How can I gain weight but healthily?

1. 39

   charliegrumplesposted 12 years ago

   How can I gain weight but healthily?
   
   I know some people will be jealous but I've always really struggled to gain weight and have weighed around eight and a half stone most my adult life. Unfortunately my cholesterol is also fairly high so eating lots of cakes and fatty stuffs are out of the question. There is a lot of advice online about losing weight but very little about gaining it. Any ideas ?

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2. 61

   LivingFoodposted 12 years ago

   Avocados and nuts and seeds are excellent for helping to gain healthy weight. They are high in healthy fats that will help you to absorb more nutrients from other foods. In addition, they are high in amino acids, which are the substances that your body uses to build its own protein.
   
   Other foods that are excellent for healthy weight gain include coconuts and coconut oil, organic and grass fed  animal products, as well as protein powders. Animal products, however, should be kept in moderation, especially if you are struggling with high cholesterol. Plant-based fats, on the other hand, are safe to consume and can actually help to lower your cholesterol.
   
   Protein powders are high in amino acids, and when combined with moderate exercise they can help you to build muscle tissue, which also contributes to more weight.

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3. 74

   cathylynn99posted 12 years ago

   try ensure or boost nutrition drinks 3X per day between meals. make sure to exercise so you put on muscle rather than fat. just don't overdo the exercise to the point where you burn up all the extra calories you're taking in. figure about 100 calories burned per 1/2 hour of moderate exercise by a 170 lb. person.

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4. 74

   fitmomposted 12 years ago

   LivingFood had good ideas about the nuts, avocados, protein powder, etc. A great way to put on weight is to eat lots of white bread. If it's white, it'll put on weight! So think rice, breads, and pastas.
   
   Lifting weights would be good for you. I wouldn't do tons of cardio, but of course some cardio is good for your heart. Just make sure to eat plenty of protein when exercising.
   
   Best of luck!

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5. 69

   jclaffeeposted 11 years ago

   Be careful about eating a lot of fats, period. Even healthy fats can and will make you fat if you're not exercising and using the calories you're consuming. If you want to gain healthy weight, resistance training of some type is pretty much required. The concept of "putting meat on your bones" just by eating more is complete malarky. If your muscle fibers are not being physically torn down, then they have little reason to get stronger and/or bigger and the resulting weight gain won't be in muscle, it'll be fat. White foods like white bread and rice are full of starch, so they need to be limited to avoid significant influxes in blood sugar and insulin. To gain healthy weight you should be getting carbs from complex sources like whole wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potato, and oatmeal.
   
   Eating 5 to 7 meals a day with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs will supply your body with energy on a regular basis. Spacing the small to moderate-sized meals about every 2 hours will avoid caloric overload (basically eating too much at one time), while fueling your muscles to help them recover and therefore grow.

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