For all those men who are wondering, how to put on weight, the following article suggests some effective tips. Read on…
Majority of the men try their level best to keep weight gain under check. However, there are some of them, who face an exactly opposite dilemma regarding gaining weight fast. Usually, men are skinny during their growing up years. When they see the images of men made popular by the media, they might develop a complex and a negative body image due to their low weight.
Being skinny has many drawbacks such as very few women find such men attractive, the clothes do not fit in nicely and the men psychologically may feel inferior to others. In such a scenario, it makes sense to take certain steps such as a healthy diet combined with exercises, so that the body no longer remains thin. So, to put on weight, given below are some of the most useful tips.
Increase the Calorie Intake
The first thing to do to gain weight, is to check on the number of calories that you consume normally. If you search the Internet, you will find numerous websites which tell you exactly the number of calories all the food items that we take every day contain. Once you know the number of calories you consume, increase your diet in such a way that you are able to add anywhere between 300-400 calories to your diet daily.
Make Healthy Food Choices
To gain weight fast, it is not just important that you increase the number of calories, equally important is that you make healthy food choices. Your diet should be a right mix of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. According to what most health experts say, 40% of your calories should come from carbohydrates and 30% each from proteins and fats. So, while you are increasing your calorie intake, make sure that you stick to this rule!
Eat Five Meals in a Day
Eat at regular intervals throughout the day. Take three big meals as usual i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between, take snacks twice. For snacks, you can eat some healthy at the same time high calorie foods such as bananas, almonds, dry fruits, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, protein shakes, etc.
Plan Menu in Advance
When you are in the process of gaining weight, it is very important that you never ever miss a meal. Here, one of the most important tips is to plan your weekly food menu in advance. So, do your weekly grocery shopping on Sundays. Cook food first thing in the morning so that you can carry it with you to your college or office.
Make an Exercise and Weight Training Routine
Exercising everyday is a healthy way to gain as well as lose weight. It would be better if you can join a gym, as an instructor will be in a better position to guide you as to which exercises to undertake to gain weight and muscles. Generally, exercises such as squats, bench press, push-ups, pull-ups, rowing, deadlifts, etc that work the whole body, combined with free weights are recommended for skinny people. Taking adequate rest in between exercising so as to give time to the muscles to grow is as important as undertaking workouts. So, plan your exercises and muscle building weight training in such a way that you are able to take a weekly break from exercising in between.
Take Appropriate Supplements
There are many supplements available in the market promising everything from weight gain to muscle gain. However, many of these weight gain supplements, similar to fast food, contain empty calories. They do not provide the body with any of the required minerals or vitamins. So, it is better to avoid such supplements. However some of the supplements such as L Glutamine and Creatine monohydrate, are considered comparatively healthy. You can include these in your diet, preferably after consulting a nutritionist.
Stay Relaxed and Happy
One of the primary reasons for weight loss or being thin is stress. So, as far as possible try to remain relaxed and happy. Undertake stress busters such as yoga and meditation in order to keep stress at bay.
One last tip before I sign off – stay away from any kind of special diets that you may come across on the Internet or health magazines to gain weight. Instead, focus on gaining weight naturally by eating right and working out regularly!