The holidays are wrapping up, the New Year is beginning, and so many of us?myself included?are turning our attention to new health and fitness resolutions. Although we most often associate transformation goals with weight loss or trimming down, for me, gaining healthy weight has been a huge key in achieving my fitness goals. And I know many of you have similar goals, since I’m often asked the question, “How can I gain healthy weight?” The truth is that it can be just as difficult and frustrating to gain healthy pounds as it is to lose that unwanted weight, and adding healthy weight can be tricky since there?s really not a one-size-fits-all program.
Just as with weight loss, healthy weight gain takes planning, focus, and dedication. As much as I wish gaining some extra healthy pounds was as easy as reaching for those tasty french fries or an extra scoop of ice cream, it requires just as much commitment to nutrition and exercise as with weight loss.
For me, the key to my success has been tracking my caloric intake pre-weight gain and continuing with my carb cycling?adding calories from fats and proteins on low-carb days and calories from carbs on high-carb days. I?ve been so excited to see?with my own eyes!?how well this has worked for me! I?ve shared my program with a few others who have also had success, but the best program to follow is the one that will work for you and your goals. Just remember that nutrition is not the only key component to gaining healthy weight?weight lifting is also essential because it tells the body where to send those extra calories so they can do their best to help you build that toned, fit body you?re working for!
Watch the video above for more tips and tools to help you gain those healthy pounds, and if you haven?t already done so, subscribe to my YouTube channel for more healthy tips, recipes, and so much more!
Xoxo,
Heidi
Related reading:
Why I Transitioned From CrossFit to Bodybuilding
My 11-Week Booty Building Workout
The Scoop on Supplements
Carb Cycling 101
70 Responses
I know this is a few months after you wrote this but I don’t really get online much but to play game or so. I’ve been a runner for on and off since I was in the Navy in 96. Unfortunately, time, age, laziness, and injuries have sidelined me about 3 years ago and now I am trying to get back to it. The one thing about running is I never reached my goal weight, but that really wasn’t why I was doing it. I enjoyed it and had hoped to complete a marathon by the time I was 40 but oh well, some day. Anyway, I’ve decided to go a new way to lose weight then maybe go back to running and see if that helps. I’ve done reading and I like weights but to be honest I’m new at it. I’ve tried the machines but they don’t fit me, I’m short and most are meant to work for taller people. So I am looking for freehand weights but I lot more clueless on that. I don’t want to be one of those people that take a book to the gym. Do you recommend a website or any ideas that I can may be print off a page or two and not look like a newbie at the gym. I have avoided the gym for years and am trying really hard to get myself out there. Any advice I’d appreciate. You are a wonderful role model for all ages.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer: Thank you for your comment! I don’t really have any sites to share about using free weights, but the strength training part of Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program can be done pretty much anywhere and requires no equipment. They actually have two programs you can choose from, and you can learn more about them here: https://heidipowell.net/9045/9-minute-missions/ and https://heidipowell.net/10506/metabolic-missions/. These might be a great starting place for you! We wish you the best – you can do this!
I have so much awe for the both of you I need to gain weight I am 55 and have recently lost 10lbs over emotional upset and currently weigh 91 I have been going to gym 3-4 days a week increased my protein to 125+ grams a day but I’m am not gaining I feel like I look terrible even at 91 lbs I have some loose skin and of course my mind set is I’m fat I want and need to gain in a healthy way any suggestions would be very much appreciated ,I am so tired of comments when I’m at the gym I had a dome. Roll her eyes at me and another said “really ” so now I’m uncomfortable and feel very self conscious
Hi Doreath: Thank you for your comment! And please don’t let what others say, or what you think they’re thinking, affect you and your desires and work to achieve your goals. As for how to gain healthy weight, there are some great tips in this post, and you might also chat with your healthcare team and then follow their recommendations. For gaining healthy weight, there aren’t really any one-size-fits-all answers since what will work best can be different for each person. We believe in you – you can do this! ?
How do we calculate the number of carbs we should intake. I was always told when counting macronutrients that it’s that’s it’s the amount of grams in the body weight you want to be at. If that’s true but we want to carb cycle how do we figure the amount of grams and fats we should increase and decrease to! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Jessica: If you’re wanting to lose weight, all the macros are figured out for you in carb cycling. We try and make it as easy as possible! If you’re looking to gain healthy weight, there are some great tips in this video. There’s really not a one-size-fits-all answer to how many macros you need, since it’s a very individualized thing and changes as your muscle mass/healthy weight increases. Heidi works with a team of coaches who help her figure out her macros and make changes along the way. We wish you the best as you work to achieve your goals – you can do this!
Would you show a video of how you built your shoulders up? Kinda like you did the booty one.
Hi! I’m 49 & have been doing crossfit for almost 3 years. I also do bootcamp from time to time. It’s offered 3x per week at the box & I do it most weeks after a wod but not always. I also have learned to enjoy running as of about a year ago. I have ran many 10K’s, 5K’s & 2 half marathons. I’m small framed, 5’2″ (almost) & about 115#. My peers tell me I look fit, especially for being one of the oldest at our box. But, I don’t yet have the results I would like. I just ordered the 3 supplements you mentioned. My diet is pretty decent. I really want to look lean & fit, & feel comfortable/confident in shorts, whether they are workout or stylish shorts. What do you suggest? Would love love love to have a body like Heidi’s!!
