How to gain weight?!

 With obesity on the rise, less attention is placed on the health risks of being under weight.

The easiest way to find out whether you are underweight is to calculate your BMI (Basal Metabolic Index). This is a guideline to help you know how much you should weigh for your height.

·         underweight (BMI less than 18.5)

·         normal weight (BMI between 18.5 & 24.9)

·         overweight (BMI between 25.0 & 29.9)

·         obese (BMI 30.0 and above)

If the figure you get is less than 18.5, you are underweight.

Before we hate on this people who eat anything and end up losing weight while we gain weight even by drinking water, let’s discuss the complications that come with being underweight.

Being underweight weakens the immune system. Everything that the body does, including keeping diseases away is dependent on the food we eat. To make those immunity cells, the body needs good food in terms of quality and quantity. When you are underweight, nutrients are not absorbed in the body as they should and that leads to deficiencies which may later become medical conditions. For example, if your body cannot absorb calcium adequately, you will have a calcium deficiency which will lead to osteoporosis. Other conditions that are caused by being underweight include complications with pregnancy, reduced physical strength, anemia, hair loss etc.

How do I gain weight in a healthy way?

Before you get to the solution, you have to look at the problem in depth. Reasons why people may become underweight are many and there are as many treatment courses as there are causes.

If the reason you are underweight is genetics (you naturally burn calories faster) or a hyperactive thyroid, (an overactive thyroid, which causes high thyroid hormone production — metabolism speeds up and your whole body starts working overtime) you should consult your doctor first.

If you have an illness that is making you lose weight fast, you should get treated. Also, ask your doctor if the medication you are on is causing loss of appetite and whether you can get something to stimulate your appetite. Fruits and vegetable juices are a good way to get your appetite back as they contain the vitamins that are prescribed as multi vitamins but if they don’t help please tell your doctor.

Stress is another factor in weight loss. If you think that the reason behind your weight loss is stress you need to talk to someone and resolve it.

Last but not least, you should adjust your diet to make sure that you get all the nutrients and the extra calories that you need. Here are a few tips to help you with that;

v  Eat more. Increase the amount of food you eat. Remember that just like with weight loss, you will not see results in a day so don’t give up. If you are the type of person to get so busy you forget to eat, set alarms and reminders on your phone to remind you.

v  Include carbohydrates in all the meals that you take. Taking enough carbohydrates gives you energy and it also ensures that the protein you eat is not broken down for energy. The protein you take is hence used to build your body.

v  Eat enough proteins. To know how much protein you need, multiply your weight in kilograms by 1.2 and you will get the number in grams. Most foods have nutrition labels showing the amount of protein in the food so check that too while buying food.

v  Include healthy fats in your meals. As much as you want to gain weight, you do not want to raise your cholesterol levels. Choose vegetable oils and ensure that your meat has fat trimmed off. When taking vegetable salads, add some olive oil or your oil of choice to it.

v  Eat three square meals and two snacks. This helps you eat enough calories to gain weight.

v  Lucky you because you can have a small amount of foods high in fat and/or sugar but eat them less often.

v  Exercise. I don’t mean burn all the food you ate in the gym, but exercise helps you stay healthy and build lean muscles instead of gaining unhealthy weight. Exercise can also help you get bigger in specific areas. Most of my female clients who want to gain weight say that they want bigger hips and glutes without gaining weight in the stomach area. Workouts like squats can help you get such results so ask your trainer what workouts help build what areas. Don’t forget to get pre and post workout snacks.

v   Peanuts, peanut butter, pasta, cereals, dairy products, seeds, lean red meat, bagels, and dried fruits are examples of healthy foods that will help you gain weight. Eat them as often s you can.

v  Juice your fruits and vegetables. This helps you not feel as full as you would have if you took the actual fruits and vegetables and so you end up consuming more calories. Avoid drinking the juices with your meals because they will make you feel full quickly.