Increase the frequency and quantity of your meals

I am slim, height 166 cm, weight 52 kgs less in weight. What type of food to take to built a good figure? Please tell me time wise if possible till date I have no diseases.
(August 14, 2008)

You are lower than your ideal body weight by around 12 kgs. Your physique can be improved by a better diet and exercise. I shall be able to list them with timings, only if I know about your eating pattern and preferences. I shall give you some basic tips, which you can incorporate in your daily schedule. A three meal pattern fails to help in weight gain.


Increase the frequency and quantity of your meals. About five to six meals prove beneficial.

Commence your day with a cup of coffee or tea. Breakfast needs to be nutritious and heavy. A cereal pulse combination such as wheat tortillas and lentil soup or scrambled egg and so on. A light snack as brunch is helpful. Your lunch should comprise of a cereal, pulse, yoghurt, vegetable and green leafy vegetable. Increase the quantity of cereal, in comparison to the usual amounts. About 500 to 1000 calorie increase help in a weight gain of about one to two kg in a week. Tea or coffee in the evening, with snacks such as cookies, bagels and pretzels helps. Dinner is the same as lunch. Bedtime milk assures proper sleep.

Choice of right foods helps in healthy weight gain. Complex carbohydrates help in preventing complications, such as constipation. Fruits and vegetables, whole cereals, grains, legumes and pulses contribute to dietary fiber. Protein foods such as beans, legumes, and pulses are useful. Lima, kidney and butter beans help in contributing to calories and muscle formation. Egg is a good source of protein. Lean meat is better than red meat, due to the decrease in fat content. Processed meat, such as hamburgers and hot dogs should be restricted due to the presence of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are better, in comparison to saturated fats. Oils are healthier than fats. Flaxseed, soy, sunflower, groundnut, olive and safflower oil are some of them. Bagels, muffins, pretzels, pasta and other food items help in weight gain. Milkshakes and fresh fruit juices also prove beneficial. Replace water in soups and casserole, with milk.

Exercises play a vital role in the development of a good physique. Stretching exercises help biceps. Parallel bars, dumb bells, barbell rows, bench presses and dead lifts aid in muscle formation. Muscles require more energy for expenditure. Thus exercise also helps in increasing the appetite. This calls for more food intake. The personality of an individual enhances with a proper physique. Thus, you can improve your physique and body weight.