How to gain weight quickly: how to eat right and what exactly you need to eat to gain weight at home and overcome the causes of thinness

Why do many people want to gain weight?

If a person is excessively thin, it means that the person's body does not have enough body weight to maintain an optimal level of health.

Despite the fact that excess weight is the number one problem in the modern world, being thin can also lead to a host of health problems. One study found that being too thin has a negative impact on the immune system. The body does not receive enough vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. They are necessary to perform vital body functions. Such people are extremely susceptible to immune diseases, for example, viruses, osteoporosis and infections, if they do not have enough kilograms.

There are several reasons why a person loses weight or has trouble gaining it. The most common cause is eating disorders. The most common of these is anorexia nervosa, a very serious mental disorder.

Other causes of underweight are various diseases such as diabetes, thyroid problems, infections.

If you experience symptoms of any of the above, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Why and who should be concerned about gaining weight?

While there is a wealth of information about the health risks associated with being overweight or obese, it is important to note that there are also health risks associated with being underweight. Underweight is often associated with a poor diet or unhealthy eating habits, but sometimes it can be caused by certain health problems (such as malabsorption) that may make it difficult for a person to gain a healthy weight.

Technically, a body mass index (BMI) that is less than 18.5 is considered underweight. Based on the BMI table, for an adult woman with a height of 165 cm, a body weight of 52 to 65 kilograms is considered normal. An adult male who is 183 cm tall must weigh between 64 and 80 kilograms to fall within the normal body weight range.

The most common health risks associated with being underweight include:

weakened immune system
problem with disease resistance
vitamin deficiency
developmental problems (mostly in children and adolescents)
fertility problems
Irregular periods and increased risk of amenorrhea
bone loss
anemia
kidney disease
feeling tired or low energy
thinning hair and dry skin

In 2014, the Swiss National Cohort Study Group examined the long-term association between underweight and mortality. The study involved more than 31,000 people aged 25 to 74 years. Underweight people made up 3% of the total number of subjects, and 90% of underweight people were women. The researchers found that, compared with people who were of a normal weight, being underweight was associated with an increased risk of death due to external causes such as accidents and suicide.

Evidence suggests that being underweight not only increases your risk of injury, but also worsens your chances of surviving a crash. Research also shows that there is a link between low BMI and depression, as well as an increased risk of suicide.

Risks associated with low body weight

How can you gain the desired kilograms?

There are many ways to gain weight quickly, but we recommend doing it correctly and for health benefits.

If you want to gain weight quickly, then most likely, not only in the abdominal area. There is no need to immediately rush to donuts and Coca-Cola. If you start acting in this manner, then you can end up with type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Therefore, it is imperative to choose methods and a diet with which you can gain weight quickly and safely for your health.

How do you know if you are or are underweight?

You can calculate this using body mass index software.

The doctor can also help with this.

Taking into account your height and weight, the amount of food you eat and physical activity, a doctor or nutritionist can tell you exactly if you have problems. So, let's start with what you need to eat to get those treasured kilograms?

How to gain weight correctly?

First of all, you need to calm down and not be nervous.

Get enough sleep, go to bed no later than 23.00 and sleep at least 7 hours. Daytime naps are possible. 30 minutes is enough for the body to rest and gain strength.

If you're eating like crazy, but it's not helping much, then you need to eat more nutrient-rich foods. It may well be that it only seems so to you, but in fact the daily calorie intake is not high enough for the body to begin to gain weight. And the second option is that you may have problems with the digestive, endocrine or hormonal systems.

Below we will look at how to wisely increase your caloric intake, and if you suspect health problems, we advise you to consult a doctor and get tested.

If the average daily diet for weight maintenance is 2500 kcal for girls and 2000 kcal for men, then you need to increase these numbers by 20%. This means that women should eat 2400 kcal per day, and guys about 2900 kcal. These are average numbers. Specifically for your age, weight (weight norm can be calculated: your height in cm - 100 cm is your weight norm, deviations of 5 kg in one direction or another are possible), height, activity level and other individual indicators, the daily calorie norm can be calculated by any calculator on the Internet.

