What to Eat to Increase Weight

I recently got a question from a reader named Soren, who asks, "What about articles about weight gain, PLEASE?"

Now I know some of you are rolling your eyes, wishing you had this "problem." But I counsel clients daily and I can tell you that it is as hard, if not harder, to gain weight as to lose it -- especially for someone who is very active.

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Ultimately, we all need to create the proper balance, and some people have so much energy expenditure, due to exercise, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) -- i.e. fidgeting -- and a very high metabolic rate that they simply cannot take in enough calories. So what's the solution? Shove food into your face and sit on your behind?


The trick is to consume more calories without it being as obvious to the body. If you try to double or triple the amount of food you consume, you stomach is going to rebel. Instead, aim to increase calories without significantly changing volume

Here's how:

Examine your beverages. Water, diet drinks, and unsweetened coffee and tea... all these have no calories! Instead, try juice, lemonade, or milk. You can drink a 12 ounce glass of juice instead of a 12 ounce glass of water- takes up the same amount of room in the stomach, but you get 450 calories vs 0!

Add calorie-dense foods that don't have a lot of volume. One handful of pretzels has about 150 calories, whereas one handful of trail mix has about 400 calories (the nuts and dried fruit add more).

Change what's in your cereal bowl. If you eat corn flakes, or Wheaties, have half the amount and add some Grape-Nuts or granola. Not only will you get more calories, but you may be able to use more milk, which can add some protein.

And speaking of protein, the goal is not to just add carbs, but also protein and fat. So on a sandwich, add a little more meat (one or two more slices) or some cheese, or use hummus or bean dip as a spread. Try adding chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, nuts, or seeds to salads to add calories. And an extra spoonful of peanut butter daily, or a little more olive oil to cooked foods can't hurt.
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You can also try to eat one-quarter more at every meal to add more calories throughout the day.

And remember, you can't just eat more one day a week and expect to gain weight; this needs to be a seven-days-a-week endeavor. So in addition to logging miles, make sure you devote enough time to sitting down to eat!



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