5 tips to gain or maintain weight on low carb

Losing unwanted weight is, for many people, a desirable outcome of a low carb lifestyle. However, there may be people who have surpassed their weight loss goals and are looking to maintain their weight. Or, perhaps there are some who feel they have lost a little too much weight and are looking to gain some back. In this article, we’ve got 5 tips that could help you gain or maintain weight on low carb, should this be your goal.

1) Ensure sufficient calories

Although calorie counting is not something we focus on with the program, many people find that eating  real food and avoiding refined carbs allows them to be more in-tune with feelings of hunger and fullness. This can sometimes result in an effortless reduction in caloric intake. For many people, this allows maintenance of goal weight, without feeling hungry. That said, if you feel that you are losing too much weight on low carb, you might find it helpful to reassess whether you’re getting enough calories throughout the day to halt weight loss.

2) Consider easing off on the fasting

Intermittent fasting can be a useful tool for losing weight, and for improving health and wellbeing. However, if you’re eating one or two meals a day and feel like you’re losing a little too much weight, you might find that you’re more able to maintain your weight by eating three full meals instead. Adding in an extra meal or snack is also a way to get some extra calories in, if this is your goal.

3) Make use of calorie-dense foods

Whether they’re used for snacks or as part of a meal, calorie-dense foods such as cheese, nuts and avocado can be useful if you’re trying to stop losing weight while sticking to low carb. You could try adding some nuts to your berries and yoghurt in the morning, or perhaps adding chunks of cheese to your salad at lunchtime, for example. These foods are also packed full of essential vitamins and minerals.

4) Add in some extra fat

If you’re looking to get some extra calories, adding in some extra fat is a great way to do so. At 9 kcal per gram, pure fats are energy-dense foods and can make very tasty additions to your meals. For example, melting butter on your vegetables, adding cream to your coffee or your soup, and using a little extra cooking oil are all good ways to increase the calorie count of your meals, if this is what you’re after.

5) Consider a wider range of foods

Many people on the program see benefits from restricting their carbs to as low as 20-50 grams per day. However, some people may feel that they have lost a little bit too much weight from doing this. If this is the case, you might find it helpful to up the carbs slightly by adding in a wider range of vegetables, legumes and pulses; perhaps some carrots, parsnip, beetroot, beans, chickpeas or lentils. If your carbs were particularly low before, you can add small amounts of these foods without going over 130 grams of carbs per day. But do stick to real foods and assess whether this approach works for you.

If you're someone who feels like they could do with halting their weight loss, or perhaps putting a little bit of weight back on, then consider how these 5 tips might help you achieve that goal. Let us know if you've had any experience with this in the comments below!

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