It’s common to hear people talk about losing weight and making special New Year resolutions to reduce their waists, but what about those who want to gain weight and add on a few extra kilos?
Being underweight can be just as bad for your health as being obese. Additionally, many people who are not clinically underweight still want to gain some muscle.
If you want to gain weight, it’s very important to do it right. Read on to know the best tips to gain weight, in a healthy way!
Increase calorie intake:
As simple as it sounds, whether or not we will gain weight depends on the energy balance between calories consumed and calories burned. You can determine your calorie needs using this calorie calculator. If you want to gain weight slowly and steadily, aim for 300–500 calories more than you burn each day according to the calculator.
Go pro on protein:
The single most important nutrient for gaining healthy weight is protein. Muscle is made of protein and without it most of those extra calories may end up as body fat. If you’re trying to gain weight, aim for 1.5–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram.
Eat a lot of protein-rich food like beans, pulses etcetera. Then, add dairy products like eggs, fish, and meat to your platter. Protein supplements like whey protein can also be useful if you struggle to get enough protein in your diet.
Snack often:
It should be kept in mind especially for a person who wants to gain weight that he/she should never skip meals. Try eating every 3-4 hours. Snacks such as nuts and cheese are ideal, as these are usually small and packed with calories. Nut butter like peanut, cashew, and almond butter is also a great choice as they have high levels of healthy fat.
Exercise is the key:
If you want to gain muscle mass, then you need to exercise. This might seem counterintuitive at first since exercise means burning more calories, but exercise provides the stimulus for muscles to grow. If the/ re is no stimulus to build muscle from exercise the excess calories from protein will simply be deposited as fat. Exercises such as climbing stairs and resistance exercises like weightlifting will promote muscle growth.
Liquify your needs:
It may be tough to meet your calorie requirements by just eating. Drinking milk, milkshakes or protein shakes can be a great way to load up on the required calories. Drink plenty of water and fresh juices to ensure you are properly hydrated. As a piece of healthy advice, drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day.
It is important to keep in mind that hoping to gain weight quickly in a healthy manner is unrealistic. That’s because your body has a certain setpoint of weight where it feels comfortable. Whether you try to go under your setpoint (lose weight) or over it (gain weight), your body resists changes by regulating your hunger levels and metabolic rate. Doing just one of the things mentioned above will not be enough and one needs to look at it as a process. The key is to be patient and be consistent with your efforts.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-gain-weight#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12
