very effective. So go ahead, stock up on late-night snacks and celebrate your belly before bed.

It seems that exercise and sports are just for those who are trying to lose weight, and not vice versa, but here we are talking about strength training, or more precisely, about weightlifting. Working with dumbbells and barbells will help you quickly build muscle mass, and, accordingly, weigh more. So if you're trying to gain mass, try going to the gym and lifting dumbbells.

Eat more protein

We suggest increasing the amount of protein in your diet, especially if you are also involved in weightlifting. Protein helps build muscle, keep your body toned and look beautiful. And at the same time increase your readings on the scale!

Here are just a few protein-rich foods you can find in stores near you:

Milk
Soy milk
Yogurt
Peanut butter
Lean meat, fish and poultry
Beans, tofu, lentils and other legumes
Cereals, including bread and pasta
Nuts and seeds

Add vegetable oil and butter

We all love to cook with vegetable oil, but when you're trying to lose weight, it's taboo. But in your case, plant foods are welcome (in reasonable quantities, of course). You shouldn't risk your own health, so it's better to use olive oil. And the additional kilograms will not take long to arrive.

Fat has twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates or protein (9 kcal per gram versus 4), so 100% fat foods are especially high in calories. Olive oil (which is pure fat) contains 1920 kcal per 250 ml. Any food rich in fat will have a large amount of calories. So guys, the more oil you use, the better!

Eat high-calorie snacks

You can constantly snack on high-calorie snacks during the day. For example, a bagel with cream cheese, crackers with cheese, or a peanut butter sandwich. If you have a very fast metabolism, ensure it works at its best, and then you will receive more calories than you lose.

Drink more dairy

Do you like milk? Regardless of the answer, you should drink it if you want to increase muscle mass. For example, chocolate milk is very tasty and also rich in calories. Drink it all day long. And not only milk, but also milkshakes and high-calorie smoothies.

Eat three times a day

Girls skip meals to lose weight, but if you're trying to gain weight, never - hear me, never! – don’t skip meals. You should eat three times a day. This is the only way you won’t feel hungry and at the same time save calories. Although some experts argue that by skipping meals, we give our body a signal to start storing fat, we think this is only true for obese people. If you are thin, then skipping meals is not only not recommended, but simply contraindicated.

Increase your serving size

If you want to lose weight, you need to cut back on portions, but the opposite is true if you really want to gain a few pounds. Take a larger plate and gradually increase the portions, and if you feel like you’re not full, feel free to ask for more :)

Try the forbidden fruit

If you need to gain a little weight, think about foods and meals that you have usually avoided. Finally, you can try what you've always wanted! Just imagine how many desserts, delicious snacks and high-calorie snacks await you! However, try to avoid fast foods, because they are full of useless and even harmful calories that will not lead to anything good.

Choose your carbohydrates carefully

While bread, pasta and other carbohydrates are your enemy when you're trying to lose weight, you can consider them your friends when you want to gain weight easily. You can also pay attention to carbohydrate-rich rye flour products. Go ahead and make yourself a sandwich from rye bread with butter or cream cheese.

Avoid watery vegetables

Yes, vegetables are healthy, especially those that are full of water. However, in your case, instead of water-rich vegetables like celery and cucumber, it is better to choose starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes and carrots.

Eat the right fruits

Just like vegetables, fruits also contain a lot of water. This makes them great for those trying to lose weight, but if the opposite is true, then you may want to avoid these fruits. So it is better to exchange watermelon and melon for something denser, for example, bananas or even dried fruits.

Add cream

Well, who among us doesn’t love heavy cream? But they are so high in calories! You're not losing weight, are you? Just imagine how many delicious things you can add to your diet if it contains cream! Latte with cream, delicious cookies, hearty oatmeal... mmm... just the thought makes your mouth water!

Get plenty of rest

If you want to increase weight, then you need to not only eat more and exercise properly, but also sleep at least 8 hours a day. Your body builds muscle mass when you rest, so you'll do it faster if you get enough sleep.

Add Supplements

You will forgive us for this tautology, but it is so. There are now a variety of herbal and dietary supplements that can help you deal with your problem. Seek help from a knowledgeable expert in the field, as not all supplements are created equal.

Constancy

Consistency is an insidious thing, which is not typical for many people. But it would be better to master this art if you are trying to gain weight (and lose weight too). How many times has this happened when you set a routine, then broke down, and then returned to the beginning again, but with a lost result behind you? So this shouldn't happen. Consistency should become an integral part of your life.

Keep a journal

Typically, women who are losing weight start a journal to keep track of what, how and when they eat. Well, this will work for you too if you have the opposite goal. Write down everything you eat, count calories, and also keep a workout diary. In short, write down everything that will help you take care of your body and health.

Consult a doctor

If you are having serious weight problems (no matter what), see your doctor. You should not radically change your diet and habits without consulting a specialist. Go to the doctor and make sure that there is no illness behind your weight loss (or inability to gain).

Double Fat

If you're trying to gain weight, one of the easiest ways is to simply double the amount of fat you eat at each meal (breakfast or dinner). Instead of one serving of nuts, take two. Add 2 tablespoons of oil or butter instead of one when cooking, or add a whole avocado instead of half as directed in the recipe. It's easy to make and yields delicious results. Plus, it will help you get fat pretty quickly, no matter how healthy these fats are.

