Health - Saturday, October 18, 2008 18:35 - 0 Comments

How to gain weight healthfully

Most of the people I meet ask for my advice about how to lose weight and keep it off, but some of my clients are actually trying to gain weight. Being extra-lean genetically is rare, but I do have some clients who say, “I eat a ton and can’t seem to keep weight on.” I also have clients who’ve lost weight due to dental surgery, a digestive problem, stress or an illness, who are trying to get back to a healthy weight.

As a sports nutritionist, I also work with professional athletes who tend to lose weight over the course of a grueling season, from both the wear and tear of competing and the intense travel schedule.

Gaining weight might seem incredibly easy (just pig out!) but there’s actually a science to it — IF what you want to gain is lean tissue. It drives me absolutely bonkers when I hear that a doctor or other health professional recommended eating pints of ice cream, double cheeseburgers and mounds of candy as a weight gain prescription. That may be effective for packing on body fat, but if you’re looking to build lean tissue (including muscle and bone) and create healthy new cells, high calorie junk food isn’t going to cut the mustard. Here’s why and how to do it right:

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