If you’re naturally thin, then a proper weight gain diet becomes absolutely crucial in your endeavor to gain healthy, lean muscle mass. Probably far more so than your weight training program. The purpose of this article is to outline the fundamentals of a good weight gain diet and then we’ll look at specifically what and when you could eat over a sample day.
First up, is something you’ve almost certainly heard before…
Consume More Calories
The only way to gain weight whether it’s fat or muscle, is to consume more energy than you expend. There is no escaping this basic law of human anatomy regardless of how many explanations you hear to the contrary. Admittedly some of us have faster metabolisms than others but that simply means that those who do need to eat even more again.
The basis of any weight gain diet should contain nutritious, high calorie foods. If you find to hard to put on weight then the greatest challenge you face is to consume enough energy without feeling full all the time. Don’t worry it can be done… quite easily!
So how many calories should you consume? Well, there’s probably a separate formula for everyone who asks the question. Some base it solely on your weight and age, others take lean mass into account and the most complicated have you recounting every bit of activity during a typical day…
There’s a short article at the bottom of this page that has some formulas for calculating your caloric needs. It also briefly explains basal metabolism and why it’s important.
To sum up, calorie counting isn’t much fun and this is not something you have to do long term. Once you establish a quantity of food and energy that maintains your ideal weight, you will know instinctively how much to eat each day.
Protein
The issue of how much protein we should consume incites fierce debate between Nutritionists, Bodybuilders and Sports Scientists alike. We’ll leave the debate for another article dedicated to the protein issue. For now…
Just know that Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recommends 50g of protein per day for the average male adult and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 56g. But this is for the average sedentary Westerner…
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein intake is 0.8g per kg or 0.36g per lb of bodyweight. A 140lb person would need to consume about 51g to meet their RDA. Sports Scientists concede that athletes and bodybuilders need more than this and conservatively recommend up to 1.5g per kg or 0.7g per lb of bodyweight. However…
If you talk to the vast majority of bodybuilders they will advocate a much higher intake than this. And they have some convincing arguments. In fact although in the minority at the moment the anecdotal evidence from bodybuilders is being backed up by some credible research. According to many lifters, coaches and some sports nutritionists an ideal weight gain diet should contain up to 2g per kg or 0.9g per lb of protein. This might seem like a lot but don’t forget you are consuming more calories than the general population and those calories have to come from somewhere. Is it unhealthier that they come purely from carbohydrates or just from fat? It’s probably best it it comes form all three.
So why is protein important?
From a weight gain perspective protein is made up of amino acids. There are 20 in total and 8 essential amino acids must come from food. Weight training increases the demand for amino acids and will break existing muscle down if it does not get enough from a weight gain diet. Without adequate protein, and more specifically, amino acids muscle gain is unachievable.
Good sources of protein include fresh and canned fish, lean cuts of red meat, chicken, turkey, low fat milk and yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, egg whites, soy products and whey protein powder.
Carbohydrate
Any weight gain diet worth its salt will contain plenty of unrefined carbohydrates. Just because you’re increasing your protein intake does not mean you should omit or even limit your carbohydrate intake.
Carbohydrate, which is converted into glucose and glycogen in the body, is the only macronutrient that can supply your body with an immediate source of energy – essential for any type of training.
Good sources of carbohydrate for a weight gain diet include whole meal bread, potatoes, brown rice, pasta, couscous, fresh and tinned fruit and dried fruit.
Fat
Certain dietary fats are crucial to both your well being and your ability to gain weight. One gram of fat contains more than twice the number of calories than 1g or protein or 1g of carbohydrate. A tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil contains as many calories as a banana for example so it makes sense to incorporate good fats into your weight gain diet. What is good fat?
Without going into too much detail about how fat is subdivided, the fats you want to consume are monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and avocados, and polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish, flax, sunflower, safflower and cod liver oil and some raw nuts.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are what the health care professionals love to talk about. And with good reason. EFA’s also known as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are found in polyunsaturated fats, particularly oily fish. As well as having a numerous health benefits they also play an important role in muscle building.
