Weight Gain Diet

Often, when we see very slim people, we think how lucky they are, that do not have to battle bulges and love handles and so on and so forth. However, very few amongst us understand that being thin is as unhealthy as being overweight. If these thin people want to gain weight, they have to follow the weight gain diet more rigorously than what overweight people have to follow weights loss diets!

Healthy Weight Gain Diet

Before you start the weight gain diet plan, you must remember it is not going to be cake walk if you have been on lean all your life. You will be required to follow follow this diet for weight gain religiously, so that you achieve the desired results. Here are some of the tips to keep in mind, when you design your weight gain diet.
The first rule is to increase your calorie count. The calorie count should be more than what you burn. For example, if you currently have 2000 calories a day, then you will have to increase it to about 2500 calories, so that you have some excess calories required to gain weight. The increased calories should always come from healthy food to gain weight. In this article, you will find mentioned, the list of healthy weight gain foods.

You will have to increase the number of meals you consume. Have six meals a day, out of which three should be substantially large meals while the other three need to be smaller in quantity. Alternate one big meal with one small meal. There should be a gap of at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours between each meal. Never go without food for more than 4 hours. Going without meals will hamper your weight gain plan. Remember to consume only healthy food to gain weight.

There is a misconception about exercise and weight gain. People usually wonder why is it necessary to exercise when they want to gain weight? There are two reasons for the same. One of them is to gain your lean muscle mass, which can be achieved only with healthy weight gaining foods and exercising. The other reason is you will have to keep your metabolism high, in order to gain weight.

Most diets to gain weight will require you to eat weight gain foods, which are rich in protein. This is important because amino acids are required to build muscle mass. Amino acid is derived from protein. If the body does not receive a good supply of amino acids, it breaks down the existing muscles. Hence, it is important that you keep your protein intake high, to prevent existing muscles to be converted into amino acids.

It is seen that carbohydrates are not given due importance in weight gaining foods. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose and eventually glycogen, which is the immediate source of energy for the body. Energy is essential for training of any type. Therefore, as proteins are required in the diet, carbohydrates are also an important part of the diet.

Even if your diet is high in proteins and carbohydrates, it is important that you also have your daily quota of fats as well, as one gram of fat contains double the amount of calories than one gram of protein or carbohydrates. It is necessary for you to understand that you need to consume essential fatty acids.

What Foods to Eat to Gain Weight

Now let's turn our attention to foods to eat to gain weight. There are certain types of food which are an integral part of weight gaining diets, let's learn more about them.

Carbohydrates: For healthy carbohydrates you will have to include whole wheat bread, multi-grain bread, potatoes, wheat pasta, brown rice, fresh fruits, especially bananas, mango and dry fruits in your diet. To obtain more information, refer to carbohydrates

Proteins: Fish, lean meat, chicken, turkey, low fat milk, low fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese, egg whites, soy products like tofu and whey protein powder, etc. are rich in proteins, which you can include in your diet as per your taste. For more information you can also refer to proteins.

Fatty Food: Flaxseed, flaxseed oil, olive oil, avocados, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cod liver oils, oily fish like mackerel, tuna and salmon are some of the fatty weight gaining foods, which you will have to include in your weight gain diet. However for best results, keep their quantity at its lowest.

When you are on a weight gain diet, do not fall prey to fatty junk food. With weight gain, I am sure you do not want to gain health issues. Therefore, consume healthy weight gaining foods so that you achieve your weight goal and at the same time, stay fit and healthy. You can refer to the following list for more information on how to gain weight and the diets involved.

• How to gain weight quickly
• Ways to gain weight fast

This should conclude our insight on which foods to incorporate and which to leave out, in order to make that perfect weight gain diet.