Low Carb Diet For Weight Gain

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

If you’re into bodybuilding, the low carb diet is a great way to gain weight. I notice the results of this diet varies greatly between individuals. The thing is, it’s not all about calories consumed and calories burned. There are other factors that determine your weight gain. The number one thing that you need to do to increase your weight is to eat as much as you can, every single day. This concept sounds simple but it’s really not easy if you look at it from another perspective.

Low carbohydrate diets are very popular right now. Not only because they help you lose weight, but also because they make it easier to sustain the loss that was achieved. This diet is not a diet of chicken and rice! To gain weight, you need to eat as much as possible. In this article I will tell you what a Low Carb diet for weight gain is, how to make it work for you and what food is best for it. If you want to know more about Low Carb Diet For Weight Gain, make sure you read this article.

Low Carb Diet For Weight Gain

The usual advice for weight gain is to eat a higher amount of carbohydrates to “bulk up.” Unfortunately, this may lead to gaining mainly fat mass.

Although most people see low carb as a weight-loss diet, this isn’t necessarily true. Low carb tends to lead to weight loss in people with excess weight because it helps them feel full and they end up eating less.

However, low-carb foods are very nutrient dense, and may potentially help people who are underweight gain lean mass. Eating low carb, and eating when hungry, can be considered a weight-normalizing lifestyle.

1. Why do people want to gain weight?

While some people may just want to add a few extra pounds to a lean frame, others may wish to build muscle and increase their overall size.

So, what are the reasons people want to gain weight? Here are a few of the more common ones:

  • Gain more strength
  • Improve sports performance
  • Combat age-related muscle loss
  • Improve self-confidence
  • To possibly improve overall health (in those who are very thin)

Problems caused by pressure to gain weight

Unfortunately, this desire for weight gain often causes problems. This is especially true for younger men.

In one study, 7.6% of teens and young men reported taking weight-gain products deemed “potentially unhealthy” — including creatine supplements and anabolic steroids — in order to gain weight.

Generally speaking, women seem more willing to take products to lose weight.

 On the other hand, men may potentially be more likely to take a rapid weight-gain product without concern for safety.

The reason? To get bigger quickly.

We certainly do not recommend taking steroids or questionable weight-gain supplements to add pounds. Fortunately, there are healthier, more sustainable ways to gain weight.

Is being underweight unhealthy?

Whether being underweight is unhealthy depends on the reason a person is underweight.

Several medical conditions, especially cancer and gastrointestinal diseases, can lead to weight loss. Also, some medications are associated with loss of weight either directly or through appetite suppression.

Being underweight (having a BMI below 18.5) is associated with a somewhat shorter life, especially in older adults.

Yet it’s generally very hard to determine if this is due to underlying disease or if being underweight in itself is potentially dangerous. One possible reason for the latter could be that people who are underweight have fewer reserves in case of severe illness. In addition, lower weight could signify lower muscle mass and a higher risk of frailty.

Being underweight due to an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa is dangerous, as well as the cause of much suffering. It’s extremely important to seek professional help in such a situation.

Many people who want to gain weight are likely still within the lower to middle range of a normal BMI (18.5 to 25). While this isn’t a dangerous or unhealthy weight, some people within this range may want to gain some lean mass.

2. How to gain weight the healthy way

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How and what you eat aren’t the only factors involved in weight gain. Exercise, sleep, and stress can also play important roles, and should be emphasized for healthy weight gain.

However, in the following section, we’ll focus first on the non-exercise strategies to gain in a healthy manner.

What is the fastest way to gain weight?

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Wanting to gain weight fast is completely understandable. However, it’s unlikely to be sustainable or healthy.

 Slow and steady wins the race.

Ultra-high-calorie bulking diets can work very well for quick weight gain in some people. But typically these individuals are extremely active bodybuilders or athletes who don’t mind gaining fat in addition to muscle.

With this kind of diet, people tend to load up on hundreds of extra calories and carbohydrates per day in addition to dramatically increasing their protein intake. It works, but it usually comes with some fat gain.

There’s an even worse fast way: Eat ice cream and cookies constantly between meals, and wash it down with soda. While you’ll probably gain weight fairly rapidly, you’ll likely gain fat mainly around your abdomen and liver, increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and other health problems.

There’s a difference between gaining weight in the fastest way and increasing in size in the healthiest way possible.

Optimal nutrition to support lean weight gain

To gain lean weight in a healthy way, you need to emphasize food quality.

Nutrient density refers to how nutritious your foods are and the amount of beneficial protein, vitamins, and minerals present in them. There’s far too much focus on calorie counting and not enough focus on maximizing nutrient intake.

