Gain Weight Diet

The secret to packing on pounds of solid muscle mass is simple: For the most part, the types of foods you eat on a muscle-gaining program are the same ones you should eat all the time, whether you want to lose, gain or maintain - you just need to eat more of them. "Just eat more" is easier said than done, however. It seems like you’re constantly shopping, cooking and eating. Sometimes preparing food and eating it can seem like a full time job! One way to make gaining weight and forcing down all that food less of a chore is to choose foods (or supplements) with a HIGHER CALORIE DENSITY. By doing so, you can get more calories in the same amount of food.
Understand the Calorie Content of Food
All proteins and all carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram and all fats have 9 calories per gram, but not all foods have the same number of calories per unit of volume. Let me explain:
Imagine for a moment, two measuring cups (the kind you have in your kitchen) and notice the amount of space in each container. Got it? Now visualize the two cups side by side; one filled with chopped cucumber and one filled with raisins. Each cup now contains exactly the same VOLUME of food, right? But did you know that the cup of raisins has 37 times more calories? That’s right! The cup of cucumbers contains 14 calories, while the cup of raisins contains 520 calories. If cucumbers and raisins both have four calories per gram, then how could this be? The answer has to do with calorie density. The cucumbers have a lower calorie density because they have a higher fiber and water content. The calories in the raisins are more "concentrated."
And that’s the secret to getting enough calories to gain weight: choose calorie-concentrated foods.
If you learn which foods are nutrition dense and calorie dense, you can use this information to help you gain lean weight more easily than ever before.
Low-Calorie Foods
Fibrous carbohydrates and vegetables such as lettuce, asparagus, cucumber and broccoli have very low calorie densities because your body can’t absorb the caloric content of fiber. That makes veggies an excellent choice when you want to lose body fat. Before competitions, bodybuilders usually reduce or remove high calorie simple sugars and starches from their diets and replace them with fibrous carbohydrates. (Goodbye bagels and pasta, hello broccoli and asparagus!)
On the other side of the coin, the low calorie density of most vegetables is the very reason that they don’t help you gain weight. Think about it; you would have to eat a wheelbarrow full of lettuce, cucumbers or spinach before you consumed enough calories to make the scale budge at all! It’s wise to always include vegetables in your diet (because they’re good for you), but you won’t get enough calories to gain weight from veggies alone; you have to eat lots of high density foods or you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.
Calorie-Dense Carbs
So now let’s look at some "calorie-dense" foods that can help you pack on the pounds:
Simple carbohydrates such as fruit have higher calorie densities than vegetables because simple carbs are more concentrated and have less fiber. Fruit juice is even more concentrated than the fruit itself. A medium sized orange contains about 60 calories. A glass of orange juice has about 160 calories. Fruit and fruit juice, therefore, make great additions to a weight-gaining program.
Taken to the extreme, concentrating and refining carbohydrates results in empty calorie products like white sugar and white bread. Although these are calorie dense foods, they have little or no nutritional value. Don’t add nutritionally void foods to your diet just for the sake of more calories - it’s the quality and nutritional value of the calories you want, not just the quantity. You should look for foods that are high in calories that are unrefined and as close to their natural form as possible (the way they came out of the ground).
Complex carbohydrates (starches) such as whole grains, pasta, cereals, beans, yams, potatoes and rice also have higher calorie densities than fibrous carbs. A typical restaurant sized serving of pasta contains 800-1000 calories. Obviously, pasta and other complex carbohydrates are great foods for gaining weight.
Correct Use of Fats
Ok, now that you know what carbs to eat, let’s talk about fat. Fat can also have a major impact on the calorie content of foods. Fats have more than twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein (9 calories per gram vs. 4 calories per gram), so foods that are 100% fat have the most calories per volume. Olive oil, which is pure fat, contains 1920 calories per cup. Any food that has a lot of fat in it will have a high calorie density. Peanut butter, for example, has 1600 calories per cup; Cashews have 780 calories per cup.
I’m not suggesting that you start devouring French fries, cheeseburgers and sausage every day for the sake of gaining weight - if you do, you’ll gain weight all right - right on your belly or backside! Your diet should always be low in fat (15-25% of your total calories), but not all fats are bad. It’s the saturated fats like fried foods, butter and tropical oils that you should avoid.
In small amounts, unsaturated, "healthy" fats are not only good for you, but they can help you gain weight more quickly than if you didn’t eat any fat at all. Just one tablespoon of flaxseed oil and two tablespoons of peanut butter would add nearly 500 calories to your daily diet and you’d hardly notice that any extra food was added.
Protein - The Muscle Builder
Protein foods that contain some fat will also be higher in calories. 4 oz of Chinook salmon has 262 calories and 15 grams of (good) fat; 4 oz of Haddock has 137 calories and only 1 gram of fat. Because of the higher calories and the essential fatty acids (good fats), cold water fish like Salmon are another great addition to a weight gain program.
The best proteins for gaining muscle are the lean ones like chicken, lean beef, egg whites, turkey and fish. Lean cuts of red meat like round or flank steak are excellent for gaining weight. Avoid fatty cuts of beef, as well as pork, sausage, bacon and whole milk products because they contain large amounts of artery-clogging, unhealthy saturated fat.

