Healthy foods for weight gain?

[pete6032]

I'm 30, I am very thin and slender, I used to run all the time. About 18 months ago I cut down on running (3-6 miles per week in total now) and started going to the gym 3-4 times per week. I started seeing results immediately. Now, my body looks like it has a lot more muscle, but I have not gained as much weight as expected (gained maybe 10-12 or so). My BMI has gone from 19.9 to 21.4. I have a LOT of problems gaining weight. It seems like even when I add to my diet I don't gain weight. What are some good foods to eat to gain weight? Right now I eat things like:

Eggs and bacon for breakfast
Home made vegetable juice for a snack
2 glasses 2% milk per day with 1 scoop protein powder each
taking spoonfulls of peanut butter throughout the day 5-6 spoonfulls per day
Generally eating red meat or chicken for lunch
Dinner is usually lunch meat sandwich with full fat cheese and full fat mayo plus fruit and some vegetables
Night time snack is usually more spoonfulls of peanut butter

Despite all this I am not gaining any weight. What else should I be eating?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Oh, just 30, just wait a bit. I was in my 32 year when the ease of weight gain commenced.

Eat healthy fats, protein....

A couple tricks for my skinny kids

Whole milk yogurt, typically Greek
Avacado

Vary you intake from pb, such as walnuts or almonds. If you're going eat pb, at least get the all natural kind. It's some more work, as it separates and you will have to stir it....but no partially hydrogenated fats, which aren't good at all.

Also, go see your doctor. Thyroid issues can cause this. I'm sure there's other medic causes, I've just know a couple people who were super skinny due to thyroid problems.

 

[mike8675309]

None of what you are eating (other than some vegetables) can be considered healthy foods. Mostly because of the high amount of dietary cholesterol you are taking in, as well as the high amount of pro-inflammatory foods you are eating.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579563/

Generally to gain weight you need to increase your volume of food intake. One way to do that is with smoothies. You can add to your protein shake baby spinach, kale, 4 or 5 frozen ripe bananas, and some frozen berries (strawberry, black berry, raspberry) with your favorite plant milk and water. If you do it right you should be able to pack 800 - 1200 kcal in a single smoothie.

Other good weight gainer "healthy" foods would be beans, tempe and legumes. Pair those with some rice and stir fry vegetables and if dine right you can get another 1000 kcal in at that meal.
Track down similar body size people to you that share their meals on social media to get an idea of what you can do.
https://www.instagram.com/801010athlete/
https://www.instagram.com/nimai_delgado/
https://www.instagram.com/veganbodybuildingfood/

 

[pauldun170]

I'm 30, I am very thin and slender, I used to run all the time. About 18 months ago I cut down on running (3-6 miles per week in total now) and started going to the gym 3-4 times per week. I started seeing results immediately. Now, my body looks like it has a lot more muscle, but I have not gained as much weight as expected (gained maybe 10-12 or so). My BMI has gone from 19.9 to 21.4. I have a LOT of problems gaining weight. It seems like even when I add to my diet I don't gain weight. What are some good foods to eat to gain weight? Right now I eat things like:

Eggs and bacon for breakfast
Home made vegetable juice for a snack
2 glasses 2% milk per day with 1 scoop protein powder each
taking spoonfulls of peanut butter throughout the day 5-6 spoonfulls per day
Generally eating red meat or chicken for lunch
Dinner is usually lunch meat sandwich with full fat cheese and full fat mayo plus fruit and some vegetables
Night time snack is usually more spoonfulls of peanut butter

Despite all this I am not gaining any weight. What else should I be eating?

Water, Chicken, broccolli, rice or potatoes, bananas asparagus, salmon, bell peppers.
Just eat more of it.
Its just that simple.
You can pack on lbs with plain chicken, rice and Broccolli. Just got eat.

Don't need to do anything special. You don't need magic shakes or calorie packed junk food.
Eat and you will gain.

 

[pauldun170]

None of what you are eating (other than some vegetables) can be considered healthy foods. Mostly because of the high amount of dietary cholesterol you are taking in, as well as the high amount of pro-inflammatory foods you are eating.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579563/

Generally to gain weight you need to increase your volume of food intake. One way to do that is with smoothies. You can add to your protein shake baby spinach, kale, 4 or 5 frozen ripe bananas, and some frozen berries (strawberry, black berry, raspberry) with your favorite plant milk and water. If you do it right you should be able to pack 800 - 1200 kcal in a single smoothie.

