So You Want To Gain Weight Eh?

A couple of women have approached me with regards to putting on weight. Only if we could all be blessed with having to ask that question. Hahaha.

Easiest answer... Eat more calories!

That's the first thing that came to my mind. However, before I was able to open my mouth and utter those words, these ladies told me that they are eating more than normal. Hmmm... OK... *as I scratch my head* Now it's time to dig deep and come up with a solution.

One solution... STEROIDS!!! Hahaha. NO!!! DO NOT TAKE THOSE!!! I will stop speaking to you if you do. I do not, and never will, promote the use of performance enhancing products. People only cheat themselves by taking them. Sure you'll put on weight, but your body will be a mess.

The following are some nutrition ideas:

• if you drink coffee, use cream instead of milk
• add butter, olive oil, walnut oil, etc. to steamed vegetables for more calories
• cook your food in fat (butter, lard, coconut oil best choices)
• consume higher caloric foods (i.e. fruits, raisins, dates, potatoes (preferably sweet potatoes), avocado, nuts and seeds, etc.)
• consume dairy!!!
• whole milk to be exact - also consider having a glass of milk with each meal
• sprinkle cheese over meals
• eat protein (meat, fish - wild caught, chicken, eggs, etc.)
• if you eat raw vegetables, dip them in nut butter (remember peanuts are not nuts)
• trail mix as a snack
• if you consume grain or grain-like products, try to consume those that are gluten-free:
• cereal grains -- sorghum, millet
• cereal grain-like seeds -- quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat
• wild rice
• potato and coconut flours
• consider drinking protein shakes mixed with milk (albeit not the healthiest of ideas and does have the ability to spike your insulin. But adds the calories quickly to your daily total.)

The following are some ideas with regards to exercise:

• focus more on strength training (i.e. lifting weights) rather than metabolic conditioning (i.e. "cardio")
• STRETCH!!!
• get good quality sleep
• if sleep is an issue for you feel free to contact Ellie Steele (for EFT) or Jen Foster (for acupuncture) - both women are invaluable assets to CrossFit Kingston and the city of Kingston and surrounding areas

The aforementioned ideas are a healthier approach to putting on weight (which I highly recommend). You can take the not-so-healthy approach by consuming foods (i.e. glutinous products, foods/drinks with sugar) that cause auto-immune disorders (i.e. asthma, Crohn's, Celiacs, etc.) to flare up. The choice is obviously yours.

If, after all this, you are still not gaining weight, it probably just isn't meant to be.

If anyone has been successful with CrossFit training and packing on the pounds (in the form of lean muscle), please share your ideas, opinions, strategies, etc in the comments section. Or if you just want to add your own opinion to things by all means.