Eat potatoes every day

Potatoes contain nutrients, but they promote rapid weight gain. Believe me, this is true. Even “healthy” varieties of potatoes, like sweet potatoes, are suitable for those who want to add a few pounds. Eat one at night so your body doesn't have a chance to burn those carbohydrates.

Eat ice cream twice a week

Ice cream (any kind) is high in calories and sugar. Even if you're a vegetarian, eat a couple a week and don't even think about breaking it down into portions. And don't forget to enjoy! You'll gain weight pretty quickly, and your taste buds will thank you for it!

Two breakfasts

Why have breakfast once when you can have two! Have breakfast around 7 am, and then again at 10 (or so). And don't forget about the rest of your meals to gain more calories. This will help you gain weight, no matter how healthy you eat.

Eat out more often

Restaurant dishes are higher in calories - that's a fact. Even “healthy” establishments prepare dishes that are higher in calories than what you eat at home. Many restaurant salads have more calories than two cheeseburgers! So eat out for dinner several times a week and you'll quickly gain the weight you need.

Eat peanut butter

No matter how healthy peanut butter is, it contributes to weight gain for most people. Eat a few tablespoons a day. Better yet, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before bed and wash it down with a glass of milk! Many athletes use this technique - some girls even managed to gain 5 kg in a month easily, only thanks to this habit.

Try a smoothie

Girls turn to smoothies for help when they are trying to lose extra pounds, but smoothies will also help those who are trying to gain them, because they are full of high-calorie ingredients. Take two bananas, berries and pineapple, then add two scoops of protein powder, green vegetables and two tablespoons of peanut butter with full-fat yogurt. You will gain weight instantly, especially if you add coconut too. All of these are healthy products, but this cocktail contains 600 kcal, so drink this drink twice a day, and excess body weight will not take long to appear.

Eat movie theater snacks

If you're one of those people who usually avoids the high-calorie snacks that people usually eat at the movies, then you might want to consider giving them a try. Buy a small portion of popcorn the next time you go to the movies. In one session you will consume almost 400 kcal, especially if the popcorn is buttered. Popcorn and nachos are high in calories, so they're a great way to gain weight and watch your favorite movie at the same time.

Milkshake and fries

We all know that fast food leads to excess weight, but French fries and a milkshake are a truly explosive combination for you. You can enjoy this dish several times a week, and you are allowed to order a larger portion!

Cream and sugar

If you drink coffee, use heavy cream and sugar. Yes, this is a harmful combination, but it will lead you to rapid weight gain. Forget stevia and unsweetened almond milk and turn your attention to sugar and cream. Try it and see for yourself.

Stop doing so much

Well, and finally, you shouldn’t overdo it with physical activity. Of course, if you are used to living with sports, you can do yoga - it helps girls with problems with weight and the menstrual cycle. This is also a great way to gain mass quickly. Another alternative: Walk for about 20 minutes every day at a slow pace. The fewer calories you burn, the more weight you will gain.

If you, unlike most women, are trying to gain weight rather than lose it, perhaps some (or all) of the tips presented here will help you do it quickly and safely. And don't forget that once you reach a weight that suits you, you will have to constantly maintain it at this level so that there are not too many fluctuations.

Video

Tips for gaining muscle mass and weight for different categories of people. Full video training, nutrition plan, detailed recommendations.

Being underweight can be as much an aesthetic problem as being overweight. An overly thin person, like an overweight person, can be classified as an unhealthy person. How do you know if you are painfully thin? In addition to external signs, there is an indicator of body mass index. When its mark drops below 19, this is a signal to work on your body.

How to eat to gain muscle mass and weight?

To gain weight, include the following foods in your diet:

Vegetable fats. Add healthy vegetable oils to porridges, soups and other dishes. Diversify your menu with a fruit such as avocado. You can simply spread it like butter on bread, or prepare salads with it. Snack on nuts and seeds
Cereals. These should be varieties that are easily absorbed by the body. Rice will not help in this matter, as it worsens digestion. Opt for buckwheat, millet, sprouted grains, quinoa
Sweet fruits and dried fruits

Starchy vegetables - pumpkin, sweet potato, beets
Legumes
Fatty dairy products. Add rich sour cream to your salad, snack on high-fat milk

IMPORTANT: Avoid caffeine, which is found in coffee, black and green tea. It does not allow moisture to remain in the body, and also disrupts the functioning of the stomach and adrenal glands.

If your goal is to build muscle mass, but otherwise everything is in order with your build, then pay attention to the following products:

Buckwheat grain. It contains a large amount of complex carbohydrates, 12% protein, which is easily digestible, B vitamins and minerals. But there is very little fat in cereals, and even that is useful for building your muscles
Egg white. The yolk contains a lot of fat, remove it when cooking or eat only 1-2 pieces. per day. But high-grade egg white is an important building material for muscle tissue. Its norm per day is 3-5 pcs.
Cottage cheese

Lean chicken meat
Lean fish
Lean beef
Seafood
Dairy and fermented milk products.
Bananas, honey, pasta, bread, rice are foods that provide energy during strength training.

When building muscles, avoid processed foods, sausages, chips, canned food, food with chemical additives, dyes, flavor enhancers, etc. Also exclude pork, as it is too fatty meat, and fat, as you know, only weighs down the body and fills it with garbage .

How to gain, increase weight with vitamins?

IMPORTANT: Vitamins and minerals are needed for weight gain by both athletes and people who are not involved in sports.

Vitamin A accelerates metabolism, stimulates cell growth and development, which has a beneficial effect on the rapid growth of muscle tissue.

