Weight gain tips
Dear Donovan,
I am five feet seven inches tall and weigh 125 pounds. I want to gain and keep the weight on. I plan on doing some weight and strength-building exercises, but I also want to have a meal plan. Please help.
We are often so taken up with the sheer number of people who want to lose weight that we sometimes forget that there is still a number of people in society who want to gain weight. In most cases they want to look fuller in their clothes and even improve their health and self-confidence.
I wish you had given me an idea of your present eating habits and even some information about your bone structure and body type. Based on my experience, I think that you might be a picky eater and your food intake/calories on a weekly basis is roughly about the same. Also, whatever you do for your daily activities might be around the same on a weekly basis.
The truth is that unless we make an effort to make changes in our lives, we will continue our habit of doing the same things. Therefore, in order for you to have an increase in weight, you will have to make some changes with your lifestyle. In essence, your calories or food will have to be increased so that some of the extra calories can be stored as fat. Also, muscle-building exercises would be helpful. Since muscles are more compact and dense than fat, building muscles can also increase your weight.
Again, let us look at the diet part of the programme to gain weight. Importantly, you will have to increase your food/calorie intake. However, it is still very important to put on weight using healthy foods as much as possible. There is no sense in putting on weight and becoming sick. So try to avoid or reduce fried foods, sodas, pastries, etc. Also, a general rule is that it is easier to drink than to eat, so it is always easier to consume more calories by drinking, for example, porridge, soup, fruit juice, shakes, etc. Making these liquid meals thicker is better than thinner. The aim is always to increase the calories.
In addition, what you could also do is to share a larger amount of lunch or dinner than you would have shared before and consume all. Again, the aim is to increase calories.
Introducing a healthy mid-morning and afternoon snack could also help to increase calories. You could try a shake or some healthy fruit juice. In addition, when you start your programme I would also suggest that you do a five-to-seven-day detox programme. This will help to clean the bowel and may even increase the appetite and allow you to eat more.
Over time, your programme will have to be adjusted. You will have to put in more calories for your weight to continue to increase. If the calories are not increased, over time you will hit a weight-loss plateau. That said, I would suggest that you start your programme at full force and see what happens. Good luck!
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.
