Underweight? Healthy tips for adding pounds (2024)

FAQs

Underweight? Healthy tips for adding pounds? ›

You can put on weight by eating small meals frequently throughout the day. Try to snack on healthy, high-energy foods like cheese, nuts, milk-based smoothies and dried fruit. More tips for gaining weight safely include: using full cream milk in coffee, tea or with meals.

Try smoothies and shakes.

Avoid beverages with few nutrients or calories, such as diet soda. But a blend of high-calorie, nutritious ingredients in a smoothie or shake can help if you're eating on the go. Meal replacement drinks also may be part of your weight-gain effort.

Eat enough protein

In combination with regular weight training, consuming 0.8–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will increase a person's muscle mass. This is essential to healthy weight gain. Foods high in protein include eggs, meats, fish, nuts, and legumes.

A person's build depends largely on genetic factors, which is why it is difficult for a naturally thin person to put on weight. The human body can change to a limited extent through weight training and increased food intake. Gaining or regaining weight can be just as difficult as losing weight.

Increase your caloric intake

If you want to gain weight slowly and steadily, try aiming for 300–500 calories more than you burn each day according to the calculator. If you want to gain weight fast, try aiming for around 700–1,000 calories above your maintenance level.

Start by increasing your calorie and protein intake by eating every few hours. Take supplements, if needed, for that extra boost. Work out hard in order to turn any extra calories into muscle, not fat. If you plateau or need additional help, talk with a dietitian or personal trainer.

Your rate of weight gain will depend on a number of factors, including your body size, sex, calorie intake, genetics, activity level, and health status. Increasing your calories by about 500 beyond your daily maintenance calorie needs could allow you to gain about 15 pounds (6.8 kg) over 6 months.

You may be born naturally small and your low BMI can be due to your genes. You may have a very high metabolism and find it hard to put on weight, even if you eat foods that have a lot of calories. You may not follow a healthy, balanced diet because you forget to eat or cannot afford nutritious foods.

Eat small, frequent meals to help build a healthy appetite. Plan for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day. Quick Snack ideas – crackers and cheese, yogurt and fruit, peanut butter toast, fruit and nut mixes, hard boiled eggs, tuna or egg salad on crackers.

If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range.

Can peanut butter help in weight gain? ›

One tablespoon of peanut butter contains around 100 calories, making it an excellent option for those looking to gain weight. In addition, peanut butter is rich in healthy fats and protein, both of which are essential for muscle growth and weight gain.

Carbs and high-fat foods: Healthy foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates and high in fiber, such as bananas, oats, quinoa, blueberries, sweet potatoes, cheese, and dark chocolate, can help you gain weight.

Studies have shown that increasing the intake of fats and proteins might help you gain weight naturally. To my knowledge, food items like red meats, chicken, fish, beans, whole milk, eggs, cheese, full-fat yoghurt, nuts, butter, and olives may help in gaining weight while maintaining your health.

If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.

Genes could in part explain, for example, why some people are otherwise skinny but have a big belly. In a study in Nature Genetics that analyzed the genes of more than 476,000 people, researchers found 24 genes that determine where a person might store fat.