Increase your body weight

Genetics influence your body build and structure such that if your parents or siblings are small bodied, then the likelihood is that you may have the same build.

In addition, metabolism is also influenced by genetics. Metabolism is basically how your body processes the calories we take in as food, in terms of breakdown to release energy or storage.

The people with faster metabolisms tend to breakdown calories faster and thus it may seem that no matter how much they eat, they tend to maintain their weight.

On the other hand, those with slow metabolisms breakdown calories slower and tend to store more which means, they easily add weight. Although being lean can often be healthy, being underweight can be a cause for concern if it’s the result of poor nutrition or a medical condition or if one is pregnant or has other health concerns and therefore the need for a proper medical review to rule out the cause of the low weight and set a weight gain plan.

However, one may wish to gain weight for various reasons.

First, one must decide what kind of weight they want to gain. There are some options that one could choose from. Here are examples:

Water weight —This is the easiest to gain. Drink a lot of water then weigh yourself; but this is not sustainable.

Bone weight — This is very difficult to change as this is genetically determined.

Fat weight — This is the kind of weight most people gain with time but in reality want to avoid.

Muscle weight— This is what most people typically want to gain.

Key to any weight gain is a good nutrition and exercise plan. Calories are the units we use to measure the energy contained in food, much in the same way we use kilograms to measure the weight of things.

To actually gain weight, you must consume more calories than those that you spend. This means you must create a caloric excess. So some foods have more calories than others.

A good weight plan should include:

Eating regular meals every day, instead of two or three large meals eat five or six smaller meals. It will also include eating foods rich in nutrients. Include all food groups at meals including a whole grain breads and cereals, lean protein, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, dairy and healthy fats.

Eat healthy snacks like nuts fruits and vegetables. Adding additional sources of calories to your dishes like the use of cheese in casserole dishes, soups, omelettes and scrambled eggs is also advisable.

Avoid diet soda, coffee and other drinks with either excessive or few calories and little nutritional value. Instead, drink healthy shakes.

It is also advisable to drink fluids thirty minutes before or after a meal, not with the meal. This helps you avoid becoming full before you eat. Lastly, increase your exercise gradually, especially strength training.

This is the only real way to gain weight by building up muscles. In addition exercise may also stimulate your appetite.