Your family members and friends probably aren't sympathetic if you struggle to gain a few pounds and maintain a healthy weight. The truth is that many people deal with the same challenge, and being underweight can be just as dangerous as being overweight. If you're trying to hold on to those pounds, make sure you do so safely and healthfully.
Eat More Calories
Make it a point to add some healthy, high-calorie foods to your diet. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 pound equals 3,500 calories, which means you'll have to eat that many more calories on top of your usual diet to gain a pound. Rather than getting those extra calories through ice cream or cheeseburgers, though, try snacking on high calorie foods that offer health benefits. Nuts, avocados, high-fiber cereals, full fat dairy products, beans, legumes and whole grains are all calorie dense foods that deliver vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body needs to function as effectively as possible. If your diet is almost exclusively low-calorie foods, add some nutritious high-calorie options to meals and snacks.
Build Muscle
Try weightlifting or resistance training. If you already have, consider replacing some sessions of cardio exercise with strength activities instead. Cardio activities are healthy for your heart, and you shouldn't stop doing them, but you can consider scaling back. According to the Cleveland Clinic, no exercise plan is complete without the three elements of aerobic activity, anaerobic activity and flexibility. Anaerobic exercises such as weightlifting can help you gain pounds of muscle without dramatically changing your appearance. They also burn fewer calories than aerobic exercises, so you'll be more likely to maintain a healthy weight with them. Flexibility exercises such as stretching, yoga and Pilates also burn fewer calories than cardio activities and help prevent injuries as well as tone muscles.
Pace Yourself
Ease into your new plan rather than rushing to pack on the pounds. Your body will respond to any lifestyle change more positively if you make the process gradual so that there's time to adjust. You might begin by just trying to eat 100 extra calories per day and build up over time to eating several hundred more calories per day and replacing some cardio workout sessions with strength training. Your doctor can help advise you on the details of your plan and how it should develop through time.
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