As an example, 500 calories from white rice and 500 calories from an avocado and three eggs are entirely different. Yes, they have the same amount of energy, but avocado and eggs are far superior in nutritional value.

While rice provides lots of rapidly digested carbohydrates and not much else, eggs contain high-quality protein and other nutrients needed to build lean body mass, while avocados are rich in healthy fats, potassium, and fiber.

Eat often

To lose weight, one of the most effective ways is to eat less often – also called intermittent fasting.

Not surprisingly, if you’re finding it hard to gain weight, you should not do intermittent fasting. In fact, you should likely aim to do the opposite: Eat often.

If you are going to increase your snacking to increase your food frequency, make sure you are choosing healthy snack options.

Do sleep and stress affect weight gain?

Since your muscles recover and grow during sleep, it’s essential to make sure you spend enough time asleep.

 In fact, sleep and stress share an intrinsic connection; if you are sleep-deprived, you are much more likely to be stressed.

It’s well-known that lack of sleep and stress raises cortisol levels.

 Unfortunately, higher cortisol levels have a negative impact on gaining weight in a healthy way. They may lead to putting on fat rather than lean mass.

Higher cortisol levels both directly and indirectly influence fat gain, through overeating and the tendency to crave junk food.

To be in optimal condition and promote healthy gains in lean mass, aim to:

  • Sleep 7 to 9 hours per night
  • Find time to relax and enjoy life
  • Socialize with family and friends rather than remain isolated
  • Prevent overtraining (exercising too much)

3. Healthy foods for weight gain

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First of all, we believe the cornerstones of a healthy diet should remain the same. The staple food groups of your diet should be high-quality protein sources, low-carb vegetables, and low-sugar fruits.

However, try to emphasize the most energy-dense options to encourage weight gain. See our list below.

Meat

Choose a variety of cuts of meat, including red meat.

 Here are some of the best choices:

  • Bacon (ideally traditionally cured)
  • Beef (ribs are particularly good)
  • Chicken (including skin)
  • Lamb
  • Pork (of all varieties – pork belly included)
  • Sausages (check ingredients list for added sugar)
  • Steak

Fish

Choose oily or fatty types whenever possible. First of all, because of the extra fat, it provides more calories. Secondly, they are a great source of essential omega-3 fats.

Top fatty fish choices:

  • Anchovies
  • Mackerel
  • Salmon
  • Sardines
  • Trout

Not only are these fish highest in omega-3, but they are also among the lowest-mercury commercial fish.

Dairy

Cheese and other high-fat, low-carb dairy products are delicious and satisfying. Contrary to the low-fat dietary recommendations of the past few decades, the latest research shows that cheese has neutral or possibly beneficial effects on health.

Dairy-based foods are great for weight gain because they are both nutritious and energy-dense. You can include the following dairy foods in your weight-gaining diet:

  • Cheese (all types)
  • Greek yogurt
  • Whole milk

Eggs

All in all, eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth.

Due to their high fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral content, they are perfect for healthy weight gain. One of the great things about eggs is that you can prepare them in so many different ways, and each one can feel like a whole new food. So feel free to include lots of them in your diet:

  • Boiled eggs
  • Fried eggs
  • Omelets
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Poached eggs

Vegetables

Like the other food groups, nutrient density should be emphasized with vegetables too.

Any vegetable is a great addition to your meal, but you have a choice to make regarding starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables. These tend to be higher in carbohydrates.

Adding a lot of starches to a calorie-dense diet full of healthy fat will increase the speed of weight gain – a good thing. However, this might potentially increase the likelihood of more fat gain too. Therefore, depending on your aims and objectives, it’s your choice whether you want to go higher carb or not.

Fruit

Fresh avocado

Low-sugar fruit can be beneficial on a weight-gain diet. Besides being high in nutrients, avocados and olives are very energy-dense, which makes them an excellent choice.

Berries are another great fruit to include. Combine berries with heavy cream for a delicious, energy-dense snack or dessert.

Eating a moderate amount of sweeter fruits, like apples and bananas, can also be fine if you’re trying to gain weight, unless you have specific health-related reasons to stay very low carb, such as diabetes).

Fats

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There are many plant and animal fats that can be enjoyed on a healthy weight-gain diet.

Most noteworthy are the following options:

  • Butter
  • Cream
  • Ghee
  • Lard
  • Tallow
  • Avocado oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Olive oil
  • Dark chocolate (preferably 85% or above)
  • Nuts

Not only will these foods help you gain weight, but some may also provide you with health benefits. For instance, avocado, chocolate, nuts, and olives have been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk in high-quality studies.

