Keto Weight Gain: Strategies For Success

The keto diet is often associated with weight loss, but it can also be used to gain weight healthily. This involves a strategic approach to eating more calories than you burn, with a focus on nutrient-dense foods.

To gain weight on keto, you should aim for a modest caloric surplus of 200-300 extra calories per day, consisting of healthy fats, moderate protein, and minimal carbs. This means increasing your intake of foods such as fatty fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, and lean proteins like chicken and eggs. It's important to monitor your protein intake and keep carbs low to stay in ketosis.

In addition to diet, incorporating strength training and managing lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, and caffeine intake can also support healthy weight gain on keto.

Eat more calories than you burn

To gain weight on a keto diet, you need to eat more calories than you burn. This is known as a caloric surplus. The principle is simple: if you eat more calories than you expend, you will likely gain weight.

To gain weight in a healthy and steady manner, aim for a modest caloric surplus of 200-300 additional calories per day. Remove any guesswork by recording your daily caloric intake and weighing yourself each morning. If you are losing weight, you will need to increase your calorie intake. It is important to note that caloric needs will vary between individuals.

When following a keto diet, it is crucial to keep your carbohydrate intake low, as this helps to keep the hormone insulin low, which is essential for burning fat and producing ketones. Therefore, to gain weight, you should focus on consuming more fats and proteins. Aim for around 60% fat and 30% protein in your diet, with only 10% coming from carbohydrates.

• Increase your consumption of healthy fats such as coconut oil, butter, cream, milk, cheese, olive oil, avocados, and nuts. These foods are calorie-dense and will help you reach your caloric surplus.
• Prioritize protein-rich foods such as meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Aim for a protein intake of about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
• Include non-starchy vegetables in your meals to ensure you get enough vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and folate, which are vital for growth and repair.
• Consider taking a whey protein supplement, as it is effective for building muscle.
• Eat multiple meals throughout the day and avoid extended periods of intermittent fasting. Aim for a 12-16 hour fast to allow for muscle gain.
• Get plenty of high-quality sleep to promote the release of human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone, which are important for muscle growth and fat burning.
• Manage your stress levels, as stress is catabolic and can break down muscle.
• Limit your caffeine and nicotine intake, as these substances activate the stress response in your body, making them more suited for weight loss rather than weight gain.
• Consider taking a creatine supplement, as it has been proven to be effective for muscle gain.
• Ensure you have a healthy gut to optimize nutrient absorption from your food.

By following these tips and focusing on consuming calorie-dense, nutrient-rich foods, you can effectively gain weight on a keto diet.

Eat more protein

Eating more protein is essential when trying to gain weight on a keto diet. Protein is a staple in any diet, and when following a keto diet, it's important to opt for complete proteins that contain all nine essential amino acids.

Choose High-Quality Protein Sources

Select protein sources that are free of added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives. Look for proteins that provide valuable nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and heart-healthy fats. Examples include beef, eggs, fatty fish like tuna and salmon, nuts and seeds, and dairy products like Greek yogurt and cheese.

Monitor Your Protein Intake

While protein is crucial, it's important not to go overboard. Generally, experts recommend that 10-20% of your daily calories come from protein. For those following a keto diet, aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. However, this may vary depending on your size, gender, and activity level.

Be Mindful of Carbohydrates in Protein Sources

When choosing protein sources, pay attention to the carbohydrate content. Nuts, for example, can have varying amounts of carbs. Macadamias, with 4 grams of carbs per ounce, are a better choice than cashews, which have 9 grams per ounce. Other sources of hidden carbohydrates include processed meats, tofu, and vegetarian/vegan meat substitutes.

Space Out Your Protein Intake

Instead of consuming all your protein at once, spread it out throughout the day. Proteins are constantly being remodelled, and spacing out your intake ensures a steady supply of building blocks for this process.

Combine Protein with Fat

Make sure to add fat to your meals when consuming protein. This will help you feel satiated and prevent overeating other macronutrients. Examples of healthy fats to include in your diet are olive oil, avocado oil, butter, and ghee.

Include a Variety of Protein Sources

Vary your protein sources to ensure you're getting a range of essential amino acids and other nutrients. This can include a combination of animal-based proteins like meat, poultry, and seafood, as well as plant-based sources like tofu, nuts, and seeds.

Consider Supplements

If you're struggling to meet your protein goals through whole foods alone, consider adding protein supplements to your diet. Whey protein, for example, is a complete protein that is highly bioavailable and digestible, making it effective for building muscle.

By incorporating these strategies and focusing on eating more protein, you can effectively gain weight on a keto diet while supporting muscle growth and overall health.