This means that you need to determine how many calories you need to eat per day on a calculator, then increase this number by 300-500 kcal and observe your body volume and weight for about a week. If after 7-10 days the weight or volume of your legs, arms, and waist become larger, then everything is in order and we continue to eat according to the same pattern. If there is no progress, then you need to increase your caloric intake.

Most foods that help you gain weight are also very tasty.

List of foods rich in nutrients:

Lean red meat is high in protein and iron.
Choose pieces with streaks of fat where the meat has a marbled appearance. Although red meat helps you gain weight, it is not recommended to eat it too often. This meat is very tasty, but contains a lot of bad cholesterol.
Tropical fruits are a good option. Fruits like papaya and avocado are rich in natural sugars and fats. Half an avocado contains 140 calories and high levels of perchloric acid, vitamins E and B, and potassium. If you don't like the taste of fresh tropical fruits, then you can make a delicious smoothie from them.
Replace regular milk with whole milk and full fat milk. One glass of whole fat milk contains 60 calories, vitamins A and D. Milk can be added to a wide range of foods, including drinks, cereals, sauces or muesli. If you don't like the taste of milk, then you can eat products made from it, such as yellow cheese. One slice of yellow cheese contains on average 67 kcal.
All types of nuts, especially almonds, are an excellent source of a variety of nutrients. A plate of nuts of all types is a healthy snack between meals that will keep you feeling full for a long time.
You can also try peanut butter.
One tablespoon of peanut butter contains 100 calories and 4 grams of protein. If you don’t know which oil to choose, choose natural oil without added sugar or anything else.
Salmon and tuna are considered excellent sources of protein. Tuna contains healthy fatty acids, thanks to which you can not only gain weight quickly, but also benefit your body as a whole.
Eggs. They contain healthy cholesterol, as well as vitamins A, D and E and protein.

How to gain weight quickly at home

The need to quickly gain a couple of kilograms is relevant for young people involved in fitness and wanting to give their body volume.

Natural thinness and fast metabolism, characteristic of a young body, prevent rapid weight gain.

The main ways to gain weight:

Increase the total calorie content of the daily diet . Weight gain will give a menu with a total calorie content of 4000-5000 kcal. If such a volume is difficult to digest in 3-4 meals, use a fractional nutrition system, where meals are separated by no more than 2 hours.
Strictly follow the diet . Have a hearty and hot breakfast with porridge made with milk and added butter to increase nutritional value. Lunch should include 3 dishes, one of which is hot soup (preferably not a semi-finished product). A full dinner is recommended at 6 pm, and 2 hours before bedtime there is another meal, which includes protein foods (eggs, cottage cheese, etc.).
More than half of the diet should be carbohydrates . Simple carbohydrates immediately go to the formation of adipose tissue (sucrose, glucose and fructose). Complex ones can be obtained from flour products, cereals, and beans. They are high in calories and quickly give you a feeling of fullness.
Eat a lot of protein (20% of all nutrients received). The main sources are meat (any), cheeses, fish, eggs and peas.
Don't forget about fats, they increase the digestibility of proteins . Various oils, lard and nuts are suitable.

Important! The daily water consumption rate should be at least 2 liters. Water from foods is also taken into account, but it is better to count only the water you drink (tea and coffee too).

How to gain 5 kg for a skinny girl

For girls who want to gain weight, all the above principles are relevant, but the characteristics of the female body make their own adjustments:

Hormones play an important role in weight gain, the level of which in the female body is constantly changing. If weight is not gained under any conditions, the endocrine system should be checked.
Constant stress, worries and nervousness will not allow a woman to recover. For stable and rapid weight gain, emotional stability and focus on results are important.

