In the diet to get fat you should consume more calories than you spend, using tips like eating every 3 hours without skipping any meal of the day, and add nutritious foods with high caloric value, such as chestnut, olive oil, peanuts, fruit vitamins and tapioca.
However, it is important to remember that even in diets for the purpose of gaining weight one should not increase the intake of processed foods and high in sugar and fats, such as thigh, hamburger, potato chips and soda, as they increase body fat gain and the risk of problems like high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. The ideal is to increase the volume of the muscles with the aid of balanced diet and physical activity, because this way the body is defined and healthy. See also: 8 tips for gaining muscle mass.
Here are 5 tips to gain weight with health:
1. Eat every 3 hours
In the diet to gain weight, eating at least every 3 hours is important to increase the consumption of calories throughout the day and favor the weight gain. In addition, balance of calories and proteins well distributed throughout the day favors the gain of muscle mass, because at each meal it is possible to maintain good levels of carbohydrate and protein in the blood for recovery and muscle growth.
So, those who want hypertrophy should be careful not to skip any meal of the day and end up harming the body's nutrients.
2. Include protein at all meals
Including protein at every meal of the day causes blood amino acid levels to remain constant throughout the day, favoring good muscle recovery over the training days.
Proteins are present in foods such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheeses and yogurts, and it is important to make snacks with efficient combinations like chicken sandwich and cheese with whole wheat bread or toast with cheese and yogurt.
3. Eat good fats
Food sources of good fats like nuts, peanuts, avocados, coconut, olive oil and seeds are great options for increasing the calories of the diet with little volume of food. In addition, these fats also help in gaining muscle mass and do not stimulate fat gain in the body.
So some examples of how to use these foods are to add peanut butter in the bread or fruit vitamin, eat some nuts in the snacks, add 1 scoop of coconut in the yogurt and make avocado vitamins in the snack.
4. Eat at least 3 fruits per day
Consuming at least 3 fruits per day and adding salad greens or vegetables at lunch and dinner helps increase the amount of vitamins and minerals in the diet, which are essential for the proper functioning of metabolism and gaining muscle mass.
The fruits can be consumed fresh or in the form of juices or vitamins, being able to be added in the snacks or like dessert of the lunch and the dinner.
5. Drink at least 2.5 L of water per day
Drinking plenty of water and staying well hydrated is essential for gaining muscle mass because hypertrophy, which increases the size of muscle cells, only happens if the cells have enough water to increase in volume.
Thus, it is important to be aware and to account for the daily consumption of water, noting that artificial soda and juice do not count as liquids for the body.
Diet menu to gain weight
The following table gives an example of a 3-day diet menu to gain weight:
| Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Breakfast | 1 glass of coffee with milk + cheese and egg sandwich | 1 glass of milk with cocoa + 1 tapioca with chicken and cheese | 1 glass of juice + omelette of 2 eggs and chicken |
| Morning snack | 1 fruit + 6 whole-grain biscuits + 10 nuts | 1 slice of bread with peanut paste + 1 fruit | 1 slice of bread with cheese + 5 nuts |
| Lunch dinner | rice + beans + chicken stroganoff + salad + 1 orange | tuna pasta with olives and corn + salad + olive oil + 1 tangerine | sweet potatoes + beans + meatballs with tomato sauce + salad + 2 slices of pineapple |
| Afternoon snack | 1 tapioca with chicken and cheese + 20 peanuts | yogurt with granola + 3 toast with cheese | avocado vitamin with 2 sour oats |
In addition to following these guidelines, you may also need the use of a protein supplement, which should be used as directed by your doctor or nutritionist. See some examples in: Supplements to gain muscle mass.
To find out how much you need to gain weight, see what your ideal weight is by using the following calculator:
This calculator helps you figure out how many pounds you need to put on weight, but it is not recommended for children, pregnant women, the elderly and athletes, as it does not differentiate the amount of muscle and fat present in the body.
See more strategies to increase lean mass by watching the following video:
The average time it takes to gain muscle and it seems that the individual has gained weight is approximately 6 months, but in 3 months there are already changes. See: How long does it take to gain muscle?
