How to Gain Weight?

While most people want to lose weight and look like a model, there are certain people who would like to gain weight. There are many reasons why certain people may need or want to gain weight.

• Older adults often lose weight because they eat less or have trouble buying and preparing healthy foods.

• After a serious illness, it is likely that some people will lose weight and muscle mass.

• Very thin people want to gain weight to look better.

• Athletes may want to build their muscles and gain weight so they can perform better in sports.

The genes you inherit play a strong role in body type and it may not be very easy for some people to gain weight even if they want to. People who are trying to put weight back on after an illness or surgery usually can gain weight more easily than someone who is naturally thin.

The foremost thing to do to gain weight is to try to eat foods with high calorie content and larger portions of food. Mild exercise can help in increasing your appetite and add muscle rather than fat. It takes about 3500 calories to gain one pound. So, in order to gain one pound a week, you have to consume 500 extra calories every day.

The following are some easy steps to follow if you want to gain weight. You may need to adapt them to meet your specific needs. Always remember to check with you doctor before making any major changes in your diet.

• Eat larger than normal portions at mealtimes. Start by eating 500 calories more everyday. If you have a poor appetite, it may work better to eat smaller, very high calorie meals and to eat more often.

• Eat frequently. Eat at least 6 times in a day – divide it into 3 large meals and 3 big snacks. Good choices for snacking include nuts, seeds and raisins, rice pudding, custard or yoghurt, milk, yoghurt drinks, smoothies, fruit bun, wheatmeal biscuits, cheese and crackers.

• Choose higher calorie foods often.

• Healthy fats such as olive and canola oil, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and avocados is an easy way to add a lot of calories without having to eat a lot more food. But remember to avoid saturated fats for they can increase your cholesterol and other harmful blood fats.

• Keep your high-calorie diet healthy by including a lot of unprocessed carbohydrates like whole grains and fruits, as well as vegetables and lean protein foods such as skim milk products, skinless poultry, fish, egg whites, beans, and low-fat cuts of pork and beef.

• Drink shakes, milk or juice instead of water, coffee, tea, and diet sodas.

• Do resistance exercises for 2-3 times per week - Weight training helps convert the extra calories into muscle.

Gaining weight and keeping it on is a continuous process. You have to regularly and systematically eat more calories than you burn. Combine this with toning exercises to help build your muscles. Gain weight gradually and do it in a healthy way as part of a balanced diet.