Gaining Weight: An Effective Mindset and Guide to Gaining Weight
- Jake Hicks
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Stop saying you've tried everything and can't gain weight. When I hear someone say this, I start asking a few simple questions and it's very evident that they have in fact NOT tried everything. In fact, as someone who has gained over 40 pounds, most people aren't trying at all. Here is the mindset you need, the brutal honesty and some tips and tricks to finally gain weight!
Gaining weight is not easy. I commonly hear people struggling and they swear they are eating a lot. Let me tell you something…. no you’re not. Many people are lying to themselves. They don’t have the mindset or the game plan much less the commitment to GAIN THE WEIGHT. You have to stop making excuses and you have to commit to this mindset which I cover in this article plus some tips and tricks I personally prefer. I am not a dietitian, I am not going to talk numbers or meal plans, I’m simply going to offer you the Skelton, or the bare bones you need to finally GAIN THE WEIGHT
The Mindset Behind Gaining Weight
The first step to gaining weight is adopting the right mindset. The mindset when it comes to eating should be the SAME as the mindset you have in the gym. Just like training in the gym, nutrition requires discipline and consistency—even when you don’t feel like it. You won’t always be hungry or crave the foods you need to eat, but purpose must override pleasure. How many workouts have you done that you really didn’t want to do? It’s the same with eating. You get up, don’t feel like eating? Too bad, you eat. You don’t feel like finishing the amount of food you’re supposed to eat? Too bad, eat the food. Do you quit in the gym when you don’t feel like doing the reps in sets? This is a mindset that requires commitment and brutal honesty. Are you skipping reps? You will probably skip bites. Fix that problem. No one became nobody without commitment and discipline. Take extreme accountability. Do not avoid the brutal truths. You are either doing what you need to for results or you aren’t.
Many don’t know this but you have to train yourself to eat more. Your stomach literally grows with proper eating plans. Look up the professional eating athletes. They literally grow their stomach to handle more food. Once your stomach grows, your appetite will increase, making it easier to consume more calories. Guess what happens if you don’t eat enough food? Yes the stomach shrinks.
Think of eating as a workout: the food is the exercise, and the quantities are the reps and sets. Sometimes you won’t want to eat the necessary amount, but pushing through will get you closer to your weight gain goals. Honestly if you can’t get this part down you don’t deserve to gain the weight.
One more addition to your mindset. You are getting SMALLER in the gym. You are literally breaking down your muscles while you workout. It is a literal catabolic environment. You are getting BIGGER in the kitchen. The food is what rebuilds your body to be bigger. FOOD is what turns a catabolic state into an anabolic state. I’ve successfully gained over 40 pounds. It was not easy but I can tell you this, eating in a surplus gave me some of the most super human workouts I’ve ever had. It is a very powerful tool that you must commit to and take seriously in your training.
Tracking Your Progress: Calories, Protein, and Carbs
I’m not bullish on counting every macro but I do think you need to check a few boxes specifically with carbs, protein and total calories.
Total Calories: Ensure you’re in a calorie surplus, meaning you consume more calories than you burn. This surplus I believe should be progressed over time to continue to gain weight.
Total Protein: Vital for muscle growth and repair; aim to consume enough to support hypertrophy.
Total Carbohydrates: Carbs are crucial for weight gain as they provide energy and help replenish muscle glycogen after resistance training. Carbs are the one thing I don’t think people focus on enough and I don’t think people looking to gain weight are eating enough carbs. For weight gain, carbs are king IMO
Start by logging your current intake for three days without changing anything. This baseline helps you understand your normal eating habits and where adjustments are needed. Once you do this you can start to make a game plan.
The Importance of Weighing Yourself
Many might not agree with me but I think you should weight yourself 2x daily. Weighing yourself twice daily—once in the morning and once in the evening—can be a powerful accountability tool. You monitor your progress in the gym with PRs right?? It's the same thing with gaining weight, step on the scale and track "PRs". I think you should chase your morning weigh in "PRs" and your evening "PRs" These “morning and evening “PRs” help you monitor progress and keep your goals in focus.
