The Weight Gain Plan

If you want to gain 10-20 lbs., it's essential for you to do resistance weight training to ensure that most of the gain will be muscle. An hour of lifting weights, for example, will burn 300-600 calories, depending on the intensity of the workout. This means that on workout days (at least three times a week), you should add 300-600 calories to your 3,000 calorie goal to offset what you burn. Ignore this detail, and you'll enjoy little success in gaining any weight at all. Those extra calories should be in the form of protein, grains, and starchy vegetables to promote muscle growth, supply adequate complex carbohydrates to fuel your workouts and replenish your post-workout gycogen needs.

The Weight Gain Plan (3,000 calories)

Food Group
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack
Meats/ Protein
1
1
3
1
3
1
Grains
3
2
3
2
4
2
Fresh Fruit
1
1
2
1
1
2
Vegatables
0
0
1
1
2
1
Dairy
1
0
0
1
0
1
Fats
1
1
1
1
1
1

A Sample Menu

Breakfast

1 poached egg over
1 slice whole-grain toast
1 cup Wheatena
1/2 cup orange slices
1 cup nonfat or 1% milk Coffee or tea, if desired

Snack

Sandwich:
1 ounce nonfat cheese
2 sliced whole-wheat bread
1 tablespoon nonfat mayonnaise or salad dressing
Lettuce and tomato
1 fruit

Lunch

2 ounces extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans Chopped lettuce, tomato, and onion
1 12-inch tortilla Cook ground beef, heat beans, mix and add to tortilla with chopped vegetables
1 cup fresh strawberries

Snack

Sandwich:
1 ounce 98% fat-free ham
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 tablespoon nonfat mayonnaise or mustard
Lettuce and tomato
1 cup sliced raw vegetables
6 ounces nonfat yogurt
Iced tea

Dinner

6 ounces sirloin steak, fat trimmed
1 cup noodles with fat-free butter substitute
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
1 cup green beans
1 cup raw vegetable salad with nonfat Italian dressing
1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple
Diet soda

Snack

Sandwich:
1 ounce smoked turkey
2 slices whole-grain bread
1 tablespoon nonfat mayonnaise
1/8 avocado Lettuce and tomato, as desired
1/2 cup sliced raw vegetables, or steamed
6 ounces nonfat yogurt
beverage

You can substitute one food for another within any of the food groups. You can review the Six Food Groups to refresh your mind about the various foods in each group.

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