Due to the well-documented efforts everyone makes to lose weight, it's easy to forget that many people struggle with just the opposite problem every day. Being underweight involves health problems and perception of one's image just as happens to overweight individuals, and those who cannot gain weight encounter the same difficulties as those who try to lose weight. Genetics play a certain role in a person's metabolism and weight, but anyone can do something to overcome these problems, regardless of biology.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Eat enough
Step 1. Eat smaller but more frequent meals
If you are underweight, have less energy and have a smaller stomach, you feel full faster. Plan to eat five or six times with small - but full - meals throughout the day so that you get the nutrients you need more regularly and have less difficulty managing large portions. Also, like any seemingly insurmountable task, breaking it down into smaller sections becomes easier to accomplish.
- "Hara hachi bu" is a Confucius teaching which means to eat until you are 80% full. Although it is generally thought of as a suitable mantra for those who have to lose weight, it can also be useful to get the situation under control; basically, it helps you remember that if you want to stay healthy and feel good, you don't have to overdo it and overeat.
- You probably already know that eating more often is also suitable advice for those who want to lose weight, in order to keep the metabolism active. You may then be wondering if this is a right solution for you. Actually it is for both of us! It is just a matter of defining what you eat during these more frequent meals. You may think that slowing down your metabolism is a good way to gain weight, but it's not a healthy option and is generally not recommended.
Step 2. Eat 250-500 extra calories every day
This is a good foundation to stick to when you want to gain weight. Search online for calorie calculators that can give you more results and use them to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. To this result, add 250-500 calories per day.
Step 3. Choose foods that are high in protein and high in calories
Meat, cheese, and carbohydrate nutrients made from whole grains are great choices. While just eating more should help you gain weight, you actually need to get valuable nutrients too, as a deficiency in these could be, in part, the cause of your low weight.
- Some breakfast dishes are: scrambled eggs with cheese, yogurt with fruit and muesli, burrito.
- Some lunch ideas could be: chicken breast avocado sandwich, tuna salad, wholemeal bagel with cream cheese.
- Some typical dinners can be: steak with cooked vegetables, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, grilled salmon with rice.
Step 4. Drink whole milk, not skim
As much as possible, avoid "lean" versions of foods and opt for "whole" ones. The fat-free or "light" variants often make the body feel equally full, but provide less nutrients.
However, this rule does not apply to cuts of meat. The fatter one isn't a bad choice overall and is usually even cheaper than the lean one, but cuts with a lower amount of fat are higher in protein, which is ideal for your purpose
Step 5. Don't limit yourself with carbohydrates
It is necessary to eat these nutrients regularly to gain and maintain weight. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (sugar) to provide energy. Without them, the body goes back to breaking down the other energy sources that took so much effort to accumulate: fat and protein.
Step 6. Include lots of fiber in your diet
These are critical to digestion, a process you want all the help you can get when you start eating more than you are used to. You can find them in beans, oats, bran, fruits and vegetables.
Step 7. Make lots of snacks
Eat some peanut butter snacks before bed or a handful of nuts when you go out to get your mail. Eating small snacks throughout the day helps to gain weight.
Eating sweet, salty, or unhealthy snacks occasionally serves your purpose, as long as snacks aren't limited to them
Step 8. Avoid caffeinated drinks
This substance suppresses your appetite, and if your goal is to gain weight, that's certainly not what you want. Actually, caffeine doesn't keep you underweight, but you need to be aware of its effects on nutrition. Among the drinks that contain it are mentioned:
- Coffee;
- You;
- Drinks;
- Energy drinks, like Monster Energy, Red Bull, etc.
Step 9. Don't overdo the liquids
If you drink too much before meals, there isn't enough room in your stomach to get more substantial nutrients that you need. This does not mean completely abstaining from drinking, but avoid filling your belly too much before eating.
- If you can't drink with meals, try to wait about half an hour after eating.
- Don't get dehydrated! Each person needs to drink a different amount of fluids, but a healthy diet still involves staying hydrated. Make sure you drink several glasses of water throughout the day.
Part 2 of 3: Doing the Right Physical Activity
Step 1. Lift the weights
Strength exercise is important for gaining weight and staying healthy. Increasing food intake and building muscle mass are two aspects that work synergistically to achieve your goal.
- In order to gain weight, you need to do a few repetitions, but with heavier barbells, than the opposite technique. Each exercise is different, but 10-12 repetitions are expected for the vast majority; you instead have to opt for 6-8 repetitions with heavier weights.
- Although weightlifting focuses on building muscle mass, be aware that it is not an activity reserved for bodybuilders. If you are concerned that your body will get too big after gaining weight, remember that it is not necessary to become a "mountain of muscle" to lift weights.
Step 2. Limit your cardiovascular training
This kind of activity is important for the health and strength of the cardiovascular system, but aerobics causes you to lose weight, something you don't want to achieve. Don't overdo the treadmill runs or increase your calorie intake to compensate for lost energy.
When it comes to losing weight or gaining weight, 3500 calories correspond to about half a kilo of adipose tissue. Keep this in mind when evaluating how many calories you need to consume after training. Many gym machines are able to calculate the amount of energy burned during activity
Step 3. Carefully recharge your body with energy
Exercise burns the calories you eat, but at the same time stimulates your appetite. In this way, you can establish and consolidate more regular eating habits to meet the body's energy needs.
You should pay particular attention to protein needs, to ensure the development of muscle mass after a day in the gym. Meat, eggs and cheese are very useful foods at this juncture, just like smoothies and specific food supplements for the post-workout snack
Part 3 of 3: Maintain Weight Through New Habits
Step 1. Reduce prolonged physical activity
Training is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and a program to gain weight correctly; however, you don't have to overdo it. Especially if you have a job or hobby that requires you to stand up all day, remember that constant movement burns the excess calories you are taking in before you can even notice any results.
Step 2. Consider medications
Prescription drugs or therapies can have side effects that cause weight loss. Nausea is also a common adverse reaction and is definitely a problem for people who have to find the appetite to eat five or six times a day.
Step 3. Stay healthy
The disease prevents you from sticking to your weight gain program, so it is important to eat a healthy diet (even if you are eating more), sleep and exercise. Being underweight weakens your immune system, so you need to work with particular diligence.
- Anemia caused by a deficiency of iron, folate, or vitamin B12 is quite common among people with below normal weight. Supplement your diet with these valuable nutrients if you feel dizzy, fatigued or suffer from headaches.
- Sudden or severe weight loss can be a sign of illness. It could be a stomach problem, a thyroid problem, diabetes or even cancer. Only a doctor can come to conclusions, so make an appointment with the doctor when you lose weight abnormally.
Step 4. Try to feel good in general
Stress, anxiety and depression have unpleasant effects on appetite and prevent you from reaching your dietary goals, they can destroy all attempts a person makes to take care of themselves. If you think you are in this situation, ask your doctor for help in finding the best way to manage mental well-being.
