OK! Something a little different for Round Table #3 folks! We are going to reach out to all of those poor souls out there that have a difficult time putting or keeping weight on! I’m sure there are many bleeding hearts for these individuals (just kidding)! Seriously though, our two-part question to ponder this week is “If you had a female client who fell under this scenario, looking to add healthy weight, what would your first nutritional suggestion be? And secondly, what would your first exercise recommendation be for her?

Phil - Jason that’s a good question and one I have in fact faced before. First of all in order to add healthy weight it must be muscle weight. Just as an individual whose goal is to lose weight needs to be at a caloric deficit, the person looking to add, needs to be at somewhat of a surplus.

The trick is to have a good surplus of lean proteins, good fats, whole grains and plenty of fruits and veggies. Of course, anyone could easily be at a surplus with junk food. A soda alone has what, 120 calories? Have 3 or 4 of those a day and you’ve added nearly an entire meals worth of calories in pure sugar! Not quite the surplus we’re looking for though.

The exercise, well this may not necessarily change much. The thing I have done in the past is focus on just strength training. Keep in mind that once someone starts to exercise their weight may very well increase due to the increase in muscle, but this would depend on their starting point.

Lynn - From my perspective and approach, I would first find out if there was a physiological reason why they couldn’t gain weight.  Are there any pathogen in the body, or vitamin/mineral deficiencies that might be standing in the way of gaining weight. Perhaps there is a reason they are not absorbing nutrients (this comes up a lot for me with clients).   If something does come up that needs to be addressed, I would then proceed forward with the correct nutritional protocol.  If there is no physiological imbalance in the body I would test them (muscle test) to see what they were missing from their daily nutritional program (maybe they need more carbs, protein) that they may need to add to achieve their weight gain.  Every person’s constitution is different, so I would test them to see if they were eating the appropriate amount of carbs vs. proteins vs. greens, and if they need to add any additional supplementation (Fatty Acids, Folic Acid) to help increase their healthy body mass.

First I would ask them to tell me exactly what they were currently doing (or not doing) for an exercise program.  As part of an exercise regime, I would, (through muscle testing) determine how often they should be exercising (how many days per week, and how much time per day) and also how they should divide that time between cardio and resistance training or whatever else they may be doing (yoga, Pilates, running) that will work with the nutritional program they are on to give them the absolute best results they are looking for.  It all works together-nutritionally and body movement!  Once I get a complete program, both nutritionally and exercise-wise, I ‘muscle test’ to see if we are complete for the goal they are looking for.  If not, I go through the entire protocol to see if anything was missed.  I don’t stop until I get a ‘complete program’ on my testing for my clients!

This is how I would approach it from my direction working with clients!  Cover all bases; make sure there isn’t anything ‘hidden’ that is preventing them from reaching their healthiest goal!

Kathy - First, I would analyze the individuals food intake and the macronutrient breakdown. Commonly there are not enough calories taken in and especially with the protein intake. On an average a female should consume her body weight x’s 10 for calories per day then you have to multiply by the activity factor (which would need to be determined) and go from there.

I would suggest weighted exercises doing 10-15 reps for hypertrophy with a challenging weight (but not too challenging to where she could only do 5-8 reps).  I would also suggest keeping cardio to 20-30minutes – longer durations will only make her have to eat more and that’s usually a hard enough issue as is.

Stephen – For those individuals who have a difficult time gaining or keeping weight I would make the following suggestions to them.  In terms of diet, we would want to focus on adding more protein to their diets.  Amino acids (proteins) are the building blocks for muscle tissue and so I would try to make sure that we have plenty of building blocks in the system.  In terms of exercise recommendations, I would suggest working mostly on the big muscle groups of the body (Chest, back, core, & legs) because it is easier to add muscle mass to these large muscle groups.  Try to stay away from the tinier (yet sometimes showier) muscles like biceps, calves, and deltoids.  If you are looking for just one exercise that can take care of all of the big muscle groups, try a power lifting move like the clean and press.

As always, our coaches have not failed to come through. There were certainly some common factors and recommendations from everyone and that should provide a good starting point for anyone failing into this healthy weight gain category.

Looking forward to our next Round Table! In the meantime, readers, should you have any questions you would like our coaches to devour during a future session, send it to me ASAP at jason@efitnessforlife.com. We are happy to work them in!

eFitness for Life coaches taking part today:

Coach, Phil Nicolaou (pnicolaou@efitnessforlife.com)

Wholistic Kinesiologist, Lynn Higgin (lhiggin@efitnessforlife.com)

Coach, Kathy Kenney (kkenney@efitnessforlife.com)

Coach, Stephen Boyce (sboyce@efitnessforlife.com)

Please feel free to contact any of our coaches to discuss your fitness or nutritional questions! Visit eFitness for Life today to begin a program with your very own personal coach!

Similar Posts:

• Fitness and Nutrition Coaches Round Table #4
• Fitness and Nutrition Coaches Round Table #1
• Fitness and Nutrition Coaches Round Table #2
• Ask the Fat Loss Expert Series (How to Gain Lean Muscle Without Turning into a Tub of Lard)
• Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

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