Weight gain methods -
Shereen Lehman, MS, is a former writer for Verywell Fit and Reuters Health. She's a healthcare journalist who writes about healthy eating and offers evidence-based advice for regular people.
Barbie Cervoni MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist. While our culture places immense value on thinness, the prevalence of those who are underweight is a significant public health issue.
There are a number of reasons people can be underweight, including genetics and fast metabolism, and underlying medical conditions such as thyroid problems or cancer. Women are at increased risk of being underweight, as are adults over the age of A number of health risks are associated with being underweight including hair loss, dry skin, fertility issues, and poor dental health.
In severe cases, people who are underweight may have weakened immune systems or develop osteoporosis. There is an increased mortality risk associated with being underweight.
The good news is there are ways to add nutritious foods that can help you gain weight to your daily diet. Adding meals and snacks, and increasing portion size are all ways to incorporate more calories daily.
Consuming beneficial fats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and plenty of water are all ways to help you achieve the right weight for you. Underweight is defined by a body mass index BMI of less than Despite being a flawed measure , BMI is widely used today in the medical community because it is an inexpensive and quick method for analyzing potential health status and outcomes.
Note that being underweight or overweight is not always solely measured by BMI, and there are other factors to consider. Some people naturally have less fat than others and could be perceived as underweight due to their low BMI but are otherwise perfectly healthy.
The same goes for those who may be considered overweight or obese based on their BMI. That's why it's best to speak with your doctor who can provide an accurate diagnosis.
If you're underweight and it's determined that your health would benefit from gaining weight, your doctor will likely recommend that you eat more foods that are nutrient- and calorie-dense to help you gain weight. In order to gain weight healthfully, you need to take in more calories than your body burns, ideally with nutrient-dense foods.
Not all calories are created equal, and some food choices are more nutritious than others. Some nutrient-dense foods that can help you gain weight include:. It's important to consume nutrient-dense foods—regardless of your weight status. The U. Department of Agriculture USDA recommends including a variety of nutritious foods in your diet like protein, fruit, vegetables , grains, and dairy products for optimal nutrition.
Food and Drug Administration FDA uses a 2,calorie diet as an example on Nutrition Facts labels. It is not necessarily a recommendation to consume 2, calories. The number of calories your body needs may vary based on factors like age, sex, and activity level.
If you're underweight, you'll typically want to consume an additional calories per day. To do this, you might eat extra meals or increase the size of the meals you usually eat. You can also increase calories and fats by adding beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds, plant-based oils.
If you don't have much of an appetite, you'll probably benefit from nibbling on small calorie-dense snacks throughout the day.
If you're short on time for additional snack prep, you might simply increase the portion sizes of the meals you're already eating. While it may seem like an easy solution to reach for a bag of salty chips or sugary ice cream since these foods contain a significant number of calories, they fall short on nutritional value.
Foods rich in sugar and salt can leave you feeling sluggish and bloated. In addition, consuming these foods regularly and in excess may put you at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Though processed foods are typically associated with weight gain and obesity, they can also lead to chronic health conditions like inflammatory bowel disease IBD , autoimmune diseases, colorectal cancer, and mood disorders including anxiety and depression.
Instead, get started with a healthy weight-gaining diet by using the following tips to eat more nutritious, nutrient-dense foods. Start your day with a hearty breakfast and have an extra slice or two of whole-grain toast with peanut butter , which is calorie-dense and high in fat and protein.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter have about calories. Opt for natural peanut butter brands over options containing added sugar. Almond butter and other types of nut and seed butters are also healthy choices for gaining weight since they're protein-packed and have plenty of healthy fats.
Whole grains are an important source of dietary fiber. Choose a whole-grain bread that has at least calories per slice. If a bread contains nuts and seeds, it will usually have more calories and healthy fats per serving.
We've tried, tested, and reviewed the best whole grain breads. If you're looking for whole grain breads, explore which option may be best for you. Wash down your nut butter toast with a glass of whole milk for added protein, calcium, and vitamin D. If you don't like cow's milk or choose not to have it, opt for a nut-based milk alternative.
It will contain fewer calories, but should still be fortified with calcium and vitamin D, which are important nutrients while you're gaining weight. Read the Nutrition Facts labels closely to ensure you're consuming real ingredients you can easily pronounce—the fewer ingredients listed, the better.
Sugary sodas may be tempting—and while they're high in calories they've got nothing to add nutrition-wise. They're loaded with added sugar, which is linked to an elevated risk of chronic disease.
