HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY

How to gain weight the right way

(Gaining more muscle mass and less fat)

The Ectomorphic body and weight gain issues

Ectomorphs have a fast metabolism, which is both a blessing and a curse. A high metabolism makes is easy to shed weight and become lean, and it mostly appears that they can eat whatever they want to and not gain an inch on their bodies. However, as their age advances, the metabolism of the ectomorphs slows down, primarily due to low muscle mass, which simultaneously results in gaining of body fat.

Ectomorphs must eat foods rich in natural and complex carbohydrates. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of calories should come from carbs, 25 percent from protein and 25 percent from fat.

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What can you do to reach your goal muscular weight?

·        Weight Training

Yes, I said it! Exercising won’t make you lean but will help you put up muscle mass for sure. To increase strength, build more muscle mass, and sculpt your dream body, a weight-training routine with weights heavy enough to lift is essential for the ectomorph. Heavier weights and completing three to five sets of approximately eight to 12 reps for each muscle group shall work wonders for you within a few months itself.

pic credit :- shreddybrek.com

·        Pre- and Post-workout Nutrition

About 30 minutes before a workout, make sure to eat or drink a poly complex carbohydrate and some protein, such as fruit (ex. Banana) or toast with almond butter/ peanut butter. This pre workout meal shall keep you energized during your workout. And don’t forget drink enough water during your workout. You can also consume a good protein shake in the middle of the workout if it lasts for more than an hour.

You must consume your post workout meal 30 to 40 minutes after your workout. The ideal post-workout meal has a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 carb to protein to help quickly replenish your glycogen stores and repair and build muscle fibers. 

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·        Throughout the day nutrition

To be brutally honest, eating three meals a day won’t work for your body type because it already burns enough calories in your resting time than you are able to give it to retain. Once you are ready to begin, you will have to eat at least 6-8 meals each day and that too at frequent intervals (such as every two hours). Out of these meals, you can have 3 major meals and 3 small meals or snacks. And not very ordinary snacks but energy dense ones.

 You can keep breakfast, lunch, and dinner as main meals and add healthy snacks between them. This way, you will not only be able to keep energy levels high throughout the day but also give your body those extra calories and proteins needed to build up those muscles.

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To give you a rough figure your daily calorie count looks like this: 

·   Total Calories to be consumed – 2000-3000 cal

·   Protein – 160-180g

·   Carbs – 400-450g

·   (healthy) Fat – 60-70g

Mostly people try restricting either carbs or fat when trying to lose weight. This is not a very good approach as it will make it harder to get in enough calories. High-carb and good fats foods  must be consumed if weight gain is a priority for you. And never to ignore the proteins.

Intermittent fasting is absolutely not recommended for you. It may be helpful for weight loss but can make it much harder to eat enough calories to gain weight. So why would you even restrict your calories when you want to load more?

You must create a calorie surplus, i.e. put more calories in your body than it consumes throughout the day.

Let me make it easier for you: -

·        If you want to gain weight slow and steady, aim for 400-500 calories more than you burn each day.

·        If you want to gain weight fast, aim for around 700–1,000 calories above your maintenance level. But make sure in this case that you workout as well.

·        This calorie increase estimates may vary from person to person depending upon your basal metabolic rate.

pic credit :- journal.crossfit.com

You don't need to count calories each time, but it would really help to do it for the first few days or weeks to get a feel for how many calories you’re eating.

ALSO

Relying completely upon weight gainers may prove to be fatal in the long run. Instead of using mass gainers, I would suggest you use a better sources of protein like whey protein and casein protein ( MILK and milk PRODUCTS). Eat plenty of complex carbs and workout and voila! you have your dream weight and body structure!

If you are still unable to gain weight you may want to consider some conditions and get some tests done: -

·         Diabetes: Having uncontrolled diabetes (mainly type 1) can lead to severe weight loss.

·         Eating disorders: This includes anorexia nervosa, a serious mental disorder.

·         Thyroid problems: Having an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can boost metabolism and cause unhealthy weight loss.

·         Infections: Certain infections can cause someone to become severely underweight. This includes parasites, tuberculosis etc.

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