Weigh yourself with consistent clothing and at the same times daily. First time as soon as you wake up and the second right before you goto sleep.
Track both morning and evening weights to see gradual increases. You will likely see ups and downs but the trends should be positive.
If you exercise or sweat a lot, weigh yourself before and after to monitor fluid loss and ensure proper rehydration. If you lose a pound from training, be sure post workout you replace it with 16 oz of fluids.
Food Choices for Effective Weight Gain
Choosing the right foods is key. Here’s a breakdown of my preferred carbohydrate and protein sources, along with tips on how to incorporate them into your meals.
Carbohydrates
Cream of Rice: An underrated carb source with high carbohydrates and zero fat. It’s easy to cook and digest, and you can mix it with lean meats and vegetables to create a mash-like consistency that’s easy to eat. A company called Pride Foods makes really good tasting cream of rice options. I highly recommend looking into Pride Foods. Regular cream of rice, especially by itself is not tasty at all. Mixing in your lean meat is the hack. Flavor your protein with something you like and you will love this consistency and taste. Add cheese for extra calories and flavor.
Oats: Steel cut oats are my preferred over quick oats but honestly, find whatever it is you need to find that you like and you will eat. There are MANY overnight oats recipes that can yield very high calorie options and they are ready to go when you wake up.
Rice: Both white and brown rice offer variety to avoid boredom. Mixing rice with bone broth, lean meat, and vegetables is a great way to consume more calories. This “mash” is something I’m really big with because it just makes it very easy to eat. No one like eating just rice. Mix your protein and through some veggies in, mix it up and eat it.
Sweet Potatoes: A good option if you like potatoes, though they’re less versatile for mixing into meals compared to rice or cream of rice.
High Fiber Pasta/Breads: High fiber, usually anything with 3 or more grams of fiber, would be considered “slow” digesting carbohydrates as fiber is a gatekeeper for insulin. These types of carbohydrates provides slower digestive calories providing energy for a longer period of time without a crash.
Proteins
Find a variety of protein. Variety will help you eat the food. There are many protein sources, I like to avoid soy protein and here is a simple list.
Eggs: Often eaten in the morning and a staple for protein intake. Many ways to eat eggs, scrambled, sunny side up, boiled eggs etc. Eggs can also be mixed into a mash with a cream of rice or rice base.
Greek Yogurt: A high-protein snack option that fits well between meals. You can find a good granola and fruit to mix with your greek yogurt and boom, you have a great high calorie snack.
Cottage Cheese: Ideal before bed due to its casein protein content and low carbs. Casein is a slow digesting protein which I like for when I sleep.
Chicken: Versatile and easy to prepare in many ways—grilled, baked, shredded, or boiled. If you haven’t had boiled chicken you’re missed out. Boil it, then shred it and add a BBQ sauce or something, mix it in your rice and boom easy.
Red Meat (Steak & Ground Beef): Great post-workout for creatine content and muscle recovery.
Fish: Best eaten earlier in the day because of its higher fat content, which can slow carbohydrate absorption if eaten post-workout.
Protein powders: Look for whey protein, ideally find a protein that also contains leucine. 5 grams per serving is the recommended dose. Leucine is a BCAA that plays a vital role in muscle protein synthesis.
Bulk Foods for Calories
I’m going to tell you something a lot of dietitians won’t….If you have 30 or more pounds to gain, you need to eat or consume “unhealthy” options for bulk. You can’t eat enough calories without adding in bulk options.
Chocolate Milk: This is super easy to add calories….for one or two of your meals, after you eat them, chug 8 oz of chocolate milk.
Peanut Butter: Find things to add peanut butter in. Shakes, protein shakes, spread on bagels etc. Here’s one to try, mix it into your oatmeal. Here’s another, PB & J sandwiches. Don’t sleep on them. Quick, easy and high calories.