Be sure to read: How many grams of protein are needed per day to gain muscle mass: calculating the norm per 1 kg of weight

How to quickly gain weight by 10 kg in a week for a man

In addition to a properly formulated diet, men who have problems gaining weight should pay attention to steroid medications.

But they are accepted only in case of emergency. To gain weight at home, it is enough to follow a high-calorie diet, stable sleep, and avoidance of stressful situations.

Important! The use of any medications is permitted only after consultation with a doctor.

Deca-Durabolin

You can buy this anabolic steroid freely, the average cost of one ampoule is 280 rubles.

The result is achieved through a course of injections.

Effects of use:

uniform increase in muscle mass;
increasing bone density and, as a result, strengthening the skeleton;
improvement of blood saturation (oxygen saturation) indicators;
reduction of pain after heavy training.

The main advantage of this drug is its mild effect on the body. The active substance (nandrolone decanoate) is found in the body of any person, the drug increases its content.

Danabol

This is the most popular drug for athletes. It is produced in the form of tablets.

The drug allows you to achieve tremendous results during the course, but has a number of serious disadvantages:

the results achieved while taking the drug are not fully maintained after stopping its use;
retention of a large amount of excess water in the body;
the risk of disruption of the endocrine system and increased production of female hormones.

However, this anabolic remains the leader among weight gain drugs due to its high efficiency.

How to get fat quickly for a teenager

To achieve results, it is necessary to find out the reason why it is difficult for a teenager to gain the necessary kilograms.

The main factors are:

low-calorie diet;
disruption of hormone production;
smoking, because it reduces the production of the satiety hormone (leptin), so you want to eat less.

Often, giving up bad habits and regular sleep solve the problem of weight gain.

Be sure to read: Nutrition for athletes for every day: menu, list of products, types of supplements

Caloric intake of a teenager's diet for weight gain

At the age of 14-17 years, the average daily energy value is 3000 kcal for boys and 2600 kcal for girls. To gain body weight, you need to increase these indicators by 1000 kcal per day.

Physical exercise

You can gain weight by starting to work out in a fitness club. It is better to conduct the first classes with a personal trainer to avoid injuries and understand the correct technique for performing the exercises.

Do exercises to gain weight

Exercise is the best way to increase lean body mass and stay healthy or even improve it. With the help of your usual workouts, you can also gain weight and improve your shape. You just need to be more careful in choosing exercises and performing them.

There are two main problems with muscle gain.

Firstly, how can you train some muscles and prevent others from losing their mass? Secondly, how to maintain the gained muscle mass after finishing training?

The answer to the first question is extremely simple: strength training.

To gain weight at home, it is not recommended to do cardio exercises; it is better to focus on strength exercises. Cardio exercise burns calories and all those pounds you gain will quickly come off due to this type of exercise. Therefore, put off cardio workouts for now, as they will burn all the accumulated calories very quickly.

On the other hand, strength training causes muscle contraction. They develop strength and stimulate muscle growth. This type of training may seem difficult and stressful. However, if you do them regularly, you will quickly get used to them.

Strength exercises include squats, leg curls, deadlifts, pull-ups, crunches, bench presses or biceps curls.

If you don't know where to start, ask your personal trainer, who will develop a personalized training plan for you according to your needs and abilities. You can try sports such as CrossFit, bodybuilding, football, kettlebell lifting or weightlifting. Although it is quite possible to start training on horizontal bars and achieve good results without visiting the gym in your home yard.

The second point you need to pay attention to is what to do after training. Our bodies are naturally programmed to shed excess fat during exercise. To avoid this problem, you need to adjust your daily diet to accommodate your workouts. Eat regularly, at least 3 times a day, including two snacks between meals in your meal plan.

Remember, muscles grow when they rest. Try training a different part of your body every day. Give each muscle group a rest for one day. Most of the recovery process occurs overnight, but muscle tissue needs at least 12 hours to fully appreciate the workout you've done.

Weight gain – for whom and why?

