Suppose, for any reason, a person wanted to gain weight as safely as possible. Completely ignoring the physical activity component, and focusing solely on the dietary component, how would a person do this as healthfully as possible?
Eating large amounts of protein doesn’t seem to be effective from the reading I have done.
Eating large amounts of fat would also make the goal difficult because the long digestion time.
Eating a large amount of carbohydrates seems to really be the answer. Of course, you wouldn’t want to eat large amounts of sugar, because you would get diabetes eventually, so am I correct in thinking that a diet high in low glycemic carbohydrates would be the most effective route?
Note I do NOT need this as medical advice - I’m happy not caring about my weight. Thanks for the input!
I was about to ask if body fat could be converted to protein before I caught myself on what a stupid question it was - of course not…it’s fat!
Interesting, Si Amigo, I was so sure that was the case after hearing all the perils of sugar for so many years that I looked it up - it looks like your right, but it brings another question to me;
Assuming you are lean, can you consume sugar with relative impunity to diabetes? Are there other risks?
Personally, I work out and would prefer to gain muscle, but that wasn’t really my point - as I understand it you need both excess calories and exercise to develop muscle.
I have been skinny all my life. <7% body fat. I can eat, and eat, and eat, in excess of 3000 calories a day, and sit on the computer all day if I like, and I have never put on weight. That is curious to me. And while I don’t want to gain weight personally, I am curious of the mechanism that makes this so. Why does my body not store fat?
Every milestone too, someone tells me “Just wait, when you are 18, 21, 25, 30, 35, 40, etc etc, THEN you’ll get fat”. Cracks me up.
Some people seem to be able to eat carbs all day with no noticeable affect other than tooth decay. Must be high metabolism. Take a look at your parents and you may get a clue as to how you will be when you hit certain milestones. The standard way to gain muscle is to eat a high protein meal and some cards within an hour of finishing your workout. Some people swear by supplements, but I have no experience in body building.
Once when I was weary of being underweight, I added a half a lite beer, each day after work.
(It was hard too, I don’t really like beer, and rarely ever take a drink!)
In six weeks I put on ten pounds!
(My friend with the big beer belly recommended it, and he was not wrong!)
Not sure it was ‘healthy’, but as it was the only drinking I was doing, I doubt it was unhealthy.
My ex was like that. He was tall and skinny and wanted to be more of a “bear.” He was also extremely health-conscious, and would consume only tiny amounts of white sugar, white rice or white flour. He tried weight-gain supplements and various herbs. He worked out about 5 times a week. The only change was that his muscles became stronger and better-defined, but not bulging as he had hoped.
I, on the other hand, am “bearish” and trying to lose weight. Too bad we couldn’t just switch bodies. For a while we were eating about the same food and same amounts, and working out together. Neither of us had any meaningful change.
Either way, it seems to be an uphill battle. If you find a solution to this, let us know.
Does the OP assume that his/her current diet is healthful? If so, then the simplest answer to the OP’s question is to just scale up the current diet. After all, the one constant truth in dietary talk is that, consuming more calories than one burns will decrease weight, and vice versa. If one’s present diet is maintaining a certain weight, then 20% more of everything should increase one’s weight.
Well, if you are lactose tolerant, a VERY simple way to put on weight that works for me - for muscle - is the GOMAD diet. That’s right, Gallon of Milk a Day. Of course, at my size, 1/2 gallon is enough. You eat your normal meals and throughout the course of the day consume a gallon of milk on top of that.
Through heavy compound lifts, eating my normal diet, and 1/2 GOMAD, I was able to put on ~15lbs and my fat levels didn’t change significantly.
Still though - I am curious to the mechanics of this. I wonder what it is that tells some bodies to horde those calories and other bodies pass it.
As far as the OP, I’d say you are on the right track re: glycemic index and carbs. For me, I always find myself gaining when I get on a sandwich kick. I make killer sandwiches, if I say so myself, but they do tend to pack a caloric wallop.