“I am eating so much, I just can’t gain weight” is a statement that I hear all the time. That may be a fair statement, because eating “so much” is very relative. Being more objective about the amount that you are eating can help see what is keeping you from gaining weight.
For this example, let’s say your goal weight is 200 lbs (the average 2021 MLB Draft player) and that you are very active - you have a 2 hour practice 4-5 times a week that includes weight training, games once to twice a week and then you are spending at least part of your time out doing other fun things that keep your body moving (like playing basketball or football with friends, walking your dog, swimming in the lake, etc). Your estimated calorie needs to get to 200 lbs would roughly 3,400 calories. The calorie range in reality to obtain this weight gain is very large - there are many other factors to be included to figure out the amount of calories needed for someone in specific, but for our purposes, we are going to start at 3,400 calories and see what a day of eating looks like to meet that in a balanced and reasonable way.
The image below depicts the nutrition facts and portions for the day of intake totaling 3,418 calories, 386 grams of carbohydrates (45%), 127 grams of fat (33%), 189 grams of protein (23%). This includes:
Breakfast - 2 breakfast burritos and an apple
Snack 1: overnight oats with a banana
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with carrots and goldfish
Snack 2: Cottage cheese with pineapple and walnuts
Dinner: Teriyaki chicken stir fry with rice and avocado
Snack 3: Trail mix pouch
You will note that throughout all meals and snacks, there are at least 2 macros (protein and carb or protein and fat), and all meals have a source of color (fruit or vegetable). This example of eating is very high in sodium, so ideally you are finding lower sodium options, low sodium teriyaki sauce, bacon or lower sodium tortillas are great swaps to lower this. Deli meat is also a great opportunity to lower sodium, asking the deli counter for no salt added, or sometimes they carry a Boar's Head brand no sodium deli meat. Athletes need more sodium than the average person because they sweat more. More sweat means more sodium losses, thus requiring more through your diet to replace your losses and maintain electrolyte balance.
This example is also very high in fiber - it is front loaded in the day. The majority of it is coming in the morning portion of eating, intentionally to prepare for an afternoon/evening practice. This amount of fiber is about the normal recommended intake because the amount of calories supports more.
If you are looking to gain weight, I encourage you to read the previous blog "5 tips for gaining weight" and commit to making small changes. Building up slowly from your current 2,000 calorie diet to 3,400 is a must, as if you jump directly to the 3,400 calories you will feel very uncomfortable, have increased risk for GI distress (bloating, cramping, constipation) and feel sluggish while you body tries to adjust. You can start by increasing your intake by about 300 calories every couple of days until you reach your goal amount. Schedule an appointment with me to get a plan specific for you.
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