What are some healthy ways to gain weight?

Question

I am 22 year old guy and only 120. I have been skinny all my life and I am really frustrated.
Ideally, how many pounds is healthy to gain in a week/month/4months? I am a vegetarian and I definitely think it is one of the reasons for me being skinny however I know many other vegetarians who are healthy.
What are some ways to motivate yourself to not skip meals which I tend to do but want to stop doing? Any suggestions and insights are appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

) Consume more calories then you're burning everyday and measure your results using the following formula: Calories Consumed minus Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) minus Physical Activity. Get a fitness calculator that you can put on your cell phone and computer. This will allow you to easily calculate this formula, log your daily calorie consumption, and register your physical activities.

*2) Eat natural and organic foods found on earth versus something created by a corporation to make money. Eat meals in small portions throughout the day and take a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Avoid “High Glycemic Load Carbs” (sugar, pastries, desserts, refined starches such as breads, pasta, refined grains like white rice; high starch vegetables such as white potatoes) and drink lots of water.

Do not try fad diets or diet pills. Here is an excellent food pyramid that anyone can follow: http://www.rayandterry.com/html/images/p...

*3) Exercise on most days by doing cardiovascular training and/or resistance training activities.

Read a book or find a certified trainer to make sure your doing all resistance training exercises correctly. A great book to buy that teaches you the resistance training basics is “Weight Training for Dummies”. A superb magazine to buy with excellent resistance training routines that will not get you bored is "Muscle and Fitness". Signup for the free newsletter.

A good book to buy that teaches you the cardiovascular training basics is “Fitness for Dummies”.

*4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.

*5) Educate yourself continually on health issues and make a life long commitment to good health. A great free publication is “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005”. A superb book to read is “You The Owner’s Manual”. An excellent periodic publication is the “Nutrition Action Health Letter”. A reputable test you can take to measure your biological age is at http://realage.com

Look at all areas where you can enhance your health. For example, make improvements in the quality of the air you breathe. Review outdoor air quality forecasts where you live and get an indoor air purifier. Email me if you want a good indoor air purifier recommendation and if you have other questions.

*Click on all the source links below to get the full benefit of the recommendations. The answers presented to your health questions are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Source(s):

My 25 years of health research and experience.
Source Links:
Calculate Calories Consumed: http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): http://health.discovery.com/tools/calcul...
Calculate Physical Activity: http://www.weightlossresource.com/tools/...
Cell Phone Fitness Calculator: http://www.handango.com/platformproductd...
Computer Fitness Calculator:
http://www.handango.com/platformproductd...
Natural and Organic Foods: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products...
Multi-Vitamin Supplement: http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_detai...
Glycemic Index and GI Database Website: http://www.glycemicindex.com/
MayoClinic Article on Water:
http://www.cnn.com/health/library/nu/002...
Certified Trainers:
http://www.acsm.org//am/template.cfm?sec...
http://www.nsca-lift.org/
http://www.acefitness.org/
http://www.nasm.org/
Weight Training for Dummies: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471768...
Muscle and Fitness:
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/...
Fitness for Dummies:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764578...
Sleep Website: http://sleepfoundation.org/
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/foodgu...
You The Owner’s Manual:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060765...
Nutrition Action Health Letter:
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/
Realage Website: http://www.realage.com/
AirNow Website: http://airnow.gov/
Indoor Air Purifier Ratings: http://www.air-purifier-power.com/top-10...

Answer 2

You probably have a high metabolism. You're genetically predisposed to be skinny. I've been skinny my whole life too, even when I still ate meat. I actually recovered some of my weight when I became a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian probably has nothing to do with you being skinny, unless you're not eating a good variety of foods, but I'm guessing the real problem is what you said, that you skip meals. I suggest you try some vitamins to increase your appetite and try to maintain a somewhat strict schedule for your meals. Use an alarm clock or something like that to grab your attention away from whatever distractions would make you skip your meals and tell you it's time to eat. I should take my own advice here actually, because I'd also like to gain some weight, but I often sleep whole mornings and skip breakfast, which is arguably the most important meal of the day because it prepares your body for the day ahead and gives you energy, and with it, appetite. This happens mostly during the holidays, because during school I always eat breakfast and very often a good brunch (between breakfast and lunch, if you're not familiar with the term) or two! I hope this helps. Good luck with everything and kudos for being a vegetarian.

Answer 3

You should do what the bodybuilders do- lift weights 3 times a week, eat 6 meals per day and eat more calories each day than your maintenance requirement- 500 to 1000 per day more. You need to record your food intake and your exercises in a diary or log.

Your motivation must come from within yourself. Set a goal that you really want- ie weigh 150 and look ripped for instance. When you have a goal that you really want, you will have enough motivation.

You can find weightlifting advice on bodybuilding.com and such. There are many famous vegetarians that are bodybuilders like Bill Pearl for inspiration. You do not need to become hardcore, but just enough to get what you really want. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I would suggest working out. If you're a vegetarian, I'm assuming you eat healthy and make up for the essentials we need from the meat we eat. So just hit the weights.

Answer 5

Peanut Butter, oils and carbs! You need to up your Calorie intake by at least 1,000...you should be getting 4,000 to 4,500 AT LEAST. This may be hard for a vegetarian BUT you can make it easier with peanut butter, oils and carbs. Try to stay healthy though. Add healthy oils to every meal (1 tbsp. flax oil or olive oil), and add peanut butter to EVERYTHING. for example: waffles or pancakes with peanut butter and honey in the morning, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, celery and apples and peanut butter for snack, peanut butter cookies for desserts...and then add carbs..lots of carbs inbetween meals. It's easy to eat bread and peanut butter between meals, or for even more healthy calories, peanut butter and bananas! A great healthy, natural carb that has a lot of calories are sweet potatoes and yams! Good luck!

Answer 6

Start doing an excercise program. You'll be really hungry so you'll have to eat. that's how i got healthier after not eating much, and i'm a vegetarian. Try to do distance runs every day, and you'll get your appetiet back and be in shape.
Good Luck!

Answer 7

Gett pregnant, you will gain wieght naturally.
The need to supply the growing baby will make you eat a healthy diet.

Answer 8

You can do lots of exercise by waking up every morning so you can at least jog for 30 or 60 minutes.

Answer 9

Eat as much as you want the best way is fast food then eat left overs in full drink gallons of Coca cola eat kfc everynight make room for dinner, pre-dinner, pre-sub-dinner, super-lunch, pre-lunch, brunch, sub-brunch, big breakfast (at mcdonalds order 5 of them)

Answer 10

Just eat a little bit more of what it is you're already eating