Healthy weight gain

By Nelly Obadha

Gaining weight requires a lot of patience and discipline plus a very good appetite. It is not just about piling on the calories by binging on junk food and eating everything that has fat it is about healthy calorie and increasing your body mass though exercise.

Here are tips on how to go about adding that extra mass you have always wanted:

Eat

First and foremost for those of you who have a bad eating habit, it is time to eat! This doesn’t mean stuffing yourself with food around the clock, rather it simply means not skipping meals. It also pays to add a bit of snacking in between the meals. Eat foods that will help you get lean mass. Weight gaining foods include foods rich in proteins that help to build the body mass. These kinds of foods include; fish, meat, oatmeal, nuts and seeds such as almonds, peanuts, sesame, sunflower and dairy products with low calories as well as lots of fruits.

Work out

Working out plays a big role in weight gain. Work out not to lose weight but to build up body mass and muscle. When you gain weight through workout you will have lean and tight muscle build up without acquiring the folds of flesh that comes with loose skin and bad calories.

Weight gaining exercise involves resistance exercises such as weight lifting, squats and press-ups.

Count your calories

You need to count your caloric intake to ensure that you maintain your weight instead of losing it. A typical human being should take in about 2200 calories per day. For men it is 1900 and women 1000. To gain weight you need to eat an extra 1000 calories to your diet. Caloric requirements differ according to an individual’s height, weight and the level activities.

Drink healthy

Drink healthy beverages such as milk and fresh fruit juices to add weight. Avoid drinks such as soda that only contain sugar that will only add the wrong kind of calories to your system. Water should also never be left out as you will need it to rehydrate your whole system. Avoid alcohol as it often suppresses the appetite.

It’s also best to enlist the help of a trainer or nutritionist who will help guide you step by step.