Saturday, April 21, 2012

Losing Weight/Gaining Weight

Last week I sent out an e-mail to my subscribers letting them know why they may be having problems losing weight.  I got a huge response!  Most people responded to thank me for the helpful information, but a few wanted to know what to do if they had the opposite problem: trouble gaining weight.  That seems so foreign to me - I've always found it very, very easy to gain weight.  Anyway I looked into it and sent out another e-mail with information on how to gain weight and I thought I'd share it with you :)

If you like this article and would like to get regular information from me regarding all sorts of things health and fitness related (including healthy recipes and fun workouts) you can sign up in the box on the right ;)

Here's the last article I sent out:

Yesterday I sent out an e-mail regarding what may be stopping you from losing weight.  I got a huge response!  A few of those responses were actually on the flip side.  They wanted to know why they can’t gain weight.  To a lot of us that sounds like a dream come true – not a problem!  But people who have a hard time putting on weight (hardgainers) are just as frustrated and self conscious as those of us who are always struggling to lose weight.  There’s a ton of information out there on how to lose weight, now here’s a few tips on how to gain weight:
1.   Lack of Food. Most hardgainers eat less than they realize.  You should be eating every 2-4 hours and your meals need to be dense in healthy calories.
2.   Wrong Food Choices. Eating too many carbs and not enough protein and healthy fats will not help you gain weight.  Be sure to include protein, a healthy fat and some healthy carbs in each meal (think whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes).
3.   Too Much Activity. The typical hardgainer (or ectomorph) is always on the go.  They tend to be quite active and often forget to eat.  A physically active job will burn calories and these calories need to be replaced.
4.   Training Wrong. If you just work one muscle group at a time (think bicep curls) you won’t get anywhere near the results you would get by doing compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.  Talk to a trainer to get a proper program set up.
5.   Avoiding Fat Gains. When trying to put on muscle gaining weight without gaining fat is slow & hard so don’t be afraid of gaining a bit of fat.  Gain weight first, then lose the fat. 
6.   No Consistency. No approach will work if you miss workouts, neglect to meet your daily caloric needs and change your approach all the time.  Find an app on your phone to track your calories and your workouts.  Stay accountable if you really want results!

Best Foods to Gain Weight.
Calorie dense foods that are healthy are the best ones for weight gain.  Here’s list of some good ones:
·         All natural peanut butter
·         Dark chocolate
·         Raw almonds, cashews and other nuts & seeds
·         Fruit (especially dried fruit)
·         Whole grains, whole wheat pasta and brown rice
·         Potatoes and yams
·         Beans and other legumes
·         Avocados
·         Dairy such as cheese and yogurt
·         Fish high in omega 3’s such as salmon and tuna (watch your intake of tuna due to mercury)
·         Red meats with the word ‘round’ or ‘loin’ in the name
·         Olive oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil
       
- If you can't get enough calories from food, try a meal replacement shake. Add peanut butter, flax oil, fruit, etc to make it even more calorie dense.  Vega has some really good ones!  (p.s if you order Vega off my website I do get a little kickback.  That’s not why I promote it though – I promote it because I use it and it’s an extremely high quality product that I’m proud to recommend on my website).
So there you have it!  Just as someone who is struggling to lose those last 10 pounds, hardgainers must be diligent and consistent with their nutrition and physical activity - if you want it enough you’ll do the work and get the results!  Contact me anytime with your questions!
Heather Lind
Wholey Fit Inc.
We make healthy bodies!
www.wholeyfit.ca
info@wholeyfit.ca
604-773-4660 
  

1 comment: