How do I weight gain?

There is a lot of reasons people struggle with weight gain. No matter what you have weight, there’s a Best article for everyone! We are bombarded with weight-loss ads, gym membership deals and ways to eat healthily. While losing weight is a valid and common issue in today’s world, there’s another side of the scale. Folks who want to know how to gain weight.

It could be a body image thing, we all want to gain or lose a few extra pounds and since everyone’s metabolism runs at a different speed it may be harder. When you’re sick, a common side effect is losing weight and folks who have gone through something that caused them to shed a few pounds may need to get it back. For all these reasons and more gaining weight can be a struggle for some. Being underweight can cause health issues as well, it’s not just overeating we should be concerned about.

Plus women and girls are 2 to 3 times more likely to struggle with weight gain according to the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) . Since being overweight is a more pressing issue we don’t often hear about the health effects of being underweight.

Okay then, with keeping your health top of mind, here are some safe and healthy ways to get your gains.

• Point no. 1 – First things first, you need to know if you\’re actually underweight, or if your weight is an issue. There’s something called a Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI can tell us if we’re in the average, underweight, or overweight category. Keep in mind it’s not completely accurate as it only takes into consideration your height and weight. There’s no account for muscle mass or different body types, you could be somewhere in these numbers and be perfectly healthy, it’s all on a case by case basis. If you are concerned and want an accurate reading, best to see a professional. The average BMI reading for someone who is suggested “average weight” is anywhere from 18.5 – 25 BMI. This means if you’re under 18.5 on the BMI scale, you\’re classified as underweight.

Again, always best to get a second opinion when it comes to your health. But if you’ve discovered you need to put on a few pounds, we have some great tips on gaining weight safely.

• Point no. 2 – We don’t mean a diet of cake, soda and ice cream either. This isn’t a free pass to eat whatever you want, unfortunately. (We are sad too, pizza Fridays are the best). This means 300-500 more calories than you burn each day. If you want to speed up the process a bit, aim for the 700-1,000 caloric intake range. Counting calories is a really easy way to keep track of how much you’re eating, and improving.

You can keep a calorie journal or use a calorie calculator on the internet. Either way, it’s a concrete way to keep you on the right track, and will hopefully inspire you to stick to the plan. If counting calories sounds like a difficult thing, don’t worry. You will get really good at it quickly, and won’t have to be counting forever. This is just a great way to get started.

• Point no. 3 – Now that you have a plan in place, and are going to avoid the unhealthy route by eating chips and sugary stuff, what should you actually be eating? You may have heard this in the weight lifting community before, but it’s all about the protein. In order for you to build muscle, you need lots of this stuff. If we didn’t have protein to build muscle, then all these extra calories would probably just end up as fat. Eating a diet that’s high in protein will encourage your body to take all those calories you’re putting into your body and turn them into muscle mass. Some foods high in protein are; Plus, nuts, Banana, and certain dairy products. We should mention one not so wonderful thing about protein.

• Point no. 4 – While it’s a great tool for gaining weight, it’s very filling. Which means you might not be as hungry before eating your next meal. Something pretty key when it comes to gaining weight. There are things like protein supplements that come in a powder or power bar that you could look into. Since you’re going the healthy route in your weight gain journey, you’re probably thinking it’s best to avoid carbs, right? Aynva recommends eating foods that are high-carb and high-fat along with all that protein we mentioned earlier.

• Point no. 5- In order to gain more calories (and still be hungry) you’ll need those carbs and good fats. They also say you should try to eat at least three meals a day and have a few healthy snacks planned in between in order to reach your calorie goals. Things like fasting and eating smaller meals are great if you’re looking to lose weight, but remember you’re trying to gain weight safely here so different rules apply.

• Point no. 6 – You’ll want to focus on foods that are single-ingredient. Unfortunately, these healthy diets are pretty filling, but you’ll be happy with the results and how great you feel once you get into a proper routine. Be sure to spice things up a bit when cooking as well, and we mean literally spice it up. They basically augment the taste of anything and everything. This’ll have you craving something that healthy and delicious, so you’ll want to eat more of it as a result. High-fat dairy like whole milk, full-fat yogurt, and cheese. Extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil and a great source of healthy fats. Dark chocolate (yay, you can have chocolate), avocados, peanut butter, coconut milk, granola and trail mixes.

• Point no. 6 – That should get you started, although some of these foods are filling, who’s gonna say no to another piece of chocolate? Oh, and here’s something we thought we\’d never say, you can avoid vegetables. We don’t mean avoid them altogether as they are vital to a healthy diet, but you don’t have to focus on eating a totally plant-based diet. While vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients our bodies need, they’re not going to help much in the calorie department. So don’t neglect veggies all together, just make sure you’re including more of those foods from the list we mentioned earlier into your diet.

• Point no. 7 – One thing we’ve yet to mention is exercise or yoga. You’ll be a pro in no time, and remember, we all start somewhere. Lifting weights will help you to build muscle mass, which is what you want otherwise yoga is enough. Now that you have all these tips and tricks up your sleeve, here are a few easy things that you can incorporate into your daily routine that should help with your gain weight…. below mention here-