Vitamin A content in foods

You need everything to gain weight B vitamins. These compounds send energy directly into the cells. Flaw vitamin B1 affects the digestive system, which in turn impairs the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

Sources of vitamin B1

Vitamins C and E belong to antioxidants that neutralize free radicals formed as a result of redox processes. Ascorbic acid is involved in burning fat, in its place muscle tissue will be built.

Vitamin E in foods

Phosphorus is involved in bone tissue, which will be put under pressure by increasing muscle mass, so its abundance is also important when gaining weight. For the same reason, the body needs and calcium.

Magnesium and sulfur participate in the synthesis of amino acids, from which muscles are formed.

Copper is responsible for the growth of all tissues in the body; it is also necessary for the growth of muscle tissue.

Starring zinc muscle protein is created.

IMPORTANT: Whole complexes of vitamins and minerals for weight gain can be found in stores specializing in nutrition for athletes. These are drugs such as Hi Tec Vitamin A-Z, Mega Mass 4000, etc.

Is it possible to gain weight with proteins? How to drink protein to gain muscle mass?

Thin people can easily gain weight by eating erratically and eating high-calorie foods. But such a person will not only gain weight from fast carbohydrates and fatty foods, but will develop fat folds. Therefore, experts advise “skinny” people to build muscle. And protein, or protein, is responsible for the growth of muscle tissue.

Today, protein can be obtained not only from food, but also from sports supplements. Supplements are created specifically for athletes whose protein needs increase due to strength training.

There are several types of synthetic protein:

whey, which is the most digestible, is taken after physical activity
casein - a slower protein, taken at night
egg
soy
meat

IMPORTANT: In order for proteins to act, strength loads are needed. Without exercise, consuming proteins will give minimal results.

Take protein shakes half an hour after training, as well as before going to bed. If you are a busy person and cannot always find time for a full meal, protein shakes will also come to your aid. They are easy and quick to prepare, and you will always be sure of a sufficient daily amount of protein.

Experts remind that most of the protein must still be obtained from food.

How to quickly gain weight for a girl, a girl, a thin guy, a 15-year-old teenager at home?

Parents worry about their children, so it's not surprising that being underweight becomes a cause for concern. First, you need to find out the reason for the teenager’s lack of kilograms.

A sharp growth spurt. Teenagers aged 13-15 years can stretch 5-10 cm in just a couple of months. In this case, there is no need to worry about the child’s sudden weight loss
Decreased appetite. Find out why your child doesn't want to eat. These could be teenage experiences, illnesses, protests

Diseases and stress that affect metabolic rate and can cause weight loss. In this case, take your teenager to a qualified healthcare professional
Too much activity. You should not ask your child to move less. It is better to properly adjust his diet

Nutrition tips for weight gain as a teenager:

Add more protein, carbohydrates and fiber to your child's menu. These are foods such as bread, fish, nuts, legumes, pasta, etc. The majority of a teenager’s diet should consist of fresh vegetables and fruits
Feed your child more often, from 5 times a day, but in moderate portions
Fatty dishes and fast food are heavy foods for the body. It takes a long time to absorb it, during which the child may have no appetite. Therefore, keep fatty foods to a minimum.

IMPORTANT: Enroll your teenager in a fitness room to gain muscle mass. Otherwise, with an increase in calorie intake, the child will begin to gain weight due to fatty tissue rather than muscle tissue.

How much muscle mass can you gain in a month?

Gaining muscle mass is a fairly long process. We are talking about dry muscle tissue without taking into account water and fat. Muscle growth is impossible without exercise, so we will talk about how much muscle mass you can gain in a month by working out in the gym.

The number of kilograms depends on the experience of the trainee. A beginner has a higher potential, so with the right training program, healthy diet, and protein intake, he can build muscle by 5 or more kg per month. In the future, this figure will decrease.

How to gain 10 kg of muscle mass, how to gain 5 kg of weight? Such figures require several months. On average, an athlete gains from 0.5 to 1 kg of lean muscle per week, which is 2-4 kg per month.

How to gain weight with drugs or pills?

Weight gain drugs can be divided into 2 large groups:

drugs for men
drugs for women

The first group is called steroids. These are special substances that supply an additional portion of testosterone to the male body.

From this, a man is able to quickly build muscle mass, his body will acquire more masculine outlines, and his hair will become thicker.

IMPORTANT: Steroids are prohibited by law in many countries; they act as doping in official sports competitions.

Women care less about growing their muscles. If they resort to pharmacological means to increase weight, it is because of thinness, which they consider unattractive. Here are some of the drugs that can be found at the pharmacy:

Duphaston- a medicine that was initially prescribed to women planning to conceive. Its side effect is weight gain
Oxandrolone- a hormonal drug that is sold only with the permission of a doctor for weight loss due to injury, surgery
Nutrizon- protein tablets, which the doctor prescribes for both anorexia and BMI deficiency. The main job of the drug is to regulate the gastrointestinal tract.
Riboxin is a relatively safe medicine that has gained popularity among people involved in sports. It stimulates blood flow and regulates the energy balance in the human body. Highly effective only with physical activity and special nutrition

IMPORTANT: Medicines for weight gain are not harmless aids. All of them affect human health in one way or another, so they should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

How to gain weight in your legs? Exercises and workouts to increase muscle mass in the body and legs?

No amount of nutrition will help you build leg muscles, since muscle tissue will be formed evenly throughout the body. In order to get better in the legs, you need a special training program aimed specifically at this part of the body.

