5 tips on how to gain weight

Many people with high metabolisms, thin frames, or low appetites struggle to gain weight. Whether you’re hoping to build muscle mass or to find a more healthy everyday weight, the best solution to gain weight is to eat more, and eat right.

If you’re underweight, you want to gain a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat rather than a lot of unhealthy belly fat. Subcutaneous is the fatty tissue lying directly under the skin layers.

There are plenty of normal-weight people who develop diabetes, heart disease and health complications due to obesity. Therefore, even though you want to put on weight, you have to make sure you eat healthy foods and still lead a healthy lifestyle.

Here are five valuable tips on how to put on weight and still keep your health intact!

1. Eat lots of protein

The important nutrient for gaining weight is protein. Muscle is made up of protein and without it most of those extra calories will simply turn into fat. Studies have shown that eating a high-protein diet can cause extra calories to turn into muscle.

However, keep in mind that protein is a double-edged sword. It’s also highly filling, which may reduce your hunger and appetite significantly, making it harder to get in enough calories.

High-protein diets include meats, fish, eggs, many dairy products, legumes, nuts and others. Protein supplements are expensive but they are also effective towards putting on weight.

2. Load up on carbs

Many people try cutting down on carbs and fat when trying to lose weight. However, if you want to gain weight, cutting out these food groups will make it more difficult to add pounds.

Ensure you add high-carb and high-fat foods to your diet if weight gain is your final goal. You should be eating lots of protein, fat and carbs at each meal.

It is also a bad idea to do intermittent fasting. This is useful for weight loss and health improvement but can make it much harder to eat enough calories to gain weight.

Eat at least 3 square meals a day to help work towards your weight gain goals.

3. Lift heavy

To make sure that the excess calories go to your muscles instead of just turning into fat, when at the gym you should focus on strength training not just cardio.

Try and go to the gym and lift 2–4 times per week. Lift heavy and try to increase the weights and volume over time. If you need help easing into it at first, try hiring a personal trainer.

Doing some cardio is fine to improve fitness and well-being, but don't do so much that you end up burning all the additional calories you’re eating.

4. Milk powder

Instant milk powder is a simple way to bulk up your meals, from sauces to soup. Simply stir in the powder while you're cooking. Wait for it to dissolve before you serve the dish.

Milk powder can make your dish creamier and has the much-needed calories to help you get closer to your goal.

5. Use peanut butter

Peanuts are packed with protein and fat. It offers an ideal meal portion for people trying to gain weight naturally. A single tablespoon of peanut butter has around 100 calories.

Peanut butter also contains vitamins like magnesium, folic acids, Vitamin B and Vitamin E. Apply a thick layer of peanut butter to a whole wheat bread for a healthy breakfast and to boost up your calorie intake.