Want To Increase Your Weight? Here Are 4 Most Easy Effective Steps

With people across the world aiming to lose a few extra kilos of fat, there are some people at the opposite end of the problem. In India, the problem of being underweight is specially drastic due to the presence of severe malnutrition. But even if you have maintained a good diet in your life, thyroid problems, cancer, diabetes or allergies can make you underweight, causing doctors to recommend you to add a few kilos. Alternatively, if you feel you are too skinny or want to add some muscles to your body, gaining weight is what you need.

Just like obesity, having less weight than normal can bring a whole set of problems to your life. Being underweight can increase the risk of early death, by as much as 140% in men and 100% in women. Not just this, lesser than normal weight can make you prone to infections, weaken your immune system, lead to osteoporosis and even cause fertility problems in women.

Some studies show that it may also be associated with a greater risk of dementia and age-related muscle wasting.

Unfortunately, increasing weight is not as simple as gorging on burgers or slurping down chocolate milkshakes. This is because such foods only increase a person's belly fat and not muscle mass or subcutaneous fat.

If you are looking to increase your weight without the risk of triggering health problems, here are 4 best things to do.

1. Eat Right

You need to populate your diet with calorie rich foods. Calories are the units used to energy. The calorie content of a diet indicates how much energy you can possibly derive from a food. To gain weight, you need to consume between 400-800 more calories than your body is capable of burning everyday. Avoid any products that are diet, low-cal or fat-free. Eat calorie-dense foods like oatmeal cookies, whole-grain breads, starchy vegetables like peas and potato, raisin, walnuts pasta, whole milk, cheese, muesli and salmon.

2. Rev up the Protein, Carbs and Fat

Protein is the muscle-building component of food, extremely essential for those aiming for weight-gain. But it is also a filling component of food, which means that eating a lot of protein makes you feel full early. Studies show that during periods of overfeeding, a high protein diet causes many of the extra calories to be turned into muscle. So eat foods like fish, eggs, legumes and nuts. It is also essential to eat 5-6 small meals a day, complete with carbs and fat, rather than the regular 3.

3. Lift-weights

The best and most effective weight-gaining exercise is weight-lifting. This exercise ensures that your excess calories turn into muscles and not just fat. Workouts at the gym or at home 2-4 times a week with a gradual increase in the weight volume is essential. Use dumbbells and wrist weights. While exercises like cardio can help you achieve fitness in your weight-gain, it may end up burning your hard-earned calories.

4. Do Yoga and Push-ups

10-15 pushups throughout the day can help you gain your muscle and hence weight, quickly. Certain yoga asanas can aid your weight gain activities. The most effective asanas include:

Bhujangasana
This asana works on increasing the appetite of the doer by regulating metabolism and the digestive system. Nutrient absorption also increases with this asana.

Sarvangasana
This asana, known as the shoulder stand, boosts blood flow throughout the body, making out blood reach areas that were earlier inaccessible. This increases the nutrient requirement of the body, thus increasing our need to eat.

Matsyasana
Also called the fish pose, this asana is also effective for weight gain. It aims to regulate an overactive thyroid gland, along with strengthening the digestive and cardiovascular system.
 

With these steps and a few lifestyle changes to maintain the increase in your body weight, you can be relieved of all the troubles due to being underweight.