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What to Use to Gain Weight When You Are Underweight

May 3, 2011 | By Christa Miller
What to Use to Gain Weight When You Are Underweight
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You may be the envy of your calorie-cutting friends if you're thin, but being thin to the point of being underweight is unhealthy and nothing to envy. If you're underweight, you may already know that gaining weight can be just as tough to accomplish as losing it. Fortunately, you will see some results if you follow a few diet and exercise tips, but get health advice from your doctor before you begin.

Strength Training

Because gaining excess body fat can be harmful to your health, the best way to gain weight is to build up your ratio of lean muscle. Gaining muscle with strength training exercises such as squats and weightlifting offers benefits such as reduced risk of physical injury, increased stamina and stronger bones. The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend that most adults do eight to 10 strengthening exercises twice per week to get in a well-rounded workout. Do at least 12 repetitions of every exercise and gradually increase the intensity to prevent burnout.

Muscle-Supporting Diet

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to gorge on protein and calories to gain muscle. Your appetite will naturally increase to meet your needs during physical activity, and you only need to eat about 15 more grams of protein every day to gain a pound worth of muscle each week, according to the University of Iowa Health Care website. You can find protein in foods such as tofu, beans, poultry and meat. Also emphasize healthy plant foods such as whole grains, leafy greens and berries to keep your diet nutritionally balanced.

Healthy Calorie "Extras"

You may need to up your calorie intake if your doctor recommends that you take further steps to increase your body weight. However, this doesn't give you the green light to pack your grocery cart with tortilla chips and mini muffins. You only need about 500 more calories per day to gain an extra pound per week, and the calories shouldn't all come from saturated or trans fats. First increase your calorie intake by having one or two nutritious snacks, such as an apple with peanut butter or avocado spread on whole-wheat toast, in between meals. Other healthy calorie-dense foods that are nutritious are nuts, seeds, wheat germ, vegetable oil and olive oil.

Considerations

Report any unexplained weight loss to your doctor. You may have lost weight as a result of an illness that requires its own treatment. You also may or may not need to increase your calorie intake. In the case of illness-related underweight, your doctor should be the one to give you individualized diet and exercise recommendations.

References

Article reviewed by J.A. Rist Last updated on: May 3, 2011

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