For some, the journey is to take off the pounds. For others, it is to pack on the pounds. If you find yourself in need of body weight, you probably prefer to pack on lean muscle tissue than fat. You may be able to increase consumption of junk food and sugary drinks to get the scale to move up a little, but you would be sacrificing the health of your body. It is much better to learn how to gain weight fast while enhancing your overall health and making your body stronger. This means gaining weight through muscle building, rather than fat storage.
Big, Healthy Meals
You will need to increase your food intake in order to gain weight quickly. That doesn’t mean you have to consume a lot of fatty foods that are going to make you feel sluggish and unhealthy. You can consume higher quantities of the following healthy foods in order to build up your body weight naturally:
- Lean protein sources (chicken, fish, tofu, beans)
- Whole grains (pasta, bread, etc.)
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Low fat dairy products
You don’t have to give up red meat and less lean sources of meat, but you shouldn’t consume them in high quantities just to gain weight. You will also clog your arteries and rob your body of energy that comes for leaner food. Give your body a nice blend of healthy foods that sustain your energy levels and some less healthy foods that satisfy your taste buds and help you gain weight quickly.
Protein is very important when trying to build up muscle. You may want to drink protein shakes or make smoothies with protein powder to get in more protein without stuffing yourself at every meal.
Strength Training vs. Cardiovascular Exercise
It is often assumed that those interested in losing weight need to exercise, while those interested in gaining weight need to be sedentary. The fact is, you need to exercise regardless of your health and fitness goals. You just need to exercise in different manners depending on those goals. If your goal is weight gain, then you need to do more strength training than cardiovascular training.
Cardio workouts are designed to burn calories and are better for weight loss than weight gain. Strength training builds up your muscle so you become stronger and well toned. Muscle weighs more than fat and is healthier for your body, so it makes sense that you should workout for muscle gain.
Strength training can be rather simple, but the more time and effort you invest the better results you will achieve. You can purchase inexpensive dumbbells and bands to workout at home while watching television. You can also purchase weight training equipment that will deliver full body workouts that are highly effective for more substantial muscle gain. You can also join a gym to work with a personal trainer or just use their extensive collection of strength training equipment.
You may also use DVDs or sign up for exercise classes that incorporate some element of strength training. If you decide to workout in your home, make sure you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. You should feel the tension on your body and feel sore the next day. Always give yourself a day or two of rest between workouts.
No matter what you decide to do in order to gain weight fast, remember that your health matters just as much as the number on the scale. You want to gain muscle, not fat. You want to look healthy, well toned, and attractive, and you want to burst with energy. You don’t want to be sluggish and tired all the time, which is what happens with fat gain.