Drinks

Although drinking calories isn’t recommended for weight loss, consuming liquid calories may be useful for gaining weight. Some healthy ideas include:

  • Latte
  • Black tea/coffee with heavy cream
  • Hot chocolate

4. Can you build muscle on a low-carb diet?

It’s definitely possible to increase muscle mass while eating low carb.

In fact, in their position paper on diets and body composition, the International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN) states that a range of dietary patterns — including keto and low-carb diets — can be successful for building muscle, as long as adequate protein and calories are consumed.

Evidence for weight gain with a low-carb diet

An interesting study from 2014 investigated the effects of a ketogenic diet vs. a standard high-carbohydrate diet on body composition.

Twenty-six resistance-trained men participated in the study. After 11 weeks, the men in the keto group gained more lean mass and lost more fat mass than those in the control group.

In a 10-week study of athletic men from 2017, those who ate a very-low-carb diet diet gained a similar amount of muscle and lost slightly more fat than those who followed a higher-carb diet.

Resistance training and heavy lifting for weight gain

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Strength training and lifting heavy weights both stimulate muscular growth and have a broad range of benefits for the body in general. While a healthy, optimized diet provides the nutritional building blocks for weight gain, resistance training is necessary for building muscle and increasing lean mass.

Right away, let’s shoot one myth down; you don’t need to spend hours at the gym every day to gain muscle. An intense training session two or three times per week is more than enough to stimulate plenty of muscle growth. 

If you have access to a gym or home exercise equipment, consider emphasizing compound exercises such as bench press, deadlifts, and squats. Compound exercises stimulate more muscle fibers than isolated exercises.

Learn more in our exercise and health guide.

5. 15 quick weight-gain hacks

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Finally, if you still can’t gain weight, here are 15 ideas that may help. But unless you’re in training to be a sumo wrestler, don’t implement all of them at once! Try a few at a time:

  1. Add a big piece of cheese to your daily lunch.
  2. Replace one drink of water each day with whole milk or coconut milk.
  3. Add a serving of low-carb granola at breakfast.
  4. Drink hot chocolate each day made from coconut milk and cocoa powder.
  5. Add cream to your tea/coffee. If you already do, then double it.
  6. Eat an avocado every day.
  7. Add a few tablespoons of your favorite oil to your meal, such as coconut, macadamia, or olive oil.
  8. Sleep for longer than you have been doing, whenever possible.
  9. Eat fatty cuts of meat rather than lean cuts.
  10. Melt some cheese on top of your dinner each day.
  11. Eat an additional bowl of berries, covered with heavy cream and dark chocolate shavings.
  12. Include an extra handful of nuts in your daily diet.
  13. If you drink black coffee, replace it with a latte.
  14. Make some chocolate-fat bombs.
  15. Add more carbohydrate: emphasize higher quality, nutrient-dense carbs, such as sweet potatoes.

Contrary to popular belief, high-carb intake isn’t necessary to gain weight.

If you want to be a bodybuilder with a massive physique, then consuming lots of carbohydrates will get you there quicker. But that’s not what this article is about.

A healthy diet based on nutritious food can help you gain weight the healthy way – and low or moderate carbohydrate intake is entirely compatible with this goal.

Top 15 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight on a Low-Carb Diet

Plenty of evidence suggests that low carb diets can be very effective for weight loss.

However, as with any diet, people sometimes stop losing before they reach their desired weight.

This article looks at 15 common reasons why you might not be losing weight — or might not feel like you’re not losing weight — on a low carb diet.

1. You’re losing fat, you just don’t realize it

Weight loss isn’t a linear process. There will be days the scale goes up and others when it goes down. This doesn’t mean that the diet isn’t working overall.

Many people lose a lot of weight in the first week on a low carb diet, but this is mostly water weight. Weight loss will slow down significantly after this initial phase.

Also, losing weight is not the same as losing fat.

It’s possible, especially if you have just started lifting weights or building muscle, that you’re gaining muscle weight at the same time as you’re losing fat.

To see if you’re losing fat, try using measurements other than scales. Try using a measuring tape to measure waist circumference. Additionally, you can ask a healthcare provider to measure your body fat percentage every month or so.

You can also try taking pictures to chart your weight loss and notice how your clothes fit. These are indicators of weight loss as well.

SUMMARY

Weight loss isn’t linear. You might gain muscle while losing fat and stay the same weight. Be patient and try out other ways of measuring changes in your body besides the scales.