Supplements - Are They Useful?
I’m a huge believer in always choosing whole foods over supplements whenever possible. However, it’s not easy to eat whole foods 5 or 6 times per day if you have a busy schedule. If you have a hard time getting enough calories from food, then you should consider using a weight gain or meal replacement product because drinking your calories is a lot easier than eating them.
Meal replacements are usually powdered products that you mix with water, milk or juice. You can also increase the calories further by adding peanut butter, flax oil, fruit or your other favorite ingredient and mixing up the whole concoction in a blender.
Don’t just blindly follow the instructions on the container. One thing that most people don’t realize is that you need to customize your supplement intake to your exact calorie needs. Just because the package says there are "1000 calories per serving" doesn’t mean that’s how many you need. Adjust the serving size to fit your own diet.
For example, if you need 3000 calories to gain weight, that breaks down into five 600-calorie meals or six 500-calorie meals. There’s no need to shovel down 1000 calories at a time just because the label says so - that’s only going to make you fat.
Meal Replacement Products
Some products were designed as meal replacements for fat loss programs. These usually come in individual serving packets, they have about 280-300 calories per serving and they contain more protein than carbohydrates; this way, they fit into the guidelines of a low carbohydrate, high protein, fat burning diet. These products are not as cost-effective when you’re trying to gain weight. 300 calories is not enough for mass-building meal. If you decide to use this type of product for weight gain, you’ll need to mix it with a calorie containing liquid like juice or skim milk to bring the calories up to 500-700 (or whatever your diet calls for).
When you want to gain muscle, you’d be better off choosing a product that was specifically designed for that purpose. These "weight gainers" are much more concentrated in calories and contain more carbohydrates.
Using mostly carbs (sugars) and skimping on the protein is a dirty trick that supplement companies use to make a product cheap to manufacture. Read the labels carefully and avoid any product that is mostly sugar with very little protein. A good product will have approximately one part protein for every two parts of carbohydrates and small amounts of fat. For example, a drink mix with 40 grams of protein, 80 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fat would provide almost 500 calories. If you wanted even more calories, you could mix the powder in skim milk or juice instead of water.
7 Steps to Gain Weight
So, let’s summarize your strategy for quickly and easily adding more calories to your diet:
Continue to eat the same healthy foods you always eat, but simply eat more of them.
Choose foods with a higher calorie density. You could eat broccoli and salad until your face hurts from chewing so much, but you still won’t get enough calories.
Eat plenty of starchy carbohydrates including whole grains & cereals, pasta, potatoes, yams, beans, rice and oatmeal.
Don’t be afraid of adding a little bit of fat. Keep your diet low in fat overall, but add in some of the healthy "good" fats (such as flax oil, olive oil, or a couple tablespoons of peanut butter) and you’ll gain weight more quickly.
Just because you’re trying to gain weight doesn’t mean you have a license to eat anything you want. Go for nutritional value as well as calorie density; avoid saturated fats, sugar and processed junk foods.
If you can’t seem to get enough calories from food, then a meal replacement or weight gainer supplement can make your life a lot easier. Adjust the serving size to fit your calorie needs and make sure the product has a good protein to carb ratio.
Don’t be afraid to drink a lot of your calories in the form of low fat/skim milk, juice or supplements/shakes.

