Gaining weight isn't quite as easy as some people make it out to be. For many, it's just as tough to take in a high caloric surplus day in and day out as it is to cut calories and restrict food intake. The best way to gain weight fast is through the use of a few tried and true methods--consideration of caloric density, frequent meals, a little cheating and less cardio.
Step 1
Let calorically dense foods dominate your food intake. It is often tough to reach the caloric surplus necessary to gain weight eating common foods with a low or moderate caloric density. Load up on pasta and grains in general. Both nuts and peanut butter are high in fat content. One g of fat comes out to nine calories, more than double that of protein and carbohydrates. From a liquid standpoint, both whole milk and protein shakes are calorically dense beverages.
Step 2
Eat every three hours if possible. While this isn't a possibility for some of the population, most people can manage it with a few meal replacements here and there. If you don't want to look at it from an hourly view, try to eat five or six meals each day instead. Go out of your way to ensure that you never skip breakfast. Breakfast is the jump start your metabolism needs to keep your appetite up throughout the day. Don't miss the meal before you go to sleep either. Substitute in a meal replacement or protein shake if necessary to avoid skipping either of these meals.
Step 3
Cheat a little. You're going to gain some fat while eating at a caloric surplus--it's part of the process. Knowing this, don't be afraid to take in some dirty calories. Rip through 10 slices at the pizza buffet once a week. It not only aids in weight gain, but it keeps you sane.
Step 4
Limit cardiovascular exercise. Cardio destroys the calories that you work so hard to obtain. You don't have to cut cardio entirely, however. Low-intensity cardiovascular exercise, such as walking or jogging a few days out of the week, won't hurt you much. High-intensity interval or sport-specific training will. If you're going to perform high-intensity cardio, be sure to offset it with an increased caloric intake.
Step 5
Lift weights. Strength straining builds muscle, which will help you gain weight while keeping all those extra calories from turning into flab. Do resistance exercises at least two to three times per week.
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