Maintaining a normal and healthy body is very important to lead a healthy and happy life. It lowers the risk of heart diseases, hypertension ,kidney disease, diabetes, and stroke.
For some people gaining weight is difficult just like losing weight. However, by following a healthy diet plan and some lifestyle changes you can easily gain weight.
What does the word underweight mean?
If a person’s BMI is less than 18.5 then the person is considered as underweight.
BMI is the body mass index that assesses a person’s health status by using his height or weight.
BMI | Health Status |
---|---|
Less than 18.5 | Underweight |
Between 18.5 and 24.9 | Normal |
Between 25 and 29.9 | Overweight |
Between 30 and 39.9 | Obese |
Health consequences of being underweight
In the medical world, obesity is greatly focused. But what about the severe consequences of being underweight. Some consequences include
- Malnutrition, some vitamin, and nutrients deficiencies
- Anemia
- Osteoporosis
- Fertility issues owing to disturbed menstrual cycle
- Decline in immunity
- Increased complications risk
- Delay in growth especially in children
- Developmental delays
Causes of weight loss
There are many conditions in which unhealthy weight loss occurs. Unexplained weight loss can be the indicator of any serious medical disorder.
Muscle loss
-
Muscle wasting can lead to weight loss. Muscle squandering can prompt startling weight reduction. The significant manifestation is muscle shortcoming. One of your appendages may even look littler than the other.
-
Your body is made of fat mass and fat-free mass, which incorporates muscle, bone, and water. In the event that you lose muscle, you’ll get a more fit body.
-
This can occur in the event that you don’t utilize muscles for some time. It’s generally normal in individuals who don’t work out, or are disabled. Diet and exercise can help to recover muscle loss.
-
Muscle loss can occur due to aging, burns, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, nerve damage, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Hyperthyroidism
It is the condition in which thyroid glands in the body become overactive and produces thyroid hormone in a larger amount. When too much thyroid hormone is produced in the body it burns calories very quickly and can cause unintentional weight loss.
Hyperthyroidi
Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes can cause unintentional weight loss. In type 1 diabetes, immune system cells attack insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. In this situation insulin is not produced in the body and glucose remains unutilized. This unutilized glucose is excreted by kidneys via urine and calories also
losses through urine.
Depression
Depression and stress can also be the major reason for unintentional weight loss. Depression reduces appetite as a result weight loss occurs. But the situation may vary from person to person because in some persons depression may increase appetite.
Psychotherapy and antidepressants are used to treat depression.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
It is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the joints. These inflammatory processes can boost up the metabolism of the body and can cause overall weight loss.
Rheumatoid arthritis may be due to aging, hormonal changes in the body, smoking, and several other factors.
Inflammatory bowel disease
IBD includes disorders of the digestive tract. It comprises of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. If this disease affects ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone while leptin is the satiety hormone. IBD decreases appetite and increases weight loss.
Cancer
Cancer causes severe and rapid weight loss. In the lungs, stomach, or pancreatic cancer weight loss of 10 pounds or more usually occurs.
Tuberculosis
It is a disease of the lungs that occurs by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis bacteria. An antibiotic course of 6 to 9 months is followed to treat tuberculosis. Weight loss is a major symptom of tuberculosis.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
It includes a group of diseases that affect the lungs. The most common are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In this disease, difficulty in breathing occurs that consumes a lot of calories and causes weight loss.
Other chronic diseases that cause weight loss are ■■■, Congestive heart failure, Addison’s disease, and endocarditis.
Steps to follow for weight gain
Eat plenty of proteins
Proteins are a building block of muscles. So, proteins play an important role in gaining muscular weight as compared to fat weight.
For weight gain consume 0.7 to 1 gram protein per pound of body weight per day.
A high protein diet includes nuts, peanuts, eggs, lean meat, fish, and poultry.
Homemade protein smoothies
Protein smoothies can be very nutritious and are very important to gain weight. Like
- Chocolate banana nut shake
- Caramel apple shake
- Vanilla blueberry shake
Add energy-dense foods in your diet
List of some energy-dense foods are
Nuts | Peanuts, almonds |
---|---|
Dried fruits | Dates, Raisins, and prunes |
Fats and oils | Avocado oil and olive oil |
High-fat dairy | Whole milk, cream, and cheese |
Grains | Oats and brown rice |
Meat | Chicken beef and lamb |
Tubers | Sweet potatoes, potatoes, and yam |
Home remedies for weight gain
Dry dates and milkshake
Dry dates and milk are very good for weight gain. This shake is a very good source of protein, vitamins, minerals, energy, and calories.
Dry dates contains vitamin A, C, E, K, B6, B12, thiamine, and niacin.
Use peanut butter daily
Peanuts are very effective for weight gain as they contain proteins and multivitamins. Peanut butter is very rich in calories.
Apply peanut butter of 1 to 2 tablespoon daily on bread. You will see quick results.
Replace tea with banana shake
Banana when combined with milk provides a very beneficial effect in gaining weight.
Bananas provide instant energy. Replace your morning or evening tea or coffee with a banana shake.
Foods to gain weight quickly
- Milk
- Protein shakes
- Rice
*Avocados - Nuts
- Peanut butter
- Whole-grain breads
- Starches including potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, legumes, beans, corn, and pasta.
- Protein supplements
- Dry fruits
- Avocados
- Dark chocolate
- Whole grain cereals
- Eggs
- Fats and oils
- Cheese and yogurt
Things to avoid in the weight gain process
- Don’t drink excess water. Because excess water can reduce appetite.
- Avoid large meals at one time
- Don’t emphasize on junk foods. Try to eat healthy foods.
- Don’t drink water before during meals.
- Don’t do very heavy exercises as it will burn a lot of calories.
Frequently asked questions
What are the important tips to gain weight?
- Never skip breakfast
- Take small and frequent meals
- Use big portion sizes
- Consume more protein and dairy products
- Include energy-dense foods in your diet
- Stay away from stress
- Take regular sleep for 8 hours.
Can you gain weight in 2 days?
It is not easy to gain weight in one or two days. It requires almost 30 days to gain weight and fat in your body.
How fast do you gain weight?
If a person is consuming 300 to 500 extra calories than his normal intake weight gain will be slow.
but if a person is consuming 700 to 1000 extra calories than his normal requirements weight gain will be faster.
Which fruits increase weight?
- Banana
- Mango
- Coconut
- Avocados
- Dried fruits
What are the best supplements for weight gain?
- Protein
- Creatine
- Weight gainer
- Energy enhancing supplements
Conclusion
Besides obesity, malnutrition is also becoming serious issue these days. Weight loss is because of certain reasons like less eating, hormonal imbalance, certain metabolic disorders and stress. Gaining weight is as difficult as losing weight. However, weight gain process can be enhanced by taking proper diet and by having some lifestyle modifications.
Read more
best home remedies to gain weight