Very Low Calorie Diets

A Very Low Calorie Diet is a diet where normal meals are replaced with drinks, soups, or bars. The typical daily calorie intake is on or under the 800 mark - however the aim is to be as nutritionally balanced as possible.

Prescription Only

A Very Low Calorie Diet is normally only used privately and in the medical profession to bring about rapid weight loss in the dangerously overweight person. These diets should be undertaken only under medical supervision. They are typically a high fat, high protein diet that will bring about Ketosis.

The diet is only undertaken for a short period of time (a few weeks). In some situations, the meal replacements may only be used for two meals a day - therefore bringing about slower but more manageable weight loss.

A Very Low Calorie Diet

Medifast
This has been used by (apparently) over 1 million people, and is endorsed by John Hopkins University. It’s a meal replacement plan around the 800-1000 calories mark (which puts it outside the strict definition of a VLCD). It will put the body into a mild state of ketosis.

Optifast
Available at hundreds of clinics in the US and Canada. However many find it difficult to complete the program

The Cambridge Diet
Used in the UK, this diet has an even lower daily calorie level (400-600) and is a high protein, low fat, low carb diet.

Also See: Very Low Calorie Diets Products

Zone Diet

The Zone Diet was created by Dr. Barry Sears. At the heart of the Zone Diet is its nutrient ratios. The Zone Diet follows a formula of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats (sometimes called 40:30:30). This must be followed at every meal. Considered by some to be the perfect diet.
The biggest criticism of the diet is that it is too complex to follow. However the Zone has gathered a substantial following - some of it due to celebrity endorsement.
If you’re going to follow the Zone diet you need to read The Zone : Revolutionary Life Plan to Put Your Body in Total Balance for Permanent Weight Loss by Barry Sears. There are websites that offer a significant amount of support for the Zone Diet (some even deliver meals).

40 30 30
The Zone Diet plan is all about ‘meal ratios’. It can be considered ‘low carb’, due to the fact that the average person consumes about 50-60% carbohydrates in their diet. The good thing about the Zone diet is that it encourages a combination of all the nutrients in each meal - and it stresses the risks of processed carbohydrates (white pastas and breads etc).

Zone Diet in Detail
A closer look at the Zone Diet shows that it is a low(er) carbohydrate diet - with a low calorie count - at times possibly too low. Exercise is not a part of the formula (but always recommended). It does seem complex requiring dedication and discipline. It is also a diet that may be difficult to work around eating with family and friends.
The Zone diet also has assisted many in improving general health (not just weight loss). Due to the levels of proteins, it is possible to gain muscle on this diet (but only with the right weights and exercise training). However be warned that the calorie recommendations may be too low for an active person.
The Zone is complex and has a substantial list of "forbidden" foods - however there are a number of web sites with programs that have substantially simplified the Zone. At its basic principles it is a good program and would be a great improvement for anyone who currently has a typical western diet.

See MoreZone Diet - Official Site.

Fad Diets

The phrase "fad diets" typically refers to diets that promote a restricted eating-plan which is unhealthy and/or lacking in sufficient calories. Certain liquid-only diets (fasts) are promoted as healthful diets but in reality are merely fad diets. Examples of fad diets the Atkins, Cabbage Soup Diet, Negative Calorie Diet, Low Fat diet, Low Carb diet, 3 Day diet, Zone Diet, South Beach Diet.

Other Fad Diet Contenders
Grapefruit diet, Hollywood diet, Beverly Hills Diet, FatLoss4Idiots, Apple Cider Vinegar Diet.

Do Fad Diets Work?

Depends what you mean by "work." Any very-low-calorie diet will cause weight loss in most people. Since most fad diets are very low in calories they typically cause quite fast weight loss. However, quick weight loss may not be healthy and - in most cases - is not fat loss. It is usually mostly water-loss which is quickly regained when the dieter resumes normal eating.

