Based on my experience in the industry, women tend to want to lose weight and men tend to want to gain it. There are always exceptions to the rule, but this is the norm. Whether you want to lose or gain, give some of these suggestions a try and let me know how they work for you. I have tried them all and had quite a bit of success with them over the years.

This might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but if you are going out to eat, have a tablespoon of peanut butter and a piece of fruit before you jump in the car. If you are trying to keep your calories in check this will keep you from overeating. The last thing you want to do is binge out on dinner rolls and appetizers before the main course shows up. Having a small amount of food in your stomach beforehand will keep you from overeating.

If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it. This is how most people end up falling off the wagon. The food is simply there, and in the pantry no less! So when the urge strikes, those Oreo cookies are only 10 steps away.  One little trick I have learned over the years is to NEVER EVER go to the grocery store hungry. That is a recipe for disaster. Go there satiated, make your list and stick to it.

Start eating more pickles!!!! Pickles are essentially a calorie-less food. So when you are ravenously hungry and craving something sodium laden, feel free to polish off as many dill pickles as you like. I have eaten more than my fair share when I’m at a restaurant waiting for my entree to arrive. It works like a charm.

If you are a naturally skinny guy, then you are going to need to eat A LOT of food to put on mass. A lot more than you are used to eating. Adding muscle mass is simply a form of progressive overload in the form of calories. You need to eat a little more than you did the previous day until eventually you reach your limit. Think anywhere from 16 to 20 times your body weight in calories.

I stole this tip from a colleague of mine. Fill a blender up with whole milk, protein powder, raw eggs, bananas, peanut butter, cocoa powder and some vanilla ice cream. You should be able pack in a good thousand calories in the blender. Have a few gulps after each meal throughout the course of the day. You will get in the extra calories you need without having to walk around bloated and nauseous all day.