Body weight: how to gain weight wisely
Your body weight increases when you consistently consume slightly more energy than you burn and give your body a reason to build muscle. Ott Kiivikas, a 12-time Estonian bodybuilding champion, emphasizes the same simple point: gaining weight takes a plan, not just random snacking. If you’ve been skinny for a long time and wondered how to gain weight, start with your food, workouts and routine.
Why isn’t your body weight increasing?
There’s plenty of talk about losing weight, but some people face the opposite problem: they seem to eat enough, yet the scale won’t budge. Men ask about this most often, but women can face the same issue. The real goal isn’t simply to get bigger. Most people want a more athletic physique and more muscle mass.
The simple truth is that if you burn more energy each day than you take in, your body weight cannot increase sustainably. If you have a fast metabolism, you may struggle to get enough from 2-3 meals. You feel full, the day moves on, and by evening you’re still short on energy.
Ott Kiivikas recommends maintaining a moderate calorie surplus. A reasonable extra intake that can help you start gaining weight is around 10– 15% more calories per day than you burn. This doesn’t have to mean eating nonstop. It means establishing a better routine.
Body weight and food: what should you actually do?
If you want to gain weight, increase your eating frequency to 5 times a day. That means 3 main meals and 2 snacks. This way, every meal doesn’t have to be enormous, and your body gets a steadier supply of building materials and energy throughout the day.
Don’t indiscriminately eat whatever you can get your hands on. Yes, sugary drinks, pastries and fast food can make you gain weight. But at what cost? A better-quality everyday diet also produces better results in terms of body fat %. Weight gain can come from either muscle or fat; the difference is quite clear in how you look and feel.
- Eat more calories than you burn each day, but keep the surplus reasonable.
- Plan to eat 5 times a day: 3 main meals and 2 snacks.
- Include protein, carbohydrates and fat in every main meal.
- Don’t leave snacks to chance, especially on school or work days.
- Track changes in your weight over months, rather than individual days.
If snacks are hard to come by, you can use a supplement that combines carbohydrates and protein. The original recommendation listed Mass 2, Lean Gain and Gain Bolic as examples. The point isn’t that you have to use a powder. It’s simply regular food in concentrated form for when your next proper meal is a long way off.
Body weight and strength training go hand in hand
If your goal is muscle mass, gym training is necessary. Your body needs a signal to direct as much of that extra energy as possible toward building muscle. Without training, it’s easier to accumulate fat, especially if your calorie surplus gets too large.
Your training doesn’t need to be complicated from the start. Begin with the main exercises, learn proper technique and gradually increase your training load. Moderate aerobic training can also be part of your plan, but don’t let it burn through all the extra calories you eat.
Honestly, people sometimes worry about entirely the wrong thing. Some beginners think the gym will make them too muscular too quickly. Ott Kiivikas put it well: muscles aren’t like hair or nails, which grow whether we want them to or not. Muscle building is a long process and takes commitment.
A practical plan: how to gain weight
Ott Kiivikas considers 1-2 kilograms per month a normal rate of weight gain. If you gain weight faster, much of the added weight is likely to be fat. That doesn’t mean you have to achieve exactly the same result every month. But it gives you a useful benchmark.
Consistency is the key to it all. You won’t gain weight if you follow the plan for three days, then can’t find time to fit in all your planned meals over the next two days. You can’t eat in advance to cover future needs. The same principle applies to training.
Write down a specific target date and the weight you want to reach. This makes your goal visible. If you want to gain, for example, 1-2 kilograms per month, you can work backward to see how realistic your deadline is. That way, the plan doesn’t exist only in your head.
If you have a fast metabolism, you don’t need to fear dietary fat, but satisfying your appetite at fast-food restaurants usually won’t produce the results you want. Choose foods you can eat regularly: porridge, eggs, quark, rice, potatoes, meat, fish, legumes, nuts, oils and substantial sandwiches. The best plan is one you can actually follow.
FAQs
Can your body weight increase without going to the gym?
Yes, but a larger share of the gain is then more likely to come from fat. If your goal is a more athletic physique, it’s worth including strength training in your plan.
How often should you eat each day?
A good starting point is to eat 5 times a day: 3 main meals and 2 snacks. This makes it easier to get enough calories.
What is a reasonable rate of weight gain?
A practical rate is 1-2 kilograms per month. Faster weight gain may mean you’re adding too much fat, rather than just muscle mass.
Buduaar.ee
Author: Annett Grossfeldt – Buduaar
Source:Turg.Fitness.ee
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