How to Gain Weight? Gaining weight should be a healthy process. Just like losing weight, requires a balanced diet and good lifestyle choices.
How to Gain Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI)
If you are wondering how to gain weight, you should first know your body mass index. You can use this formula to calculate your BMI.
After finding your body mass index value, you can find out what condition your body is in. If your BMI is lower than 18.5, it may be beneficial to gain weight.
How to Gain Weight: Tips to Learn
Here are some tips to help you learn how to gain a healthy weight:
1. Increase Calorie Intake
To gain weight, you need to consume more calories than your body burns. You can calculate your daily calorie needs and add 300-500 calories to it. This extra calorie will help you gain weight in a healthy way. Adding 500 calories to your daily diet means you will store about 1 pound of fat per week.
2. Consume Nutritious and Energy-Dense Foods
Choose foods that are high in calories but also nutritious, such as:
- Healthy fats: Olive oil, avocado, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter.
- Protein sources: Red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, yogurt, cheese.
- Carbohydrates: Whole grain bread, pasta, bulgur, oats, bananas, dried fruits.
Avoid consuming empty calories, which are harmful foods that have no nutritional value. Chips, soda, soda, and most packaged foods are empty calories. They do more harm than good for your body.
Here is the List of Foods That Make You Gain Weight Fastest
3. Increase Your Protein Consumption
Protein is important for increasing muscle mass and gaining healthy weight. Try to consume a protein-containing food at every meal. For example, eggs for breakfast, milk, yogurt and nuts for snacks, meat or legumes for main meals. I also recommend consuming eggs because the protein in them is close in quality to breast milk.
*When purchasing eggs, choose eggs from hens raised in a natural environment if possible.
4. Eat Frequently and Regularly
Try to eat 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks a day. If you eat frequently, you will secrete more insulin and store more fat. In between meals:
- Nuts
- Dried Fruits
- You can choose energy-giving foods such as yogurt or milk.
5. Exercise
Resistance exercises like lifting weights help you gain healthy weight by increasing muscle mass. You should avoid intense cardio exercises during this period. Because cardio increases calorie burning.
*Don’t forget to warm up your muscles before starting weight training. This way, you can build muscle without injury.
6. Consume Liquid Calories
Instead of water, you can choose high-calorie and nutritious drinks:
- Milk, plant-based milks, kefir
- Smoothies (can be made with ingredients such as banana, avocado, peanut butter, molasses, yogurt)
- Freshly squeezed fruit juices.
7. Make Food More Appealing
Making your food tastier can increase your appetite. For example, you can make your meals more appetizing by adding olive oil, sauce or different spices to them.
8. Sleep Regularly and Reduce Stress
Insufficient sleep and high stress levels can make it difficult to gain weight. Make sure to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day and do activities that will reduce stress. You can listen to ASMR for better sleep and do breathing exercises to reduce stress. Remember that the best way to reduce stress is to stick to a routine.
9. Get Support from an Expert
If you are having difficulty gaining weight or have health problems, it would be beneficial to consult a dietitian or doctor.
How to Gain Weight? Gaining a healthy weight can take time; be patient and take small steps. Instead of making constant changes to your daily diet, try to adopt a lifestyle that you can make a habit of. 😊
Dietitian S. M. Erturhan