“How to gain weight in a healthy and safe way is actually easy. You just need to increase your daily intake of calories and protein.”
While many people want to look slimmer, some people actually want to know how to gain weight. Because, not only obesity, body weight that is too low or underweight is also dangerous for health.
There are a number of health risks associated with being underweight, including hair loss, dry skin, fertility problems and poor dental hygiene. In severe cases, people who are underweight may have a weakened immune system or develop osteoporosis.
How to gain weight healthily
Whatever your reason for wanting to gain weight, there are a variety of methods you can use. Not only to gain weight, but also to stay healthy. Here are the tips:
1. Increase Calorie Intake
The most important thing you can do to gain weight is create a calorie surplus. This means you have to eat more calories than your body needs.
If you want to gain weight slowly and steadily, aim for 300 to 500 more calories than you burn each day. However, if you want to gain weight fast, aim for about 700 to 1,000 calories above your normal needs.
You can count calories using calorie calculators that are widely available on the internet, cell phone applications, or consult a nutritionist.
You don't have to count calories forever. Do this for the first few days or weeks only, to see how many calories you normally eat. If you are used to it, you will definitely be able to estimate it easily.
2. Increase Protein Intake
Another way to gain weight is to increase your daily protein intake. Adequate consumption of protein from animal sources is essential for optimal growth, development and health.
When trying to gain weight, protein can help increase muscle mass, not fat. To promote muscle growth and physical strength in healthy adults with minimal to intense physical activity, the recommended protein intake is between 1.0 and 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
High protein foods include meat, fish, eggs, lots of dairy products, legumes, nuts, etc. Protein supplements like whey can also be beneficial for those of you who find it difficult to get enough protein in your diet.
However, protein can also significantly reduce hunger and appetite. This can make it difficult for you to get enough calories or a surplus.
In addition, consuming too much protein can also increase the risk of disease. So, it's best to talk to your doctor to see if increasing your protein intake will help you reach your goal of gaining weight in a safe way.
3. Eat regularly throughout the day
One of the problems you may face when trying to gain weight is difficulty eating large portions at each meal. To outsmart, you can eat less, but often. For example every 2 or 3 hours.
If you have a smaller appetite or something else that makes it difficult for you to eat three meals a day, this might help. Try tucking in healthy snacks that are high in calories between meals, and throughout the day.
This can help you eat enough food to gain weight, without forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry. So, the process will be fun.