Healthy Ways To Gain Weight
Gaining weight can be difficult because many of the healthy foods that pack on the pounds are also calorie dense, meaning you need to eat lots of them in order to get enough calories. This makes it easy to overeat and gain unhealthy weight instead of healthy weight that helps you feel your best. Luckily, there are some simple strategies you can use to start gaining weight without sacrificing your health or your diet. Check out these tips for healthy ways to gain weight today!
1) Eat Healthy
The healthiest way to gain weight is to eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In fact, people who’ve been successful at gaining weight usually make sure they eat as many as six meals per day, with each meal including lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. When you’re trying to put on pounds healthily, it’s also important to schedule regular physical activity into your daily routine. Keeping stress levels in check will help too—feeling anxious isn’t conducive to healthy eating or weight gain. Finally, sleep is one last essential component of healthy weight gain; if you have trouble sleeping because you have anxiety about putting on pounds, see if taking small doses of melatonin can help normalize your body clock.
2) Workout
One of the best ways to gain weight is by increasing muscle mass, which will result in an increase in your overall body weight. If you’re looking to bulk up, start hitting up gym sessions two or three times a week. Not only will it keep you motivated, but it’ll give you something to do when it gets cold outside. As for what workout is best, that depends on your goals. Some people want to get lean and cut, while others may be looking to build as much muscle as possible. Some people are just trying to maintain their current physique, whatever that means. It all comes down to how you want your body to look—do some research before settling on any specific regimen so you know what results can be expected from each type of training program.
3) Sleep
You can gain weight without changing your diet or exercise habits—just by sleeping more. Sleep has a profound effect on our hormones, and scientists believe that those who sleep less than six hours each night tend to produce too much of certain chemicals (including cortisol and ghrelin) that cause us to crave high-calorie foods and too little of others (like leptin and CCK) that make us feel full. Moreover, when we don’t get enough shut-eye, we wake up with elevated blood sugar levels and an overproduction of insulin; both contribute to excess body fat. In short: lack of sleep makes you hungrier and causes you to overeat—two surefire ways to pack on pounds! A number of studies have found that getting more sleep is one of the most reliable ways to stay thin.
4) Practice Mindfulness
If you’re underweight, you could be putting yourself at risk for bone problems. Underweight women are also more likely to suffer from anemia. Because your body doesn’t have enough fat cells to produce estrogen, estrogen is produced in larger quantities by your liver. This can cause enlargement of the uterus and even endometrial cancer. Because you aren’t producing as much estrogen as someone with a healthy weight would, osteoporosis is also a concern for underweight women. You may find that it’s difficult to gain weight if you haven’t started menstruating yet because exercise burns more calories than usual when your body isn’t receiving adequate nutrition. For some people, eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia make it difficult or impossible to eat healthy foods without feeling guilty or worrying about becoming overweight; these conditions need professional attention.
Underweight Complications in Females
When an underweight woman becomes pregnant, there are some complications that come with it. Most of these complications can be avoided if you gain weight during pregnancy and eat a well-balanced diet. Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy increase their risk of: low birth weight, having gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Fortunately, these issues can all be prevented through gaining a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy. There is no clear cut definition of a healthy weight gain because everyone’s body responds differently to nutrition. Overall, most women should expect to gain 25–35 pounds throughout pregnancy depending on age and medical history. I recommend visiting your doctor or obstetrician for specific recommendations based on your health history. Although overweight women shouldn’t worry about losing their baby’s weight while they are pregnant, they should still try to watch what they eat while taking in more calories than usual.
Healthy Meals for Weight Gain
If you’re trying to put on weight, you don’t have to eat fast food or empty-calorie junk foods. Take time to cook up a big meal of whole grains, lean proteins and fresh veggies. Make sure you get enough calories—that means eating at least three meals per day, with snacks in between if necessary. Aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. Be sure to include healthy fats like nuts, seeds and olive oil in your diet; these will help your body absorb other nutrients while keeping you feeling full. Also make sure you drink plenty of water; dehydration can affect both your appetite and metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories). When choosing drinks, stick with calorie-free beverages like water or green tea; avoid sugary sodas, juices and energy drinks because they can increase hunger pangs while adding extra unnecessary calories.
In a Nutshell
The goal of weight gain should be to add muscle mass. Your ideal weight will fluctuate with your diet and exercise routine, but a safe target is one that results in a body fat percentage in the range of 10–15 percent for men and 20–25 percent for women. You can use a tape measure or a BMI calculator to determine whether you’re at a healthy weight. Once you’ve pinpointed an ideal weight, eat 250 more calories per day than your body burns. Focus on protein-rich foods like eggs and lean meats; they provide nutrients while helping maintain muscle tone. Finally, engage in strength training two times a week to keep adding bulk without bulking up.
