High calorie diet for weight gain

A high-calorie diet allows you to gain weight and regain a healthy weight if you are underweight and have a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.

It aims to stimulate appetite, incorporate foods rich in calories and avoid foods with low energy density. The goal is to increase the calorie intake by 500 calories per day, to achieve a weight gain of 500 grams per week.

Key points of the high-calorie diet for weight gain:

consumption of high-energy foods;

activates appetite;

Make snacks

avoid low-energy and low-fat products;

Do moderate intensity physical activity.

Although all foods are allowed, it is best to eat them as balanced as possible. The goal is not to eat more sweets and fried products, for example.

The following tips are not magic solutions, gaining weight sometimes requires time and perseverance.

How do you grow? Foods to gain weight

Do you want to gain weight quickly? Here are some high-calorie foods and nutritional strategies that will help you gain weight gradually. The following foods should be included in your menus, they provide more calories to the body without increasing the volume of servings.

Consuming energy-rich foods

The energy density of a food determines the amount of calories per gram of that food. Energy density is affected by the water, fibre, sugar and fat content of the food. Water and fiber reduce energy density, while fats and sugars increase it.

For people who are looking to gain weight, it is essential to choose foods with a higher energy density.

Here is a table of foods that make you fat thanks to their high energy density. To be incorporated into the calorie-dense diet:

Foods to avoid when you want to gain weight

If you want to gain weight, in addition to favoring high-calorie foods, you will need to avoid certain foods and bad eating habits. In fact, your metabolism is very sensitive to certain elements that can undermine all your efforts to gain weight.

Foods with low energy density

Foods with low energy density take up a lot of room in the stomach, but provide very few calories. So we get full more quickly and eat less. Although they are often of excellent quality, you should accept less consumption when you have a goal to gain weight.

Some foods to avoid when following a high-calorie diet:

Fresh fruits and vegetables

skimmed milk and dairy products;

white fish

Skinless chicken breasts.

It is recommended to eat fruits and vegetables at the end of the meal in the form of soup or cooked. Thus, they take up less space in the stomach and maintain the appetite for high-calorie foods.

light products

Light products are relatively low-calorie products, due to the low level of fat or the level of sugars.

It is clear that it is not recommended to consume this type of product to gain weight because its main purpose is to provide fewer calories to the consumers. On a high-calorie diet, care should always be taken to eat the traditional version of common products.

Here are some examples of low-fat products to avoid:

skimmed and 0% yogurt;

skimmed milk

fresh cream with 15% fat;

Diet soft drinks

Low fat cheese

Salad dressings and other light sauces.

Other not recommended foods:

industrial foods;

candies

Dishes based on vegetable broth.

Soft drinks ;

Very fibrous foods.

Gaining Weight Fast: Our Other Tips

Increase calories without increasing volume

It is clear that heavy meals promote weight gain. But you can also choose to add certain ingredients to your meals to increase your calorie intake without necessarily increasing your serving size. It is ideal for people who find it difficult to eat large amounts.

To make a calorie-rich meal, here are some tips:

Systematically add a fatty substance to your dishes after cooking: vegetable oil in vegetables, in starches, in soups or even in your soup;

Serve meat, poultry and fish with the fatty sauce.

Add avocados, olives, nuts, and cheese cubes to salads.

Add nuts and dried fruits to pastries.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese or grated cheese over pasta, vegetables, and soups;

Add egg yolks to dishes.

add powdered milk to soups, dessert creams, milk;

We put honey in sweets and cereals.

drink juices, milk, or drink throughout the day instead of water;

Introduce cream into dishes and desserts as often as possible: in soups, fruit salads, yogurt, etc.

Include snacks

In addition to high-calorie meals, you should eat a few snacks a day to get good calories. You can choose to make a 500-calorie snack or several small 250-calorie snacks. This should be done according to possibilities and tastes.

Examples of 500 calorie snacks:

three dried dates and a large handful of walnuts;

50 g of cottage cheese, 4 rusks and a small handful of almonds;

a slice of raisin cake, a glass of soy milk and a handful of nuts;

A bowl of cereal with whole milk.

Chicken and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise.

Examples of 250 calorie snacks:

50 g of dried fruits and nuts;

two slices of peanut butter bread;

1 whole yoghurt with fruit and a handful of raisins.

one bowl of full-fat chocolate milk;

a bowl of whole milk enriched with 3 tablespoons of milk powder;

Supplements purchased from pharmacies.

Do moderate physical activity

Moderate physical activity is one of the best ways to stimulate the appetite, even if it burns a few calories.

It is important to regularly engage in physical activity that uses all the muscles, such as swimming, skiing, brisk walking, etc.

It is essential for maintaining muscle and bone density and overall health. Without physical activity, weight gain is likely to be only fat, which is harmful to health.

On the other hand, intense physical activity risks burning much more calories than can be saved to compensate. The resulting deficit in this way can make it even more difficult to gain weight. So it is recommended to take it easy and avoid certain activities like running, athletics, jogging, high speed cycling etc.

Avoid empty calories

A high-calorie diet does not necessarily mean a chaotic diet. To gain weight in a healthy way, there is no need to rush into sweets, fast food and other industrial dishes. By doing this, you risk gaining weight in the form of fat located around the abdomen. This type of weight gain can be dangerous to your health and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease in the long run.

Avoid drinking during meals

Always in order not to saturate the stomach, it is recommended not to drink during a meal as part of a high-calorie diet. Be careful, however, and it will be necessary to maintain good hydration by drinking at least 1.5 liters of water between meals.

In addition, it is recommended to avoid tea and coffee, which can reduce appetite. It should ideally be eaten only at the end of a meal.

activates appetite

It is possible to whet your appetite by paying attention to the small details. But how to stimulate appetite to gain weight? Here are some tips:

set a beautiful table with beautiful crockery;

Take the meal outside if weather permits;

Add color to the dish by adding herbs and spices.

eat foods that make you happy;

Eat meals with the people you love, then tend to eat more;

Try to relax before sitting down to eat;

accompany the meal with a glass of wine if the state of health allows it;

start the meal with a glass of acid juice (lemon, tomato, orange, etc.);

Take a walk or light exercise before meals;

Use supplements occasionally;

Schedule meals and do not exceed 3 hours between each meal.

Causes of thinness: a problem with a rapid metabolism?

Some people burn calories faster than others. Then we talk about individuals with a rapid metabolism. In these people, it is difficult to achieve and maintain a stable healthy weight.

Metabolic rate is related to genetic heritage but can also be accelerated by various factors such as:

the pressure ;

temperature changes

nicotine;

caffeine;

muscle density.

It is important to note that some life situations such as illness can cause the body to consume more calories while trying to defend itself. These special conditions that can lead to weight loss are sometimes very important: this is the case with cancer, hyperthyroidism, severe burns, etc.

Finally, involuntary weight loss can be due to malabsorption of nutrients caused by certain diseases such as:

ulcerative colitis;

Crohn's disease;

or celiac disease.

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High calorie diet for weight gain