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8 Treat meals a few days a week If you’re anything like me, you have a naturally slim body that can seemingly lose weight in a day. It takes a lot to maintain weight. If I don’t eat, I lose weight. I never count calories; I only (sometimes) count protein and lift weights, so my focus is on gaining muscle and ingesting more protein. 1. Olive Oil I often sprinkle olive oil on my food; this adds extra dense calories to each meal, and it’s not unhealthy to consume. 2. Eggs I eat both raw and cooked eggs. I add eggs to my shakes and consume 5–6 eggs for one of my meals each day. It’s a common misconception that eating large amounts of eggs is unhealthy. If you’re eating an overall healthy diet, getting fiber, and staying physically active, the eggs won’t hurt your body or soul. 3. Bacon (pork or turkey) Bacon is a great item to throw into your eggs. I aim to get bacon that has 5–6 or more grams of protein. By eating 5 or 6 eggs with 3–4 pieces of bacon, I’m already at 45–60 grams of protein, which is a hefty meal. 4. Nut Butters The best thing about nut butters is that they are full of fat, which means they are calorie dense. They’re often tasty as well, palatable, and full of calories. I add almond or peanut butter to all of my protein shakes. Sometimes, I eat nut butter without anything or with fruit and nuts. 5. Protein Bars If I don’t have time to cook or I’m running on the go, I throw a protein bar into the mix to help me get my protein and keep my metabolism moving. The worst thing you can do as a hard gainer is skip meals, which I sometimes still do, but I try to do less frequently. 6. Heavy Protein Shakes I add the following to my protein shakes: 40g of protein powder 2 tbsp of nut butter 2 raw eggs Spinach

By the time this shake rolls into my cup, I’m sitting at least 50–60g of protein.

7. Larger Meals

Since I don’t enjoy eating consistently, I like to make my meals larger, so I can eat fewer times throughout the day. Ideally, eating four times is best for me.

8. Treat Meals A Few Days A Week

People get upset with me because they say I can eat whatever I want; though this is true, I don’t because I don’t want to put sh*t into my body consistently, everything in moderation.

On a typical week, I usually eat freely for two days.

9. Skip Intense Cardio

I used to run cross country and do 1–2 hours of cardio daily. This was an excellent activity for my heart, but not for retaining muscle and gaining weight. Hence, I had to forego a lot of the cardio and opt for walking or less intense or shorter cardio sessions.

10. Eat

Everyone I ask for tips on gaining weight tells me the same thing. You have to eat. It’s the only way to gain weight without supplementation.

This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.