Weight Gain Diet Plan with the Help of 5 Simple Steps

Many people tend to search for a readymade weight gain diet plan on the internet. On finding one they are happy and start following it without realizing that it is not made for them. It does not take care of their requirements. So what should be done then? The answer is making your own plan that suits you the best. This article will help you make your own weight gain diet plan with the help of few simple steps. This way you will not only achieve a perfect diet schedule but also be able to make certain changes afterwards to suit your requirements.

Step 1: Decide how many calories you want.

First you should calculate how much is your calorie intake at present and then start increasing the amount gradually. For instance, if your present consumption per day is 22000 calories and you are not gaining any weight yet, you should start with a 2500 calorie diet plan. Follow it for a week and check the results. If you are gaining weight by more than half pound and less than one pound, it is the perfect calorie count for you. If the weight gain is more or less than that range, you should consider reducing or increasing the calorie intake.

Step 2: Set accurate proportion for basic nutrients.

The next important step in the process of making weight gain diet plan is to set the accurate proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. As a general rule, your diet plan should consist of 50% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 20% healthy fats. You may increase or decrease any of the basic nutrient as per your requirement or as advised by the nutritionist. However, there won’t be any significant change. Carbohydrates will always be at the top then proteins and lastly fats.

Step 3:  Break down your calorie requirement for each nutrient.

Be ready for some calculations now. Don’t worry they will be very simple. If you are following a 2500 calorie diet plan and the ratio for carbohydrates, proteins and fats is 50%, 30% and 20% respectively then the calorie breakdown will be as follows.

The above mentioned table serves as a reference only. It will vary as per your daily calorie intake and the proportion of basic nutrients. All your micro planning will be based on this table. “Which meal will get what amount of specific nutrient” is to be decided in accordance with this table.

Step 4: Determine the exact amount of basic nutrients to consume

The calculations continue. As you know that one gram of carbohydrates or proteins contains 4 calories each whereas one gram of fats contains 9 calories. In this step, you have to calculate the exact amount of basic nutrients in grams as per your plan. Here we will continue with the same example of 2500 calorie plan with a ratio of 50:30:20.

Step 4: Plan your meal timings

By now you must know that traditional three times meal is not going to work well in weight gain diet plan. You need to expand it to 5 to 6 times. These may be:-

• 0700       Breakfast
• 1100       Elevenses
• 1330       Lunch
• 1700       Evening Tea
• 1900       Dinner
• 2200       Supper

Keeping in mind your activities and working schedule, you may set your own timing.

Step 5: Points to ponder before finalizing your weight gain diet plan

You are all set now to make your own weight gain diet plan. Before you start, I want to emphasize few important points that you must incorporate in it.

• Make a list of all your favorite and healthy food items and write the amount of calories they contain for a specific serving.

• Keep your diet plan flexible and make constant changes in it so that you don’t get bored.

• Your pre workout meal should be rich in carbohydrates as you will need a lot of energy and calories to burn while you are pumping iron.

• You post workout meals should be rich is proteins to revamp your muscles. Especially, meals taken before rest time should contain more proteins as the process of anabolism is at its best when you are asleep.

Finalize Your Diet Plan

Now you have all the information available to make a perfect weight gain diet plan. You can apply this information systematically to make a plan which suits your requirements, contains your favorite food and fits in your routine.