Gaining Weight: How Long

Gaining weight is an individual process. Some people will have less difficulty putting on weight than others. Remember that gaining weight fast is not practical. Gaining weight at the rate of 2-3 pounds a week is a sensible. By adding 1000 calories a day to your required calorie need, you can gain 2-3 pounds in a week. If you seem to be gaining weight at a faster rate, you may want to eliminate some calories or fats. Slow and steady is the way for healthy weight gain.

Sample Weight Gain Diet

When you are creating your weight gain diet, you will hear many opinions on how many calories you should be adding per day and what kind of foods you need to eat. The truth is that you need to experiment to see what is right for you. Here is a sample weight gain diet that can help you experiment and get started. Breakfast should combine whole grains and high calorie and nutrient rich foods. For example combine granola, chopped nuts, raisins and banana into yogurt and enjoy a glass of milk with it. Have a snack mid morning with something rich like peanut butter or cheese with a piece of fruit. For lunch have a calorie rich salad including avocado, canned tuna, vegetable, olives, lettuce, sesame seeds and olive oil or a sandwich with lean meats and a lot of vegetables. Have a mid afternoon snack of milk with a muffin or granola bar. For dinner have baked chicken with vegetables and rice. Enjoy some ice cream for dessert.

Calorie Supplements and Weight Gain

If you are a patient fighting a disease like cancer or AIDS, there may be times when, despite your best efforts, you don't want to eat. Even if you have the option of high calorie, nutritious and tasty meals, you may be too tired, nauseous or just not in the mood. In times like these, calorie supplements can come in handy. Nutritional and calorie supplements should not be a staple in your diet, but they can be a real help in a pinch. These calorie supplements, especially when they are nutrient, vitamins and minerals can help you maintain a weight, or add calories when you are trying to gain weight.

Calorie Supplements in Everyday Recipes

Some unusual ways to create calorie supplements and protein to your everyday meals: Add powdered milk (2 to 4 tablespoons) to a cup of milk, or mix powdered milk into puddings, soup, vegetables, pancake batter, milkshakes and potatoes. Powdered milk contains 33 calories per tablespoon and 3 grams of protein per tablespoon. You can also add eggs or egg substitute to recipes like meat loaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken salads and casseroles. You can also add extra eggs to pancake batter and French toast. Eggs have 80 calories each and 7 grams of protein. There are always innovative ways to add calories to help in gaining weight.

What Protein Does in Your Weight Gain Diet

Protein is necessary for metabolic function and other bodily processes and it also helps our immune system to fight off disease. It is a building block in hair, finger nails, skin, cartilage, muscles and bones. Adults need protein to build up and replace tissues that are breaking down with use and children need protein to grow. You can get protein from meat, eggs, beans, grains and dairy products. Although protein helps your metabolism, it should not be avoided in your diet for weight gain. A balanced mix of the food groups will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while maintaining a healthy weight.

Vegetarians can Gain Weight Too

Just because you don't eat meat doesn't mean you can't create a successful weight gain program. Vegetarians and Vegans often have trouble consuming sufficient calories and nutrients but you can gain weight in a healthy way and maintain that healthy weight. Look to lactose free weight gain supplements and try to integrate more foods like avocado, cheese, nuts, rice, pasta and legumes into your diet. Use olive oil and other natural fats in your cooking.

Children and Being Underweight

If your child is underweight, or on the cusp of being underweight, it would be indicated by a body mass index that is lower than the 5th percentile for the child's age. There are some health risks of being underweight. In many cases, being slightly underweight can be perfectly normal, especially if your child has recently gone through a growth spurt, eats healthy foods, and is normally active. Being underweight can also signal a problem and deserves medical consideration if your child is not gaining weight or has recently lost noticeable weight, has diarrhea, vomiting, poor appetite, or a low energy level. Children can be at risk for developing eating disorders, especially if your child has a poor self body image, seems to exercise a great deal, has stopped having periods (amenorrhea), or is using laxatives to help lose weight. Additionally, children and adolescents who experience a sudden weight loss may be showing symptoms of Diabetes Type 1. Weight gain diets for children should be closely monitored by both parent and doctor to ensure maximum nutrition and growth.

Calorie Counters

There is a lot of weight gain advice out there and one of the major tips is to count your calories and make sure that you are ingesting a certain number of calories each day. Don't know which food have what caloric content? Look online for web sites that have calorie counters. There are even some sites that have daily calorie journals. You may have to pay a small fee, but having a tool like this at your fingertips can be invaluable in helping you gain weight in a disciplined and healthy manner. You can also find books at the library or at your local bookstore that can give you the caloric intake of every food under the sun.

Weight Gain and the Elderly

The need to gain weight when elderly is an increasing challenge. With limited incomes and increasing costs, the elderly tend to reduce food. A high calorie, high nutrient weight gain supplement is ideal for the elderly to maintain body weight and to gain extra weight.