You can contact a competent fitness instructor who will tell you leg exercises or machines that will help you increase the mass of your thighs and thighs.

Certain sports will also be useful, but in addition they will also diversify your visits to the fitness club. Try ice skating, roller skating, dancing, and skiing.

The ideal exercises for beautiful and strong legs are jumping rope and running. Practice jogging and jumping every day for 20 minutes, and the first results will not keep you waiting.

A great way to “pump up” your legs is to do home workouts. Here are a few rules for self-study to make it effective:

Exercise as often as possible. It is ideal to practice daily, but this applies to experienced athletes. It’s worth starting small (1-2 workouts per week), gradually increasing the number of sessions
Don't try to do several sets and many repetitions at once. Increase the load evenly
Start your workout with a warm-up, during which all leg muscles will warm up. Finish your session with a muscle-restorative stretch - a cool-down.

IMPORTANT: Wear well-cushioned sneakers to avoid damaging your ankle.

Video: A set of exercises for the legs and gluteal muscles

How to gain weight with diseases: diabetes, gastritis, pancreatitis, anorexia?

Weight changes are a common problem diabetics. The fact is that food in the body of a healthy person is converted into glucose, from which our body receives energy.

In a diabetic patient, the body cannot obtain energy from glucose, so it uses adipose tissue for this purpose. With a lack of daily calorie intake, a person begins to lose weight.

How to gain weight for a diabetic?

Contact a specialist who will calculate your daily calorie intake, or do it yourself using formulas on the Internet
Eat a healthy diet if you have diabetes. This includes moderate consumption of carbohydrates, consumption of foods with a low glycemic index, small and frequent meals
Physical activity will be useful both for regulating blood glucose levels and for building muscle mass. Loads should be moderate, not intense. Spend at least half an hour a day doing cardio or moderate-intensity exercise

At pancreatitis Digestive function is impaired, as a result of which nutrients are not fully absorbed. This provokes weight loss, which can become pathological.

Here are some tricks on how not to lose muscle mass with pancreatic disease, as well as stomach disease gastritis.

Add some baby food to your diet. Such products are specially designed for the growth and development of children. Baby cereals and purees contain a full range of nutrients that will help keep your weight at the same level.
Buy yourself a scale for your kitchen and use it to measure portions. Many patients with pancreatitis rely on their eyes and eat less than they can afford
The best option is to consult a qualified nutritionist who can create a personalized nutrient and calorie plan for you.

But in the case of such an illness as anorexia, nutritional advice is unlikely to be appropriate. Those who believe that anorexia is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract or simply poor appetite are mistaken.

Anorexia is primarily a mental illness associated with the fear of being fat. Therefore, treatment and weight restoration should begin with a visit to a psychiatrist. Next, a therapist and nutritionist are involved in complex treatment.

IMPORTANT: When treating anorexia, group psychotherapy is very important, since most patients are withdrawn and dominated by fears or real phobias.

When the issue with the psychiatrist is resolved, you can begin special diets for weight gain. Here it is important not only to eat more, but also to stabilize the appetite, which is usually absent in anorexics. The food may even make them feel nauseous and vomit.

It is necessary to create pleasant dining conditions for the patient: beautiful dishes, a calm, friendly atmosphere, artistic serving. Foods such as apples, lemon, herbs, and fermented milk products stimulate appetite.

There are also drugs specifically aimed at stimulating hunger. The diet prescribed by a doctor for anorexia is high in carbohydrates and protein and low in fat.

How to gain weight using folk remedies?

Infusion of pollen

Ingredients:

flower pollen - 500 g
condensed milk - 2 cans

Flower pollen is sold in stores specializing in beekeeping. Combine the components in one container and send them to infuse in a cold place for 14 days. When the product is ready, take it on an empty stomach 15 minutes before meals, 1 tsp. Every 5 days, increase the dose slightly, eventually bringing it to 2 tbsp. for women and 2.5 tbsp. for men.

Beer infusion

Ingredients:

beer - 200 ml
walnut - 3 pcs.
natural honey - 1 tsp

Grind the nuts to crumbs, combine them with honey melted in a water bath, then pour the resulting mixture with beer. Drink this product in a volume of 200 ml every day at a time, regardless of the time of day or meal. The course of treatment is a month. During this time you can gain up to 3 kg.

Phytonas for weight gain

Ingredients:

centaury – 20 g
calamus root - 20 g
dandelion root – 50 g
yarrow – 50 g
benedict root - 50 g
nettle leaves - 50 g
St. John's wort - 100 g
linden flowers - 100 g

Grind all the ingredients and pour boiling water at the rate of 200 ml per 1 tsp. dry matter. Leave the infusion covered for an hour, then pass through a sieve or cheesecloth. Drink 50 ml of warm solution 3 times a day before meals.

How can brewer's yeast help you gain weight?

Brewer's yeast contains B vitamins, vitamins PP, H, D, E, F, K, as well as the minerals iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, etc. The vitamin and mineral complex of yeast helps the absorption of amino acids, which are also included in their composition and serve to build tissues, including muscles.

Brewer's yeast has the following effects on the body:

improve digestive function
have a beneficial effect on liver function
speed up metabolism

IMPORTANT: Brewer's yeast causes appetite, so build your diet correctly so that you do not gain weight due to adipose tissue due to overeating.

Brewer's yeast by itself is not capable of affecting muscle growth. But coupled with intense strength training and proper nutrition with a high protein content, they will significantly speed up this process. Prepare a special yeast drink, which should be taken as a supplement to your regular diet during strength training.

