A discussion of weight optimization would be incomplete without mentioning healthy weight gain. While the overwhelming majority of people are most interested in losing weight, there are millions of people who either are or believe they are underweight, because of genetics or illness or eating disorders. And there are many reasons why some athletes want to gain weight. My two eldest sons, Kyle (17) and Austin (15), are high school quarterbacks and have successfully used this system to maximize their muscle mass and to get the most out of their growth spurts. Kyle has gained 45 pounds of lean body mass over the past year and a half, and Austin is on the same path. One important aspect here is that in addition to protein, it is important to focus on increasing healthy fats. Austin adds olive oil to his high protein SuperSmoothies. (See Healthy Fats and SuperSmoothie recipes.)

Healthy weight gain uses the same principles as healthy weight loss, but increases the volume of food—primarily protein and healthy fats—and changes the timing slightly to minimize muscle catabolism while still allowing time between meals for proper digestion and the optimization of amino acids sensitivity. It is important to follow the meal timing principles presented in this book. To gain lean body mass, I recommend eating either three meals with five to six hour spacing between meals or four meals per day with four-hour spacing between meals. Four meals allow you to consume more calories, but that is not necessarily important as long as you are getting enough protein and healthy fats. It is very important to use the Stealth Technique of preloading each meal with 15 grams of EAAs approximately 30 minutes before each meal and taking 20 grams of long-acting protein from a high fiber plant-based protein powder at bedtime. EAAs are ideal for preloading; however, if EAAs are not available, use 20 grams of high quality protein one hour before mealtime. Carbohydrate intake should be enough to adequately fuel whatever activity in which you are engaged. However, over fueling with carbohydrates will result in an underweight person with a fat belly. It is also important to increase the intensity of your workouts and never miss having a post workout protein/carbohydrate recovery drink within 45 minutes of finishing your workouts.

KC Craichy
Author
The Super Health Diet