Gaining Weight for Women – Simpler Than You Think
Gaining weight for women is NO DIFFERENT to the way men gain weight. Please remember this. The only difference will be your calorie requirements as these will be slightly less than men. I say “slightly” because women tend to consume way fewer calories and really do long-term damage because of it. Below are a few things that will help;
- Find out your daily calorie needs. Continue eating as you are. However, for 10 days or so, weigh yourself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Monitor this throughout the 10 day period. If your weight stays the same, this is as close as you will be to your calorie requirements per day just to maintain your body weight. Job done. Make sure you consistently check every morning and note it down.
- Now that you have a rough idea, just add an extra meal now. But please ensure this meal is comprised of good quality protein, fats and carbohydrates.
- Weight- train. Sorry if you didn’t want to hear this. But the reality is that if you want to gain quality weight and have that “toned” appearance women seek, you NEED to increase lean muscle mass. Again, lean muscle in women is magic. Do you want to look a little fuller? Do you want to look lean? Do you want to keep body fat at a healthy level? Please begin weight training – of course with some guidance!
- Gaining weight should really be through an increase in lean body mass as I said above. So really ensure you increase your protein intake. Ladies, protein and weight training will not turn you into a man. Look how ridiculous this actually sounds. You do not have, I repeat, do NOT have the sex-hormones for it. Unless you inject steroids, you will not look “bulky”. If anything, you will look amazing over time.
- Having trouble with that extra meal? Have a protein shake and a handful of nuts. Or some eggs. Or some more chicken. Or peanut butter. There is a huge selection of foods. One tip might be to increase your fat intake. Fats yield 9 calories per gram, whereas protein and carbs both yield 4 calories per gram. So if you are a woman who really struggles to gain weight, increase your fats. It could be as simple as pouring olive oil over your salad or meal or just have a lot of peanuts.
- Regulate your menstrual cycle. Yes, you might not have thought about this. But menstrual cycles can throw your weight out of whack at certain times due to water retention and that dreaded bloating feeling and can really negatively affect your weight training routine and really demotivate you. Regulate how you feel through the luteal and follicular phase and see what works best for you. For most women, training during the first phase of your cycle is where estrogen is slightly more dominant can be more beneficial. The luteal phase is where progesterone kicks in more and can have the nasty side-effects such as insulin-resistance (where carbs are not utilised in the body properly) and can really cause you to crash.
So there you have it. No magic formula. Very simple steps. Weight train, eat decent, increase fat intake if needs be, track your cycle and just enjoy the process.
