When it comes to our overall health, we often hear that we should achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Whenever weight change is the goal, whether it is to gain or to lose, most people want quick results, and that is not the goal in a healthy weight.
Healthy weight isn’t just losing pounds, but a way to feel better from outside and inside. While exercise is the way to build muscle mass, overall weight gain must start with a healthy plate. So these are some ideas that you should follow in order to gain weight in a healthy way:
1. Proteins
Include proteins in every meal and use them as snacks. Good sources of quality proteins are lean proteins (poultry, fish, seafood and lean cuts of meat) and vegetarian protein sources like beans and tofu. You should increase calories by boosting your portion size, instead of higher-calorie foods, like fatty meats.
2. Get proper sleep
Snooze time is essential when it comes to gaining weight. Most of muscle repair and growth of the muscle itself is done during our sleep. This is why proper sleep and rest days are important for the development of muscle mass. Trained muscles should be given 2 to 3 days for full recovery and you should be aiming for 8 hours of sleep per night.
3. Eat healthy but high-calorie foods
Eat as much as you can high calorie fruits like bananas and mangoes. Avoid too much liquid intake during meals, but instead, consume fluids in between meals. Apart from this, do not forget to exercise regularly. Exercise is highly recommended for your body’s activity and aid in maintaining an active metabolism.
4. Healthy snacking
They can also help healthy weight gain. Trying to work in an extra 500 calories or more daily is easier if you include healthy snacks. Aim for 3 meals and 3 snacks daily and try to space meals and snacks evenly. That way, there is much lower chance that your snack will ruin your appetite next time you eat.
5. Choose calorie-dense whole grains
Eat cereals that get their extra calories from dried fruits, nuts and seeds instead of extra fat or sugar. You can even boost the calories in hot cereals by cooking them in milk or soy milk and then stir in nuts or nut butter, dried fruit, mashed banana or seeds. Look for heavy, dense whole grain bread; they have more calories per slice than ‘regular’ bread. You should also load up on foods like brown rice, whole grain pasta, and quinoa.
6. Drink your calories
Liquids can contain more calories but are less filling than solid foods. Milk, 100 % fruit juice and smoothies are all healthy alternatives. You can get extra calories with nutrient-dense meals, like shakes made with whole fruits and protein powder. You can use prepackaged or mix up your own. Just look for varieties with low-added-sugar content and natural ingredients.
7. Healthy weight gain takes time
In order to underweight people gain a pound in a week’s time, they need to eat an extra 500 calories above what they burn every single day, which is really not easy at all. And many times (in an attempt to speed the process) they eat unhealthy and high-calorie foods that are loaded with sugar and fat. Besides the fact that these foods do not provide proper nutrition, they are also not likely to lead to healthy weight gain.