Of all the fitness topics to write on, I was not expecting this to be the first. I especially relate to people who want to lose some weight as it is the fashion trend. It was a surprise when a HILPharma follower asked for a write up on how to gain weight.
On digging further to find out why, given he wasn’t looking bad, he said ‘I am way too skinny for a guy’.
He is not alone. Many others too may want to gain weight for one reason or the other. Upon quick inquiry I found out some reasons why people would want to gain weight
- Recent weight loss due to illness or an extreme weight loss program
- A specific role: e.g movie, pregnancy
- Esthetics: they say African men love their women with some extra skin 😉 and some guys just want that 6 pack chest to show more
Medically underweight: there is what we call Body Mass Index (BMI) …in simple terms it is your healthy weight calculator. It is a really simple formula, your height divided by the square of your height
BMI result interpretation
Less than 18.5% Underweight
19-24 Ideal (healthy)
25-29 Overweight Above 30
Aside from genetics and illness, some medications and psychological issues (depressions) can cause serious weight loss.
Why being underweight is not good for you
- Just to list a couple:
- Easily get infected because of a weak body defense (immune) system
- Infertility issues for women
How then does one gain a little more weight?
- Mindset change: some have given up on gaining weight as they have tried many different techniques especially the eating more technique. You have probably said no matter what you eat you can’t gain weight. Well that is not entirely true. Some even blame it on the ‘worms’. Well everyone can gain weight.
- Consistency: Just as most of lives objectives, you set a target and make plans on reaching the end. Set a target; be accountable to someone if you have to. Consistency is the key. Your efforts may not be very visible but keep at it.
- Eat more: there is no magic to this. To lose weight you need to burn more energy (calories) that your takes in. The reverse is true for gaining weight. Eating more at a go can be burdensome so you can try to eat more meals in a day (7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm)
- Eat meals high in carbs, proteins and diary (milk) products: carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta) are high energy meals and proteins (beans, eggs, meat, fish…) help build up muscles. Veggies are good; however, they do not help you gain weight. Now this doesn’t mean you eliminate veggies. Keep a balanced diet.
- Strength building exercises: try lifting weight to help build your muscles.
- Rest: sleeping approximately 8hours a day
- Track progress: this can be done weekly by weighing. Weighing everyday may discourage you
Note: avoid high calorie foods that can make you gain weight in an unhealthy manner (hence risk for other conditions affecting the heart, diabetes etc) e.g. sugar, chocolate, fats…
There you go, go gain some weight. Be careful not to go overboard or you will need our next article on how to lose weight.
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About the author
Dr. Ekwoge Hilda is a trained pharmacist from Cameroon and Co-founder of HILPharma. When she is not busy creating content, she slings pills to pay the bills.
