Just like calorie deficit is the first perquisite for weight/fat loss, calorie surplus is the start line for gaining weight. But for individuals who think, calorie surplus simply means, eating more food, of any kind, are highly mistaken.
Just like weight reduction, weight gain can be a progressive and systematic process, which has its own challenges. Here are 6 mistakes to avoid when embarking on a weight gain journey:
- Don’t go all guns blazing. Whenever you propose so as to add calories in your weight loss program, it must be a planned gradual increase. Generally 300-500 calorie surplus is a superb range to start out with.
Lots of individuals, make a mistake of adding a considerable amount of calories in a single go, after which suffer from various digestive issues. Give your body time to regulate to the excess calories, after which step by step add more.
For e.g. if you will have a TDEE of 2000 cal/day, then add one other 300-500 calories, after which see for per week or two, how the body is responding. If your digestion stays nice, and the body is in a position to absorb the excess food, add one other 300-500 calories.
2. Eat more frequent meals. This is considered one of the only methods to spice up your calorie intake. Though this method was (and even now) really useful for weight reduction, with the idea that more frequent meals will boost your metabolism. But, research doesn’t agree with this.
However, this is a wonderful hack to spice up your overall calorie intake, of course. That’s the rationale, most athletes who have to eat a whole lot of food, eat multiple meals (or meals + snacks). The same goes for individuals who want to achieve healthy weight.
You can only eat a specific amount of food in a single sitting. So, it’s at all times advised to have more variety of meals, in the course of the day. For e.g. if you will have 3 major calorie dense solid meals. Try and add 2 more meals/snacks between them, which might comprise of calorie dense liquid shakes, and you possibly can drastically boost your overall food intake.
3. Eat nutrient dense food, not only calorie dense. Somehow, people think that gaining weight just means eating more, and eating anything. That’s the worst thing you possibly can do. Just because you will have a faster metabolism, doesn’t mean you won’t fall sick.
Adding quality calories is as necessary as the amount of calories. Eating tons of junk like soft drinks, pizzas, chhole bhature, samosa, chips, ice creams, will certainly add easy calories, but can be a welcome ticket to illness. These foods are manufactured from junk calories i.e. calories with virtually no nutrient value. In the long term, these foods increase inflammation within the body, and can smash your digestion.
That’s why once you add calories, ensure you add foods that are wealthy in proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients. For e.g. as a substitute of getting an ice-cream, have a nutrient dense tasty smoothie, manufactured from milk, fruits, berries & nuts.
4. Don’t overdo fiber. Fiber is great in your gut health, but high fiber diets promote fullness, which implies, you’ll feel full much earlier and is not going to give you the option to eat more calorie wealthy food. This is great for individuals who need to drop a few pounds, but absolutely not for those seeking to gain.
That doesn’t mean, you completely eliminate fiber out of your weight loss program, as fiber has excellent health advantages. Just avoid too many salads or raw vegetables.
5. Add liquid meals to your solid weight loss program. One of probably the most really useful approach to dramatically boost your calorie intake is by adding calorie dense liquids in your diets. For e.g. calorie dense shakes, which might comprise of whole milk (plant milk in case you’re lactose intolerant), fruits, nut butters/nuts, berries, whey/plant protein supplements etc.
Liquids are much less satiating than solid foods, and a really convenient approach to boost your calorie intake, especially when the appetite is low.
6. Exercise, specially strength training. None of the advices will work optimally, in case you don’t spend your energy, for the body to stimulate hunger. Sitting like couch potato, and just eating more, will result in gaining weight in the stomach area, greater than the muscles. Remember, the aim is to achieve lean muscle mass, and be stronger, not only add fat on the body within the name of weight gain.