Other good weight gainer "healthy" foods would be beans, tempe and legumes. Pair those with some rice and stir fry vegetables and if dine right you can get another 1000 kcal in at that meal.
Track down similar body size people to you that share their meals on social media to get an idea of what you can do.
https://www.instagram.com/801010athlete/
https://www.instagram.com/nimai_delgado/
https://www.instagram.com/veganbodybuildingfood/

On the bean front, I would recommend stocking shelves with with low fart per serving beans and prepare them properly.
Canned kidney beans are evil. At least when you are try to do squats.

 

[mike8675309]

On the bean front, I would recommend stocking shelves with with low fart per serving beans and prepare them properly.
Canned kidney beans are evil. At least when you are try to do squats.

If you just re hydrate dried beans or rinse off caned beans you will find no more gas induced than you might get with any meal you eat that is high in fiber.

 

[pauldun170]

If you just re hydrate dried beans or rinse off caned beans you will find no more gas induced than you might get with any meal you eat that is high in fiber.

Learned that a little too late in life.
Many legs days in my 20s and 30's were cursed by cheating with canned beans.

 

[deadlyapp]

I see other recommendations above to increase carbs substantially - most everything I've seen advises that you should only consume the carbs necessary that you deplete through working out while building up your fats to increase calories, else you'll put on less lean mass than fat mass. You should shoot for 1-3lb of weight gain a week, and then after 8-12 weeks reset your macronutrient balance for the increased weight (eg more protein, more carbs, etc). You'll probably need to have more meals a day since packing significant amounts of food into a single meal is difficult to process.

When i'm in a mass gain, I use a lot of avocado, walnuts, fatty fish, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, MCT oil, grass fed butter, whole eggs, etc. I'd tend to avoid too much fatty red meat, including bacon, I'd avoid milk (since it's more difficult to process and high in carbs), I'd avoid most dairy products and processed foods (such as cheese & mayo), and I would try to avoid a lot of peanut butter. Some peanut butter is fine, but you'll be better off mixing it up with other nut butters that have higher omega 3 vs omega 6 fats.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Hey all, I'm a newbie here. I would like to lose weight in a natural way. What is the best way to start?

Cut out added sugars, add fiber to your diet, and increase activity

 

[daveybrat]

What kind of activity are you trying to suggest me? Please send me in details.

Gee i don't know...how about walking, running, biking, hiking, aerobics, yoga, lifting weights, swimming, etc.

 

[daveybrat]

Glad to read your reply here. I prefer 2 things here walking and running. Both of them are useful for weight loss. Anyway, pills can help me to lose my weight?

There are no magic pills to lose weight. Meth would help you lose weight but it does have some side effects.

 

[ch33zw1z]

It's best to just food and activity first. Pills or surgeries should if nothing else is working. Sometimes others prescriptions can cause weight gain as well, read the side affects.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Actually I need something which is reliable and don't have any side effect after using it.

diet and exercise sounds about right

 

[ch33zw1z]

You are right enough. Thanks for your honest advice. I'm also thinking about it. But if there is any side effect I should avoid it. Let me show you something called flat belly tonic. This is a weight loss pills. What side effects this one has? Can you please explain a little bit. I really need to be more clear before using anything.

I mean, I googled "flat belly tonic" and came up with some options that are basically just vitamins and amino acids. You get both of those with a better diet.

"weight loss pills" or supplements are generally targets at increasing metabolism (however hazardously it can be) and / or diuretics (removes water to decrease "bloat"). Neither is really a good choice until you've made the effort in the diet and exercise side.

I know that things like walking and running both of them are good supplements. But I don't have enough time for that. This is the big issue right now. Therefore I would like to taste flat belly tonic for a while. Let see what happen next.

There's no short cuts that are healthier than changing your diet and exercise. Eliminate added sugars, don't exceed recommended salt intake, stick with fresh foods and aim for lots of veggies and protein. Start walking 20 minutes per day, everyone can fit that in.

 

[ch33zw1z]

So according to your reply people who has less metabolism can use this 'flat belly tonic' pills?

