How to Gain Weight? Healthy Weight Gain Methods

Weight, also known as body weight, is one of the biggest factors that play a role in a person’s health.

Weight, also known as body weight, is one of the biggest factors that play a role in a person’s health. In order to be healthy, it may be necessary not only to lose weight or maintain the current weight, but also to gain weight in some cases. But this weight must be gained in a healthy way.

In Which Situations Is It Necessary to Gain Weight?

A person’s weight being below the required weight for their height, age and gender may be an indication of not having a healthy and balanced diet. In this case, it may be possible that the nutrients needed for the proper functioning of the body are inadequate. For example; Calcium is important for maintaining strong and healthy bones. When not enough calcium is taken, the risk of developing osteoporosis (bone loss) increases. Or, when you do not get enough iron, symptoms such as feeling exhausted and exhausted may develop. This applies to nutrients, and people’s calorie needs increase during periods such as pregnancy, lactation, and excessive exercise. Many negative symptoms may develop in cases of malnutrition in people with increased calorie needs.

What Should Be Done to Gain Healthy Weight?

Eating high-calorie, nutritious foods is the most common way to gain weight. It is important to eat and drink favorite foods that are high in nutrients as well as calories to gain a healthy weight. Although unhealthy weight gain brings the person’s weight to the required point, the unhealthy increase in fat mass can bring many health problems. Things you can do to gain weight in a healthy way are:

• Increasing the number of meals: Starting to eat 5-6 small meals during the day can increase the calorie intake. Consuming 5-6 small meals instead of three large meals a day supports taking in more calories and, accordingly, gaining weight. Even if the person does not feel hungry, it is important to support this process by consuming foods that are light but high in calories and nutritional value.

• Choosing foods with high nutritional value: In addition to consuming popular and high-calorie foods, it is more important to consume foods whose nutritional content will not cause unhealthy weight gain. For this reason, a nutrition plan in which the person consumes the appropriate nutrients should be created with the help of a dietitian. The nutrition plan created by a dietician can help you determine how many calories you should consume during the day and at each meal. You can also ask how many servings you should eat from different food groups.

• Diversifying meals: Meals can be diversified by making healthy, high-calorie but small-volume additions to the consumed foods. Adding foods high in healthy fats and calories, such as milk or unsweetened peanut butter, to foods for extra protein and calories may help. The easiest foods to make such additions are soups. Various vegetables, grains and legumes that can be added to soups while preparing them help increase calorie intake and also support the intake of healthy nutrients.

• Consuming every food group: Simply getting more nutrients per bite is not enough for healthy weight gain. Imbalance between nutrients can lead to weight gain and an unhealthy body. Consumption of vegetables should not be reduced just because they are low in calories. In addition to being rich in many vitamins and minerals, vegetables also contain carbohydrates and proteins. Vegetable dishes or salads can be diversified with healthy oils such as olive oil, oil seeds (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.), grains and legumes. Vegetables consumed in this way not only increase calorie intake, but also help to obtain the micronutrients needed daily.

• Calorie intake: Preparing smoothies prepared with fresh fruits instead of avoiding drinks that contain small amounts of nutrients and calories increases calorie intake. Milk, fruit juice or full-fat dairy products can be preferred instead of drinks such as diet sodas, coffee and tea. In particular, squeezing many fruits without discarding their pulp and adding a healthy protein source such as milk or yoghurt can help you consume high calories by consuming fewer amounts of food. At the same time, healthy fats and complex carbohydrate sources such as oats can be added to these drinks. However, turning to calorie-containing beverages should not be understood as not meeting water needs. Daily adequate water consumption is also of great importance during weight gain.

• Consuming snacks: Consuming snacks is a good way to ensure calorie intake between main meals. Healthy foods that can be preferred for snacks are:

• Fruits

• Milk and milk products

• Oat

• buckwheat puffs

• Oily seeds

• Oilseed pastes without added sugar

• Jams without added sugar

What Should Be Considered While Gaining Weight?