Fad Diets Are Short Term Diet Plans

Most fad diets are typically short-term diet plans. Not only are they low in calories but their menus are likely to be monotonous and lacking in adequate nutrition. Some fad diets are designed to last no more than a few days - as if a 2 or 3 day diet program is likely to help solve a weight problem!!

Fad Diets With "Special" Fat-Burning or "Negative Calorie" Foods

Some fad diets claim to contain special "fat-burning" or "negative calorie" diet foods. Unfortunately, there is no clinical evidence that foods have these special properties.

Fad Diets Can Cause Weight Cycling

Fad dieting can sometimes lead to weight-cycling or yo-yo dieting - that is, weight loss, followed by regain, followed by weight loss then regain etc. New research suggests that such weight cycling may lead to obesity.

Conclusion: Avoid Fad Diets

Avoid fad diets and fad dieting. Instead, eat a balanced diet that includes foods from ALL food groups. Eating a balanced calorie-controlled diet is not only more appealing but also more likely to help you develop the sort of good eating habits that lead to permanent weight loss.

Scarsdale Diet

The Scarsdale Diet was a popular book written in the 1970s. Dr Herman Tarnower ran a clinic in the town of Scarsdale, and (like so many other doctor-designed plans) created the diet for overweight patients.

The book has always been a huge seller, and is still famous today.

Low Fat, High Protein

The Scarsdale Diet has a peculiar nutrient ratio - the only diet exactly like this. It contains 43% protein, 22.5% fat, and 34.5% carbohydrate.

Dr Tarnower claims this level of diet brings about the process of ketosis. Indeed the diet is low calorie (about 1000 per day), and has very strict rules during the first two weeks. After the first phase, the calorie limit is lifted a little (the "keep-trim" program).

The supposed weight loss is 20 pounds (9kg) in just 14 days.

Diet Program Plan
Drink at least 4 glasses of water or diet soda per day.
You can add the following to your foods:
herbs
salt
pepper
lemon
vinegar
Worcestershire
soy sauce
mustard & ketchup

____________________________________________________
DAY 1
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
any amount of lean beef, chicken or fish + tomato salad + coffee or tea

DINNER
broiled fish + tomato and lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon

DAY 2
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
any amount of fruit salad + coffee

DINNER
hamburger (without bread) and all the cooked vegetables you desire

DAY 3
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
tuna salad + grapefruit or melon

DINNER
2 lean pork chops + mixed green salad + coffee

DAY 4
BREAKFAST

coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
2 eggs + cottage cheese + 3 oz. squash + 1 toast + coffee

DINNER
chicken ( grilled or broiled w/o skin ) + spinach or green pepper + coffee

DAY 5
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
all the dry cheese you want + spinach + 1 toast

DINNER
broiled fish + cooked veggies or green salad + 1 toast

DAY 6
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
fruit salad (as much as you want) + 1 coffee

DINNER
broiled chicken w/o skin + tomato and lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon + coffee

DAY 7
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
cold or hot chicken + tomato & lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon + coffee

DINNER
lean beef + mixed salad + coffee

Sacred Heart Diet

Sacred Heart Diet Plan

• Drink at least 4 glasses of water or diet soda per day.
• You can add the following to your foods:
  • herbs
  • salt
  • pepper
  • lemon
  • vinegar
  • Worcestershire
  • soy sauce
  • mustard & ketchup

DAY 1
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
any amount of lean beef, chicken or fish + tomato salad + coffee or tea

DINNER
broiled fish + tomato and lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon

DAY 2
BREAKFAST

coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
any amount of fruit salad + coffee

DINNER
hamburger (without bread) and all the cooked vegetables you desire

DAY 3
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
tuna salad + grapefruit or melon

DINNER
2 lean pork chops + mixed green salad + coffee

DAY 4
BREAKFAST

coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
2 eggs + cottage cheese + 3 oz. squash + 1 toast + coffee

DINNER
chicken ( grilled or broiled w/o skin ) + spinach or green pepper + coffee

DAY 5
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
all the dry cheese you want + spinach + 1 toast

DINNER
broiled fish + cooked veggies or green salad + 1 toast

DAY 6
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
fruit salad (as much as you want) + 1 coffee

DINNER
broiled chicken w/o skin + tomato and lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon + coffee

DAY 7
BREAKFAST
coffee or tea with sugar substitute & 1/2 grapefruit

LUNCH
cold or hot chicken + tomato & lettuce salad + grapefruit or melon + coffee

DINNER
lean beef + mixed salad + coffee

Sacred Heart Diet

This 7-day eating plan, the Sacred Heart Diet can be used as often as you like. If correctly followed, it will clean out your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. After only 7 days of this process, you will begin to feel lighter by at least 10 pounds and possibly 17 pounds, and experience an abundance of energy.

