21/09/2021
⚠️TW - disordered eating ⚠️
Can we talk about the people who want to gain weight for a minute?
There’s always a lot of focus on losing weight to be healthier, but gaining weight to be healthier is also a valid and common goal for many.
There’s many reasons for wanting to gain weight - post illness, ED recovery or just because you like that aesthetic.
I personally am very slim and have very little muscle mass/body fat from genetics. I prefer to look athletic and strong - they do not equal “manly or butch” before the comments begin 😂 I find it hard to maintain this though.
I have to eat 2500+ cals a day to build muscle and support my energy/recovery for my training.
Some ways I do this are;
1. Tracking my food. I hate tracking food to be honest, I used to be a bit obsessive with it when I was younger and this led to some disordered eating. However, I can now track for a week every so often and it gives me a good idea of my cals and protein intake. I try to aim for 2g protein per kg of body weight (I weigh 64kg so I aim for 125-130g protein)
2. I make a packed smoothie. Smoothies are great for hiding calories! I can add protein, fruit, nuts, seeds, honey, peanut butter, dates and blend it all up. One drink can have around 1000cals in it and that’s almost half my daily cals just in one cup 👍🏼
3. Focus on the quality of food as well as the quantity. Yes it’s ok if I want to eat more cals but I also notice if I eat less nutritionally dense foods too often, firstly I’ll feel lethargic and yuk, but also I don’t see improvements in my strength or size. (Also worth noting these are not the same thing) takeaways are part of our week for sure, but the priority comes in home cooked meals and variety of nutrients.
Are you someone who likes to gain weight too? If so, let me know your tips below 👇🏼
Let’s normalize everyone’s goals and recognize that we are all working to achieve different things 🙏🏻
