How to gain weight is a common question among skinny people. Since childhood, I have heard many skinny people say that no matter how much we eat high-calorie food and sleep, we do not gain weight. Obviously, nobody wants to be fat or overweight but a healthy body weight is very important. Having very lean body makes your immune system weak, bones fragile, low concentration levels, inability to conceive etc. This affects our overall growth and life. In today’s post we will discuss How to Gain Weight Fast Naturally.

Having curves at necessary places also increases the beauty of a woman. Similarly, a man looks great in a muscular body. The approach which is followed in this direction needs to be taken care of as not only gaining weight is important but gaining weight appropriately and being healthier, happier than before is much more important. Your strength, stamina, flexibility should increase along with your weight. In this post, I have written about How to gain weight in a healthy way which will add much more health and happiness to your life.

Are you Underweight?

To know if you are underweight you need to check your BMI score. It measures your body weight in correspondence to your height. When the BMI of a person is less than 18.5, we can call him/her underweight. Our overall body weight consists of the weight of bones, muscles, fats, body fluids etc. That is why some people weigh more but look slim because their body contains more muscle than fat. For staying fit we need to increase our muscle mass (lean body weight) and reduce fat mass.

Reasons For Being Underweight

If you know the root cause of any of your problems then it becomes easier to solve it. This applies here too. I have listed some of the common reasons for being underweight.

1.Genetics:

We have a lot of things similar to our parents one of which can be being skinny or overweight. But it can be changed with proper diet and exercise.

2. Fast Metabolism:

Fast metabolism causes skinny individuals to eat more still they do not gain weight. But if you eat extra calories and exercise you will definitely gain some kilos.

3. Insufficient Intake or Absorption of Food:

Many times poverty or lack of availability of food causes malnutrition and underweight. Sometimes the intake is sufficient but absorption is poor which can make you underweight.

4. Drug Usage:

Some drugs interfere with nutrient absorption in our body which can make you underweight.

5. Illness (Physical or Mental):

Any sort of Physical pain or problem or Mental breakdown makes you weak and underweight.

There are many medical conditions which can make you underweight.

6.Diabetes:

The insufficient glucose prevents body to get glucose from the blood. So, our body burns fat and muscle for energy which causes an overall reduction in body weight. You can start following diabetes diet chart if you have type 2 diabetes.

7. Hyperthyroidism:

The overactive thyroid gland speeds up all the body processes which can cause anxiety, sweating, and weight loss.

Some other diseases may be

1. Cancer
2. Tuberculosis
3. Gastrointestinal or Liver problems
4. Certain eating disorders

How to Gain Weight Fast Naturally: Food, Exercise & Lifestyle Tips

Exercise Tips to Gain Weight

To gain weight in a healthy manner you need to increase your muscle mass. The exercises which are well known to increase muscle strength and mass are :

1.Swimming:

Swimming involves the use of hands, legs, shoulder and calf muscles. It is also useful in pumping oxygen to all body parts through increases blood circulation. It can be included 2 to 3 days a week for gaining weight.

2. Jogging

Jogging is an excellent cardiovascular exercise which also improves blood circulation throughout the body and boosts our metabolism

3. Low-Intensity Workouts

This includes simple aerobic exercises, dance exercising sessions like Zumba or Bharatnatyam etc. It recharges the complete body and increases appetite.

4. Yoga

Yoga soothes both our mind and body. Mental stress and depression are one of the main reasons for weighing less. It will provide a calming effect on the body and increase appetite and nutrient absorption.

Yoga

5. Planks

Planks are very good for strengthening shoulder muscles, Thighs, Calves, Glutes and Abdominal muscles.

6. Push-ups

Push-ups are very well known to increase stamina, strength, and endurance of your muscles.

7. Squats

Squats increase the curve from your butt and help you get round butt. It targets your hamstrings, Glutes, Calves etc.

8. Lunges

Lunges strengthen your Quadriceps, Back muscles, and Calves.

9. Dumb Bell Exercises

Dumb-bell exercises are for your Biceps, Triceps, Shoulder Muscles, Chest, and upper Back region. It strengthens your muscles and makes them look sexy.

10. Weight Lifting

As weightlifting is an anaerobic exercise, its effect last for 48 hours. So this can be included twice or thrice a week to build muscles and gain weight.

Foods Tips to Gain Weight

In order to gain weight, you need to fill your plate with nutrient-rich homemade wholesome food. Do not focus on eating only carbs or fats etc. Complete balanced diet is essential to carry out all body functions. Here are some tips which are simple and easy to follow.

1. Eat 6 to 8 Meals a Day :

Eat till you feel satisfied, not heavy but make sure you are eating enough. The calories you eat should be much more than that you burn throughout the day.

2. Eat Something Healthy Within 10 mins of Getting Up:

As soon as you get up, just freshen up and eat something nutritious. Your body is starving from last 6 to 8 hours, so give a treat to yourself, eat something healthy. Some of the options are Soaked Almonds and Raisins, Dates, Any seasonal fruit which you like. Ignore tea, milk or coffee.

3. Eat Breakfast within 1 Hour after waking up:

After the quick first meal, eat delicious breakfast which satisfies your taste buds. It should be homemade and nutritious. Avoid milk as it is heavy to digest. If possible include Parathas, Pohe, Eggs, Vegetable Upma, Oats(unprocessed one), Sandwich or Any popular regional breakfast. Avoid white bread, junk food.

4. Eat Healthy Fats:

Healthy fats are essential for transporting vitamin A, E, K and D, as all are fat soluble. Protects our organs and lubricates our joints. But the fats which are present in processed food are trans fats which are extremely unhealthy. So include healthy fats in the form of ghee or Clarified butter.

5. Eat in a peaceful place with calm state of mind:

Make sure that all your senses are focussed on food when you eat. This will ensure the maximum absorption of nutrients and will give you a feeling of satiety.

6. Pre-Workout Meal:

A pre-workout food is essential as workout needs energy. Also for people who have a sedentary lifestyle, the workout is physically stressful which requires energy. You can eat fruits like Banana, Apple or simple dal-rice and ghee half an hour prior to working out. It will provide you required energy.

7. Post-Workout Meal:

As soon as you finish your workout, within 10 minutes eat your post-workout meal. Your glycogen levels go down because of working out. If you don’t eat anything immediately your muscles will be stressed out and your cortisol levels will pike up. You can carry a Banana, or a Boiled Potato or have your protein shake post-workout.

8. Drink plenty of water post-workout:

Our body gets dehydrated because of sweating caused during work out. During the workout, it is recommended not to drink much water, just a sip or two is allowed. So, after the workout, drink plenty of water. If you are jogging or running drink some water before working out too.

Lifestyle Tips to Gain Weight

1. Sleep enough:

When we are asleep, our body undergoes repair work. Whatever wear and tear are caused throughout the day is repaired by the body. Also, we get deep relaxation in sleep. That is why a sound sleep is very important for a healthy body. Have at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep in 24 hours.

2. Stress-free life:

To lead a stress-free life it is very necessary to acknowledge the fact that everyone in the world has one or the other sort of problem. But our attitude and perception matter. Stressing out about anything does not solve the problem but makes it worse. So, just relax and try to find out the way to get out of the problem. If still there is no hope just let it be, it will go with time.

Practice meditation and relaxing breathing techniques to calm your mind.

3. Quit Alcohol and Smoking :

Alcohol and smoking dehydrate your body and interferes with nutrient absorption. It stresses out your complete body. Quit smoking as early as possible for a healthy body.

So, this was all about how to gain weight in a healthy way. Practice these tips and write to me your feedback or queries if any in the comment section below.