In short, a weight gain diet containing fish like mackerel, tuna and salmon (to name a few) or supplemented with a product like Flaxseed oil will not only help you build muscle but will keep you alive longer too.
Meal Frequency
Finally, forget about eating 3 large meals a day with a few snacks. The best approach to an effective weight gain diet is to eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. Separate them by 3 hours so your stomach has time to digest each meal fully. If your goal is to consume 3300Kcals a day I would eat 3 larger meals of about 700kcals and 3 smaller meals of about 400kcals. You will find an example in one of the articles below.
One last point before we wrap up. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. They are the richest source of vitamins and minerals (particularly antioxidants) and have both health and weight gain implications.
The elements above have the most influence of your level and rate of weight and muscle gain. There are other important factors we haven’t touched on such as vitamins and minerals, fiber, water, alcohol and cholesterol… all very important to your health.
Now that you have a good grounding of what an effective weight gain diet should incorporate you can use this article as a starting point for reaching your weight goals.
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Hi, i am forty years old and i am 6ft 1 and wqeigh 175 pounds. i stopped smoking about 2 years ago and put on 20 pounds but i seem to have hit a wall. i would like to be at least 190 to 200 pounds. i go to the gym 3 times a week and try and eat as much as i can, but nothing is working. please if anyone has any idea let me know.
hey. I’m 27 years old, 5ft 7in and only 115lbs. I want to be at 135 (did it once, and I felt great!!) So glad to know I’m not alone. I hate to look at myself in the mirror and want to get to a healthy weight. I want to have energy!
I need help planning a diet I can follow, I’m a student so I keep odd hours and I know for sure I don’t eat enough. I have a very active metabolism and seem to burn calories while sitting.
I see you don’t reccomend cardio when trying to gain weight…I run about 6k a week and thinking maybe someone (please please please) can help me plan a workout I will actually do (I can only get to the gym twice a week to weight train) and a diet I can follow, I don’t know how to figure how much I need or what to eat to get that. I don’t want to “bulk” per say but want to be more toned.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
Brianne,
Im assuming you are female judging from your name and from your weight.. which is important in how im answering your request for information. I am a “hard-gainer” as they call it and so have a good deal of experience in having trouble gaining weight. I am 26 years old (male) and now weigh 156lbs. 3 weeks ago I began a weight training and gaining routine at which I weighed 143lbs. Yep, 13 lbs in 3 weeks… no steroids lol. I have another 9lbs to go to get to my goal weight of 165lbs. Total weight gain anticipated …22lbs.
I have been lifting heavy at the gym 5 days a week.. not 7 days! People trying to gain weight must have rest days.. .2-3 a week. I have been eating my face off everyday .. probably 3500-4000 calories a day, which is usually constituted of 4 food meals and 2 protein shake meals a day, along with some snacks. If I could get 5 food meals or 3 protein shakes i would! My protein shakes are actually weight gainers.. meaning high protein and HIGH carbs.. not like most regular low carb whey protein shakes. Each shake is approx. 650 calories.. adding a very bold 1300 calories a day to my diet. CytoGainer is the brand I use (from the makers of muscle milk) even tho some people dont like this because they think it has too much sugar.. screw them it works! I train legs 2 times a week, since its my least developed body part and biggest muscle group ( I used to be able to bench press more than i could squat…which is pathetic) today I squatted 225 for ten reps!