Ingredients:

yeast in a briquette - 50 g
black bread - 15 g
water - 300 ml

Cut the bread into long thin bars, dry it in the oven, place in boiling water and leave on the table for 3 hours. Pass the liquid through a sieve or cheesecloth, add 45 g of yeast to it and place the container on the stove.
Heat the infusion to 70 degrees and cool naturally. Add the remaining yeast, close the container, insulate it with a towel and leave to brew for another 8 hours. You can add a little honey to the finished drink for sweetness.

How to gain weight after illness, surgery, childbirth?

Weight loss after illness, surgery, or childbirth does not make a person beautiful. And no matter how much they tell you about the beauty of thin people, weight loss due to illness is a blow to health. Here are the basic rules for how to regain lost pounds after illness, childbirth and surgery.

A beautifully set table, bright dishes, and a pleasant dining atmosphere will help you regain your appetite after illness and surgery. A healthy feeling of hunger is promoted by walks in the fresh air, sex, and permission to eat your favorite dish.
Follow a daily routine, eat at the same time
To restore body weight, proper rest and sound, long sleep are important.
Engage in sports aimed at increasing muscle mass
Follow the rules of healthy eating. Proper nutrition helps not only to lose weight. It rather normalizes the weight, no matter in which direction it deviates. Therefore, even if you are underweight, proper nutrition will be beneficial.

How to gain weight for a smoker?

When the question arises of how to increase weight for a smoker, many people advise him to quit smoking. Indeed, according to statistics, most people who quit a bad habit gain several kilograms.

But usually this is adipose tissue, and few people want to gain weight due to fat - the body looks unattractive, and health problems appear. Therefore, the question is how a smoker can gain muscle mass without stopping smoking.

Helpers on the path to a beautiful and healthy body will be proper nutrition, proper rest and sleep (at least 8 hours), as well as a complex of vitamins and minerals.

Since a smoker regularly poisons his body with toxic substances, experts recommend constantly resorting to pharmaceutical preparations, because smoking people, as a rule, do not have enough vitamins from food.

IMPORTANT: There are products that neutralize some of the harm from cigarettes. These are cabbage, fresh tomato and carrot juice, sprouted wheat grains.

The largest meal of the day is breakfast. Also, do not neglect the second, lighter breakfast. The first meal should not be immediately upon waking, eat within an hour after sleep
Do not eat raw foods on an empty stomach. It is useful to eat both vegetables and fruits in the morning, but the dishes should be heat-treated and warm.
If you are a coffee lover, then do not drink it on an empty stomach, but only half an hour after a nutritious breakfast
In winter, eat vegetables, fruits, and berries that you have frozen yourself or buy mixtures in the store, but only those that have been safely quickly frozen
Citrus fruits are the healthiest fruits in winter.
The last meal should be a couple of hours before going to bed, but not later. It is strictly forbidden to overeat at night
Keep a food diary where you record all the meals you eat. This will help you control your caloric intake and avoid unhealthy foods.
Do not wash down your food with water or tea. After eating, if you are very thirsty, take a few slow sips of plain warm water.

IMPORTANT: Svetlana Fus advises eating right not only during the period of weight loss or gain, but also not for a month or even a year. The nutritionist claims that only by adhering to proper nutrition throughout your life can you have a healthy and beautiful body at any age.

How to gain weight and muscle mass: reviews

According to reviews, any short-term diets aimed at increasing body weight give short-term results. Pharmacological hormonal drugs work in a similar way, which, moreover, also have a detrimental effect on internal organs.

Only proper nutrition, healthy sleep, avoidance of stress, and sufficient physical activity can help to qualitatively build muscle mass. In combination with folk remedies and taking vitamins and minerals, these methods will help you achieve the figure of your dreams.

Video: Nutrition for weight gain

Video: Workouts to gain muscle mass. Which program to use

Maria Soboleva

Do you want to gain weight? Find out the secrets of gaining the treasured kilos

Here's a paradox - some people put on extra pounds, even a tiny donut, while others eat from the belly and are as slim as a cypress, or even just thin, one might say, skinny, and passionately want to get better. Is it possible for such people to gain weight, what should they do? Are there other methods besides increased nutrition - answers and useful tips in this article.

Causes of underweight

So, you are determined to get better. Thin women want to add roundness to their shapes, and angular men want to add volume to their muscles.

Aren't you afraid of difficulties? After all, gaining weight is not an easy task. It may take a lot of time, effort and patience. And the increase, most likely, will not be particularly noticeable.

Thinness in the absence of diseases is more of a psychological problem. You just don’t like your own appearance and it seems that the treasured few kilograms will save the situation.

In fact, according to many doctors, thin people have better health and are more likely to live a long life.

Before you start gaining weight, rule out one of the reasons for being thin.

Reason No. 1. Diseases

Weight loss is often associated with hormonal imbalances. Impaired production of thyroid hormones affects the metabolic rate, which can cause weight fluctuations.

Often these diseases are accompanied by loss of appetite. This symptom should alert you and make you see a doctor. There is no point in trying to gain weight if losing it is associated with some kind of illness.

Reason No. 2. Bad habits

Do you know this fact - smoking speeds up your metabolism?

Reference: metabolism (metabolism) is a set of chemical reactions in the body that support its vital functions.

In addition to harm to health, smokers often also have a high risk of losing weight.

Painful thinness is also common in drug addicts.

