Most people think about the weight lose- how to lose weight? So than, you can say- what’s the need of gain weight? It’s a little bit strange to hear that someone wants to gain weight where everyone around you seems to be trying to lose their extra pounds.

There are people around you who are struggling to gain some weight as they are naturally thin or lost their health by some reason.

You will find two types of people in your society- one who are trying to lose weight and another who are trying to gain weight. The later one is not significantly highlighted coz of media and major population who wants to lose weight.

You have seen some skinny models in some fashion show. Like these models there are skinny and thin peoples around you. Skinny is not a fashion and starvation can not be a fashion. It’s a disease. These people need a doctor and proper treatment.

Other than these skinny models there are people who are under weight with their age and height. They basically want to gain weight.

This hub is for those underweighted people who want to gain weight. But gain a little extra pound is not an easy job. It is as hard as to lose weight.

Than the question is "How to gain sustainable and desirable weight?" to stay healthy. Some people gain weight very easily but it’s very difficult for other people. Before describing How to gain sustainable and desirable weight first know the cause of weight lose-

What Causes Weight loses?

There are some causes of weight lose-

1. Physical illnesses
2. Naturally thin people
3. Gradual lose of taste and smell
4. Eating disorders
5. Changes in diet or activity level
6. Mood changes- Anxiety, stress and depression
7. Medication
8. Dental problems- Difficult to chewing or swallowing
9. Poor absorption of nutrients
10. Nausea
11. Diabetes
12. Inflammatory bowel disease
13. Lack of blood supply to the bowel
14. Elderly people may become underweight

Description of these causes here on cnn.com

First determine how many calories your body requires per day

You can say what’s the need of calculating body calorie requirements per day? If you eat too much, you'll gain a lot of body fat and if you don't eat enough you won't gain any weight and might even lose some. You should calculate your body calorie requirements per day to know and maintain your existing weight and to know how much weight you have to gain. This is done by calculating your body’s resting metabolic rate (RMR). Find a calculator online or use the following Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

Mifflin-St Jeor Equations

Men: RMR = (9.99 X weight) + (6.25 X height) – (4.92 X age) + 5

Women: RMR = (9.99 X weight) + (6.25 X height) – (4.92 X age) – 161

Weight is measured in kilograms and height in centimeters:

Current weight _______pound divide by 2.2 = _______________ kilograms (kg)

Current height _______inches multiplied by 2.54 = __________ centimeters (cm)

To determine your total daily calorie needs, the RMR has to be multiplied by the appropriate activity factor. The activity factors are as follows:

• 1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)

• 1.375 = lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)

• 1.550 = moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)

• 1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)

• 1.900 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job)

(E.g. RMR = 2000, so the daily intake is 2000 x 1.550 = 3100); (considering 1.550 = moderately active)

Than calculate how many calories you need to consume per day to gain weight.

To gain 1 pound per week you need to have a surplus of 500 calories per day, 3,500 extra calories per week. If you need 3100 calories a day to maintain your current weight, try hard to consume 3600 calories daily.

What should Eat and Avoid

Gaining weight is not meaning that you have to eat everything. Eating everything regardless of its nutritional value means wasting time. The rule of gaining weight is to eat more calories than you burn. To gain sustainable weight you have to eat proper balanced food and have to do regular exercise. You need a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils and regular exercise to gain weight. Only taking high proteins or carbohydrates and taking other low value content food will not give you good result.

You should remember that you need to choose healthy foods to really be healthy and gradually gain weight. This is especially important if you are recovering from an illness or have been undernourished for a long time.

1. Eat high nutrient content foods like starchy potatoes, beans and corn.
2. Drink beverages like milk and fruit juices.
3. Add herbs and spices to increase the flavors of your food.
4. Add powdered milk to soups and sauces to offer calories and protein.
5. In your diet green vegetables must there, like- carrots, winter squash, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers
6. Eat much amount of fruits like- bananas, pears, apples, pineapple, oranges, peaches, plums, berries, watermelon or dried fruit.
7. Drink sufficient water.
8. Proper sound sleep is also important for gaining weight.
9. Eat 3 full meals and 2 snacks daily.
10. One meal should have a healthy protein source such as fish, low fat meat or chicken.

Avoid junk and greasy food

Taking junk foods and greasy foods is not a good choice. You may gain weight in a short period but it causes you much suffering in the long run. Junk foods and greasy foods usually contain unhealthy saturated fats which will cause heart attack and other diseases.

Take five or six smaller balanced meals per day

Take five or six smaller balanced meals per day rather than eating large meals. Eat regularly and timely. Your body and mind will be in a good rhythm when you will maintain the exact time and exact amount of taking meal. This process will increase your body weight gain.

Use a food diary

A food diary like an assistant will help you track your daily calorie intake. It also tells you when it is time to eat. By using a food diary you can be sure that you are getting all of the calories and foods that you need.

What about Weight gaining supplements

Taking supplements or not taking supplements it depends on your digestive system. If your digestive system works fine than why should you use weight gaining supplements? Your first source of healthy calories should come from your taking food.

If you really need some weight gaining supplement than follow your food diary, find out what nutrients you are lacking than supplement your diet with that nutrient.

If you can not take sufficient fruits multivitamins can be helpful for you. Taking a multivitamin with extra calcium may be helpful.

Do regular Exercise

You want to gain weight not to gain fat. So with these above weight gaining tips you have to do regular exercise. Regular exercise is a key component of gaining weight.

Running jogging swimming and specially weight lifting can help you to gain weight. If you’re a beginner and don’t know which form of exercise is for you than consult with a personal trainer. He can help you in every way.

In the case of weight lifting try to lift as much as you can handle. Gradually increase the weight that you are lifting.

Give your muscle some days (1/2 days) to recover coz it’s already damaged through your regular exercise and weight lifting. Your muscles will build more efficiently when you give them time to repair themselves.

You need not to spend every time in the gym. Two or three days a week is enough for gaining weight. I hope with in a few weeks you will notice some difference in strength in you.

Some Warnings

1. Extremely fast weight gain may cause stretch marks and other skin damage.
2. Do consult with your doctor about your proper diet.
3. Consult with your personal trainer before starting any sort of exercise.
4. Remember that anything in excess is bad, whether it is weight gain or weight lose.
5. Don’t over the limit when eating proteins and fats or weight gaining supplements or doing exercise.
6. Just remember weight gaining is not for becoming fatty, weight gaining is only for stay healthy.