When it comes to beverages, choose whole milk or fruit and vegetable juices to boost your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. Omelets are usually made with two or three eggs, some cheese, and a variety of added ingredients, so they're already energy-dense.
Add extra calories by using a little more cheese and an extra egg in your omelet. But save room for some healthy veggies like spinach, peppers, and onions, or maybe some mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook your omelet with a tablespoon of avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.
This will add extra calories and monounsaturated fat. You can also add a dash of whole milk or half-and-half to the egg mixture for even more calories and added creaminess. On the side, try a slice of whole-grain bread topped with avocado for a big dose of healthy fat.
Avocados are widely known as a superfood since they're loaded with healthy fat and fiber and a great source of protein. They're a great choice for a weight-gaining diet.
Take your avocado toast game up a notch with a fried or poached egg for a double dose of protein and additional calories. Many people don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, and although they're lower in calories, you don't want to give them up since they're also an important part of a balanced diet.
Boost your snack-time calorie intake by slathering some almond, peanut, or cashew butter on apple slices. You'll get plenty of nutrients along with your calories to help you gain weight.
Enhance your Greek yogurt with a generous portion of walnuts , almonds or pecans, plus oats or granola and your favorite dried fruit. Top it off with a spoonful of honey , and you'll have a delicious and healthful snack or dessert.
Yogurt has friendly bacteria that help keep your gut healthy, and nuts have beneficial fats and add the calories you need for a weight-gaining diet. Trail mix is a mixture of nuts, seeds, cereal, and dried fruit.
You can buy trail mix in grocery stores or make your own. In fact, you can tack on a few more calories by adding chocolate chips. Keep your trail mix in a plastic bag or container and carry it with you on the go, so you have something to nibble on throughout the day while on your weight-gaining diet.
Protein bars are similar to trail mix, ingredient-wise. You can make your protein bars or purchase any number of bars in any grocery or convenience store. Check out the Nutrition Facts label to see how many calories you're getting per serving and if it meets the requirements for your weight-gaining diet.
Muscle weighs more than fat, so you'll gain weight as you build muscle. Get some strength training exercise at least twice a week. You can strength train at home by doing crunches , lunges , and squats.
Lift weights , exercise with kettlebells and medicine balls, or use tubes. Sign up for a Pilates class. Take a class or watch an exercise video before embarking on a new form of exercise. Remember, stop if you are in pain. If something hurts, you are at risk of injury.
Get aerobic exercise. Regular aerobic activity won't pack on the muscle as quickly as strength-training, but it will help you balance your workout routine. Cardiovascular exercises strengthen your heart, improve or manage some chronic health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, and give you more stamina throughout the day.
If you're performing aerobic exercises and are having trouble maintaining your weight, you may need to decrease the intensity, frequency, or duration of your aerobic exercises.
Eat before and after your workout. Carbohydrates will help your stamina before you work out, while carbohydrates and protein together will help your muscles heal after you work out. If you have eaten a large meal, wait three to four hours before you exercise. Good post-exercise snacks might include peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt, and fruit, chocolate milk and crackers, or a smoothie with milk, yogurt, or whey protein.
See a personal trainer. If you're having trouble finding a workout routine that works for you, a personal trainer can get you on track.
They'll be able to guide you through specific exercises or routines that can help you add weight. Check at a local gym for a trainer. Many times you can see a trainer there and they may even offer a discounted consult for your first visit. Talk to your trainer about your weight and goals. Tell them you're interested in healthy weight gain.
Part 3. Gain weight slowly. Quick weight gain is neither healthy nor practical. If you are eating so much you feel uncomfortable, you might be doing other harm to your body. Avoid binging: stop eating when you feel full.
If you're worried you didn't eat enough, make it up with a small snack later. You can realistically gain 1 to 2 pounds 0.
You may gain more per month, but it will be a mix of muscle and fat. Healthy weight gain is about 1 to 2 pounds per week. Skip junk food. While increasing your calorie intake would be a lot easier if you just ate fast food every meal, your health would suffer in every other way.
Instead, focus on preparing your own food if you have the time. If you hate cooking or are too busy, find healthy ways to eat out. Stores that list all the ingredients of your meal, like sandwich shops and smoothie shops, are a good bet. If you would like to make your own food but are always busy during the week, try to make a lot of food over the weekend.
You can freeze half of what you make if you're worried about it going bad. As a rule, avoid fried food, sugary snacks, soda, and candy.
