Are you an underweight person and desperately thinking of gaining weight quickly?
These are few tips to help you out if you are in this situation.
If your BMI (Body Mass Index) is less than 18 then you are considered an underweight individual and you need to increase your weight to become healthy. BMI is calculated as your weight in kilograms divided by square of your height measured in meters.
- The only way to gain weight is to eat more; i.e., to consume more calories than your daily requirement. Excess calories are converted into mass which increases your body weight. You should determine your daily calorie requirement (from the daily activities you perform) and also your calorie intake (from the food items you consume daily).
- Try to increase your calorie intake daily so that it will steadily increase your weight. Remember, you have to wait for a few weeks for the results to actually be visible. Distribute your meal timings accordingly. You can go for 1 breakfast, 3 meals, and 1 snack-break daily, rather than consuming in bulk at a single time.
- Fat-rich food items and protein-rich are more preferred food items that help to gain weight. Fats give more calories per gram, while proteins help to build muscles. You should try to consume eggs, milk, meat, cereals, pulses, and/or whole-grains, which are rich sources of proteins. Cheese, chocolate milk, coconut, peanuts, walnuts are rich sources of fats.
- Energy dense food items provide more calories per gram. These include, but are not limited to, cheese, dry-fruits, and nuts (such as dates, peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.). Pastry-items, skimmed milk, and plain chocolate are some of the energy dense food items.
- Instead of drinking water, you can have beverages like fruit juice, milk, or chocolate shakes which will provide you more calories. Water does not provide you any calories. Your body can fulfill its water requirement from these beverages.
- You need to perform exercises that tend to stretch your larger muscles. Such intensive exercises, followed by a protein rich meal, will help you develop your muscles. Exercise causes “wear and tear” of your muscles, so protein meals are very important.
- Starchy vegetables should be included in your diet. Potatoes are rich in starch and hence preferred by those trying to increase their weight.
- You should avoid addictions like smoking and chewing tobacco (carcinogenic items) which can cause obstacles in your weight gain process.
- Avoid junk food items. They provide calories from sugar and fats in them but these food items are very sparse in proteins, minerals and vitamins.
- Dietitians suggest that you should increase your weight by increasing your muscles and not just by increasing your body fat. This recommendation is based on the principle that the ratio of body fat to muscle, bone and other organs should be maintained within a specified range.
Making a few necessary changes in your diet and your lifestyle can result in healthy weight gain.