The secret to gaining weight and muscle doesn't lie in seeing how many calories you can consume in a day or finding out just how much exercise you can do in a day. Mostly, all you are going to get is an upset stomach and aching muscles. And rather than gain weight and muscle, you will just lose your motivation.

There are two tools that you must have if you are to be successful in your weight and muscle gain program. You need knowledge, and you need a doable plan.

Often people will go out, buy an expensive gym membership, and start drinking whatever high-calorie, vitamin and mineral supplement drink the gym is promoting without having the first clue about what causes weight gain and what causes muscles to develop. I'm not saying that you shouldn't join a gym, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't drink those high-calorie, vitamin and mineral supplement drinks. I'm just saying that you need to know what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Weight gain happens for only one reason. That reason is that a person is eating more calories than they are expending through activity. There are, of course, medical conditions that can prevent weight gain no matter what your in-out calorie ratio is, and it is a very good idea to first be checked by a doctor just to rule out any medical problem.

The idea is to eat a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on protein rather than carbohydrates. A LOW-carb diet is NOT recommended. You need BOTH
protein and carbohydrates, but you do need to consume more calories from high-protein foods than from high-carbohydrate foods.

Weight training exercises do not burn as many calories as aerobic exercise. You need to focus most of your workout time on weight-training exercises rather than on high-energy exercises that are designed to strengthen the heart.

The best motivation is success. Keep a journal, and chart your progress.