2. You’re not cutting back enough

Some people are more sensitive to carbs than others.

If you’re eating a low carb diet and your weight starts to plateau, you might want to further reduce the number of carbs in your diet.

You can follow a healthy, low carb diet by eating plenty of protein, healthy fats, and low carb vegetables.

To make sure your diet is low in carbs, try using a free online nutrition tracker.

Restrictive diets can come with health complications. Always talk to a dietitian or your healthcare provider before making any big changes to your diet.

SUMMARY

If you’re sensitive to carbs, you might want to try temporarily reducing carb intake further, but always talk to a healthcare provider before making big dietary changes.

3. You’re feeling stressed

It isn’t always enough to just eat healthy and exercise. Taking care of your mental health is an important step in healthy weight loss.

Stress keeps the body in a state of “fight or flight” and increases the amount of stress hormones, like cortisol, in the blood.

Having chronically elevated cortisol levels can increase feelings of hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods.

Try meditation, deep breathing exercises, journaling, and other ways to manage stress.

SUMMARY

Chronic stress can have negative effects on your hormones, increasing hunger and working against weight loss.

4. You’re not eating nutritKious food

A low carb diet is about more than just eating fewer carbs. For healthy weight loss, people need to replace those carbs with whole, nutritious foods.

Avoid all processed low carb products. Whole foods have far greater health benefits.

Replacing some carbs with lean meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, and healthy fats can help you lose weight.

Eating occasional treats is fine, but eating treats every day — even if they contain healthy ingredients, like paleo cookies — can slow down or prevent weight loss.

Healthy fats are an important part of a healthy diet. Avocado and walnuts are high in heathy fats.

Trying to cut back on carbs and fat at the same time can make you feel overly hungry.

Eating a diet with nothing but protein can be bad for your health.

A low carb, high fat, and moderate protein diet can bring your body into a state of ketosis, in which it burns fat for energy.

SUMMARY

For a healthy low carb diet, replace some carbs with nutrient-rich foods. Eat plenty of lean meats, fish, eggs, healthy fats, and vegetables.

5. You’re eating too many nuts

Nuts are whole foods, but they’re also very high in fat. For example, almonds are around 50% fat.

Nuts have a high energy density. You can eat large amounts without feeling full.

It’s very easy to overeat nuts. You might eat a bag of nuts without feeling satisfied, though that bag might contain more calories than a typical meal.

Snacking on nuts or nut butters every day can increase the total number of calories more than expected, preventing weight loss.

SUMMARY

Nuts have a very high energy density and are easy to overeat. Stick to the recommended serving sizes for nuts and other high calorie foods.

6. You’re not sleeping enough

Sleep is incredibly important for overall health. Studies show that a lack of sleep is linked to weight gain and obesity (3Trusted Source, 4).

A lack of sleep can make you feel hungrier.

It can also make you feel tired and less motivated to exercise or eat healthy food.

Sleeping disorders are fairly common and often treatable. Talk to your healthcare provider if you feel like you may have a sleeping disorder.

Some tips to improve sleep include:

  • avoid caffeine after 2 p.m.
  • sleep in complete darkness
  • avoid alcohol and physical exercise a few hours before sleep
  • do something relaxing before bed to help you sleep, like reading
  • try to go to bed at a similar time each night

SUMMARY

Sleep is important for optimal health. Studies show that a lack of sleep can make you eat more and gain weight.

7. You’re eating too much dairy

Dairy is a low carb food that can cause problems for some people.

Dairy products are often high in protein. Protein, like carbs, can raise insulin levels, which encourages your body to store energy.

The amino acid composition of dairy protein makes it very good at spiking insulin. In fact, dairy proteins can spike insulin as much as white bread (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

Even if you feel your body tolerates dairy well, eating dairy often can negatively affect your metabolism. This can stop you from getting the full benefits of a low carb diet.

You might see benefits from avoiding milk and cutting back on the cheese, yogurt, and cream. Low protein, low lactose butter doesn’t usually spike insulin.

SUMMARY

The amino acid makeup of dairy proteins means they may spike insulin levels. Try eating less dairy.

8. You’re not exercising effectively

Exercise is critical for both physical and mental health.

Exercise can help you to lose weight by:

  • improving your metabolic health
  • increasing your muscle mass
  • improving your mood

It’s important to do the right kind of exercise.

A mixture of cardio and muscle building can be an effective combination:

  • Weightlifting. Lifting weights can greatly improve hormone levels and increase muscle mass, which may help you lose fat and keep it off over the long term if you maintain your exercise regime.
  • Interval training. High intensity intervals is an excellent form of cardio that boosts your metabolism and raises your levels of human growth hormone (HGH).
  • Low intensity. Being consistently active and doing some low intensity exercise each day, including walking, can make a big difference.

