Most people have absolutely no idea what they really need to eat to gain weight. A lot of people think they eat quite a bit, yet in reality they don’t eat enough, or at least not the right foods or in the right macronutrient ratios.
The first order of business is to purchase a comprehensive calorie counter. All bookstores have them in paperback. Then, for a week to ten days, keep a record of everything you eat each day (yes, everything, down to the last drop of sweetener in your coffee) and approximately how much. You need to do this long enough to go through your normal work week and days off because when your schedule changes, so does your eating pattern. If you’re not familiar with cooking measurements take a look at a measuring cup. The most difficult thing about doing this is that unless you prepare meals yourself, you really don’t know the exact ingredients. Did the restaurant brush some oil on your halibut before they put it on the grill so it wouldn’t stick to the grate? Just do the best you can.
The idea here is to find out approximately how many calories you are eating and in what macronutrient ratios, i.e. how many calories come from protein, how many from carbohydrates, how many from fat and how many from alcoholic beverages.
All weight gain foods contain one or more macronutrients and almost all contain some water. Calorie counters will also tell you how much sodium and fiber each food contains. Unless you have some medical condition which precludes the intake of sodium or requires you eat extra fiber, there is no need to concern yourself with this. A balanced weight gain diet of unprocessed nutrition dense foods will not be overloaded with salt and will contain enough fiber to keep your digestive system purring.
When you begin keeping a weight gain food log your caloric intake will vary from meal to meal and from day to day. This is normal and caused by different foods, work schedules and social obligations.
“What a royal pain! I can’t possibly do this!” I can hear you mutter. Well, yes you can. It just takes a bit of perseverance and desire. I’ll be brutally honest. To eat well each day takes good planning and knowledge. Revamping your diet, figuring out how many calories are in various foods and how much of them you should eat, and making the time to actually eat, takes time to coordinate. Again, there are no quick fixes, and this does not have to be accomplished all at once. If you change for the better a little bit each week, eventually you will have the whole system down pat and gaining weight will become a very achievable goal.
Remember protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram.
Many of the foods you eat will have exactly what you’re looking for on the labels. Dairy containers, canned goods, cereal boxes and anything else that’s prepackaged must have this information on the label as required by Federal law. Even pre-packaged vegetables often show this. For other fresh foods you will need to consult your calorie counter and you will most likely need to approximate the portion you eat.
Most people have absolutely no idea what they really need to eat to gain weight. A lot of people think they eat quite a bit, yet in reality they don’t eat enough, or at least not the right foods or in the right macronutrient ratios.
The first order of business is to purchase a comprehensive calorie counter. All bookstores have them in paperback. Then, for a week to ten days, keep a record of everything you eat each day (yes, everything, down to the last drop of sweetener in your coffee) and approximately how much. You need to do this long enough to go through your normal work week and days off because when your schedule changes, so does your eating pattern. If you’re not familiar with cooking measurements take a look at a measuring cup. The most difficult thing about doing this is that unless you prepare meals yourself, you really don’t know the exact ingredients. Did the restaurant brush some oil on your halibut before they put it on the grill so it wouldn’t stick to the grate? Just do the best you can.
The idea here is to find out approximately how many calories you are eating and in what macronutrient ratios, i.e. how many calories come from protein, how many from carbohydrates, how many from fat and how many from alcoholic beverages.
All weight gain foods contain one or more macronutrients and almost all contain some water. Calorie counters will also tell you how much sodium and fiber each food contains. Unless you have some medical condition which precludes the intake of sodium or requires you eat extra fiber, there is no need to concern yourself with this. A balanced weight gain diet of unprocessed nutrition dense foods will not be overloaded with salt and will contain enough fiber to keep your digestive system purring.
When you begin keeping a weight gain food log your caloric intake will vary from meal to meal and from day to day. This is normal and caused by different foods, work schedules and social obligations.
“What a royal pain! I can’t possibly do this!” I can hear you mutter. Well, yes you can. It just takes a bit of perseverance and desire. I’ll be brutally honest. To eat well each day takes good planning and knowledge. Revamping your diet, figuring out how many calories are in various foods and how much of them you should eat, and making the time to actually eat, takes time to coordinate. Again, there are no quick fixes, and this does not have to be accomplished all at once. If you change for the better a little bit each week, eventually you will have the whole system down pat and gaining weight will become a very achievable goal.
Remember protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram.
Many of the foods you eat will have exactly what you’re looking for on the labels. Dairy containers, canned goods, cereal boxes and anything else that’s prepackaged must have this information on the label as required by Federal law. Even pre-packaged vegetables often show this. For other fresh foods you will need to consult your calorie counter and you will most likely need to approximate the portion you eat.