Fats are your Friends
Are you someone who is trying to gain weight, but doesn’t quite have the appetite or time to eat enough calories to do so? If the answer is yes, this post is for you. If you’re thinking heck no, stick around anyway because there might be a lesson in this for you too!
Oftentimes we encounter people that need guidance with getting more bang for their buck when it comes to their calories. By that we mean maximizing the satiety of their food choices, while staying within their caloric requirements; whether that be people trying to maintain weight, or people progressing through a fat-loss diet. For some of the folks out there trying to gain weight, quite the opposite approach may be needed to minimize the satiety of their food, while maximizing the calories they are consuming. One of the best ways to do that? Increase your fats!
When someone embarks on a weight/muscle gaining phase of their diet, the go-to is usually to increase protein and carbohydrate intake, which is valid in its own way. But when that protein and carbohydrate increase becomes a little too filling to stomach, incorporating more fats can help mitigate that problem. Why? Fats are more than twice as calorically dense as protein and carbohydrates. In fact per gram, fats carry more calories than protein and carbohydrates combined! On the other hand, protein and carbs are typically less calorie dense and much more satiating. For reference, fats contain 9kcal, protein 4kcal, and carbs 4kcal per gram. This means you can pack in a lot more calories from fat without having to face a whole mountain of potatoes or rice with your protein of choice.
Now don’t get this twisted, during a gaining phase like this your body does need carbohydrates to fuel your workouts and your recovery amongst a host of other things, and it needs protein to maximize muscle growth and repair, so you shouldn’t neglect them. With that being said, here are a few ways you could incorporate more fats (and calories) into your diet without drastically increasing your meal volume:
- More nuts – including nut butters and oils.
- Swap out the leaner cuts of meat for higher fat cuts or fish.
- Consider whole milk over 2% or skim milk.
- Avocados are a phenomenal source of fats.
- Cook or dress your food with a little more oil/butter – for more calories AND more flavour!
Next week we’re talking protein – does more equal better? Stay tuned for next week’s post! Contact us if you need more dedicated and personalized guidance in your nutrition habits and goals!