Look, if you wanna try it out, go for it. I think I've made my stance pretty straightforward. Supplements should a secondary option, not the primary. If you're looking for something to lose weight while you sit around and eat whatever, you won't find it.

Exercise greatly increases metabolism naturally, and it doesn't have to be crazy amounts.

 

[Torn Mind]

I'm 30, I am very thin and slender, I used to run all the time. About 18 months ago I cut down on running (3-6 miles per week in total now) and started going to the gym 3-4 times per week. I started seeing results immediately. Now, my body looks like it has a lot more muscle, but I have not gained as much weight as expected (gained maybe 10-12 or so). My BMI has gone from 19.9 to 21.4. I have a LOT of problems gaining weight. It seems like even when I add to my diet I don't gain weight. What are some good foods to eat to gain weight? Right now I eat things like:

Eggs and bacon for breakfast
Home made vegetable juice for a snack
2 glasses 2% milk per day with 1 scoop protein powder each
taking spoonfulls of peanut butter throughout the day 5-6 spoonfulls per day
Generally eating red meat or chicken for lunch
Dinner is usually lunch meat sandwich with full fat cheese and full fat mayo plus fruit and some vegetables
Night time snack is usually more spoonfulls of peanut butter

Despite all this I am not gaining any weight. What else should I be eating?

I know this post is old but I just feel telling you something.

All the foods in your list are foods that put most people into satiation rather quickly and get them to stop eating. The trick is to consume the macro that one, makes the food more palatable, and two, makes you want to eat again in a few hours. That would be the starch and the sugar.

It's tough eating ground pork alone. But put a little seasoning and wrap in a wonton wrapper, and they the mind a stomach will accommodate a much larger volume. Instead of one pound of pork, it's a pound and the wonton wrappers.

Likewise, peanut butter alone is unfulfilling(I actually find it naturally revolting as it gives me a headache). But make it a PBJ? Well, it's quite like 10 sandwiches will down the chute.

SHould you have done such a thing? No. Because starches contain sucrose, the material S. mutans uses to create the biofilm on your teeth and help cause cavities along with gingivitis. Not worth the weight gain. You just genetically not a big, dense guy who can put on a ton a lot of muscle. I'm kind of similar.

Also, eat uncured bacon since nitrates and nitrites might lead colon cancer.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Likewise, peanut butter alone is unfulfilling

That surprises me! I've been using pb as a filler during my diet when I needed a blood sugar boost or fat top-up to get through the evening. It's about as close as you can get to a spoon full of rendered fat and still be able to swallow it.

 

[Torn Mind]

That surprises me! I've been using pb as a filler during my diet when I needed a blood sugar boost or fat top-up to get through the evening. It's about as close as you can get to a spoon full of rendered fat and still be able to swallow it.

Well, folks are simply wired in different ways. The "usual" PB like Skippy cripples me. Headache and a leftover aching brain fog. It's likely because of the vegetable oils they use. Raw peanuts are fine but peanut butter can go take a hike.

I also can't stand coconut in excess. The aftertaste is bad and sweetening it makes it worse.

As far as flavors go, I have a super strong affinity for tomato base+right spices and artificial grape(can be found in the concord grape) as well. Before my major diet change, even the Chef Boyardee Beefaroni would pass my taste buds simply because of the tomato sauce.

 

[Torn Mind]

That surprises me! I've been using pb as a filler during my diet when I needed a blood sugar boost or fat top-up to get through the evening. It's about as close as you can get to a spoon full of rendered fat and still be able to swallow it.

On second thought, it's likely the vegetable oils added to the peanut butter that ruined all my previous experiences with peanut butter. Eating just pure PB with no additives is actually not bad at all and no headache.

Ate some Crazy Richard's and not bad at all(but it's so runny even my flexible self will be looking at other peanut-only peanut butter).

 

[David-Jack]

Not only healthy foods but regular exercise is important to gain weight but there are some nutrient-rich foods that can help a person to gain weight safely and effectively.

• Milk.
• Protein shakes.
• Rice.
• Red meat.
• Nuts and nut butter.
• Whole-grain bread.
• Other starches.
• Protein supplements.

 

[Muadib]

Beer! Lot and lots of beer!!!