Obesogenic Diet – High calorie diet to gain weight

Weight loss refers to a significant loss of weight that can lead to thinness. Leanness can be voluntary or involuntary. We speak of thinness when the body mass index (BMI) is below 18. The high-calorie diet allows you to gain weight in order to regain a healthy weight. Its objective is to stimulate the appetite, to integrate high calorie foods and to avoid low energy density foods.

The key points of the high-calorie (obesogenic) diet to gain weight:

• Consume high energy density foods
• Stimulate your appetite
• Snacking
• Avoid low energy density and low fat products
• Engage in moderate physical activity

Benefits of the obesogenic diet

The high-calorie diet or obesogenic diet is a high-calorie diet that must provide, on average, 500 calories more than the traditional diet.

The high-calorie diet allows you to:

• Stimulate the appetite
• Consume foods with high energy density
• Limit foods with very low energy density
• Increase calorie intake without increasing the volume of meals
• Incorporate snacks
• Engage in moderate physical activity

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a real problem for many people. While losing weight can be difficult, gaining a few pounds is just as difficult. While this may seem strange to most, it is a reality.

A fast metabolism problem?

Some people burn calories faster than others. These people are known as fast metabolizers. For these people, it is difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy, stable weight. The speed of metabolism is linked to genetic inheritance but can also be accelerated by various factors such as stress, temperature variations, nicotine, caffeine and muscle density. It is important to note that certain life situations such as illness can lead to a greater consumption of calories by the body as it tries to defend itself. These particular cases can lead to weight loss, sometimes very significant: this is the case of cancer, hyperthyroidism, serious burns, etc.

Finally, involuntary weight loss can be due to malabsorption of nutrients caused by certain pathologies such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or celiac disease.

A high-calorie diet is recommended for people who need to gain weight, regardless of the reason for the difficulty in gaining weight. The goal is to increase caloric intake by 500 calories per day, to achieve a weight gain of 500g per week. Although all foods are allowed, it is preferable to eat as balanced as possible. The goal is not to eat more sweets and fried foods, for example. The following advice is not a miracle solution; gaining weight sometimes requires time and perseverance.

Dietary recommendations

Wondering how to gain weight quickly? Here are some high-calorie foods and nutritional strategies that will help you gain weight gradually. On the contrary, you will find in this sheet the mistakes not to make if you have a fast metabolism.

High-calorie foods to include in your menus to gain weight

The following foods should be included in your menus to gain weight. They allow you to bring more calories to your body without increasing the volume of your meals. This section also presents some nutritional strategies to be implemented as part of the high calorie diet.

High energy density foods

The energy density of a food defines the amount of calories per gram of that food. Energy density is influenced by the water, fiber, sugar and fat content of the food. Water and fiber decrease energy density, while fat and sugar increase it.

With a high energy density diet, more calories are consumed for a certain volume. For people looking to gain weight, it is essential to choose foods with high energy density.

Here is a table of high energy density foods to include in a high calorie diet:

Categories	Foods to eat
Fruits	Dried fruits Banana Mango Categories Foods to eat Fruits Dried fruits Banana Mango Grape Cherries fruit nectar Lawyer olives canned fruit Vegetables Peas Parsnip Yam Potato Legumes Cereals products Bread Muffin Bread with nuts, olives or cheese Cereal bars Milk and Alternatives Cheese Cream Whole milk yogurts Whole milk Cream cheese soy yogurt Meats and substitutes Fatty fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, etc.) Liver Poultry thighs Beef Pork Lamb Eggs Others Oilseed butter Humus Vegetal oils Chocolate Homemade cookies and cakes Grape Cherries fruit nectar Lawyer olives canned fruit
Vegetables	Peas Parsnip Yam Potato Legumes
Cereals products	Bread Muffin Bread with nuts, olives or cheese Cereal bars
Milk and Alternatives	Cheese Cream Whole milk yogurts Whole milk Cream cheese soy yogurt
Meats and substitutes	Fatty fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, etc.) Liver Poultry thighs Beef Pork Lamb Eggs
Others	Oilseed butter Humus Vegetal oils Chocolate Homemade cookies and cakes

Stimulate your appetite

It is possible to work up an appetite by paying attention to small details. But how can you stimulate your appetite to gain weight? Here are some tips.

• Set a beautiful table with nice dishes
• Take the meal outside if the weather permits
• Add color to the plate by adding herbs and spices
• Eat foods that give pleasure
• Eat meals with people you like, so you tend to eat more
• Try to be relaxed before eating
• Accompany the meal with a glass of wine if your health permits
• Start the meal with a glass of acidic juice (lemon, tomato, orange, etc.)
• Take a walk or do some light exercise before the meal
• Increase calorie intake without increasing volume
• Large meals obviously promote weight gain. But you can also choose to add certain ingredients to your meals to increase the calorie intake without necessarily increasing the volume of the meal. This is ideal for people who have difficulty eating large quantities.

To make a meal high in calories, here are some tips:

• Add a fatty substance systematically to your dishes after cooking: vegetable oil in the vegetables, in the starchy foods, in the soup or even on your soup.
• Serve meat, poultry and fish with a fatty sauce
• Add avocados, olives, nuts and cheese cubes to salads
• Add nuts and dried fruit to baked goods
• Sprinkle parmesan or grated cheese on pasta, vegetables and soups
• Add egg yolk to dishes
• Add powdered milk to soups, cream desserts and milk
• Add honey to desserts and cereals
• Drink juice, milk or syrups throughout the day instead of water
• Incorporate cream into dishes and desserts whenever possible: in soups, fruit salads, yogurt, etc.