Health risks from obesity get a lot of publicity, but being underweight has its own problems. For example, your bones are often more fragile, and your body has a more difficult time fighting off illness when you are below your ideal healthy weight, according to BBC Health writer Lyndel Costain. Underweight women often experience fertility problems. You can gain weight quickly by making the right food and exercise choices.
Eat Frequently
You gain weight more efficiently by eating five to six times per day instead of limiting yourself to just breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. Eat smaller portions, but choose calorie-rich foods like peanut butter, cheese, avocados, dried fruits and nuts. Make one of your meals a high- calorie bedtime snack like a sandwich with peanut butter and jelly or meat, cheese and avocado slices.
Add Calories
Add calories to your diet by beefing up foods with high-calorie ingredients. For example, Zeratsky advises mixing cheese into scrambled eggs and casseroles. Use cheese sauce on vegetables, and eat cream soups instead of broth-based versions. Add noodles or a lean protein source, like chicken, to soups, and mix milk into stews. Eat whole-grain bread with your meals.
Avoid Mealtime Liquids
Liquids with few or no calories, like water, unsweetened coffee and tea and diet sodas fill you up without helping you add pounds. You will add pounds more quickly if you drink half an hour before or after your meal instead of during the meal, according to Zeratsky. Replace low-calorie beverages with milk or juice. Make smoothies, and add ground flax seed to support weight gain.
Eat Healthy Sweets
Sugary foods support fast weight gain, but many are unhealthy. Select sweets that provide some nutritional value, along with the calories, like yogurt, granola bars, pies with fruit fillings and brain muffins, Zeratsky advises. These items are all better than cakes, cookies, candy bars and other empty-calorie items.
Do Strength Training
Exercise is often associated with weight loss, but strength training can help you add pounds by building up your muscle mass, according to Zeratsky. Muscle is denser than fat and adds bulk, and exercising regularly gives you a better appetite, encouraging you to consume more calories.
Talk to Your Doctor
Your doctor should help you create your weight-gain plan and monitor you to make sure you are progressing. Make an appointment to discuss your weight-gain goal, how quickly you can realistically achieve it and what you will do to gain more pounds. Your physician can also determine whether your weight loss is a symptom of a more serious medical condition. Possibilities include allergies, hyperthyroidism, Crohn's disease and cancer, according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
Member Comments