SUMMARY

Exercise can improve hormone levels, increase muscle mass, and do wonders for you mood.

9. You’re eating too many ‘healthy’ sugars

When following a low carb or ketogenic diet, eating sugars marketed as “healthier” alternatives — like coconut sugar or raw cane sugar — isn’t necessarily good for your health.

All sugar is high in carbs and can prevent your body from adapting to the low carb diet.

This also applies to:

  • honey
  • agave nectar
  • other sugars

Low calorie sweeteners are fine for most people, but you may want to consider limiting them if you have trouble losing weight. Some products contain digestible carbs as fillers.

SUMMARY

Despite being natural, sweeteners like honey and raw cane sugar are just as high in carbs as regular sugar.

10. A medical condition may be preventing weight loss

Many hormonal conditions can cause weight gain or prevent weight loss, particularly hypothyroidism.

If you suspect an underlying medical condition, see your healthcare provider. Explain that you’re having problems losing weight and that you want to rule out any medical issues.

Certain medications can stimulate weight gain. Check the list of side effects to see if weight gain is on the list. You may be able to take an alternative drug that doesn’t have this side effect.

SUMMARY

Certain medical issues and medications can make it more difficult to lose weight. See a healthcare provider to discuss your options.

11. You’re eating very frequent meals

Many people in health and fitness circles believe that everyone should be eating many, small meals throughout the day.

Researchers have studied this thoroughly and haven’t confirmed the benefits of frequent, smaller meals (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

Many dietitians believe it’s natural for humans to eat fewer meals per day and sometimes go long periods without food.

Some people use intermittent fasting, an eating pattern where you only eat within a certain time window. This may be an 8-hour window each day or occasional 24-hour fasts.

Intermittent fasting can help some people lose weight. However, this eating pattern isn’t for everyone, and restricting food can trigger negative emotions in many people, especially with a history of disordered eating.

To stay safe, talk to your healthcare provider before trying fasting.

SUMMARY

There’s no proven benefit to eating many, small meals throughout the day. Eating less frequent meals and trying intermittent fasting may work for some people.

12. You’re eating too many unhealthy foods

For people who find it easier to follow a strict diet, having “cheat meals” or “cheat days” every now and then may be fine.

For others, these meals can build up and prevent weight loss. Eating unhealthy foods too often can slow down weight loss.

If someone feels out of control around unhealthy foods, they may have a food addiction. Speaking to a healthcare provider can help you manage your relationship with food.

SUMMARY

Some people can eat junk food from time to time without slowing down weight loss, but this may not work for everyone.

13. You’re eating too many calories

The number of calories you eat can affect your weight gain and loss.

One of the main reasons low carb and ketogenic diets lead to weight loss is that they reduce appetite and make you eat fewer overall calories without trying.

If you’re not losing weight despite following the diet, try reducing the number of calories you eat in a day.

Online nutrition calculators can help you to work out which foods are higher in calories than others.

Some experts recommend reducing calories by around 500 calories per day for a weight loss of 1 pound (0.5 kg) of weight per week (10Trusted Source). This may not work for everybody.

SUMMARY

The number of calories you eat affects weight gain and weight loss. A deficit of around 500 calories is often enough for healthy weight loss.

14. You set expectations too high

You might feel frustrated if you don’t see results as fast as you expect, but weight loss takes time.

In many cases, losing around 1–2 pounds (0.5–1 kg) per week is a realistic goal.

Some people lose weight faster than that, while others lose weight more slowly.

Eating a healthy diet, eating less junk food, and exercising are great for your mental and physical health, even if you don’t see weight loss right away.

SUMMARY

It’s normal to want to see results quickly, but weight loss takes time. Keep eating healthy foods and, over time, you’ll start to feel the physical and mental benefits.

15. You have been cutting carbs for too long

If you eat at a calorie deficit for many months or years, your metabolic rate may start to slow down.

If you have been dieting for a long time, try taking a 2-month period where you aim to maintain your current weight and gain some muscle. This might help with longer term weight loss.

SUMMARY

Following a restrictive diet may can slow down your metabolism. Try taking a couple of months’ break from the low carb diet.

Everyone’s weight loss journey is different, and losing weight takes time.

It can feel frustrating when you aren’t losing weight as fast as you had hoped. However, eating a healthy diet, cutting out unhealthy carbs, and exercising are great for your mental and physical health, even if don’t see weight loss right away.

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