Gaining Weight – The Healthy Way

 If you are underweight, then this can be just as detrimental to your health as being obese. The essence and principles of the matter are the same regardless of whether you are clinically underweight or having a hard time gaining muscle weight. 

Being underweight can mean that you have a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5. based on evaluations and approximations, this is lesser than what is considered optimal for your health. 

On the other hand, a BMI over 25 is estimated to be overweight and over 30 is believed to be obese. 

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm 

However, you should note that the BMI scale has issues of its own since it only considers weight and height without giving importance to muscle mass. 

You might have underlying medical conditions that might lead to huge and unhealthy weight loss, such as: 

• Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa 

• Hyperthyroidism which can quicken the metabolism and lead to weight loss 

• Celiac disease, an intense form of gluten intolerance 

• Uncontrolled diabetes (mainly type 1) 

• Cancer, which can increase the metabolism and burn too many calories 

• Infections like parasites, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS 

It might be essential for you to gain some weight if you: 

• Have undergone hospitalization or an illness 

• Are below healthy weight levels and are feeling weak because of it 

• Are an athlete who must gain muscle and strength 

• Are older in age and have ended up losing weight 

Healthy weight gain can result in improved health and functioning of body physiology. 

However, gaining this kind of weight and also maintaining it can be difficult for some people. Maintaining the essential calories on a daily basis because of illnesses, low appetite and mental health issues, among other reasons, can be a laborious process. Thus, it is usually suggested that you should eat greater quantities of food to gain weight, although this is not the answer, especially if you have dietary restrictions, allergies or medical conditions. 

The cyclical association between eating less and subsequently wanting to eat less can happen to people. For instance, trauma can result in increased fight or flight hormonal 

response that can lead to catabolism, that is, the breakdown of muscles, resulting in weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. 

Naturally, however, people are different and exhibit different reasons and need to gain weight. Yet, there are a few common methods that one can try out to gain weight in a healthy manner. These are as follows. 

1. Eat nutrient and energy dense foods 

Gaining weight healthily can require you to focus on quality over quantity, favoring nutrient-rich foods as much as possible. If you are finding it difficult to gain and sustain weight, simply eating more is not a viable solution since you might not always have the appetite. 

Therefore, you should make it a point to glean maximal nutrition from what you can and do eat. This can entail opting for a healthy snack or a nutritious smoothie between your meals to gain some energy. 

Foods with empty calories like candies, chips, soft drinks and other such products will not really help you build muscle, repair tissues or strengthen your bones, which is why you should rely on varying food groups for healthy and smart weight gain. (https://www.nin.res.in/downloads/My_Plate_English.pdf) 

2. Avoid overdependence on fiber 

As healthy and full of antioxidants fruits and vegetables are, they also have large amounts of fiber which fill you up and satiate your hunger quickly. If you want to increase the number of calories you consume, a good idea can be to, for instance, consume various kinds of Raitas (a combination of salad and curd/yogurt) while also adding some olive oil or sesame oil to the salads and vegetables. 

3. Keep a record 

Maintaining a record of what and how often you eat in the form of a food diary can be a great way for you to track and document your eating patterns so that you can make healthy food choices and figure out emotional triggers for your habits. 

Balancing out your energy-providing complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and dairy can help you gain weight healthily. Some food sources can include: 

• Healthy fats like avocados, nuts, nut butter, sesame oil, coconut, coconut milk, seeds, and peanuts, oily fish 

• Protein sources such as dairy, beans, legumes, pulses, eggs, poultry, fish 

• Complex carbs like whole grains, root vegetables, legumes 

No matter what you eat, adding some energy rich-foods like nuts and seeds can help considerably. All you need to do is sprinkle them on your food (like soups or salads). For instance, you can use almond or walnut pieces, peanuts, sesame seeds or poppy seed. 

Some other general tips that you can follow include the following. 

• In case of a small appetite, make it a point to eat what you can five to six times a day instead of forcing yourself to have heavy meals thrice a day. Drink fluids before and after meals and not with them so that you can eat more food. 

• Add some concentrated calories to your typical meals such as grated cheese or peanut/almond butter on a bread or roti/paratha/thepla 

• Avoid “lite” or “low-calorie” foods and opt for the full-fat options. 

• Eat hot oatmeal or cereals with milk instead of water and add some milk powder, honey, dried fruits or nuts after cooking. 

• For your salads, add olive oil, whole olives, avocados, nuts and sunflower seeds on top. 

• Adding a couple of tablespoons of dry milk powder to soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes and liquid milk can help. 

Foods to Eat:

In the following sections, you can go through a detailed description of some foods that you can add to your daily diet to gain and sustain weight. 

Protein 

Boosting your immunity, balancing your energy and moods can all occur effectively through the consumption of foods rich in protein. In particular, if have a disease and are also undergoing treatment for it, protein can help you make up for the muscle breakdown and the resultant weakness that tends to occur in such cases. 

To gain strength and maintain blood sugar levels, you require this kind of protein, so make it a point to include stock (like chicken), cream and cheese garnish if you are making soup. If you do not feel too hungry, it is okay to have a smaller portion as long as you increase the calorie intake through additions like olive, coconut or avocado oils, nut milks and dairy or non-dairy like coconut milk. 

Carbohydrates 

Complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, yams, porridge oats and whole grains can give you the essential nutrition and, by extension, energy. These also take a longer time for the body to process as compared to more refined carbs like white bread or pasta. You can also increase the positive impact on your body if you eat these complex carbs with protein like eggs, fish and nuts. 