I know this sounds like me just talking about myself, and what does that have to do with you?? but Im just pointing out some of how I am going about weight gain, so you can use the same principles. Male or female, the human body, cells & muscles respond to lifting heavy loads and calorie intake. why would a muscle grow if it was asked to lift somthing that it already could lift without too much of a problem (even if lifting that weight multiple times made it burn a bit). It won’t grow very much is the answer. Also, don’t worry about getting “bulky” as so many females worry about. You would have to totally commit your life to bodybuilding and powerlifting and eating 6000calories a day for years to begin to look bulky at your weight and height. remember, being a male, us guys are attracted to women with curves! muscles make better curves than fat (except breasts).. Nothing more sexy than woman with nice quads and calves and tight butt.. also sexy on a woman is a nice back and toned arms. If most of your extremities are kind of skinny and curveless, you need to begin a heavy freeweight lifting routine 3-4 times a week and eat a crapload of calories while doing it… all while drastically reducing alcohol intake (i stopped totally, and was boozing like a mad man on the weekends). For females, especially if your legs are skinny to begin with.. you need to start doing squats.. deadlifts and bench press would be good too if you can handle it. When the summer comes reduce calories, including drastically reducing carbs… and keeping high protein… then start running a bit more again and doing higher reps and longer workouts. Keep workouts to 45mins while trying to bulk, no longer. I know you said u didn’t want to “bulk”… but in essence thats exactly what you described as wanting to do. Its just the word that scares you… change the word and follow my advice and I guarantee at least 10lbs in the first month.. maybe another 5-10 if you are consistant the next few months following. Good luck, and I hope this helped some. P.S. don’t run very far while trying to bulk.. do sprints if you want to stay in shape.
Peter,
Can you help me with my problem..i’m already 18 and skinny..male and active..what suggestions can you give me?
Hi , Im 13 I am 5ft4 and i weight 7 stone (im british) . I am realy skiny for my age and i want to put on fat or muscle to bulk myself up a bit . I can do 30 push-ups in a row 35 before i drop to the ground , I do sit-ups and crunches for 10minits , CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO PUT ON WEIGHT FAST !
Jam E.
read through what i suggested on the comments above and take them as the same for yourself. Building muscle is the same for men and women. Men are just stronger physiologically (most of the time). Eat 3500-4000 cals a day and lift heavy on bench press, squats, deadlift, standing shoulder press, pull ups/pull downs (lats) and rows… then you should see results!.. try and lift heavier weight each week from the previous week. Focus on those main exercises and include some others like bicep curls tricep extensions, lunges, flies, etc… to help hit some other muscle groups, but the bulk of the workout should be on maximizing strength in the main exercises (with good form). Sometimes using a little momentum is ok in order to complete an extemely heavy rep.. for example when I do standing shoulder press with the olympic bar, I will bend my knees a little and spring the weight up above my head towards my last few reps in order to get a few more reps out. only do this on very heavy lifting (and always have a spotter on heavy lifts). write down your numbers and compare them once in a while to make sure u are still progressing, unless u can remember each week like I do. I weigh 155 and deadlifted 315 four times today. My bench press is around 225 five times (about 260 max.) and squat 225 ten times. Food is even more important than lifting, always remember that. Good luck and start making progess.
hi,
my name is michele, im 20 yrs old. and have been 100lbs for a long time. im very insecure about the way i look cuz im too skinny. i eat like there is no tomorrow and im always on the go ive tried the whole gym thing and everything but nothing seems to work. is there anyway you can help me?
can you help me? i am 15, female and only weigh between 4.5 and 5 stone and i am around 5 foot tall. nothing i do helps me put on weight and i eat alot of food. more than most people. i am going to the docs tomorow about it but i doubt they will do anything as long as i am eating. is there anything i can do?
Hey Peter, i was hoping you could chuck some advice my way too!
I’ve just turned 19, weigh about 65kg (145lbs) and im about 5ft7. I recently put on about 3 or 4kgs from training (so at 65kg at the moment). Have an athletic build, decent abs, but skinny legs. Ive been gyming training for about 4 months straight now, with previous on and off periods. I have alot of commitment and always work hard in the gym. The one factor for me that is a major flaw, is diet. I know how much of a major component it is to put on size and weight but i don’t quite have the know-how to do it. I would really appreciate some help in planning a diet. I’m hoping to weight up to 70kg and more over the next 8 months. Commitment is not an issue and i have plenty of time to cook meals etc.
I’m trying to write out a mon-sun eating plan. With eating times of 8am, 10.30am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm. If you could give me some pointers on what to eat at these times it would be great. ie. 2 servings of pasta a day, 3 servins of tuna, gallon of milk per day…
I also have protein shakes(mega gainer), need to buy some more this week, but will be taking 2 a day.
My basic goal is to put on size and muscle. Ripping up is something i know i can do once i have achieved my weight gain goals.
My email address is mccoverdoggie1@hotmail.com… if you could get into contact with me it would be much appreciated. Perhaps i can send you the spreadsheet and you could fill it out with foods/meals.
