Building muscles and gaining weight is not a simple task. You cannot just eat extra and think that you’ll be able to gain weight. You need to get extra clean calories to ensure you gain weight but not extra fat in your body. For a lot of people with fast metabolism, gaining weight is a huge challenge. If you are also one of those people, then following a diet plan for weight gain would be beneficial for you.
If you thought that being overweight is a big issue, then you need to rethink. Being underweight is also a real struggle and comes with its own share of problems like – fatigue, low immunity, pale skin, brittle hair and nails etc. It is imperative to consult a dietician to know the right diet plan for you, whether it is for gaining weight or maintaining a certain weight.
There is no shortcut to gaining weight. You need to maintain a healthy diet, include premium quality fitness supplements like – whey protein, creatine, or mass gainer supplement, drink enough water, and do daily workouts. To maintain your weight after gaining it, you should have at least 0.8 g/ kg protein per body weight.
What Is A Healthy Weight Range?
Your Body Mass Index (BMI) determines your healthy body weight range. BMI falls under these categories –
- Below 18.5 - underweight
- 18.5 – 24.9 - healthy or normal
- 25 – 29.9 - overweight
- Above 30 - obese
Diet Plan For Weight Gain
Here’s a sample diet plan that will provide 3000 calories a day. You can alter this diet plan based on your age, gender, health conditions etc. after consulting your dietician. The simplest way to consume more calories is to increase the number of meals and include healthy foods that will help you build muscle mass without adding any extra fat or flab to your body.
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Early morning
Start your day with a glass of milk and 2 boiled eggs or bananas, and 6-7 soaked almonds. -
Breakfast
2 paneer or vegetable stuffed parathas with 1 cup yogurt. You can also have 2 masala dosas with sambhar and chutney, or two moong dal chillas. If you like to eat eggs for breakfast, have an omelet made up of 2 eggs with two whole-grain bread slices. -
Mid- morning
3-4 pieces dry fruit or groundnut chikki, a handful of roasted almonds, with one glass lassi. -
Lunch
1 cup salad or1 cup chicken soup, 2 medium chapattis with 2 cups vegetables of choice, chicken breast or fish, 1 cup dal, 1 cup curd. (1 cup rice is optional). -
Evening
1 cup tea or coffee, 2–3 whole wheat biscuits or 1 cup nachni chips. You can also have 1 cup roasted makhanas or 1 cup poha. -
Mid-evening
1 coconut water with a handful of nuts or 3-4 pieces groundnut chikki. -
Dinner
1 bowl of chicken or vegetable soup. 2 medium chapattis with 2 cup vegetables/ chicken breast/ tofu/ fish/ paneer, 1 cup dal, 1 cup rice, and 1 cup salad. -
Late night
1 glass milk with organic turmeric and 2 bananas.
Weight Gain Foods
These are some foods that you can include in your daily diet if you want to gain weight
- Animal protein
- Dark leafy vegetables
- Avocados
- Whole grains
- Nuts and seeds
- Healthy carbohydrates
- Legumes
- Full-fat dairy products
- Nut butters
It would be best if you consult a dietician to know which foods will work for you and which ones to avoid in case you have certain food allergies, dietary restrictions, or health conditions.
Week Wise Weight Gain Diet Plan
Here’s one week diet plan for weight gain
Monday
- Breakfast - 2 vegetable stuffed parathas, 1 cup curd, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 1 glass lassi or mango shake
- Lunch – 1 cup dal/ chicken curry, 1 cup seasonal vegetable, 2 chapattis, ½ cup rice, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 1 glass fresh fruit juice, 2 whole-grain toasts
- Dinner – 1 cup vegetable, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Tuesday
- Breakfast - 2 moong dal chilla (paneer stuffing optional), 1 cup curd, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – Fruit smoothie
- Lunch – 1 cup dal, 2 chapattis, ½ cup rice, 1 cup curd, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 1 bowl tomato soup, 1 cup aloo chat
- Dinner – 1 cup seasonal vegetable, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Wednesday
- Breakfast - 1 cup bread upma, 1 cup milk, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 2 bananas
- Lunch – 1 cup lentils, 1 cup vegetables, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 1 cup upma, 1 glass vegetable juice
- Dinner – 1 cup vegetable, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Thursday
- Breakfast - 2 cucumber potato sandwiches, 1 cup orange juice, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 1 cup sweet potato chaat, 1 glass buttermilk
- Lunch – 1 cup lentils/ chicken or fish curry, 2 cups rice, 1 cup salad
- Evening – Milk smoothie, 2 bananas
- Dinner – 1 cup seasonal vegetable, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Friday
- Breakfast - 1 cup vegetable poha, 1 cup curd, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 1 glass fresh fruit juice
- Lunch – 1 cup dal, 1 cup vegetable, 2 chapattis, ½ cup rice, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 2 besan chilla, 1 cup sprouts salad
- Dinner – 1 cup vegetable/ chicken curry, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Saturday
- Breakfast - 2 suji chilla, 1 glass strawberry shake, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 1 glass coconut water, 1 cup fruit
- Lunch – 1 cup dal, 1 cup vegetable/ tofu/ paneer curry, ½ cup rice, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 1 cup fruit salad, 4 -5 vegetable cutlets
- Dinner – 2 chapattis, 1 cup vegetable/ chicken/ fish curry, 1 cup salad
Sunday
- Breakfast - 2 eggs, 2 whole-grain bread slices, 1 cup milk, handful of nuts
- Mid-morning – 1 glass banana smoothie
- Lunch – 1 cup dal, 1 cup vegetable curry, 2 chapattis, ½ cup rice, 1 cup salad
- Evening – 1 glass strawberry smoothie, 1 cup vegetable poha
- Dinner – 1 cup chicken curry, 2 chapattis, 1 cup salad
Do’s & Don’ts For Weight Gain
- Get proper sleep and rest
- Eat often and increase your calorie intake
- Drink milk and include eggs in your diet
- Do the right kind of workouts to gain muscle mass
- Eat protein first and vegetables last in your meals
- Include creatine supplements in your routine
- Reduce stress from your life
- Don’t include carbonated drinks, alcohol, packages foods in your diet
Apart from following a healthy diet plan for weight gain, you can also ask your dietician to recommend a mass gainer or weight gainer supplement. These supplements have the right balance of carbohydrates and protein and provide extra calories needed to gain weight without adding extra fat. Check out the range of GNC mass gainer supplements online.
