If you thought gaining weight was easier than losing weight, you couldn’t be more mistaken. Since increasing appetite is a challenge and while you may think indulging in all sorts of food should help you gain a few pounds, you’re more likely going to end up gaining unhealthy fat which could be dangerous. So, what’s crucial is to gain weight in the right manner. In the process of trying to gain weight, you must ensure that it is evenly spread across your entire body and not only concentrated on your abdominal area. So, if you want to know how to gain weight fast, follow these 11 tips:
How to gain weight fast in a healthy way
If you’re underweight, there might be several reasons for it such as inadequate eating habits, poor selection of foods and prolonged gap between meals or suffering from eating disorders like anorexia, nervosa or bulimia. Indulging in unhealthy food to gain fat could cause nutrition deficiency which could also lead to lifestyle issues such as thyroid and diabetes. So here are some right methods to gain weight fast and stay healthy.
- Consume more calories than your body burns
If you’re trying to gain weight, your body requires a caloric surplus which means you need to consume more calories than your body actually burns. That’s the key to gaining weight. According to the calorie calculator (which gives an estimate of your calorie intake) you should aim for 700-1000 calories more than your body burns each day, if you’re looking to gain weight fast. But for a gradual weight gain, you 300-500 calories are what you should be consuming each day above your maintenance level. Keep a tab on your calorie consumption for a few weeks to help you estimate the amount you’re consuming.
- Indulge in a nutritional diet to gain weight
The answer to how to gain weight fast doesn’t lie in eating everything that comes your way. Consuming foods that are high on trans fats are not the only way to gain weight. An all-round balanced nutritional diet plan is equally important in the process of gaining weight as it is in the process of losing it. You should eat high calorie foods such as seeds, nuts, peanut butter, starchy vegetables, low-fat dairy products, eggs, beans and whole grains. Unhealthy foods such as burgers, cheesecake, potato fries, onion rings and hot fudge are not advisable even during a weight gain programme.
- Exercise to increase weight
Workouts play an important role in losing weight, yes, but they also are crucial to gain weight too. Include a muscle building routine in your workout regimen so you can eat more calories than what you burn. Some weight gain exercises that you can incorporate in your daily workout are twist curls, squats, dips and deadlifts. Lift heavy weights in one go and avoid repeating the exercises rigorously. Rest adequately between each set.
- Increase your food intake to gain weight
This is one of the simplest ways of gaining weight. If you used to eat three meals a day, double the quantity to six meals a day with each one being in equal portions. Even if you have to force the food down your throat for a couple of weeks, it will definitely pay off. Because every extra 500 calories consumed per day will help you gain one extra pound to your weight in one week.
- Include nutritious beverages in your diet
Similar to your food intake, your beverages must also have equal nutritious value. They should be high on calorie content but also be healthy at the same time. Avoid packages fruit juices as they contain high sugar and preservative content. Opt for fresh juices only. Avoid aerated drinks, flavoured coffee drinks or sweetened drinks such as teas. They may be high on calorie content but are harmful for the body since they contain unhealthy fats.
Instead of protein shakes or nutrition pills, include smoothies in your diet. Not only are they delicious, but will also stimulate weight gain. Go for foods such as yoghurt, almond butter, protein powder, nuts, fruit juices, soya milk etc. Or you could add all these ingredients into a single smoothie which should be sufficient as a whole meal.
- How to gain weight by eating the right kind of foods
Consume denser foods instead of high-fat foods to gain weight fast. These foods include:
Breads: Substitute white bread with whole wheat or oat bran breads since they are more nutritious. Add cream cheese peanut butter, jam or honey to go with the bread. This will help you increase some of your body mass.
Vegetables: Replace watery veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans or cucumbers with starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, carrots and beets in your diet.
Fruits: The same rule applies to fruits. Eat dense fruits such as bananas, apples, pears and pineapples instead of watery ones such as oranges, peeches, plums and watermelon.
Add more oil: Put some extra drops of oil while preparing your food. Make sure you use un-refined oils like olive, coconut, canola, palm and butter. Regular vegetable oil like Soyabean oil is harmful to health due to its trans fat content. Oils containing omega-6 fatty acids such as safflower oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil are also not ideally healthy but are still admissible at times.
Sandwich spreads: These sandwich spreads should definitely have you gain weight within no time – cream cheese, guacamole, olive oil, nut butter, sour cream and mayonnaise. To increase your calorie content you can add meat or fish shreds to your sandwich.
- Avoid running
Running or indulging in any such rigorous activity will make you shed all the weight you’ve gained through the extra calories. So avoid such exercises if you want to gain weight fast.
- Take dietary supplements
Dietary supplements include tablets, powders and capsules. These could include protein powders, meal replacement bars or multivitamins. Although you must ensure that you consult a nutritionist or doctor before consuming any dietary supplements to gain weight.
- Drink abundant water to stay hydrated
Consuming loads of water is essential to help you gain weight. While trying to increase your weight in a healthy manner, your body should be provided with enough liquid. Make it a point to drink half a gallon or more of water every day.
- Increase your intake of dairy products to get fat
You can gain some extra calories with a glass of full milk and some added flavour such as chocolate. A plain glass of milk should add some calories to your body but a milkshake will go beyond a few calories and help you gain weight faster.
- Get enough rest
Your body requires at least 7-8 hours of sleep per day to sustain its energy and prevent it from losing the amount of calories it has gained.