It’s hard to spend 10 minutes on social media looking into fitness and not be hit from all sides with talk about weight-loss and the next greatest exercise to get you into the best shape of your life. It’s all good, such posts have their place as motivation to a degree but what about weight gain? Weight gain is the ugly little brother that takes up space or so it was thought. Gaining lean mass is the goal for most men that are underweight most of the time, pack on some size and all that good stuff, so here is a list of food you’ll want to consider adding to your next shopping list to get those pounds doubling and metabolic juices bubbling.

My name is Hanif and I’m a Fitness and Nutritional Coach here at CriterionFit. I help men with health fitness and nutritional wants and needs to achieve the goals they set themselves while having fun and gaining knowledge. It doesn’t matter where you’re from we can help you with your fitness goals. Physical activity and regular exercise should be a part of all of our lives so for inspiration and help get in touch with us [Here]…back to weight gain!!

The reality of this life is that when people think of weight gain they automatically picture an obese person that is lazy and unattractive. This is a mistake in many ways and a person shouldn’t be judged by their appearance when you have no idea what lead them to be in the current state they are in, that’s a side issue. So, weight gain can be a struggle for many men, in the sense of being underweight. They consume and consume meal after meal but don’t find a way to put on that extra few pounds. I believe I was an Ectomorph growing up, a skinny guy that could eat whatever I wanted and wake up the next day as if I hadn’t eaten a whole Large Dominos Pizza and Garlic Bread to myself.

Not everyone with low weight for height will automatically have an eating disorder, some men just have fast metabolisms and don’t eat the right foods in sufficient quantities to gain weight. The foundation you must set for yourself is to eat in a calorie surplus which means to consume more calories than you expend or use up during your day and night. This will ideally be done by you consuming high-quality sources of Protein, Carbs and Fats rather than Junk food and sweet treats. Here you’ll find some essential foods to add to your shopping list but please check for allergies before you make changes to your diet, I’m no doctor and you could be negatively affected by some or all of these foods if you are allergic so research before you try anything out.

Carbohydrates such as Oats, Brown Rice, Brown Pasta and Sweet Potato are great sources of energy to fuel your day and exercise sessions. These carbs also hold fibre which helps normal bowel movement, helps to control blood sugar levels and lowers Cholesterol. It is also advisable to eat vegetables and fruit throughout the day due to their vitamin and mineral content.

Fats including Avacado, Flaxseed and Olive Oil, Nuts and Seeds all contain beneficial monounsaturated fats that raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterol. Fat isn’t to be avoided, they are essential to a balanced diet and healthy body however it’s best to avoid Trans Fats which are an unhealthy form of fat found in many foods to preserve and increase the shelf life of food.

Protein, the building block for muscle gain which is what you’ve been waiting for. Some sources of Protein you’ll want to look into if on a non-vegetarian diet are:

Lean Beef
Eggs
Chicken Breast
Salmon (Fish)
Protein Powder

When we exercise during a weight training session we breakdown muscle fibres for them to repair, grow, get stronger and so on. To assist this anabolism (growth) of muscle our bodies need proteins after training and regularly to maintain that muscle. Carbohydrates also have effects upon muscle growth so it’s important to eat with a balanced diet, for more on this and to learn how to calculate your macros to put size on in the kitchen leave us a message [Here].

A key point to remember if you are under your ideal weight is that you must consistently eat calories up and above your BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate) which is the minimum amount of calories you need to sustain your bodily functions. Buying Protein Powder and then jumping on the Treadmill for 35 minutes is not the way to gaining size for most of us anyway.

If you could do with a single consultation with Criterion Fit to help you get your diet in check or you need an exercise programme that will bring about the goals and gains you’re after, get in contact with Hanif by leaving a message [Here].

Weight gain for an underweight man can be a difficult issue to deal with and deserves as much respect as is given to people that are overweight. The best thing anyone can do in any given situation is to seek out the people of knowledge in the said field if you don’t already know the answers. Be it a Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach or Nutritionist, the answers and best method for you to reach your goal is out there so get to work and live your best life.