Samantha had always been thin, but her friends teased about her thinness. Tired of being the victim of jokes, she began lifting weights at the gym and ate more. As time passed, her clothes fit better, and she felt more confident.
Why do some people need to gain weight? In some cases, it may be due to illness. In Samantha’s case, it was simply about feeling better about herself. She wanted to feel confident and stop being the joke. Sometimes gaining weight is not about health or medical issues, but self-acceptance and self-confidence.
The word “diet” means “weight loss” to most people. However, there are also “weight gain” diets. You can follow it if: you are too thin or suffer from a slimming complex. You want to build muscle effectively. Or it would help if you reached a healthy weight to recharge your immune defenses.
1 – Choose nutrient-rich foods. The weight gain diet is about getting the proper nutrients to meet your body’s needs. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fat-free or low-fat dairy.
2 – Eat more calories than your body uses. To gain weight, consume about 2,500 calories a day, a “hyper-caloric diet” to stimulate muscle mass gain. In addition, many carbohydrates in the diet are essential, as they allow you to give energy to the body.
3 – Foods rich in starch. Starch is a carbohydrate that provides energy and increases satiety. When choosing starchy foods, select balanced options: potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and full-grain bread.
4 – Physical activity. Red meat is an excellent source of protein to build muscle and increase mass—moreover, chicken, tuna, peanuts, eggs, beans, chickpeas, and prawns. Along with diet, physical activity is vital to gaining weight.
5 – Before exercise. An adequate carbohydrate and protein diet before activity supplies the energy needed for an intense training session.