8 Easy Steps on How to Gain Weight
Contents
- 1 8 Easy Steps on How to Gain Weight
- 1.1 What Can Cause Someone to Be Underweight
- 1.2 The 8 Best Steps How to Gain Weight the Safe Way
- 1.3 Step 1: Eat Frequently
- 1.4 Step 2: Increase Your Protein Intake
- 1.5 Step 3: Get Your Carbs On
- 1.6 Step 4: Eat More Energy Rich Foods
- 1.7 Step 5: Calorie and Gainer Shakes
- 1.8 Step 6: Working Out and Getting Enough Sleep
- 1.9 Step 7: Track Your Progress
- 1.10 Step 8: Consistency
When talking about health and fitness, the most common discussion that is had is how to lose extra weight. However, there are people with the opposite problem and want to know how to gain weight.
People who are underweight and want to gain weight also have it hard for a couple of reasons. These could be biological and/or dietary. So, if you are looking to gain some weight the healthy way, you are in the right place. Let’s look at the reasons that could be causing you to be underweight.
What Can Cause Someone to Be Underweight
From a medical point of view, there could be several reasons that would cause a person to be underweight. There is good news, though. There is almost always something you can do about it to change this.
Some of the reasons could be:
Genetics: This is a pretty common one. If you have been underweighting most of your life then genetics is probably at play here. Some people tend to have a higher metabolic rate than others, or even just a smaller appetite which could stand in the way of weight gaining.
Overactive Thyroid: Some people can also have an overactive thyroid that causes their metabolism to be higher than usual.
Diabetes: Diabetes is another very common cause of being underweight that can lead to fast weight loss. Type 1 diabetes is a common one to blame in this scenario.
Cancer: On to a more serious issue. There is no need to be alarmed, but cancer is another common reason some might find it difficult to gain weight. Cancerous tumors tend to burn many calories, which directly contributes to rapid weight loss.
Other Infections: Lastly, we have certain infections like HIV/AIDS, parasites, or tuberculosis that can contribute directly to being underweight.
The 8 Best Steps How to Gain Weight the Safe Way
Here is the good news, if you have been asking yourself “how to gain weight“, there are several ways you can achieve that the safe way. The overarching principle to remember is – you need to take in more calories than you burn.
Pay attention to a measurement called BMI. BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is a general indication of a person’s total body fat.
The BMI is calculated through a mathematical formula:
BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m2)
Here is a chart that is the general guideline used to indicate whether a person is under or overweight.
Bmi status<18.5Underweight18.5-24.9Normal25.0-29.9Overweight>30.0Obese
Calculate your calorie intake and follow these following steps and you will be well on your way to a healthier and better you. Let’s start with the first step and work our way from there.
Step 1: Eat Frequently
Alright, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. If you want to gain more weight than naturally, you would want to eat more. A good way of going about this is to track your calories and set a target goal on how much you need to have.
Eating 4 – 5 times a day should do the trick. You can start with a healthy and filling breakfast. A snack during the day followed by lunch and another snack a couple of hours after that. Then finally dinner.
Step 2: Increase Your Protein Intake
Higher protein intake gives your body more to work with regarding building muscles. They are essentially the building blocks for body mass. Eating 0.82g of protein per day for each pound of body mass should do the trick. This amounts to about 100g of protein – recommended for someone weighing around 60g.
Step 3: Get Your Carbs On
Although you would want to avoid carbs when losing weight if you are looking to gain weight, carbs and other fat-rich foods should definitely be on the menu. Carbs and fat give you energy and help your body build mass. Energy also helps when you need to work to gain weight and muscle too.
Step 4: Eat More Energy Rich Foods
What you would want to keep in mind is to take in food that has more energy and is rich in calories. There are plenty of weight-gaining recipes that are ideal for increasing weight. Eating a single ingredient or whole foods is very effective.
Some of these foods are:
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Meats like chicken, beef, lamb and more
- Nuts such as almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts and walnuts
- Whole-grain foods like
Step 5: Calorie and Gainer Shakes
To facilitate your weight-gaining journey, augmenting your diet with weight-gaining shakes or even protein shakes is also a good idea. You can make very healthy and energy-rich smoothies with bananas, oats, and peanut butter that will help.
Step 6: Working Out and Getting Enough Sleep
There is no shortcut for this one. You have to workout to build more muscle. Your diet is only part of the puzzle. Having a solid workout routine helps your body make use of the extra calories you’re eating and turn that into more muscle.
If you are not working out, all the extra food will get turned into fat – that is something we’re sure you do not want when gaining weight, the healthy way. Have a workout routine that works for you and, most importantly, stick to it!
Step 7: Track Your Progress
Make sure to track your progress. That includes also your calorie intake and also your progress in how much weight you have gained. Tracking your progress allows you to see if your routine is working for you. You can build off that to improve and make changes to your routine if needed.
Step 8: Consistency
Lastly, you need to stay consistent and stick to your routine. This is the key. The last thing you want is to lose most of the progress you made in a couple of weeks by losing track.
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Trying to Gain Weight
If you want to know how to gain weight, following the above-mentioned steps is the best and safest way to gain weight. That said, there are some very common mistakes that people make which you would want to avoid.
1. Ignoring Food Labels
This is important and the most common thing that people do when trying to gain weight. Not paying attention to the label can lead to you taking calories that you didn’t need.
2. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Ask any personal trainer and they will tell you that most gains happen when your body is resting. So, don’t ignore your bedtimes and after a solid day of working out, make sure to get enough sleep.
3. Choosing the Wrong Diet
Ideally, you would want to choose the best diet that works for you. Not having enough protein or carbs in your diet could end up damaging your end goal.
4. Unrealistic Expectations
Do not expect to gain weight overnight. Slow and steady wins the rest. Plan and follow the weight gain schedule and you will get there.
Conclusion
Gaining weight has some very significant benefits. For someone who has always been skinny all their lives, gaining weight can improve self-confidence. Other than this, exercising has been shown to have cognitive benefits as well. It improves your health, mitigates health risks, and improves overall wellbeing. Follow these easy steps and you will be hitting those weight gain goals that you desire.
