Skinny people, dear skinny people... Today's world is extremely complicated, and having that extra bit of body weight related reminiscence is not needed at all. I am sure most of this article's reader's have tried multiple methods, from eating too much to trying weight gainers, but unfortunately came to a dead end when things didn't work out as expected. This article is dedicated for those, who have made the decision, but need help and someone to guide them on their future path of bulking up, and reaching those long desired results.
Metabolism...
The number one thing you have to understand is skinny people, just like everyone else, have a devil in their bodies. Metabola I call it. Metabola is the amount of calories your body burns. The higher your metabola, the more calories you burn. As a rule, you need a higher calorie intake than your body burns to gain weight. Logically, the first thing you need to do is understand how many calories your body burns throughout a day. There are a lot of BMR (basic metabolic rate) calculators on the net, and most of them are inaccurate, but I did some research and found out that these two are mostly accurate (1, 2). Use these calculators and average your results ((Result 1+ Result 2)/2). After you have your result, you need to use another equation (Harris Benedict Equation) to have the correct results, since you are not in bed all day (if you are, move your ass, I know it's hard but you can make it!)
- If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
- If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
- If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
I repeat, understanding the correct metabola rate is essential because you have to have more calories going in then calories going out. After you have a good understanding of how many calories you burn, aim for 300-500 calories above your threshold per day for slow weight gain, but steady. If you want to gain weight fast, aim for 700-1000 calorie surplus per day. (Just a side note - most skinny people think they eat enough calories to gain weight, but they usually overestimate their food intake and burn more than they get, that's why measuring your intake/outtake is necessary)
Making your diet
This is the tough part. After you understand how many calories you burn, and how much extra you need to gain weight, you have to construct an accurate diet, and FOLLOW IT THROUGH! There is a convenient app called myfitnesspal, which is quite helpful when it comes to calculating calories and organizing a diet, in addition they have over 11 million foods in their database. Next, buy a food scale on Amazon.com, or wherever. A decent one costs less than $20, which is quite useful in the long run. I personally use grams, because that's how i get the most accurate results.
There is a subreddit on Reddit called Gainit, which has ton's of valuable information. They have a section specifically made for recipes for various meals and shakes. That database also contains the amount of calories per dish/shake, which is quite convenient.
Scale your food, find out how many calories there are in your diet (another great recourse for calculating calories), create a food plan and follow it through. Remember, you need an extra 300-1000 calories per day to gain weight.
(Cheap healthy food? There is a subreddit dedicated specifically for that!)
Composing your diet
What exactly should you eat? Foods are different. They contain different Micros and Macros. Micronutrients are minerals and vitamins that are necessary for your body to maintain physiological processes. Macronutrients are fats, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol. Through regular eating you will obtain necessary micronutrients, although multi-vitamin supplements may help you meet required amounts.
Carbohydrates - 4 calories per gram. Examples of carbohydrates: Oats, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Pasta, Quinoa, Honey, Sweet Potato, Yams, Onions, Berries, Vegetables, Fruits.
Fats - 9 calories per gram. Examples of fats: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Peanut Butter, Mixed Nuts, Avocado.
Protein - 4 calories per gram. Examples of proteins: Chicken Breast, Lean Red Meat, Turkey Breast, Egg Whites, Cottage Cheese (2%), Tuna (Canned), Fish (varies by species), Greek Yogurt, Whey Protein Powder (varies by brand).
Combinations - Whole Milk (All 3), Eggs (Fat and Protein), Broccoli (Carbohydrate and Protein), Beans (Carbohydrate and Protein), Chickpeas/Garbanzo (Carbohydrate and Protein), Lentils (Carbohydrate and Protein). (In case you are curious about specific carbohydrate/protein/fat ratios for each of the mentioned foods, follow this link)
You shouldn't be too concerned with the correct diet composition, because we want to gain weight. Instead focus on the protein macro per body weight. It is generally said that 0.68-1g per 1lb bodyweight of protein each day is an ideal amount. It has to be mentioned that you can eat more than 30g protein in one sitting. Then you can fill up your remaining calories with fats/carbs. Protein helps you build muscle, lose fat, supports lean body mass (muscle) over unhealthy and flabby body mass (fat), decreases soreness and helps you recover better from all kinds of exercise. So calculate how much protein you need per day, and include that in your diet. If you want a more in depth analysis into carbs/fats/proteins, read this article.
Do I need supplements?
Supplements are exactly what they sound like, supplemental to your main diet. If you struggle to reach your goals with food, you can fill the gaps with supplements. Examine.com can be used to find information regarding most supplements.
- Protein: If you have a hard time meeting your daily protein goals with regular food, you may want to consider protein powder. There are tons of different protein powders on the net but they all serve the same function, helping you reach your protein goal. It has to be noted that protein powder isn't special protein, i.e. whey protein is the same protein you would get from milk, it is just separated from casein protein and condensed.
- Weight gainer: It sounds really good to a skinny person who wants to gain weight fast, but you have to understand that they are simply protein powder with a large amount of carbs, which is not healthy and usually cost efficient. A better alternative is mixing protein powder with quality ingredients such as fruit, oatmeal, olive oil, etc.
- Creatine: There are two ways your body gets energy to move. Aerobic and Anaerobic. Aerobic - Fueled by oxygen. Normally slow steady stuff like walking. You can create enough energy to continue by breathing. Anaerobic - Oxygen is not enough. You need alternative energy systems. Normally short fast intense stuff like lifting weights, running at full speed, etc. Creatine helps with the Anaerobic part and it is completely healthy [1]. What will it do? Imagine going to the gym but you have the ability to add an extra 7lbs to your lifts, you can do an extra rep on each set and you can recover 15 seconds sooner between sets. Examine has a well written article on the topic, read it if you are curious.
TRAINIIING
Join a gym. With your diet in check, we don't want to be gaining layers of fat, we want to gain muscle and healthy fat. The mentioned subreddit gainit has valuable information on tons of resources, from beginner tips to intermediate strength programs. Join a gym, if you don't have the option to work with a trainer use that subreddit to create a strength program, and follow it through. A good weigh training program (individual muscle programs) with basics of squats, bench press, deadlifts, and pull-ups, combined with a good diet and plenty of rest (If you want to get stronger and grow you need to recover) will most certainly lead you to new heights, and desired results. Don't quit, work hard, eat hard!