People with a high metabolism happen to burn food energy at a faster rate than others.
So how can these people add weight with healthy practices? Here is a detailed breakdown of how to gain weight if you have a fast metabolism.
Table of Contents
Surpass your daily calorie needs
If you’re looking to gain weight and have a fast metabolism, you’ll need to surpass the number of calories your body needs in a single day.
This is because whenever you surpass your daily calorie needs, your body will burn what it requires, and the surplus will be stored as muscle mass and fat.
You’re not supposed to take in the exact amount of calories you need in a day because when the expenditure and consumption are at balance, you’re likely to maintain your weight.
For this reason, you need to calculate the calories your body needs per day to know how much more you’ll need to gain weight.
The ideal surplus your body needs to gain weight lies between 300-500 calories.
This number will ensure you gain more muscle mass without the extra fat. However, some people might need more calories per day to gain weight, so it’s important to figure out the amount that works for you and stick to that.
It’s also important to note that while junk foods will get you surplus calories and help you gain weight way faster, most of them constitute fat.
This will do more harm than good to your body in the long run. Instead, ensure that you get surplus calories from high-quality, healthy foods such as oatmeal to gain a healthy weight. Grits are another great option.
Increase your protein intake
Eating a lot of protein is undoubtedly the best way to gain weight while increasing muscle mass. The best thing about most proteins is that they will help you increase muscle mass without increasing the fat content in your body unnecessarily.
However, if you increase your protein intake, it’s good to know that foods rich in proteins can reduce your appetite. For this reason, it’s best to eat your protein in moderation. Also, try using TestoFuel, a testosterone booster.
The best way is going for a significant amount but not too much on your every meal because it’s bound to help you increase those extra pounds a bit faster.
Foods rich in proteins are emphasized for people looking to gain weight and those who engage in physical activities such as sports. Eggs are great for bulking because they contain a lot of protein.
This is because proteins are known to supply our bodies with much-needed amino acids. This is needed for repairing our muscle tissues which might have worn out from the physical activity.
The recommended protein intake levels are 0.7-1 gram for every pound of body weight. However, if you’re working on a higher calorie surplus, it’s acceptable to go for more protein.
The best high-protein foods to have in your meals include broccoli, pumpkin seeds, lentils, legumes, nuts, quinoa, and brussels sprouts. Some people often prefer going for protein supplements which is not a bad thing.
However, it’s important to note that most protein supplements contain whey powder, a dairy product, and are not fit for lactose-intolerant people.
Related: Reset your metabolism
Healthy Fat Intake and More Carbohydrates
When you’re looking to lose weight, you’re advised to avoid foods with high fat and carbohydrate content; however, it’s the opposite when you’re looking to gain weight. To gain healthy weight faster, you’ll need to increase your overall protein, carbs, and fat intake.
It might surprise most people, but there are high-carbohydrate foods you can add to your meals. These foods include buckwheat, bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, apples, beetroots, oats, quinoa, chickpeas, and blueberries.
If you’re looking to take meals filled with refined carbohydrates, this isn’t such a good idea. Instead, consider going for whole foods with high-carbohydrate content because it’s a lot healthier for you.
The best thing about taking more carbohydrates in your meals is that they are a great energy source if you participate in physical activity or workouts. You replace the lost glycogens when you consume carbohydrates after any physical activity.
Another important thing you shouldn’t forget when you’re looking to gain weight is increasing your fat intake. Fats help with weight gain, support cell growth, and provide energy to your body.
Fats contain more calories than other macro-nutrients, which means the right amount of intake is bound to help you reach your surplus caloric goals even faster.
The best healthy whole foods containing high levels of good fat include avocadoes, nuts, dark chocolate, virgin oil, coconut oil, chia seeds, and whole eggs.
Eat more frequently
The most efficient way to attain your required calorie levels and gain a healthy weight is to ensure that you eat small meals more frequently. This applies to both men and women.
After you’ve figured out the number of surplus calories you need in a day to gain weight, you can start planning your meals accordingly. For example, if you’ve realized that you’ll need 4000 calories per day, you can decide to go for four meals every day, each containing 1000 calories.
To attain the same calorie level, you can decide to take eight smaller meals containing 500 calories each. The reason why it’s recommended to go for smaller meals is because you might not always have the appetite to eat a bigger meal containing 1000 calories. Tamales can be a great snack for this.
The best thing about smaller meals is that they boost your metabolism rate, enabling you to attain your calorie goals daily. If you’ve encountered people who say they eat a lot and do not gain weight is because they feed on high-calorie meals one at a time.
You might find out this particular person takes one meal and goes the rest of the day without eating anything else. If they need 2000 calories in a day and their meal contains that, they will all be burned down and leave no surplus.
This explains why such people maintain their weight for a long time. When you distribute the calories you need into smaller meals, you’ll be motivated to keep going and never lack the appetite for it.
Remember, consistency is essential when you’re trying to gain weight. You have to keep following the same schedule over and over again until the results become visible.
However, different approaches work for different people. So if you’re capable of eating high-calorie meals without fail, you should go for it.
Lift weights to boost your muscle growth
There are many contradicting pieces of advice about the relationship between lifting weights and gaining muscle. Some people believe you do not need to lift weights to gain muscle mass, while others strongly believe that weight lifting is key.
For this reason, ensure that you work closely with your personal trainer to identify the best muscle-building routine that works for you. You must remember that you’ll have to work actively for your muscle growth. You can always use a good testosterone booster such as TestoGen to gain muscle.
You also need to know that you’ll have to keep an upward trajectory if you start lifting weights. You can’t keep lifting the same weights all year and expect better results. Also, don’t forget to ensure you use the correct gym gear like lifting shoes, belts, wrist wraps, gloves, and knee sleeves
Gaining muscles is important in your journey to gain weight because it’ll help ensure that the calories you take go to your muscles and do not accumulate as fat.
Lead a healthy lifestyle
There is no denying that leading a good lifestyle is the best way to stay healthy. When you’re working on gaining weight, adjusting your lifestyle to blend in with your diet and workout routine is very important. The following are some of the things you’ll need to work on to stay in great shape;
Get enough sleep
Many studies over the years have shown that getting enough sleep works hand in hand with good health. To gain a healthy weight, you’ll have to get enough hours of sleep. This is because poor sleeping patterns or lack of sleep have been linked to obesity.
Drink water
Even though water is calorie-free, it still plays a major role in ensuring you achieve a healthy weight gain. Ensure that you stay hydrated for your body to process your calories more easily and effectively.
Avoid stress
Stress is responsible for poor sleeping patterns and harms your digestion. For this reason, ensure that you avoid anything that might be causing you stress and focus more on being happy.
Conclusion
Gaining weight when you have high metabolism can be a very hard task. However, following the above tips will likely help you gain weight the right way and boost your health in general.