Pizza: This IMO is the easiest way to eat a lot of calories. Who doesn’t like pizza??? Make it a game, eat pizza once a week and see how many pieces you can eat. Try to set a “PR” week to week. Make this a game, compete just like you do in the weight room or in your sport.
Ice Cream: Add protein to some ice cream, a banana or other fruit and this would be something you are looking forward to each day.
Burritos: Goto Chipotle or some other burrito place. These things are super high in calories and usually easy to eat. Look up your own recipes and make your own, lot’s of options here.
Structuring Your Meals and Snacks
Building a routine with three to four staple meals that contain the majority of your calories and two to three snacks daily helps ensure consistent calorie intake. It’s important to find a rhythm that works for you and to include a mix of whole foods rather than relying heavily on liquid calories or mass gainers. I’m telling you, you do not try to take the short cut of using mass gainers. Whole foods is the way to go. Liquids may seem like an easy way to consume calories, but whole foods are preferable for building appetite and stomach capacity over time. I really think liquid calories are a false grail. If you have digestive issues, which is common if you consume too many "shakes" then it's a sign you're not able to utilize and digest your calories.
Come up with a plan of when you will eat what. This is an area most make too many excuses and fail at. Come up with a plan and commit to it.
Pre and Post Workout Nutrition
Fueling your workouts properly is a cornerstone of effective weight gain. Focus on carbohydrate intake around your training sessions:
Pre-Workout: Eat easily digestible carbohydrates to fuel your workout. This helps you perform better and train harder. Carbohydrates in the form of glucose is literally readily available energy. This energy can be used during your workouts. Check out carbs listed in the high glycemic index, those would be great choices to eat within 30 minutes of starting your training sessions.
Post-Workout: This meal is critical. You want fast-digesting, simple carbohydrates (sugars) to quickly replenish depleted glycogen stores in your muscles. Avoid fats here as they slow down digestion. Post workout is a unique opportunity where you have increased insulin sensitivity where your body is craving carbohydrates to replinich glycogen stores that were depleted during training. Which reminds me, you should absolutely be exhausting and depleting the glycogen in the targeted muscles for each workout. This is very important and honestly an area the S&C industry as a whole completely misses. You could literally eat candy here…
A practical post-workout routine might include a quick carbohydrate source like cherry juice, or honey paired with protein powder immediately after training. About 30 to 45 minutes later, enjoy a full whole foods meal rich in carbs and protein. There are post workout supplements to consider here such as maltodextrin and other synthetic carbs that can pair well with your post workout protein.
Consistency and Progression: The Keys to Success
Just like progressive overload in the gym, your nutrition should progressively increase over time. Gradually add 250 to 500 calories per week to keep gaining weight steadily. Treat eating like training—sometimes you have to force yourself to eat, even when you’re not hungry.
Set clear, measurable goals with timelines. For example, if you want to gain 30 pounds, break it down into 5-pound increments with deadlines for each. This approach keeps you motivated and accountable.
Sharing your goals with a coach, friend, or family member can provide additional accountability and support.
Final Thoughts
Gaining weight is a straightforward process when approached with the right mindset and strategy. Remember:
Train your mind to prioritize purpose over pleasure in eating.
Track calories, protein, and carbohydrates consistently.
Weigh yourself regularly to monitor progress.
Choose nutrient-dense, easy-to-eat whole foods.
Fuel your workouts with the right carbs before and after training.
Progressively increase your calorie intake over time.
Set realistic short-term goals with deadlines to stay motivated.
With discipline and consistency, you can build the body you want—one meal, one workout, and one day at a time.
I offer many training programs that aim to gain mass. Getting bigger has always been one of my biggest passions. Training is one thing but the eating is so important. Hire me to be your coach, I will be sure you are on a training program that aims to help you gain weight. A traditional strength program doesn’t pair well with gaining weight. You need to purposely deplete glycogen and create a need to shuttle carbohydrates into your skeletal muscle. Shop my programs below or schedule a call and let’s GAIN THE WEIGHT.
EAT THE FOOD!