Some people laugh when I talk about this but it actually can be hard to gain weight or muscle for skinny guy's who's body is genetically predisposed to be thin or have a fast metabolism. So I'll share with you a few tips i gained when i struggled to put some weight on. In the beginning its hardest but eventually your body starts adapting after a week or 2. So If you plan on following these recommendations keep in mind that persistence is key.
Here are my top tips to gain weight
1) Preplan out your meal schedule and prepare ahead of time. We all get busy throughout the day. So make it as easy as possible on yourself and make out a meal schedule and a list of groceries needed for at least the next couple days or maybe even a week and get it NOW! After you get the groceries you can also prepare a few meals in advance in case you don't have the time later.
2)Eat 6 meals a day. This allows your body to adjust to the extra caloric intake. So in your average 16 hour day that will work out to a meal every 21/2 hours.
3)Use meal replacement products or supplements like shakes and bars to save time in the kitchen. Cooking all those meals is time consuming
4)Eat foods that are calorie dense but don't sacrifice nutritional value. A few examples of this are adding skim milk instead of water to protein powders or supplements. Fruit actually has a higher caloric density than vegetables and fruit juice is even more dense. Stay away from sugary and fatty(saturated fat not unsaturated) foods. Complex carbohydrates like pasta and whole grains. Protein sources like fish, chicken, turkey, & egg whites. Avoid sausages, pepperoni, pork and whole milk products.
5)Keep track of your caloric intake and adjust it to suit your needs. Every person has a different body thus they need a different caloric intake. Don't get confused on this issue. Keep it simple. Write down your caloric intake every day and you have to at least double or even triple it your first week. If you still aren't seeing results then double it again and track your results. Keep doing this until you see results. Eventually you'll notice yourself hitting a threshold. Once you hit that point you have to be persistent and hold the line usually for a week or 2. Eventually your body will adjust then you can proceed to increase your caloric intake again.
6)Try to reduce the amount of liquids you consume especially during meal time. Liquids will trick the stomach into thinking it is full of food thus reducing the amount of caloric dense foods you can eat in one meal.
I will be writing some more posts about caloric dense foods and including exact meals that i have used in the future