Obesity is well-known for the various health risks it leads to, lesser is it known that being underweight can also pose health problems. Gaining weight quickly and safely is a challenging thing to do. There are numerous ways of gaining weight, but if you do not know the right path to follow, your health might suffer.
Are you underweight?
Body mass index (BMI) is a way to determine whether a person is in a healthy weight range or not.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person with a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is considered to be healthy. BMI of less than 18.5 is underweight, and such an individual would require to put on weight. Being underweight is associated with many health risks, which include:
- A weakened immune system
- Osteoporosis
- Eating disorder
- Developmental issues
- Increased risk of infection
How can you healthily gain weight?
Putting on weight is necessary for those who are underweight and those who aim at building muscles. People trying to gain weight should be considerate about the foods they are trying to consume. For example, consuming food high in sugar would boost calorie intake but would increase the risk of developing type2 diabetes.
Many people, despite being normal in weight, have type2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems associated with obesity. Therefore, eating healthy foods and living a healthy lifestyle is essential when planning to gain weight. Let’s look at a few of the methods that can help put weight quickly and easily.
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Increase the amount of calorie consumed
Consuming more calories than you burn every day will help you gain weight. Now, the number of calories to be consumed varies from person to person. For a steady weight gain, you need to increase 300-500 calories, and it should be more than the body burns daily. For a rapid weight gain, an added amount of 1000 calories per day is required.
To determine the calorie intake, you can use a calorie calculator, but keep in mind that it just provides an estimate of calories, which might vary by several hundred calories per day. Also, you do not need to depend on it for the rest of your life. The calculator can be used for a few days till the time you get to know about your daily calorie intake.
Eating three meals per day can help increase the calorie intake, and so make the in-between snacks. Make sure you keep track of the health quotient of the snacks you consume. Choosing an unhealthy variety makes you binge more and can lead to excessive weight gain, which can pose health risks.
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Increase protein in the diet
Protein helps build muscle and is an essential nutrient for a healthy weight gain. When you are increasing the calorie intake, a protein diet will help those extra calories to get converted into muscle. For healthy weight gain, around 0.7-1 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight is required.
Foods rich in protein include fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, dairy products, and others. For those who do not have enough protein intake options can take a protein supplement such as whey protein. Some people do not like the taste of whey protein, so they can opt for almond whey protein, as suggested by RAD 140. They are good plant-based protein options and also taste good.
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Increase the Consumption of fibrous carbohydrates and healthy fats
Consuming food rich in fibrous carbohydrates and healthy fats adds nutrients to the diet along with calories.
You should consume a whole-food source of carbohydrates, such as brown rice and beans, rather than refined, unhealthy, and processed sources. Foods with healthy fats include avocados, cheese, nuts, whole fish, fatty fish, whole eggs, and others. Unhealthy fats have saturated and trans fats, so you should avoid these. For example, fried and baked food and fatty meat such as beef, pork, and lamb should be avoided.
Those with a small appetite might find high-calorie shakes and smoothies appealing, instead of a large meal as they are healthy to consume. You can add your favorite fruit and nuts to it to enhance the taste and nutrient power. Avoid loading the drink with sugar and sugary syrups, which would make it taste good and adversely affect your health.
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Exercise regularly
Exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Whether you want to gain or lose weight, being physically active is a must. To make sure that the extra calories consumed by you do not turn into fat, resort to exercising.
For those who do not exercise at all, you can start with low-intensity exercises and gradually increase it. This would help you build stamina and keep you in shape as well. You can also exercise under the guidance of a personal trainer. He can create an exercising chart and diet to follow them to get favorable results.
Conclusion
Being underweight can lead to a lot of health problems. Also, putting weight rapidly while eating unhealthy food and having an unhealthy lifestyle can pose health risks such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and others. Those planning to put on weight healthily should aim at eating a balanced diet, living a healthy lifestyle, and, most importantly, bringing an exercise schedule into the routine.