People often complain that a low metabolism causes them to be overweight. A low metabolism decreases the number of calories your body burns throughout the day. The more you eat, the fewer calories your body will burn. More of those calories will be stored, resulting in weight gain. If your desire is to gain weight and you have a low metabolism, it is possible to promote weight gain.
Step 1
Increase your calorie intake. The more calories you consume, the more weight you will gain because your metabolism will remain the same. As you take in more calories, your body will begin to store more of those calories as fat and you will gain weight. The number of calories you add to your diet will depend on how much weight you want to gain. The FamilyEducation website suggests adding about 500 calories per day if you want to gain 1 lb. per week. Adjust your calorie intake to fit your desired weight gain.
Step 2
Skip breakfast. Skipping your first meal of the day can slow down your metabolism even further. Your body begins saving energy to protect itself from starvation when you don't eat breakfast; therefore, your metabolism is reduced. Eat more food at your next meal to compensate for the nutrition lost at breakfast.
Step 3
Snack on high-calorie healthy foods. Consume nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and cashews, throughout the day. Add avocados to your salads, sandwiches and eat them alone. Eat more peanut butter; try it alone on a spoon or spread it on fruit. Nuts, avocados and peanut butter are all high in fat and calories, but they contain healthy unsaturated fats that are important for your overall health and immune function. Increasing your consumption of these foods will increase the amount of healthy calories you consume.
Step 4
Reduce aerobic exercise and increase your strength-training exercise. Aerobic exercises focuses on increasing the number of calories you burn each day, and strength training will increase your muscle mass. Muscle is denser than fat, which can cause you to weigh more. Take in an adequate amount of calories to compensated for the increase amount of calories your body will burn as you increase your muscle mass.
Tips and Warnings
- You can gain weight by eating healthier foods. Add calories to your diet by increasing your intake of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. Consuming your calories in the form of high-fat and high-sugar junk foods or fast foods can cause unwanted health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Talk with your doctor about your low metabolism. Having a low metabolism can be a sign of medical problems such as hypothyroidism, which can cause stunted growth and mental retardation in children and infants if it is left untreated, according to KidsHealth.
Member Comments