Tips on Gaining Weight

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satanscheese
satanscheese Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
I know that this website is mainly based around the idea of losing weight.
Many people seem to forget the other end of the spectrum that is gaining weight.
For those ectomorphs out there (myself included)
I thought it would be a good idea if people could share tips on what foods they have in there diet to help gain weight.

I use a tablespoon of peanut butter in my weight gain drinks which works out altogether at 900 calories per drink, I have two a day most days so that makes meeting my target calories for the day alot easier.

Feel free to add opinions :)

cheers

Replies

  • karl39x
    karl39x Posts: 586 Member
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    There's a weight gaining section on here too. And in between big meals I try to eat as much good snacks as I can, like unsalted nuts, bananas have surprisingly a lot of calories, and natural peanut butter sandwiches.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Mark Rippetoe recommends a gallon of milk a day, for young men under 30, to gain weight. Also combine this with a decent beginners programme of lifting, such as Starting Strength (Rippetoe's programme) or Stronglifts 5x5. A decent lifting programme is really important to ensure what you gain is mainly muscle... don't fear some fat gains, you can always cut later on if you find it hard to gain weight you'll probably find cutting relatively easy

    personally, I'm doing stronglifts 5x5 but i'm going to switch to Starting Strength because it's better (you get the book and it has a ton more info than the stronglifts programme, which is free). I don't do the gallon of milk a day thing because I'm female and over 30, and that would be overkill and lead to excessive fat gain but at your age and being male you have enough testosterone in your system to make decent muscle gains if you eat right. And not everyone does the gallon of milk a day thing, but it does seem like a good way to get a decent amount of calories and protein in your system to make gains.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,667 Member
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    The ONLY thing one has to do to gain weight is eat more than they burn. A calorie surplus isn't hard to achieve with all the calorie dense options that are out there today.
    And contrary to popular fitness myths, adding weight will mean adding lean tissue and fat. Unless one is using enhancement, there is no way it's just going to be lean tissue.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
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    If you eat sandwiches, spreading avocado or mayo into them helps give you a boost in calories. Adding flax meal to foods adds some calories and gives you healthy fats. If you eat multiple snacks, you won't feel as stuffed getting all the calories into your day that you need. Anything that you used to eat like milk and yogurt that might have been low fat, get the whole milk versions. Keep fruit juices with you, since those aren't filling but have a lot of calories in them. Good luck!
  • Suleya
    Suleya Posts: 20
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    carry a mix of nuts (high calorie ones include walnut, pecan, brazil, and many more) and dried fruit (raisins, apple slices, berries...) and eat as soon as you get a little hungry. Nuts (and to an extent, dried fruit) are very high calories and if you snack on some during the day, it can add up quickly without feeling like you stuffed yourself.

    Another one is making smoothies including Bananas (high cal for fruit), soy cream (I am vegan, if you arent just use normal cream), nutbutters (high fat/cal and yummy!) and flaxseeds (healthy fats). They are super tasty and i personally feel like i got less stuffed drinking these instead of a meal with the same amount of calories, therefore could have more.

    Dont drink Green Tea or coffee, they speed up your metabolism which isnt what you want if you try to gain weight.

    It is quite a long time ago that i tried to gain weight, this is just what I remember atm, but I was successful :)

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