SOUP:

• 1 or 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 2 Green Peppers
• 2 cans green beans
• 1 pkg. Lipton Soup mix (chicken noodle)
• 2 lbs. Carrots
• 3 plus large green onions
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 large can of beef broth (no fat)

Season with salt, parsley, pepper curry, if desired, or bouillon, hot or Worcestershire sauce. Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are tender. This soup can be eaten anytime you are hungry during the week. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want. This soup will not add calories. The more you eat, the more you will lose. You may want to fill a thermos in the morning if you will be away during the day. DRINKS:

• Skim milk
• Unsweetened juices
• Cranberry juice
• Water, water, water
• Tea (also herbal)
• Coffee

DAY 1

Any fruit (except bananas). Cantaloupes and watermelon are lower in calories than most other fruits. Eat only soup and fruit today.

DAY T2

All vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed with fresh raw, cooked or canned veggies. Try to eat green leafy veggies and stay away from dry beans, peas or corn. Eat veggies along with the soup. At dinnertime tonight reward yourself with a big baked potato and butter. Don't eat any fruits through today.

DAY 3

Eat all the soup, fruit and veggies you want. Do not have a baked potato. If you have eaten as above for three days and not cheated, you should find that you have lost 5-7 pounds.

DAY 4

Bananas and skim milk: Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much milk as you can today, along with the soup. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates, as is the milk but on this particular day, your body will need the potassium and carbs. Proteins and calcium to lessen the cravings for sweets.

DAY 5

Beef and tomatoes: you may have 10 to 20 ounces of beef and a can of tomatoes, or as many as 6 tomatoes on this day. Eat the soup at least once today.

DAY 6

Beef and veggies, eat to your heart's content of the beef and veggies today. You can even have 2-3 steaks if you like with green leafy veggies but no baked potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once today.

DAY 7

Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and veggies, again, be sure to stuff yourself and eat the soup. You can add cooked veggies to your rice if you wish.

By the end of the 7th day, if you follow this diet program, you should have lost 9 to 16 pounds. If you have lost more than 16 pounds, stay off the diet for two days before resuming the diet again.

This diet is quick. The secret lies within the principle that you will burn more calories than you take in. It will flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. This diet does not lend itself to drinking any alcoholic beverages at any time. Because of the fat build-up in your system. Go off the diet at least 14 hours before any intake of alcohol.

Due to the variety of digestive systems in individuals, this diet will affect everyone differently. After day three, you will have more energy than when you began, if you do not cheat. After being on the diet for several days, you will find that your bowel movements have changed. Eat a cup of bran or fiber. Although you can have black coffee with this diet, you may find that you don't need caffeine after the third day.

The basic fat burning soup can be eaten anytime you feel hungry during the seven days. Eat as much as you wish. Remember the more you eat, the more you will lose. You can eat broiled, boiled or baked chicken instead of the beef. Absolutely no skin on the chicken. If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef on only one of the beef days. You need the high protein in the beef for the other days.

Continue on the diet as long as you wish and feel the difference both mentally and physically.

Do not bread, alcohol, carbonated drinks (including diet drinks). Remember, absolutely no fried foods.

Do drink plenty - at least 6 to 8 glasses - of water a day, as well as any combination of the following beverages: black coffee, unsweetened fruit drinks, cranberry juice and skim milk.

This diet comes from the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital that is used for overweight heart patients in order to lose weight rapidly, usually prior to surgery.

EXERCISE

There are no specific exercise recommendations for The Sacred Heart Diet other than to follow your usual exercise routine by getting in some form of exercise on most days of the week.