Excessive consumption of tea and coffee (containing caffeine) also contributes to weight loss.

Reason No. 3. Human Constitution

Body weight is programmed genetically. Thinness is inherent in you by Mother Nature, there is no escape - it will be very difficult to get better.

If you have an asthenic body type, it means that gaining weight is truly hard work for you. Thin asthenics have an increased metabolic rate. There is not enough fat mass, and the muscles are poorly expressed.

How can such slender girls be? Expert opinions vary. Some argue: with the right approach, it’s possible to get better, it’s just that the process will be long and persistent, and the result will be modest. Others are sure: deviating from the genetically established norm is a useless exercise. Anyway, the kilograms you gained with difficulty will quickly go away.

Reason No. 4. Physical activity

Strenuous physical activity - strenuous sports training or hard work - often leads to weight loss. By the way, in addition to the loss of fat and muscle tissue, the body also loses moisture. It helps reduce body weight, but dehydration is extremely harmful.

What should I do? Optimize exercise and eat quality food.

Reason No. 5. Stress

You know the truism - all diseases are caused by nerves. Troubles at home and at work, conflict situations, illnesses of loved ones, difficult life situations cause nervous tension and stress. Because of this, a person can suddenly lose weight - stress hormones actively burn fat.

Determining body mass index

Are you really too thin or do you think so? It is very difficult to evaluate yourself objectively.

There is a BMI (body mass index) indicator that will help you understand whether the problem is imaginary or real.

It is calculated as follows: BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m) 2.

Your weight in kilograms is divided by your height squared. For example: with a height of 1.7 m and a weight of 65 kg, the BMI will be 22.5. This indicator fits into the norm recommended by the World Health Organization - from 18 to 24.9.

Smaller numbers already indicate a lack of weight, and an index of 16 and below means there is a dangerously pronounced lack of weight. It is necessary to recover, but only under the supervision of doctors, because we are clearly talking about serious health problems.

It turns out that the task of gaining weight is very individual in each case. For some it is vital, and for others it is important from an aesthetic point of view.

What to do to get better

We have decided that only completely healthy people can gain weight on their own. In principle, ideally, they too should turn to professionals. A nutritionist would select the optimal weight gain program specifically for each person. Understanding that this option is not available to everyone, we will figure out how to recover on our own.

Sleep and rest mode

Does it help you gain weight? Definitely yes. And here's why: a sound, restful sleep, ideally 8 hours, relieves stress (and we remember - it makes you lose weight), lifts your mood, and improves your appetite. During sleep, the growth hormone somatropin is produced, which helps build muscle.

On weekends, allow yourself an afternoon nap, just lie down and relax for half an hour or an hour. After having lunch at work, also try to sit quietly for a while. During the working day, relaxing 10-15 minute breaks are useful.

Evening walks will help improve your sleep.

Sports activities

We remember that excessive physical activity provokes weight loss; on the contrary, properly dosed sports activities help increase body weight.

Physical exercise promotes muscle development, and both men and women need it, but to varying degrees.
It is optimal, of course, to work with a personal trainer according to an individual program. But... In general, we can handle it ourselves.

You need to load all muscle groups, an excellent way is swimming and tennis. Exercises with weights are suitable. There are many complexes for muscle development. If you set a goal to train regularly, choose the right one; fortunately, they are easy to find on the Internet or in specialized literature.

Nutrition for those who want to get better

We have come to the most interesting part - after all, most of us are sure that proper nutrition will help us gain those treasured kilos.

A calorie is a measurement of the energy contained in food and used by our body.

If you consume more calories than you burn, the excess is stored by the body and weight is gained. How many of these calories someone needs depends on gender, age, activity and physical activity. On average: 1600-2400 for women and 2400-3000 for men.

To gain weight, you need to increase your calorie intake by 500-1000 per day. But remember: it is not the number of calories itself that is important, but where they are found. Food should be healthy! You can, of course, eat the cake and add about 500 units, but it’s probably healthier to get them by having lunch with a piece of turkey with a side dish of rice.

This means you shouldn’t overeat on buns, pies, cakes and chocolates. Calorie? Yes, but our goal is to get better, not to get diabetes, tooth decay and indigestion. We will add kilograms by eating healthy foods.

Here is a whole list of what saturates the body with essential proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins:

Eggs are tasty, high in calories, a source of protein, vitamins A, D, E, and folic acid.
Fatty fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna contain the protein we need, omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids promote heart function.
Shrimp is a high-calorie seafood product, rich in protein and amino acids.
Cheese is valuable for its high protein and fat content, calcium, and calorie content.
Milk, sour cream, yogurt - we use it daily, we get vitamins, protein, calcium.
Butter: we eat both butter and vegetable oils - olive, sunflower, peanut, corn.

Carbohydrate-rich foods: pasta, oatmeal, cereal, baked goods, legumes, brown rice, vegetables.

Also required in the diet: fruits, juices, nuts and seeds, dried fruits.

We also try to gain weight with nutritional cocktails.

There is a folk recipe: stir 2-3 tablespoons of full-fat sour cream in a glass of dark beer, add salt and drink.

Another high-calorie drink: mix a glass of milk, a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a teaspoon of honey, and add a couple of ice cubes.

In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is good to have snacks during breaks. Almonds, peanuts, dried fruits are suitable. Don't forget about fruits - bananas, peaches, melon, grapes. You can easily afford ice cream or cake between main meals.

Many nutritionists recommend such a rich diet in order to gain weight.