It is not difficult to gain weight by eating more, but in order to gain healthy weight, you need to pay attention to your lifestyle along with the foods consumed. A diet consisting of healthy fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates that help increase muscle and ideal fat mass is the most important step in weight gain. In this process, muscle mass increase is important for health. Exercising regularly can help a person avoid gaining weight through fat stores. Otherwise, the person will gain weight, but the weight gained is in the form of body fat and may cause health problems. Adequate water consumption is also a point that should not be neglected in this process. It is also wrong to consume any kind of food to increase calorie intake. Foods that support healthy weight gain when consumed in a balanced way are:

• Lean protein sources such as chicken and fish

• Red meat

• Full-fat milk and dairy products

• Fruits

• Whole grain breads

• Sources of complex carbohydrates

• Oily seeds

• Egg

Is It Possible to Gain Weight Regionally?

Each person’s body biology is different, and the areas affected by weight gain may vary depending on this biology. With weight gain, body fat mass also increases. Since weight gain affects fat and muscle mass throughout the body, there is a general weight gain. However, some areas may appear thinner if you exercise. Gender is also a factor in regional weight gain. Since men may have more fat cells in the abdominal area, weight gain may be observed more in the abdominal area. On the other hand, women have more fat cells in the hip area.

How to Gain Weight in Children?

One of the groups where weight gain may be inadequate is children. Being too active in children may affect weight gain. Consuming foods that meet this energy expenditure in a healthy way can lead to weight gain. Here are what parents can do to help their children gain weight:

• Offering frequent meals (3 main meals and 2-3 snacks per day).

• Allowing a 1-2 hour gap between snacks or drinks and meals.

• Consisting of at least two meals from protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, beans, legumes or lentils.

• Increasing fat and carbohydrates in the diet with healthy options.

• Avoid eating simple sugary foods to avoid damaging teeth while gaining weight. Instead, choose jam, marmalade, chocolate sauce or honey without added sugar.

• Adding healthy oils to foods cooked in the oven or boiled instead of fried foods.

• Adding a meal with milk and healthy drinks before bed.

How to Gain Weight During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, the mother’s body tries to meet its own needs and uses energy to ensure the development of the baby developing in the womb. During this period, it is important for the mother to gain adequate weight for the health of the mother and the baby. Gaining less weight than the recommended weight during pregnancy may cause the baby to be born weaker than it should be. Babies born with weights well below normal may have a high risk of disease and developmental delays. However, this does not mean that the mother gains more weight than she needs.

In general, the first trimester does not require extra calorie intake. However, in the second trimester (second trimester), approximately 340 additional calories per day are needed, and in the third trimester (last trimester), approximately 450 additional calories per day are needed. This need may vary depending on the mother’s age and her weight when pregnancy begins. It is best to decide the amount of weight to be gained during this period with a healthcare professional.

Mothers who need to gain weight should provide these calories with healthy foods. Particularly during pregnancy, some of the increased iron and folic acid needs should be met with foods. In addition, the intake of micronutrients such as calcium is also important. Consuming a balanced diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products and lean protein can meet the protein and calorie needs needed during this period in a healthy way.

How to Gain Weight by Exercising?

Exercise can help with weight gain by building muscles, especially when performed as strength training. Exercise is also effective in increasing appetite. These types of exercises include activities such as yoga, push-ups and weight training. Exercising can also help a person reduce unhealthy fat mass, allowing them to gain weight from muscle mass. However, after exercising, a calorie deficit occurs in the body. When this calorie deficit is met with the right foods, the person continues to gain weight instead of losing weight.

What Should Be Considered When Gaining Weight?

People trying to gain weight should consume not only healthy but also high-energy foods. It’s important to vary your meals and eat more frequently for extra protein and calories. However, if a person meets his/her food intake with harmful calories such as fast food or carbonated drinks, this causes health problems such as obesity and high cholesterol as well as weight gain. Increased fat mass can cause cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and many other health problems. For this reason, attention should be paid to which foods the calories come from, sufficient water should be consumed during the day, weight should be gained as much as the body needs and physical exercise should be done.