How to Gain Weight on a Low GI Diet

The "glycemic index" (GI) is the name given to the system used to rank foods based on how high blood sugar levels peak within two hours after eating a particular food. The higher blood sugar levels tend to peak when consuming a food the higher that food's GI ranking. Foods ranked with a GI of 55 or lower are considered low GI foods. Persons looking to lose weight are often encouraged to follow a low GI diet because these diets tend to feel more satiating. Still, even on a low GI diet weight gain is possible if calorie consumption exceeds the body's caloric needs.

Instructions

• 1

  Use one of the "Calorie Calculator" tools offered in the Resources to estimate your body's daily caloric needs. Your gender, weight, height and general activity level are all factored into the calculation of your body's estimated daily caloric needs. To gain weight you need to consume more calories than your body requires.

• 2

  Boost your daily caloric intake by 500 to 1,000 calories beyond your body's estimated daily caloric needs (calculated in step 1). To meet this goal incorporate more high calorie, low GI foods into your diet. Foods such as peanut butter; milk; different types of beans and legumes; chicken, fish, and other lean meats; as well as various unsweetened fruit juices are just a few of the calorically dense, low GI food choices. You could also increase your meal portion size, or snack more frequently to help boost your daily caloric intake.

• 3

  Do some form of resistance training for 20 minutes a day at least three days per week. Resistance training is any type of exercise where the muscles are forced to contract to overcome an external resistance. The purpose of resistance training is to stress the muscles just enough to promote muscle toning and building. Weight lifting and calisthenics (in which one's own body weight is used for resistance) are both types of resistance training. In any attempt to deliberately gain weight it is important that the weight gained doesn't just come from fat, but from a fair amount of muscle as well. Gaining too much fatty weight increases a person's risk for a variety of diseases including heart disease and stroke.