Talk to a doctor or dietitian. If you are having unintended weight loss, talk to your doctor. It's possible that there's an underlying problem causing you to lose weight. Your doctor can check your thyroid and see if you have a hormonal imbalance.
If your doctor can't help you, visit a dietitian for advice. Sample List of Food and Drinks to Eat to Gain Weight. Drinking calories is often easier to tolerate than eating additional food. Smoothies, shakes, or cream-based soups may be helpful if you are trying to gain weight.
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Support wikiHow Yes No. Not Helpful 33 Helpful There are no vitamins that will make you gain weight. Vitamins do not contain any calories. Not Helpful 28 Helpful Eating an extra calories per day will help you to gain 1 pound in 1 week.
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How to. More References 7. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: December 4, Categories: Gaining Weight. In other languages Français: prendre du poids. Italiano: Aumentare di Peso. Español: engordar. Deutsch: Zunehmen. Português: Ganhar Peso. A healthful diet should limit saturated fats and avoid added trans fats.
These types of fats are found in fried and baked foods as well as in fatty meats such as beef, pork, and lamb. People with a small appetite may find a high-calorie shake or smoothie more appealing than a large meal.
These provide nutrient-dense calories without making a person feel overly full. Health and fitness professionals provide motivation and useful advice for developing diet and exercise plans to support healthy weight gain.
Similarly, a registered dietitian will be able to provide meal plans to increase calorie intake. Also, they can help to ensure that a person is gaining weight safely. Some people stop doing cardiovascular exercise when they are trying to gain weight, but it is essential for maintaining a healthy heart, lungs, and brain.
Running, swimming, and cycling are all good ways to get cardiovascular exercise. People keen to gain weight can try restricting cardiovascular exercise to around 20 minutes, three times a week, rather than avoiding it entirely.
Many vegetables are filling but have a low calorie content. However, it is crucial not to exclude them from the diet for the sake of weight gain. Vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals and not eating enough of them may cause malnutrition.
Safe weight gain can require patience and determination. It is not always possible to see results immediately.
Everyone is different, and it may take longer for some people than for others. Using body mass index BMI is a common way to determine whether or not an individual is within a healthy weight range.
People can calculate their BMI using their height and weight. A person with a BMI of According to guidelines, a person with a BMI of less than However, in some cases, it is possible for an individual to have a low BMI but remain healthy.
There are also some factors that the BMI does not take into account, such as muscle mass. This can lead to a healthy person having a weight that is outside of the ideal range. For instance, they may have a very high BMI due to being muscular, rather than because they have a high proportion of body fat.
You can determine your BMI using one of our BMI calculators or charts. There are many health risks relating to low body weight. In many cases, being underweight is due to a poor diet. This can cause malnutrition, which has risks of its own. For example, a deficiency in vitamin D can have a negative impact on bone health.
A person needs to consume a sufficient amount of calories each day for the body to function correctly. A diet too low in calories can cause:.
Although it is common to want to gain weight quickly, it is also important to do it safely. People who are trying to put on weight should still aim to eat a balanced diet, weight train, and get enough cardiovascular exercise.
It is difficult to gain weight specifically on the face, but putting weight on generally or improving muscle tone can make a person's face appear….
Gaining weight during pregnancy is healthy, and most people should expect to put on 25—35 lb at full term.
Making dietary Weiight may help you gain weight Herbal supplements for hypertension, such as increasing your Radiant complexion of Weight gain methods, carbohydrates, mfthods healthy fats. You can try consuming nuts, Wfight fruit, meat, and shakes. Bain sodadonuts, Weight gain methods other junk foods may help you gain weight initially, but it can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer 123. A healthy approach to gaining weight involves gaining a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat rather than a lot of unhealthy belly fat 4. A recent animal study suggests that belly fat may be correlated with increased cancer risk 5. Rebecca Jaspan is a registered dietitian specializing in anorexia, Weight gain methods eating disorder, and bulimia, as Wsight as disordered Weighf and orthorexia. There are a Wight of Weight gain methods someone Weihht want to or Weight gain methods to Diabetes-friendly foods weight. Being underweight can pose methodz number of health concerns. Even those not clinically underweight or managing a health condition may want to gain weight for other reasons. Not consuming adequate nutrition may result in unhealthy weight loss and lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, poor bone mineral density, decreased immune function, irregular menstrual cycle in individuals who menstruate, and brittle skin, hair, nails, and teeth. If you are looking to gain weight, it is important to do it in a balanced and sustainable way.
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