I am so impressed by your dedication and compassion towards what you BOTH do to make other lives more productively happy…healthy and wise! I am 61 years old; weigh approximately 120lbs and have been trying to GAIN weight ALL my life. My exercise is walking and I had been a track runner in school? On an average…when I graduated from high school, my weight was about 123lbs. After the birth of my daughter I weighed 127. My eating habits are sparatic being that I no longer find the need to cook full course meals now that I live alone. I cook what I want to eat at the time…a piece of fish..chicken…etc. My highest weight having been about 150, I felt like a porker!! OINK! Takes me forever to gain 2 pounds and one missed meal to lose it. I’m not fond of sweets. Most of my sugar intake, (I THINK) comes from powdered drinks. I have a problem eating regular fruits like apples; bananas; oranges and prefer seasonal fruits like bing cherries, mangos, nectarines, kiwi, etc. I love healthy foods like veggies, …but lack the knowledge of how to prepare them in a healthy way. Fried foods are my enemy because they are so quick and tasty and I usually suffer for it in the middle of the night. I’ve drank ENSURE in an attempt to compensate for the meals or vitamins that I miss when I don’t eat properly but…can’t make myself eat when I’m not hungry. Can you guys please help me with the opposite dilemma or refer me to someone who can? I am going to continue to watch your stories of encouragement….I’m at tears at the end of them all! Please keep up your good works and….hopefully you can help me too!!
Hi Adrienne: Chris and Heidi’s focus is not so much on adding healthy weights as on helping others lose weight; however, many of the same principles apply to both adding healthy weight and losing weight. You can utilize some of their weight loss tools found in their books, “Extreme Transformation” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” to help you develop a healthier lifestyle. You can find links to purchase these books here: https://heidipowell.net/books-dvds/. Here’s one helpful hint: When adding healthy weight, you’ll want to consume more healthy lean protein. Get a list of approved foods on their plan – lean proteins, smart carbs, veggies, and healthy fats – in their books, as well as lots of healthy and quick recipes! And as Chris and Heidi discuss in this video, add in healthy calories a bit at a time to find what works best for you. The key is to make those calories you do consume as healthy as possible, and you can get more info about calories in this other blog post: https://heidipowell.net/5366/all-about-calories/. You can do this!
hello my name is Desiree, im 23 and a mother of a nine month old baby!! i have been a cross country runner for 11+ years. since i had baby boy i have not been running much because im losing weight. ive always had a hard time keep on weight and maintaining a weight. i have a high metabolism and im also nursing which burns calories as well. i want to gain weight. i have been reading everyone on your page. my question is which carb cycle plan would best fit me?
Hi Desiree: And congratulations on your new little boy! Here’s another post from this blog that outlines Heidi’s nursing nutrition program – I hope it will help! https://heidipowell.net/2275.
Thank you for this, I have recently finished breastfeeding and in the process I have lost a TON of muscle which translates to weight, I am about 10 lbs less than pre-pregnancy weight. I know I need to gain weight and muscle back but is the a websit/app or program you use to input foods to know calorie/carb counts? We eat a lot of whole foods and eat clean 90% of the time so the websites/apps I have tried usually only list packaged items and I have a hard time finding whole foods. Thank you
Hi Marci: Heidi uses MyFitnessPal – it’s awesome!
Hi Heidi and Chris,
For 2 yrs now I have been working out very consistently every week 5 days a week and I was pretty obsessed for a while and then started to become obsessed with every thing I was eating as well and terrified of certain foods and totally cut out breads and dairy. I got so wrapped up with all of this and eventually lost my cycle and my happiness and it’s a battle that I have been trying to turn around because I have been married for going on 5 yrs and am 25 yrs old and my husband and I have been wanting kids asap & it’s because of my selfish self centered self I was that at this moment we are not able too. I have been to the doctor of course for it and they all tell me the same thing. Gain weight! And it seems like I go to the gym less now(holiday time) and eat more and I am weighing less and less to where I am now right at about 100lbs. A normal healthy weight I usually am at is 108-110 and I guess I am just asking for your help and if there is any advice to getting my body back in balance so we can have a family! Thank u!
Hi Brittany: I’d continue to work with your healthcare team and make sure your diet is full of proteins, carbs (whole grains, fruits, veggies, legumes, etc.), and healthy fats. You need all of these for your body to get the nutrients it needs and so you can achieve your health and fitness goals. Look at food for your body like fuel for your car: When you don’t get enough fuel or the right kind of fuel, your car won’t function properly. It’s the same with food. You need the right kinds in the right amounts so your body can function properly. And try to find balance in life between working towards your goals and everything else. It can be tricky, but you can do it! ?
I’m planning on tracking my food more consistently. Do you guys use a food scale for meal prep? If so any recommendations?
Tracking macros actually and then maybe after I get the hang out f that I’ll move into carb cycling as well.
Heidi, I love your tips and advice, thank you! I am pregnant with my third baby. I am a distance runner and have lifted weights a few times a week for years now but since my second baby I put a little more effort into building muscle. I’ve continued to exercise throughout both my pregnancies before and just tapered down as I got further along, just depending on what my body felt like it could do. The thing is, during my pregnancies I have really low energy and my muscle mass seems to deplete very quickly. This pregnancy it’s happening really early. I get really sore from doing runs/workouts that I’ve been doing on a regular basis. Do you think I need to eat more? Carbs? Protein? Should I take a supplement besides a prenatal vitamin? I didn’t gain much weight with my other pregnancies and I prefer that, but I don’t want to lose the muscle I’ve worked for either. TIA!
Hi Bri: Congratulations on your pregnancy! That’s so exciting! It would be best if you discuss your questions with your healthcare team and then follow their recommendations. They are the best ones to help you since they know your health history and can work with you personally throughout your pregnancy. We wish you the best! ?