Most people are concerned with losing weight, so it's always a bit difficult to find information on how to gain weight. Let's face it - the overweight people may get all the attention, but being skinny is a struggle too. In the end, the best way to gain is to eat more - lots more - than you normally consume. There are plenty of foods that will help you pack on the pounds, but I'm going to focus on the healthiest ones - no use being big and buff if it kills you, right? Another thing to keep in mind as you're reading this - you MUST eat regularly - 5-6 times a day, every three hours if possible. Having two or three massive meals daily is just not going to cut it. 1. Whole Grain Pastas and Bread You're going to need plenty of carbohydrates to pack on weight - more than the average person since you've probably got a high metabolism. Stay away from fried foods such as french fries, and processed carbs such as white bread. 2. Chicken and Fish Protein is very important to muscle synthesis - be sure to eat plenty of it. Due to fat and cholesterol content, you should focus on lean meats such as chicken and fish; stay away from red meats if at all possible. A huge bowl of pasta with a few piddly chunks of meat isn't gonna cut it - go for 1 1/2 - 2 chicken breasts, more if you can handle it. 3. Healthy Meal Replacement Powders Do NOT go for "weight gain powders" - they're basically laden with sugars and won't do anything but make you fat (unless that's your aim). My favorite healthy MRP is EAS's Myoplex - tastes good and my cholesterol was fine even after a year of continuous use. If you can't afford it, NLarge2 is pretty good too, though a little bit higher in cholesterol content. Don't completely replace your caloric intake with these meals - allow a maximum 2 of your 5-6 meals to be composed of MRPs. 4. Sugar, but only before and after working out Your body has two windows of opportunity where muscle growth can be enhanced by sugar intake - roughly an hour before working out, and within 30 minutes after working out. Any other time will waste the sugar or, even worse, pack on extra fat. 5. Water Keep your body hydrated - muscles won't grow without plenty of water. You're not looking to drown yourself - 8 ounces an hour is good - more while you're working out. The extra water will aid in muscle synthesis and keep your energy levels up. 6. Lift Weights This isn't a food, but you need to put yourself on a muscle-building workout schedule. Unless you lift weights, eating a lot is most likely going to just make you fat. |