Unfortunately, recently the number of people who need to constantly gain weight has increased. And if others think that these are happy people who can eat a lot of buns and not gain weight, then this is a huge misconception. In fact, such people have many problems with the question of how to quickly recover at home.

When should you worry about weight gain:

with accelerated metabolism;
people with neuropsychiatric disorders, for example, in the case of anorexia, a person is afraid of gaining excess weight;
women who are underweight (gaining weight makes you more likely to get pregnant);
people who have undergone major surgery or illness;
with severe stress, physical stress on the body, which provoked a sharp weight loss;
in case of low weight for a more aesthetic appearance.

As for the more harmless reasons why people want to gain weight, these include:

athletes who often face the problem of quickly gaining weight;
actors - to get a new role or to restore their figure after some filming.

There are simply cases when a person is not very happy with his appearance. And if in most cases the reason for this is excess weight, then there are some cases when a man or woman believes that in order to look better it is necessary to gain a couple of kilograms.

Don't drink water before meals

Water is known to reduce hunger and reduce food consumption. Water is great for those who are losing weight, and not for those who are trying to gain weight (not to be confused with the daily fluid intake, both need quite a lot of it - about 2.5 liters per day, but there is a difference when to drink it).

The main reason for this is that water fills the stomach and makes you feel full. Even if you drink while eating, you still get the feeling that you don’t want to eat anymore. When we eat, our stomach gets the feeling that the digestion process has begun, and it begins to produce gastric juice.

The water entering at this moment dilutes the gastric fluids, which prevents the further breakdown of food.

There is no need to drink water before meals, this will help the digestion process. Water does not interfere with gastric juice, but it somehow suppresses gastric secretion.

Drinking large amounts of liquid at meals thins the blood, leading to an imbalance of electrolytes. This condition is called hyponatremia. It leads to digestive problems, which people who are underweight should avoid. At worst, this condition can cause muscle fatigue and irregular heartbeat.

You can drink water about an hour before meals. It will be used to produce gastric juice in the future.

Take creatine

Creatine is usually sold as a white monohydrate powder that must be diluted in liquid. This is a natural compound found in muscle cells, often used in sports and bodybuilding.

For what? Because it stimulates the body to produce more energy.

Creatine is a dietary supplement. Athletes use it regularly, it increases performance and effectiveness in training. It affects the muscles of the body, increasing the amount of fluid in it. The body retains more water, and in just one week a weight gain of 450 g to 1,300 kg is obtained. By absorbing fluid into the muscles, creatine increases their strength.

It is an “osmotically active substance,” meaning it allows muscles to contract faster and better. When using creatine, you must adhere to the correct dosage of the supplement. The recommended dosage is 5 grams per day, but it is better, of course, to consult a specialist before deciding on the dosage.

Try to drink more while taking creatine to avoid dehydration.

If you want to achieve an ideal body, then drink creatine during meals and preferably after training.

Find your ideal macronutrient ratio

Once you have determined the daily amount of calories you need to gain weight, you need to find the ideal combination of macronutrients.

This means dividing your calories in the correct ratio between carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Each of us has a different body structure, and therefore each of us needs a different approach to creating an ideal body.

There are several steps to determine your macronutrient ratio:

Determine what exactly you want to achieve with your diet. Most likely, if you are reading this article, then you want to get better. To do this, you need to focus on carbohydrates. This means that 40-60% of total calories should come from carbohydrates, 25-35% from protein and 15-25% from fat. It is this ratio of macroelements that stimulates muscle growth.
Secondly, you need to determine your body type. There are three main human body types. Some people have a mixture of the two types.

For a child

Children who are overly active may experience problems associated with being underweight. This interferes with their proper physical development. A diet for a child aimed at gaining weight necessarily involves daily consumption of dairy products, meat or fish.

