Gaining Weight The Healthy Way

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NikaBlake
NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I've used MyFitnessPal before but never entered the community...and how welcoming people have been!! :smiley:
I am on a journey ( and have been since my teenage years ) to gain some weight in the healthiest way possible. I thought it was easy but it is actually quite hard :neutral:
Any tips or motivational thoughts would be much appreciated, so feel free to add me :smile:

Replies

  • moto450
    moto450 Posts: 334 Member
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    I lost considerable amount of weight and now I am working to gain weight the same as you, the right way. feel free to add me if you would like.

    Good luck to you!
  • NikaBlake
    NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
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    moto450 wrote: »
    I lost considerable amount of weight and now I am working to gain weight the same as you, the right way. feel free to add me if you would like.

    Good luck to you!

    It's not as easy as a lot of people think is it?!
    Thank you and good luck to you too!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    How are you defining healthy? Honestly, I would figure out your maintenance calories and then at 250 calories. On top of that i would have a progressive load lifting program that focuses on compound lifts. And on top of that try to get 80 to 90% of your calories from nutrient dense foods such as fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, fish etc...
  • NikaBlake
    NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
    edited October 2015
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    psulemon wrote: »
    How are you defining healthy? Honestly, I would figure out your maintenance calories and then at 250 calories. On top of that i would have a progressive load lifting program that focuses on compound lifts. And on top of that try to get 80 to 90% of your calories from nutrient dense foods such as fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, fish etc...

    Hi psulemon ☺ when I say healthy I mean ensuring I'm not just loading up on useless fat and sugar (like most people I know would assume is the way to bulk up lol) but instead ensure I'm getting sufficient nutrients as I'm pretty sure I'm lacking in a few essential vitamins. To be honest I'm not particularly into fitness so don't really know alot..but I'm here to learn, find some motivation and maybe even give a few words of encouragement to others.
  • NikaBlake
    NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Didn't realise there was a word limit! Haha
    Thank you for the advice!! All advice is welcome...Although please fitness folk, forgive me if I don't know what some of it means
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    If you break your meals in to several snacks as well as your three main meals it will get easier.

    If you eat a variety of foods including plenty of fruit and vegetables I think you will hit close to your micronutrient goals.

    At the end of the day if you are below target, feel free to dip in to calorie dense foods like ice cream, nuts, and cheese.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    NikaBlake wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    How are you defining healthy? Honestly, I would figure out your maintenance calories and then at 250 calories. On top of that i would have a progressive load lifting program that focuses on compound lifts. And on top of that try to get 80 to 90% of your calories from nutrient dense foods such as fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, fish etc...

    Hi psulemon ☺ when I say healthy I mean ensuring I'm not just loading up on useless fat and sugar (like most people I know would assume is the way to bulk up lol) but instead ensure I'm getting sufficient nutrients as I'm pretty sure I'm lacking in a few essential vitamins. To be honest I'm not particularly into fitness so don't really know alot..but I'm here to learn, find some motivation and maybe even give a few words of encouragement to others.

    Neither fats nor sugars are really unhealthy. Fats regulate hormones and sugars stimulate insulin which can allow protein to be used as fuel to build muscle. This isnt suggesting to eat a ton of candy, doughnuts or whatever but they can serve a purpoae from time to time. Generally, those less nutrients dense foods come into play when you stuggle to get enough calories because calories control whether you gain or not. Your fat to muscle ratio is going to be determined by how big of a surplus you have, how advanced of a lifter you are, how low your body fat is, and genetics. I would start off by reading the sticky at the top.

    Then i would select a routine you like. Good programs to start with include new rules of lifting for women (book which can also teach your basic nutrition), strong curves, strong lift, starting strength, etc...

    I will suggest, if you are new to lifting, i would do that while on maintenance before transitioning to a bulk to address neurological efficiencies first.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    one - get adequate nutrition
    two - hit macro minimums
    three - fill in calories as needed with calorie dense foods like ice cream, pizza, cookies, etc.
    four - get on a structured lifting program like strong lifts, all pro beginner, etc.

  • NikaBlake
    NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    one - get adequate nutrition
    two - hit macro minimums
    three - fill in calories as needed with calorie dense foods like ice cream, pizza, cookies, etc.
    four - get on a structured lifting program like strong lifts, all pro beginner, etc.

    See that's what I thought about filling in.kissimg calories...but always felt like I was cheating, I had no idea that was perfectly acceptable!! I've seen many people give this advice here haha. Love it because I have noooo problem filling in with those items at all :joy: It's the lifting that scares me...never lifted in my life! But I look forward to the challenge :smile:
  • NikaBlake
    NikaBlake Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys...I'm feeling more motivated by the day :grin:

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