Eat healthy fats

Eating healthy fats is a cornerstone of the keto diet. The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet, with around 60% of calories coming from fat, 30% from protein, and 10% from carbs.

• Avocados are your friend. Avocados are rich in healthy fats and calories, making them a great choice for weight gain. They are also versatile and can be added to a variety of dishes.
• Choose fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Opt for full-fat dairy products such as Greek yogurt, cheese, and butter. These add extra fat and calories to your diet.
• Nuts and seeds are a great way to add healthy fats and nutrients to your diet. Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are excellent choices.
• Healthy oils like olive oil and avocado oil are perfect for cooking and adding extra calories.
• Coconut products, such as coconut oil, cream, and flakes, are high in saturated fat. While saturated fat was once considered harmful, recent research suggests that it can be part of a healthy diet when consumed in moderation.

Remember, when following a keto diet, it's important to focus on healthy fats from unsaturated and saturated sources. This means including plenty of fatty fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils in your diet.

Eat more often

Eating more often is a great way to gain weight on a keto diet. Here are some tips to help you eat more frequently:

• Avoid intermittent fasting: While intermittent fasting can be beneficial for weight loss, it is not ideal when trying to gain weight. Instead of fasting, focus on eating multiple meals throughout the day.
• Increase meal frequency: Aim for 3-4 meals per day, with snacks in between. This will ensure you are consuming enough calories to support weight gain.
• Choose calorie-dense foods: When eating more frequently, focus on choosing foods that are calorie-dense and nutrient-rich. This includes fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils.
• Include healthy snacks: Opt for healthy, keto-friendly snacks between meals to increase your calorie intake. Some good options include nut butter with flaxseed crackers, cheese and olive plates, avocado chocolate mousse, and full-fat Greek yogurt with nut butter.
• Drink calorie-dense beverages: In addition to solid foods, you can also increase your calorie intake by consuming calorie-dense beverages. Try bulletproof coffee (coffee with butter and MCT oil), smoothies made with full-fat coconut milk, and nut milks enriched with keto-friendly protein powders.
• Practice mindful eating: When eating more frequently, it is important to practice mindful eating. Listen to your body's hunger cues and eat until you are comfortably full. This will help ensure you are consuming enough calories to support weight gain.

Do strength training

To build muscle on a keto diet, you need to do strength training or resistance training. This doesn't mean you need to spend hours in the gym every day. Two or three 30-60 minute weight training sessions per week will do.

To maximise these sessions, focus on compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups. These include:

• Bench press (or pushups)
• Squats
• Deadlifts

To build size, go for low-rep and high-weight. A common mass-gain protocol is 5 sets of 5 reps each.

Remember, injury prevention should be your number one goal. Be sure to warm up, rest for several minutes between sets, and maintain proper form throughout the routine.

If heavy lifting doesn't work for your body, you can also build muscle with bodyweight exercises.

How strength training works with keto

Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet. This means that the body is in a near-constant state of ketosis, where it creates ketones from fat to burn as energy instead of using glucose from carbs.

While carbs have anabolic (growth) properties, a protein-sufficient keto diet is still compatible with strength gains. The amino acid leucine, found in meat, whey, and eggs, is key for muscle growth and repair. Leucine also interacts with the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) to create a muscle-sparing effect. In other words, keto helps preserve muscle.

The current RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or about 50 grams of protein per day for a 140-pound person. However, this is insufficient to support strength and muscle gains during physical activity. For example, a highly active 140-pound person needs double that amount, or 100 grams of protein per day.

A modified ketogenic diet is high in fat, moderate to high in protein, and very low in carbs. By calories, it’s about 60% fat, 30% protein, and less than 10% carbohydrate.

Conventional wisdom holds that carbs are needed to build muscle. The logic is that eating carbs raises levels of insulin, an anabolic hormone, which in turn brings more amino acids (protein) into skeletal muscle.

However, if your goal is to lose body fat while maintaining lean mass, keto is the way to go. While a few studies suggest that some people can achieve muscle gains on keto, the research is limited.

How to build strength on keto

The formula for strength training on keto is simple: eat enough protein, lift weights, and give your muscles time to recover between sessions.

If you’re looking to gain muscle, bump up your fat and protein calories. Adding 10% more calories to your daily total is a good starting point.

When keto works for strength athletes

Keto might work for strength athletes when working with low reps. Strength athletes who only have to perform one to three reps utilise the body’s ATP-CP energy system, which provides small amounts of energy in quick bursts.

When keto is a terrible choice for strength athletes

Keto is a terrible choice for strength sports that require lots of volume, such as functional fitness, CrossFit, strongman, and bodybuilding. High-rep activity causes energy systems to rely on carbohydrates, so keto is not the best choice for these activities.

Frequently asked questions