Skinny Girl's Guide To Gain Weight The Healthy Way

When the world is all about size 0 and people so obsessed with losing weight, are you someone who badly want to gain weight? And do you feel so much out of place when researching on the internet where most fitness information is tailored to meet the needs of those who want to lose weight?

I can totally feel ya!

No kidding, but I was this desperate extremely skinny girl couple of years back who wanted to gain weight in any possible way. Friends, family and I even lost hope that I would ever gain weight. But finally to all our shock, I did (although now my scenario is totally different. I am on the reverse gear now :D). Trust me, it is no easy joke.

And there may even be others who are envious of such skinny people and think trying to gain weight is something that is exaggerated.  But for the love of God, it is just the same as over weighed people trying to lose pounds. I am talking about the extremely skinny people here! In the long run, it is all about the balance that all of us are trying to achieve!

So for all my friends who are researching on how to gain weight, here is what I did.  For the rest, I am sure this would make no sense at all!

Please note that I am no certified nutritionist or fitness trainer. These are few things that personally worked for me – Indian Vegetarian girl. So use it to suit your body needs.

Feel Beautiful: This is really important. Weight is just a number. And it is just not in our control. Do not let it bring your spirits down. You are beautiful, no matter what! Trust me, one day you will be on reverse gear trying to bring down weight and all this may look funny to you then. The grass is always greener on the other side and whoever said it was indeed a genius.

Weighing Machine: Get yourself a weighing machine. This is definitely a prerequisite. It is really important to know where you are stating and track your weight on a regular basis. This is not only for motivation but it is also to see where you went wrong and how you can make it work better.

I joined a gym for weight gain and the first thing they gave me was a diet planner with my current stats. I was asked to write down anything and everything that I eat on a daily basis along with how much I weighed that day. This was really helpful and kept me motivated when I saw the numbers increasing.

I always felt that I used to eat in lots but wonder why I never gained weight then. But it is not about the quantity but it is how you split it across the day. Make sure you have something to eat at least every three hours or so.

Early Morning -  I was asked to have dry fruits like cashews, raisins and soaked almonds the first thing after brushing my teeth along with a glass of milk. I would also suggest you use protein powder mixed with milk. Protein is what we need. I had a protein drink – ‘Ensure’ back in India. You can also alternate between the protein shakes to get more benefits. Another protein shake you can try is ‘Whey Protein’.

Workout: The next thing I did was hit the gym for an hour every alternate day. It is a myth that people go to gym only to lose weight. There are different workouts for gaining weight as well. You need to give some work to those muscles for you to build them. You need to put on weight at the right places. I would recommend a personal trainer who is a professional to give you a head start and you can take it from there.

Breakfast: I know you might have heard it million times, but this is definitely important. I was skipping my breakfast all my life and then when I started having breakfast, I felt healthy, fresh and totally different me.

Few Indian Vegetarian options for breakfast you can consider - 

Bread Sandwich

Idli

Dosa

Pongal

Dhal Rice

Vermicelli Porridge

Check out our recipes for healthy and quick breakfast  here.

You need not eat in large proportions. Just a small serving will be sufficient but I would strongly recommend having a banana along with your breakfast.

Mid-Morning Snack: This is again really important. You need to have small meals at short intervals than one hearty meal. I would have a mid-morning snack after breakfast and before lunch. It can be second serving of your breakfast or even as simple as fruits salad, bread toast etc. And did I tell you, Peanut Butter and Nutella can be your best friends? Most of the days I would have bread with Nutella or Peanut Butter for my mid-morning snack.

Lunch: Do I even need to tell more? One best thing of being skinny is you can have anything and everything you want. Although keep in mind that the weight gain you get from junk food is not good fat. Only protein helps you get good fat. You can have rice for some carbs intake which is also essential. 

You can explore our recipe index for some healthy vegetarian options.

Evening Snack: Remember I told you eat at short intervals, so you need to have something for evening snacks. Again it is totally up to you. 

If you are finding it difficult to prepare snacks, here are few options for you -

• Apple 
• Avocado with some sugar.Avocados are source of really good fat. In some places like India, it is available in the name of Butterfruit. 
• Smoothies/milkshakes.
• Protein shakes

Check our recipes for few of our favorite milkshakes here.

If you manage to find little time, you can go for these options which does not take much time -

• Peanut salad 
• Roasted Peanut Salad
• Chickpea salad
• Black chickpea salad
• Black eyed peas salad.

And if you have the luxury of time, you can try few snacks from our collections here.

Dinner: Again, it is your choice. You can explore our recipe index if you may like.

And if you are someone who eats eggs, as you know they are excellent source of protein and you can very well incorporate them in your diet. Dairy products can also be of great help. 

End of the Day: Have a glass of milk along with a fruit. You should be really good friends with apples and banana.

Sleep: You need at least 8 hours of sleep every day and proper sleep is really important for weight gain.

So that is it! Ha, you may feel overwhelmed looking at the list but it is actually just the basics. Start with a planner for a week and try to follow the diet plan. You will definitely get used to it and will know how easy it is to follow. Follow this routine for at least two months and track your progress. I am sure you will find some difference. Good luck.

XOXO