Overall, this kind of intake can imply that the carbs release their energy slowly and gradually, allowing you to feel satiated and strong even if you are consuming a lesser amount as compared to usual. 

Fats 

Fats can not only increase your calorie intake but can also improve the taste of a meal, which can often do wonders if your appetite seems to be working against you. Incorporating butter, cream, full-fat yoghurt, olive oil or avocado oil to your meals can help in this case. 

Another option can be to add grated cheese to pureed and mashed vegetables. Non-dairy fat like coconut milk or nut butter can also be tasty. 

Chocolate 

Chocolate can improve and stimulate your appetite, perhaps due to the theobromine present in it which can relax your muscles as well as that feeling inside your body that might be reducing your appetite. 

One such method you can attempt is to take a bit of high cocoa bean chocolate and either eat is as it is or melt it and combine it with hot or cold milk. This can be a great way to make swallowing easier and bring your appetite back. 

Healthy snacks 

Being unable to have those three full meals daily is okay. Instead, you can snack on some healthy foods like cheese and crackers, a boiled egg, hummus, dates and milk, nuts and seeds between your meals to keep yourself energized. These are also way better options as compared to high-fat chips and biscuits that can otherwise unsettle your gut and your blood sugar, leaving you more tired than before. 

Options for Veganism and Vegetarianism 

In case you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, you must eat plenty of plant-based protein. However, it might feel more appealing to eat more carbohydrates while ignoring your protein needs, so make sure you consciously consume more protein to build muscle and gain weight. 

You should note here that plant proteins generally do not contain the eight amino acids that our body requires from external sources (since it cannot product them on its own). Thus, eating these proteins with grains and pulses can allow your body to receive these essential amino acids for a more complete effect. Some sources include hummus, beans (including baked beans), lentils, miso, tofu, and nut butters. 

Pandemic and Weight Loss 

On a general basis, gaining weight during the pandemic is particularly common and might even seem natural due to the requirements of staying home. 

However, the pandemic has also significantly increased the stressors present in one’s life such as finances, relationship struggles and breakdowns, unemployment, death and mourning, taking care of family members (such as children), increased mental health issues like depression and anxiety and more. These stressors can then lead to weight loss. 

These can also adversely impact our appetite, eating habits, digestion, memory, cognition and desires, among others. 

This kind of stress can result in skipped meals or poor food choices. The vagus nerve, the body’s communication highway, is quite sensitive to stress and can affect our digestive 

organs. When this stress is combined with unhealthy food choices, this can result in inflammation in your body which can then activate the vagus nerve and impair the healthy functioning of your gut, resulting in weight loss. 

Some Other Tips :

Physical Activity and Weight Gain 

What you eat is not the only factor that affects our weight. It is important to address activity levels as well as reasons for exercising (pleasure, mental health) along with your sleep and relaxation methods to ensure a more complete approach to weight gain. 

It is healthy to exercise as long as you practice moderation. Adjusting to and selecting exercise regimes that support weight gain should be developed and chosen. 

Ensuring good sleep hygiene is also very important for muscle growth as the body produces its own muscle-building hormone while sleeping. 

Learn to Accept Your Body Type 

Genetics plays a major role in physical build and musculature. If you are thin but healthy, take a close look at your parents and siblings to notice the similarity. While our bodies can change a bit through increasing and improving your food consumption and carrying out weight training, it might not really be healthy, sustainable or even effective to try to make major changes to your body shape and weight. 

Further, people attempting to regain lost weight after an illness or surgery have easier and higher chances of gaining weight as compared to those who are naturally thin. 

Avoid Gimmicks and Supplements 

Products and supplements that claim to help you miraculously gain (as well as lose) weight are often just gimmicks without any reasonable backing. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it might not actually be true or lead to the claimed results. Avoid such expensive supplements and spend that money on actually useful and tasty nutrient-rich foods. 

Good news from Research 

Apart from the criteria, body types and weight loss reasons mentioned in this article, it is also important to consider people who are undernourished or malnourished. Undernourished or malnourished children can have a more difficult time gaining weight even if they have nutrient-rich diets. According to research, this lack of nutrition in their bodies can prevent their gut microbiomes from maturing properly. 

However, according to three studies conducted on pigs and mice, altering the gut microbes of undernourished children could help them gain weight. 

A team led by Jeffrey Gordon at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, transplanted gut microbes from undernourished and healthy children from Malawi into germ-free mice. 

They found that the mice given microbes from healthy children gained more weight and muscle than the mice with the malnourished microbiomes. 

Another team led by Martin Schwarzer and François Leulier at the University of Lyons, France found that giving malnourished mice a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum bacteria assisted the mice in gaining weight by restoring their growth hormone production. 

In a third study, Gordon and his colleagues identified a sugar in breast milk that promoted growth in mice and piglets harbouring microbes from a malnourished child. 

(https://rdcu.be/cGOVG) 

Science http://doi.org/bcnr (2016); Science 351, 854–857 (2016) ; Cell http://doi.org/bcqd (2016) 

Summing Up 

It is clear that there are certain foods and methods of eating these foods that can help you gain weight better as compared to others. Of course, there are numerous reasons that may have led to such weight loss in the first place, so it is important to account for those when it comes to your attempts to gain weight. 

Following the other tips mentioned in this article can also help you gain weight to certain extent. Combining healthy food intake, moderate exercise and management of stressors can work together well to help you achieve realistic weight gain goals.