Diet for weight gain

• ½ cup of noodle soup.
• 120 grams of lean meat, fish, or chicken.
• 1 large cooked potato or sweet potato
• 1 large salad with 1 Tbsp. of dressing or vinaigrette
• Dessert: Half a cup of homemade pudding
• Beverage: 1 glass of fruit juice, like sugar-sweetened lemonade.

Mid-afternoon:

• 1 sandwich with 2 slices of whole-grain bread.  1 Tbsp. of peanut butter or cream cheese, with crushed walnuts.
• Sandwiches with filling: two slices of whole-grain bread with 2 Tbsp. polyunsaturated margarine and another filling. 
• Beverage: 1 cup of tea with milk and honey, or sugar for a sweetener.

Dinner:

• 1 glass of natural fruit juice (orange, mandarin, grapefruit, etc.)
• 90 grams of lean meat, fish, or low-fat cheese.
• One large salad with fresh vegetables, and 1 Tbsp. of dressing or vinaigrette.
• ½ cup of noodle or rice soup.

Before bed:

• 1 glass of skim milk, with 2 whole-grain cookies

It is important to keep in mind that gaining weight can be a bit of a slow task, which is why patience is primordial.  Don’t try to gain weight overnight.  Increase your calorie consumption gradually.  The weight you gain will then will be less likely to be made entirely of fat.

Including excess calories in your diet could promote weight gain in fat, which is not all too healthy.  Remember, your goal is to gain weight healthily, which is why you should include an exercise routine to strengthen and stimulate muscle gains.

Do not forget your health.  A lot of people believe that in order to gain weight, you must consume sweets, fried foods, cakes, and other high-calorie foods.  However, you can’t forget about nutrition.  Choosing healthy options is also important, so try to limit your consumption of processed foods, and instead, include enough fresh foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, etc.

Lastly, don’t forget to rest.  Rest is absolutely necessary for good health, and sleeping less than 6 hours a day can keep our stress and anxiety levels high.  These two factors can also affect our weight.  Rest is especially necessary if are exercising to gain weight.

Smoothies are a quick way to increase caloric intake in our diets, especially if we don’t have time to prepare something more elaborate, or even if we just can’t eat large amounts of food, because we’re not used to it.  To add calories to your daily diet, include a smoothie in your breakfast, with the following ingredients:

• 1 cup of skim milk
• ½ banana or 1 cup of strawberries
• 2 Tbsp. oats flakes
• 2 Tbsp. honey

If your smoothie is really thick, you can add a bit more milk.  Serve, and drink alongside your normal breakfast.  This can help you gain weight, especially in the first few weeks.