Approximate daily diet at home:

Time of receipt	Diet
Breakfast	Milk rice porridge (or noodle soup), pear or banana
Lunch	Berry jelly
Dinner	Chicken broth, mashed potatoes with rabbit meat cutlets, vegetable salad, black bread
Afternoon snack	Yogurt or fruit kefir, oatmeal cookies
Dinner	Buckwheat porridge, chicken cutlets, vegetable salad

Fruits and vegetables need to be in season to reduce the risk of developing allergies. It is better to choose kefir and yogurt that are enriched with additional vitamins and do not contain preservatives.

Drink nutritional shakes

Can't you eat more than you currently eat?

Or maybe three meals and two snacks isn't helping you?

There is another way to get more calories.

Try drinking them!

Many nutritionists often recommend drinking nutritious drinks rich in carbohydrates and proteins.

For many people, eating five meals a day becomes a real challenge. If you don’t have the strength to chew anymore, make yourself a delicious cocktail.

You can also use proteins to gain muscle mass in the form of cocktails.

Here are some tips if you have problems with high-calorie shakes:

Drink the cocktail very quickly;
Don't wait until the ingredients start to sour or ferment;
Add ingredients to taste. For example, almonds, vanilla, cinnamon or whatever you like;
If it is problematic to drink the entire portion at once, then try drinking half a portion for the first 4 days;
If you have malabsorption problems, try drinking avocado-based smoothies.

Here are some delicious and nutritious recipes:

1 medium or large avocado, 2 medium bananas, 1 jar of whole milk yogurt and 4 raw eggs. Total calories=1022;
1 jar whole milk yogurt, 1 cup coconut milk, 6 tablespoons whey protein, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 6 raw eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla. Total calories=1575;
1 cup coconut milk, 2 medium bananas, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 4 large raw eggs. Total calories = 1005;
1 cup boiled sweet potatoes, 3 tbsp. honey, 6 tbsp. whey protein, 4 large raw eggs. Total calories=905;
1 medium to large avocado, 1 cup coconut milk, 2 medium bananas, 1 cup sweet boiled potatoes. Calories = 1283.

Here you can read which protein is better to choose and how to take it correctly.

Recommendations for proper weight gain

Initially, you need to decide on a method. That is, you want to gain lean muscle mass or increase body fat. After this, you should proceed to a gradual increase in the number of meals per day. There is no need to suddenly switch from two snacks to 5-6 meals. This will be a huge stress on your digestive system and on the body as a whole. Therefore, it is enough to increase each day by one meal, reaching the required norm in a few days.

Only after you manage to increase the number of meals, and sometimes this takes at least a week, can you begin to gradually increase your caloric intake.

To consolidate the achieved results by gaining weight, you should not immediately return to your usual diet. And in general, it is better to find a middle ground in this matter. In this case, problems with a lack or excess of kilograms will not arise.

Try including brewer's yeast in your diet

Yeast is a substance consisting of a special type of microscopic fungus that is often used in the food industry and cooking.

Although they are used for various purposes, only one type of yeast, called brewer's yeast, helps you gain weight quickly.

They are sold in tablet form at any pharmacy.

Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement rich in vitamin D. It also contains high levels of carbohydrates and protein.

3 tbsp. contain 95 calories.

According to one study, adding 95 calories a day without changing your diet can help you gain 10 pounds in a year.

Brewer's yeast is considered a safe supplement, but it is not suitable for everyone.

If you have diabetes, then you should consult your physician before taking this supplement.

Rule out any health problems that may be preventing you from gaining weight

Last but very important point. Before you start working on gaining pounds, you should first rule out any possible health problems that could interfere with your goal.

There are several diseases that will prevent you from getting better.

Hyperthyroidism

This disease is caused by an imbalance in the thyroid gland.

The thyroid gland influences metabolism through hormones. This gland is responsible for the production of thyroxine. The more thyroxine produced, the faster your metabolism and the more calories you burn.

Even with a good appetite, weight does not gain at all.

Symptoms of this disease include trembling hands and fingers, irregular or fast heartbeat, restlessness or nervousness.

Women's cycles may change.

