SOCCER

How to Gain Weight

 

Why Gain Weight?

To gain weight, increase your food intake by 2,500 Calories for each pound you want to add. In some sports, like football and hockey, a few extra pounds can come in handy. In other sports, athletes who are underweight may not have enough energy to work at their peak performance. In other sports, some athletes may have trouble just maintaining their normal weight.

What Should You Eat To Gain Weight?

To gain weight, you have to take in more calories than your body burns. You do this by eating more food. But even then, gaining weight may not be easy for some athletes. If you're training hard, you may burn everything you eat and then some.To gain a pound of muscle, you need to eat 2,500 Calories more than your body uses. You can realistically gain about one to two pounds in a week. That comes down to eating 350 to 700 Calories extra every day. The following diet for gaining weight can supply those extra calories. Eat at least these recommended servings every day.  Milk Group    (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream)   4 or more servings  Meat Group    (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dried beans and peas, nuts)  3 or more servings  Vegetable Group    (fresh, frozen, canned, juiced vegetables)     6 or more servings  Fruit Group    (fresh, frozen, canned, dried, juiced fruits)  4 or more servings  Grain Group    (cereals, breads, rolls, pasta, muffins, pancakes, grits, rice)       16 or more servings

How Do You Go About It?

There are several ways to increase the number of calories you eat.  You can:   Eat larger portions at meals.   Eat more meals each day.   Have snacks between meals. You can also increase your calories by substituting high-calorie foods for lower-calorie ones. Be aware, however, that only some high-calorie foods are nutrient-rich. Others, unfortunately are low in nutrients. It's important to supply your body with all the nutrients if needs. The following foods are rich in both calories and nutrients:   Nuts   Dried fruits   Shakes and malts   Cheese   Sandwiches   Pizza Foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients also can play a role in a weight-grain diet. But you should eat these foods in addition to, not instead of, adequate amounts of nutrient-rich foods. Some high-calorie, low-nutrient foods are:   Soft drinks   Salty snack foods, like chips   Cakes, pies, cookies   Doughnuts, sweet rolls   Jams, jellies, syrups

Gaining Muscle instead of Fat

To put on muscle, you need to exercise as well as eat more. If you eat more and don't exercise, you'll just gain fat. To make sure those extra calories become muscle, you must exercise. Heavy muscular work-outs, like strength training, will use the extra calories to stimulate muscle cells to grow.

How Can You Measure Muscle Gain?

 

A scale will tell you how much weight you've gained. But it can't tell you whether that weight is muscle or fat.To find out which you've gained, measure your body fat before you start your weight-gain program. If you've gained fat, you'll see an increase in the percent body fat. If you've gained muscle, you'll see either a decrease in percent body fat or no change.