But there is an alternative point of view. Its adherents criticize frequent and high-calorie meals, citing their own reasonable arguments.

Firstly, if you saturate your body with food all day, when will it all have time to be digested? Secondly, such food puts a strain on the pancreas and liver, and our internal organs are not a conveyor belt for processing the flow of products ().

There is not more, but better - this is the motto of this method.

For those who want to increase fat tissue (ladies, of course), carbohydrates will help. And muscle development is promoted by amino acids obtained from protein products: eggs, milk, meat, fish. Men should focus on them.

Vegetables and fruits provide enzymes that help digest food. They are a must in the diet of those gaining weight.
In general, a menu whose goal is to gain weight is simply the envy of those losing weight. Is it possible to compare the range and quantity of products needed in these cases?

Regarding special products: anabolic steroids, gainers, protein supplements. Don't feel like they are your lifeline. Athletes use similar things during intense physical exertion and under the supervision of specialists.

Achieve results with proper nutrition and lifestyle.

In pursuit of the desired kilograms, let's try not to harm ourselves, not to turn into an automaton, absorbing more and more portions of food. It's better to be thin but healthy than to be well-fed but sick.

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

When it comes to being underweight

As a rule, women envy those who have a very slim figure. But it is worth carefully understanding whether it is slim or thin and taking lack of weight very seriously, because for this reason women may have serious problems with the most important thing in our lives - conceiving a child.

There are several formulas that can be used to calculate the body weight you should strive for. First of all, these are Broca's Formula and Body Mass Index (BMI - from English Body Mass Index, or BMI for short). The latter has great advantages as it gives more accurate results. You can calculate your ideal weight yourself. The BMI formula is as follows: body weight must be divided by height (in meters) squared.

Underweight is when your BMI is less than 18.5.

What can you eat to gain weight?

It’s better to look at the table of calorie content of foods and choose those that you like and are high in calories at the same time. Thus, there is no need to significantly change the diet, it is only possible to increase portions and add additional snack foods. High-calorie foods for weight gain are:

What exactly to eat is an individual matter, but the main thing is that the food is high in calories and contains a lot of proteins and carbohydrates. Proper nutrition is just one of the methods of body correction.

Exercising and a protein-carbohydrate diet is a combination that will double your results. With the right products, you can easily add 5 to 10 kilograms in 30 days. You can check whether this is really so in practice, from your own experience. To do this, you need to weigh yourself every morning (without outerwear and on an empty stomach) and count the number of calories consumed for a month.

Diet for weight gain: sample menu for the day

Breakfast: cottage cheese with sour cream, with the addition of fresh or dried fruit, or rolled oatmeal porridge with milk with the addition of honey and nuts, a sandwich with butter and cheese and a cup of cocoa with milk.
Snack: Yogurt with fruit and a bun, banana or grapes.
Dinner: Start with a salad to improve your appetite, a thick soup with meat broth, fried meat or fish, a side dish of spaghetti seasoned with butter or mashed potatoes with milk, add your favorite dessert and coffee with cream.
2nd snack: full-fat yogurt with fruit or cottage cheese with sour cream.
Dinner: scrambled eggs with bacon, milk smoothie with your favorite fruits.

At night you can eat any sweet fruit.

The truth is that poor nutrition will hinder your efforts to gain weight. To add lean mass, these eight proven methods will come in handy. Let's study them in detail.

Ator: Vince Del Monte

Brief summary of the article

Eating everything is not the best strategy for gaining muscle mass.
Rule number one is to simply double your regular serving size.
Watch what you eat, otherwise you risk getting fat.

Eight secrets on how to gain weight and not get fat!

Everyone would agree that to gain muscle mass we have to eat, right? I hope you agree, otherwise you're just on the wrong site.

If you train without drugs, you will not be able to gain weight or significantly increase muscle size without consuming enough quality calories to support hypertrophic processes, that is, muscle growth.

You won't be able to gain muscle mass without consuming enough quality calories.

Conversely, if you don't eat well, you risk losing muscle mass, no matter how hard you train.

In light of the above, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to understand that the more we eat, the faster we gain weight and grow faster. But is it?

Not really.

Poor nutrition slows down all your attempts to gain weight - this is the absolute truth. But there is a big difference between the concepts of “gaining overall weight” and “gaining muscle mass.” Here we strive to increase weight precisely due to muscle mass, and not to a banal increase in total body weight.

Now we've stepped on my pet peeve...

Guys who justify eating all sorts of junk food in order to gain weight are also putting up with excessive increases in body fat (more than I condone in my book) in hopes of stimulating additional muscle growth.

This tactic doesn't work.

You need to understand that when it comes to gaining muscle mass, your body's potential is very limited. But unfortunately, the same cannot be said about its ability to increase fat tissue reserves (otherwise we would live in a much more attractive society).

The ability of the human body to build muscle mass varies greatly from person to person. They depend on how much protein your body can synthesize, which in turn is affected by testosterone levels, the degree to which it increases under stress, tissue sensitivity to insulin, and the genetic predisposition of your muscle fibers to grow. And many more factors.

Now let's look at eight secrets that will help you gain lean weight and increase your daily diet, without turning you into a fat guy.

1. Double the quantity

If you are not gaining weight, the solution suggests itself - you need to give your body more calories. What's the easiest way to raise your caloric intake through the roof? Double your portion sizes! For example, if you previously ate one chicken breast at lunch, now you will have to eat two.

Whenever possible, eat twice as much as you are used to.