Hi i’m 21 yo 6ft3 11.5 stone training hard now like u have said above but was wondering if you could tell me if i should do different muscle groups in different days or all in a day or what?? and what meals (description) i should be eating and when.Would really appreciate an email or comment back and also which protein/weight gainers should i buy and when should i have them. Thanks.
HELP!
Im a skinny 16 male who is trying to gain some weight. I have decided to eat six meals a day with the carbohydrates and the proteins to help gain weight. Was wondering if I should force myself to do as many push ups as I can everyday to help with muscle growth since you said that working out is important. But you also said something about the recovery phase so I am not sure if doing excessive push ups everyday is a good idea. What do you think?
Good information. I liked how you went explaining protein intake because it is a highly debatable subject. I personally think some bodybuilders say to take way more protein than you really need.
But I believe at looking at all the angles and would say that if you are eating animal proteins then you would have to eat more protein than if you were eating plant based proteins. Since our bodies were not designed to eat and digest meat, I believe allot of the protein never gets digested and absorbed by the body. however if you were to eat plant based proteins like beans, nuts, seeds. Then your body would be able to break down the protein way easier and most of it will be used instead flushed down the toilet. The same thing with the protein powders, if you take 30 grams of protein with whey, you can take 15 grams of protein with hemp protein powder and you would absorb about the same amount as you would with the whey.
Pretty interesting if you ask me, maybe we aren’t designed for animal proteins.
Peter doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about. 13 lbs in a week is not healthy. Also that much protein in a small period will kill your kidney.
Lee is an absolute imbusil…and he obviously cannot read, because I said 13lbs in 3 weeks you tard!
Michele and Amber: Read what I have written to some of the other female members… and try eating a lot of peanut butter.. A LOT! every day, along with 3 days heavy lifting at the gym a week and tons of calories. Should help some, but realize that you guys are teenagers with metabolisms so fast that its going to be real hard to gain real weight until you are in your mid 20’s. Probably upsetting to hear, but there isn’t much way around it.
Irish Steve.. I just emailed you directly
Matt: I work out 4 days a week very heavy and do abs/calves on the 5th day or sometimes do chest again on the 5th day. Im 5′ 10″ weighing 156 which hasn’t increased much since im working so much, but my strength keeps increasing slowly. Benching 235 four times without a spotter, and squatting 265 six times as of now. Let us know where you are in terms of your strength so a plan can be designed for you. I can only tell you what works for me.. I do chest/traps monday, quads/hamstrings tuesday.. off wednesday… shoulders/bi’s thursday, back/tri’s Friday. Eat a good portion of carbs/protein/fat with every meal (though limit fat after workouts) because fat blocks absorption into muscles. eat 4000cals a day broken into 5-6 meals. I use Cyto-gainer for my protein/weight gain shakes. 2 a day adds about 1300 cals.
Timothy.. being that you are 16 I would say that doing push-ups every OTHER day to exhaustion would be ok for you, not every day. Though normally, 1 day of recovery isn’t enough… but since you might only be doing one set until exhaustion.. its not that much stress on the musclesThat is only if you are not working out hard at the gym… because if you are working out at the gym then either forget the pushups for do them after your gym workouts, so as to not fatigue your muscles too early in the day.
Cory Cook: Yes I think bodybuilders say to eat WAY to much protein. Though I have to disagree with your statement about humans not being designed to eat meat. Why would we have CANINE teeth if we weren’t meant to eat meat? Just like dogs and cats have canine’s to tear flesh from prey… we have them too… though through evolution ours have began to look somewhat like our grinding teeth or our front incisors. We are omnivorous.. and I don’t think you would get as much response from your body only eating plant proteins as if you were eating both plant and animal. This is strictly my opinion… im not an expert by any means. Im not here to start a heated debate because I could care less.. Just trying to help some people feel better/look better because I know how it feels to feel skinny all the time. Now I look like a thin bodybuilder, and people sometimes think im on steroids at the gym since im so vascular. I’ve never done steroids and never will, so I take it as a compliment. Good luck to yourself.
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