A high calorie diet is used to gain weight in a healthy way, often for athletic purposes or after significant weight loss. The diet should focus on high-protein foods and healthy fats, and smaller, frequent meals are recommended.
A high calorie diet is a diet designed to help a person gain weight. The most common reason someone would go on a high calorie diet is to build muscle for athletic purposes. Doctors will also recommend high-calorie diets for patients who have lost significant amounts of weight due to surgery, illness, or chemotherapy. The key to a successful high calorie diet is to gain weight in a healthy way instead of eating large amounts of junk food.
When an athlete begins a high calorie diet, it is usually with the goal of building muscle. To avoid simply increasing their body fat percentage, the athlete must create a specific meal plan that will give the body the types of calories it needs to build muscle tissue. This usually means consuming large amounts of protein, although carbohydrates and fat are also important.
There is a limit to the amount of food a dieter can consume in a day, so the first important consideration for someone on a high-calorie diet is to maximize the calorie density of the food they eat. High-calorie dieters generally should not eat many vegetables, because their high fiber and water content make them very low in caloric density. To still get adequate nutrients, the dieter should consume more fruits. Fruits consist of simple carbohydrates and are lower in fiber, so there are many more calories in a cup of chopped apples, for example, than there are in a cup of chopped broccoli.
The second consideration for a high calorie diet is the type of calories you consume. Gaining muscle mass requires the consumption of large amounts of protein. This requires the dieter to consume primarily meats, soy products, and/or dairy products. Carbohydrates are still important because they provide the body with the energy needed to exercise, but protein is what the body uses to add muscle mass, so protein is crucial. If a dieter has difficulty getting enough protein from food, protein supplements can help achieve adequate levels of protein intake.
Protein should be the main focus of a high calorie diet, but it is also important to consume a certain amount of fat. Fats have a very high level of calorie density, so they can help the dieter take in the desired amount of calories in a day. Fats should make up no more than 15 to 25 percent of the dieter’s total caloric intake, and the fats should be “healthy” fats or unsaturated fats.
In addition to being aware of the types of food he or she eats, a high calorie diet must also consider a few other factors. It’s usually much easier to consume large amounts of calories by eating several smaller meals in a day rather than three very large meals. Additionally, it is crucial that the dieter maintain a consistent training plan so that the extra calories help build muscle rather than build fat.
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