Gastrointestinal problems

Gastrointestinal diseases prevent your body from properly absorbing nutrients from the food you eat.

Most people suffer from malnutrition due to digestive problems.

This condition can be aggravated by various diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease.

Symptoms include blood in the stool, abnormal bowel movements, and abdominal pain or gas.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is most often diagnosed in adulthood.

This is a condition in which the body becomes resistant to insulin.

Insulin is responsible for regulating the amount of glucose in the body.

Glucose, on the other hand, is responsible for weight and appetite.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include fatigue, frequent urination, and blurred vision.

Smoking

Although smoking is not considered a disease, it is harmful to the body. It prevents you from gaining weight because nicotine suppresses your appetite.

Everyone knows that nicotine increases the metabolic rate.

It is known that smokers lose about 200 calories a day due to the substances that make up cigarettes.

If you have any of the above symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.

Basic criteria for weight gain

If you are thinking about how to gain weight quickly, then first of all you should study the criteria for weight gain. To begin with, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Here we are talking not only about a nutritionist, but also about visiting a family doctor. The fact is that underweight can often be associated with various diseases, most often these are pathologies of the thyroid gland.

Secondly, pay attention to your diet. If it contains animal fats in excess, then this will not only negatively affect the figure, but also the state of the cardiovascular system.

Another criterion is the amount of elements absorbed by the body. That is why it is important not exactly how much you ate, but how much your body absorbed.

If there is a considerable amount of sweets in the diet, then this can provoke a metabolic disorder. And this is a direct path to problems with your figure and weight.

And the last, but very important criterion for gaining weight is not to eat before bed. It would seem like a paradox, because those who are losing weight, on the contrary, say that you can’t eat before bed. Allegedly, this provokes weight gain. But this is far from true. Firstly, it causes extra stress on the digestive system, which does not have the opportunity to rest at night. And secondly, such a load does not give muscle mass, but only gives extra calories, which are then deposited on the body in the form of belly fat and so on.

How to gain weight quickly: some effective tips

Be committed to your goal.
At first, you may not notice the result on the scale, but this is not a reason to give up. The process of gaining is just as difficult as the process of losing weight. People who are overweight see the first results only after a year of hard work on themselves; for people who are underweight, things are about the same. So if a week has passed and you say that I can't put on extra pounds, it will sound very stupid.
Eat foods rich in nutrients. Increase your calories by at least 20% to maintain a stable weight. Be sure to choose nutritious, healthy foods.
Don't try to gain weight with fast food. Create a balanced diet for the day.
Eat before your workout. During strength training, muscles need a lot of energy to successfully cope with the load. If you don’t eat before training, then you can even lose weight, let alone gain something.
Don't train the same muscle group every day.
Muscles grow most during rest, so try to rest them for one day at a time.
The workout should consist of 6-8 repetitions in 5 sets. Between sets, take a 3-minute break and drink water.
Drink enough water, just don't drink before meals. Drink water at least an hour before meals.
Monitor the amount of calories you consume and their quality. Don't load up on "bad" calories, such as bad cholesterol.
Calculate the calories you burn during your workout. It's better not to do cardio exercises, but focus on strength training.
Don't go more than 4 hours without eating.
Eat immediately before bed. Muscle recovery and regeneration occurs mainly during sleep, so eat before bed to activate your body.

What Not to Do to Gain Weight Fast: Healthy Weight vs. Unhealthy Weight

Here's a common mistake people make when trying to gain weight quickly - they eat tons of high-calorie foods that have no nutritional value. Think about how this diet makes you feel after a few days: fatigue, bloating, inflammation, moodiness, inability to concentrate, poor sleep, inability to exercise, and the list goes on.

Of course, eating these foods occasionally will not cause your condition to noticeably worsen, and the majority of your diet should consist of nutrient-dense, fresh, unprocessed, natural foods. Here's a simple way to understand what our bodies need to gain weight and what we should avoid.

Healthy weight gain occurs by consuming: