How to gain weight in a healthy way

I am fully aware that this is not a problem that majority of people have but it is something I have been asked time and time again and went through myself, so I wanted to touch on it. I went through this issue when I was getting married. My wonderful boyfriend had proposed to me and we began planning the wedding and rest of our lives together, every girl's dream! Only problem was, I didn't fit well into almost any dresses I tried on, they were all falling off and they didn't come in any smaller sizes. Every future bride wants to look at herself in the mirror, with that dress on and be wowed...with clips and pins holding the dresses up in every direction, it was pretty hard for me to get that 'magical feeling' every girl talks about. Shoot, they even made an entire show dedicated to that 'feeling,' Say Yes To The Dress.' I did not have that moment and wanted to put on a few pounds, in a healthy way, to make myself feel and look better for my big day!

Step one in this whole process is realizing that you are uncomfortable with yourself in this way. Skinnier is not always better or healthier, at least not to me. To me, it wasn't about being skinny at all, it was about being healthy and feeling strong which in turn would make me look at myself in a better way. Standing in those beautiful clipped and pinned dresses, looking in the mirror, I did not exactly feel as strong and healthy as I would have liked. But I had 10 months to get myself there and so I did. My goal was to put on 10 healthy pounds.

Diet is the most important portion to gaining weight in a healthy way, but you also want to change the way you are working out so that they compliment each other and neither is a wasted effort. nutrient dense foods. Your goal is to build muscle and strength, not just add weight. IF you just increase calories and start eating anything and everything in sight, you will gain fat and start replacing muscle you already have with fat. You will also feel tired and sluggish from simple carbs and sugars. Obviously you want to increase your daily caloric intake, but you want to do so with nutrient dense foods. Try to get an extra 200-300 calories a day. You want to increase your protein intake, getting the extra protein from lean protein sources (chicken, turkey, lean red meats, fish, milk, protein powder, etc). You also want to make sure you are eating enough carbohydrates, focusing on whole grain sources. Carbs are the energy and fuel source for your brain and workouts, you do not want to skimp on these, ever, especially when you are trying to put on weight. Healthy monosaturated fats are another best friend during this time. You want to incorporate some at every meal. These include olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butters, dairy fats etc. Eating more frequently, every 3-5 hours, is also important, not huge meals, but sufficient enough to keep a constant incoming fuel source for your body to function. Lastly, adding in more no-sugar added juices and beverages will add calories without filling you up too much.

Changing the way you workout will also have a big effect. You want to do more strength and weight training than cardio. You are trying to build muscle, not just burn fat. Alternate between lifting heavier weights for less reps and lighter weights for more reps. Keep track of calories burned with a polar watch so you can know exactly how many calories you burned that you need to replace.

Reaching your ideal weight, whether that means you had to gain or lose pounds should always be a great feeling, how you got there is not what matters! Feeling great and being confident in yourself is what matters most. This last picture is of me on our wedding day, a happy, healthy plus 10 pounds from the previous pictures. No more veiny, wiry arms and my dress is actually staying put, not falling down!