A healthy weight helps you feel healthy and energized. You may be aware that people who are overweight are more vulnerable to health problems but so are people who are underweight. In order to put on pounds, you need to increase your calorie intake. The amount of this calorie increase depends on your goals and level of comfort.
Significance
People who are underweight face problems with immunity. The underweight elderly can be more vulnerable to falls and weakness. Underweight women can have trouble with their menstrual cycles and fertility. Gaining weight can help improve your performance in sports or just daily life. If you need to gain weight for your health, you may choose a more aggressive weight gain goal. If you are looking to put on pounds for athletic performance, you may choose a slower rate of gain in order to focus on lean muscle mass.
Amounts Needed
One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. To add one pound per week, you should add 500 calories per day or for two pounds per week, add 1,000 calories per day. You need to add these calories on top of what you need to manage your current weight. If you are under-eating now, adding the calories may just prevent more weight loss rather than cause you to gain weight. Figure out your daily calorie needs for your size, age and activity level by using a website such as MyPyramid.gov: MyPyramid Plan and add 500 to 1,000 calories to your maintenance level.
Strategies
Increasing meal sizes and adding multiple snacks are obvious ways to increase calories. Learning to choose calorie-dense foods can also help you increase calories without adding more volume to your meals. Choose chunky or creamy soups over broth-based options, go for a sandwich on dense whole-grain bread instead of a salad, opt for starchy vegetables over watery types and eat dried fruit instead of fresh. Add calories through beverages as well. Pass up diet soda or unsweetened tea and choose 100 percent fruit juice or milk to take in between 100 to 150 calories per 8-oz. serving.
Considerations
Ultimately, add the number of calories that you can comfortably consume. Adding calories gradually, such as 100 to 250 per day, each week for several weeks may help you adjust to the increased volume of food. Weight gain requires patience and diligence. Resist the urge to up your calorie intake with large amounts of processed or junk foods. Even if you are underweight, you can still suffer the health effects of poor dietary choices. Stick to healthy whole grains, lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts and unsaturated fats for your calorie boosts.
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