12 Tips On What to Eat & How to Train for weight gain Quickly
NUTRITION:
1. How to eat to gain weight.
2. What foods should I eat to gain weight?
3. How much protein do I need to gain weight?
4. How many carbs and fats should I eat to gain weight?
5. How fast can I gain weight and get bigger?
STRENGTH TRAINING:
6. What exercises are best for weight gain?
7. How to get stronger and build muscle.
8. How many days should I exercise to gain weight?
7. How to get stronger and build muscle.
8. How many days should I exercise to gain weight?
RECOVERY:
9. How much sleep should I get to gain weight?
10. Should I do cardio while trying to gain weight?
11. Can you build muscle without gaining fat?
12. Gain weight, get bigger and supercharge your results.
10. Should I do cardio while trying to gain weight?
11. Can you build muscle without gaining fat?
12. Gain weight, get bigger and supercharge your results.
#1) How to eat to gain weight.
“If you’re not gaining weight, you’re not eating enough food.” - It’s science and thermodynamics.
depending on your current size and level of activity, your body burns 1200-2500+ calories every day just doing all of its daily processes:
- Breathing.
- Keeping your heart beating.
- Powering your liver, kidneys, and brain.
- Powering your movement.
- Rebuilding muscle.
- And dozens of other things.
Here’s the problem: because your body efficiently uses up all of the calories you consume every day, there are no calories left over to build muscle (or get stored as fat).
We overestimate how many calories we’re eating each day, we don’t account for the calories we burn through movement or exercise, and there aren’t enough calories left over to create a “caloric surplus.”
And without that surplus, we’ll never gain weight or get bigger.
In order to gain weight, target an additional 300-500 calories with your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Want to gain weight even faster? As long as you know you’ll also be gaining lots of fat, you can target 800-1000 calories above your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
Answer: “WHEN” you eat doesn’t matter nearly as much as “HOW MUCH” you eat.
Depending on your schedule, you can:
- Eat 3 big meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Eat 6 regular-sized meals throughout the day.
- Skip breakfast and eat two MONSTER meals (this is what I do).
It comes down to your personal preference. You might struggle to eat 3000 calories in 3 meals, so having 6 500-calorie meals throughout the day might make you feel less bloated and full.
#2) What foods should I eat to gain weight?
HERE’S HOW TO EAT TO GAIN HEALTHY WEIGHT:
Calculate your (Total daily energy expenditure) and add 300-500 cal over your number for sustainable weight gain.
Consume at least 1-1.5g per pound (2.2-3.3g per kg) of body weight in protein daily.
Consume .25-.4g per pound (.5-.8g per kg) of body weight in fat daily.
Consume the rest of your calorie goals from healthy carbs.
Eat vegetables so that your body can process all the extra food.
If you are not gaining weight, add more carbs and/or fats to your meal.
The most important macro we’re going to focus on is protein. Studies show you’re more likely to put on the right kind of weight with a high protein diet compared to a low protein diet.
FOOD PRIORITY #1: PROTEIN
Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
- Meat (steak, bison, pork).
- Fowl (chicken, turkey, duck).
- Eggs!
- Cheese and dairy.
- Fish and shellfish (salmon, tuna, shrimp).
- Legumes (black beans, chickpeas).
- Other vegetarian protein sources here.
Also, here’s how much protein is in a serving of food:
- 4 oz (113 g) of chicken has around 30 g of protein.
- 4 oz (113 g) of salmon has 23 g of protein
- 4 oz (113 g) of steak has 28 g of protein.
PRIORITY #2: CARBS
Here are whole foods full of carbohydrates:
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Oats
- Legumes and lentils
- Sweet potatoes
- Yams
- Regular potatoes
- Whole grain pasta
- Whole grain bread
PRIORITY #3: FAT!
Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
- Avocado
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Olive oil
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
Saturated fats can come from things like:
- Whole milk
- Full fat dairy
- Coconut oil
- Grass-fed butter
- Fatty cuts of meat
- Lard
To help you gauge: a serving size of fat is roughly the size of your thumb!
PRIORITY #4: VEGETABLES!
Here’s a quick, non-complete list of veggies that you can choose:
- Broccoli
- Broccolini
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Kale
- Spaghetti squash
- Brussels sprouts
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Onion
- Asparagus
“BUT STEVE, I REALLY STRUGGLE TO EAT ENOUGH CALORIES FROM WHOLE FOODS EVERY DAY!“
#3) How Much Protein to Eat to Gain Weight?
The current international Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.4g per pound of body weight (0.8 g per kg of body weight).
In our opinion, and as pointed out by this study[10] the RDA # for protein is too low and should be higher regardless of your body composition.
But you don’t care about that. You just want me to know how much protein to eat, right?
Here is our recommendation:
If you’re of healthy weight, active, and wish to build muscle, aim for 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg).
If you’re going to be strength training while getting bigger, intakes up to 1.50 g/lb (3.3 g/kg) may help you minimize fat gain.
Target 1-1.5g per lb of bodyweight (2.2-3.3g per kg) while trying to gain weight. When in doubt, eat more.
#4) How Much Carbs and Fats Should I Eat to Gain Weight?
If you are trying to put on a lot of weight, then carbs and fats are your friends.
They have a high-calorie count and you can eat lots of them without getting as full as some other things (like protein-rich foods).
Here are foods full of carbohydrates you can prioritize for bulking up:
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Oats
- Legumes and lentils
- Sweet potatoes
- Yams
- Regular potatoes
- Whole grain pasta
- Whole grain bread
Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
- Avocado
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Olive oil
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
- Whole milk
- Full fat dairy
- Coconut oil
- Grass-fed butter
- Fatty cuts of meat
- Lard
Target 2 portions of carbs, and 2 portions of fat in your meals.
If you’re not gaining weight, increase those numbers even more.
This is all about math! Not getting bigger = need MORE food.
What about other foods like pizza, pasta, candy soda? Sure, you can get away with consuming less healthy things ON OCCASION (pizza, subs, etc.) but avoid fueling yourself with ONLY junk food.
#5) How Fast Can I gain Weight?
Depending on your training, genetics, how skinny you are, and how much muscle you need to obtain, you can decide how much weight you want to gain each week.
Now, depending on how thin you are currently, you might WANT to gain weight even faster and put on a bit of fat.
If you target 500 calories above your Calorie Expenditure every day, you’ll gain a pound a week.
If you target 1000 calories above your TDEE, you’ll gain 2 pounds per week:
So, how do you know if your efforts are working? Simple.
Taking measurements, take photos, and weigh yourself daily:
Take front and side photos every Monday.
Track your meals every day.
Weigh yourself every other day.
If the scale is moving UP, keep doing what you’re doing.
If the scale is NOT moving: EAT MORE.
If you’re ever unsure if you’ve eaten enough that day, eat more.
Once you start to get a good feel for how many calories you eat each day, try to eat the same meals to keep it easy.
#6) What Are the 10 Best Exercises For Weight Gain?