Have you toasted a piece of bread in the toaster for breakfast? Now fry two. Whenever possible, eat twice as much as you are used to and you will double the energy value of your diet. Since you have to cook the food anyway, doubling the portion size won't require any extra effort.

2. Focus on meal times

The next point is not to allow yourself to be distracted during the day. You need to eat and eat often - every 2-3 hours, this is the best choice if you really do not have enough calories in your diet. Forgetting to eat on time? Set a timer for a specific time or buy a watch with an alarm clock. This also applies to breakfast. You should load your body with quality calories within fifteen minutes of waking up. Do not allow the body to use its own tissues as a source of fuel, otherwise you will mark time.

3. Take large cutlery

Another neat trick that I recommend to many clients is to purchase large plates. Just as diet guides recommend reducing your plate size to lose weight, you should do exactly the opposite when gaining muscle mass. Once you've got your hands on a big plate, make sure you fill it to the brim!

4. Don’t skimp on post-workout supplements.

Next point. You must be absolutely sure that immediately after training your body receives a quality product. If you ignore that crippling hunger at this point, you won't get the maximum benefit from your workout.

The body will gratefully absorb literally every calorie that you give it immediately after a training session, and your reluctance to load the body with a batch of high-quality proteins will negatively affect the course of recovery processes.

If you're looking for the perfect moment to throw a high-calorie cocktail into the fire, this is it. And yet, even if you are one of those who exercise in the morning, you still have no right to leave home without breakfast. As with anything else, you need to fuel your body before you start exercising. If you do not accept a full meal in this situation, then use a shake that will provide you with calories.

5. Look for high-calorie foods

Guys who need a high-calorie diet to build muscle tissue need to reach for the highest calorie foods available. If you waste time eating too much food, you will have a harder time meeting your body's energy needs, which will hinder your ability to gain muscle mass.

Let's list the high-calorie foods: peanuts, peanut butter, brown oats, lean red meat, chicken breasts, chicken eggs and dried fruit. The more products from this list you put on your menu, the sooner you will see results.

Avoid foods such as whole vegetables (puree them or take concentrated juice as a source of vitamins), cooked oats, popcorn and low-calorie soups. These foods are too bulky and will make you feel full too quickly.

6. Record, record and record again!

Now that you're diligent about your diet and getting a ton of calories, you'll have to carefully record the amount. You don’t want your efforts to lead to obesity, and therefore the best solution in this situation is to monitor the energy value of your daily diet. If you exceed the limit, you will begin to gain weight due to adipose tissue.

When the first signs of an increase in fat tissue appear, you should reduce the energy value of your diet by 200 calories (or 10%). And the growth of adipose tissue will stop.

You should record how many calories you consume during the day.

If you don't keep track of your caloric intake, you will never know how many calories you are getting per day and how much to reduce the energy value of your diet if you accumulate fat. Often, when this problem appears, guys sharply reduce the caloric content of their diet, which is a serious mistake, since by doing so they also slow down the gain of muscle mass.

You have to balance on a very fine line. Too little and your muscles don't grow. Too much and you get fat. But, having found the golden mean, you will immediately understand it, since you will become stronger and slimmer at the same time.

7. Let's discuss cardio exercises

To top it all off, you should think carefully about incorporating cardio into your training program. Most guys make the same common mistake - they think that doing cardio every day will protect them from becoming fat. But too intense cardio exercises also impede the growth of muscle tissue, so they need to be strictly dosed.

What cardio can really do is increase your appetite, increase the efficiency of your recovery processes (if you stick to a low intensity level) and speed up your metabolism a little.

With a balanced diet, I only need a ten-minute warm-up on the treadmill and a twenty-minute final set after strength training - this is enough to squeeze out the last drops of glycogen. I set the speed on the treadmill to 6 km per hour and the incline from 8 to 12 degrees - this protects me from the appearance of a double chin and does not interfere with muscle gain. And more intense exercise will take too many calories.

Cardio exercise should not be too intense, otherwise it will slow down muscle growth

8. Never exercise on an empty stomach!

How many times have you, as soon as you woke up, hurriedly downed a protein shake and headed straight to the gym? Or did you skip several meals during a difficult day, and then also try to lift weights after work?

I used to think that common sense prevented people from making such mistakes, but then some of my skinny clients admitted that they came to workouts having eaten only a couple of crackers or some unfortunate piece of fruit all day.

Hearing this, I dropped a 20-pound pancake on my foot in shock, and they continued to tell me that they did not feel hungry. In response, I roared at them: “Yes, you are not hungry, but that is because your metabolism has switched to complete exhaustion mode, goner!”

I also realized that the morning hours for many people are the only time free for training, however, I still recommend fitting at least one of the three main meals into this short period before the training session. Otherwise, your largest meal should take place immediately after your morning workout.

Will you go on a long trip with a half-empty gas tank? Not unless, of course, you're going to manually push a dead car halfway. So why would you send your body into a grueling workout with a completely empty stomach?

Conclusion

Gaining muscle mass is not an excuse for swimming in fat and eating everything on the buffet every day. I suggest you master one of the rules mentioned above every week and watch how the proportion of muscle tissue in your body increases with each new week.

Perhaps you're just one or two rules away from revealing a gorgeous physique to the world, then you don't need to use all eight secrets. Conversely, thoughtfully place accents if your muscles have clearly slowed down.

I would like to know which rule you like best, and which principle you will begin to implement in your program this week. Leave your comments and questions about my article.