How would you add/gain weight fast and safely? From where i come from, being skinny or having a slender body is a sign of not eating enough, funny right? It is always annoying when relatives would visit and the first question they would ask is, “You are so skinny, don’t you get enough to eat?” So i always pondered this question, and i know some of you may have the same question, how would i add weight fast and safely?

I have read many articles in the Internet, but many of them don’t really answer that question effectively. Most of them are tackling the question on how to lose weight fast and effectively. This is because alot of people are interested in loosing weight rather than gaining weight, because obesity has become a major problem in all parts of the world.

But i think this is unfair, because being underweight, has just as bad risks to a person as being overweight or obese.

In this article, i will outline very simple strategies you can try to help you gain weight. Please note, i don’t want you to just gain weight, i want you to gain weight in a healthy way.

Am i underweight? What does it mean to be underweight?

Clinically, people are classified as having normal weight, underweight, overweight or obese. This is done through the use of BMI. BMI in full stands for Body Mass IndexBody Mass Index. If you want to have a good understanding about BMI, check out our article on BMI and how it is used(All links open in a new tab).

Just to give you a brief overview, having a BMI of less than 18.5 is classified as being underweight. A BMI of 25 to 29.5 is overweight while having a BMI of above 30 is obese.

Let me make something clear before we proceed, being skinny or having a lean body does not mean you are unhealthy, or underweight. Many people may look skinny but in truth, are very healthy with BMI that is healthy(between 18.5 to 24.5). Also, recent studies have shown that women are about 2-5 times more likely to be underweight, more than men.

Health consequences of being underweight.

Just like obesity, being underweight is also not a good thing, and can be just as dangerous. Studies have shown that being underweight can predispose you to conditions like infertility, osteoporosis and sarcopenia – just to mention a few.

Some common causes of becoming underweight.

Clinically, many conditions can cause one to become underweight. But also remember you may just be thin because of your genetic make up, meaning you are healthy, not sick. Some of the conditions causing one to be underweight include:

Thyroid problems.

Conditions like hyperthyroidism, where a person has an overreactive Thyroid glands, causing an abnormal boost in their metabolism of the body, causing the patient to have unhealthy weight loss.

Diabetes.

Patients with diabetes, especially uncontrolled diabetes(mainly type II diabetes) can lead to severe weight loss. That is why these patients are always in closely monitored with their doctors, and on drugs to help control their blood sugars levels.

Malignancy.

Malignancy is a fancy term for cancer, any type of cancer. These cancer vells require large amount of calories to flgrow, and end up depleting the person’s energy reserves, leading to weight loss.

Infections.

In general, when a person is sick, they loose their appetite, reducing the amount of calories they take up. This can cause weight loss. There also some conditions and infections like Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS whose main presentation is weight loss.

It is important for patients who are underweight or have recently had unexplained weight loss, to visit the doctor, who will try and rule out the conditions above, plus others loke celiac disease.

Why you should be careful on how you add weight?

I know you want to add weight, but you need to make sure you do it in a healthy way. What doni mean by this? Taking fried food and soda from morning to evening will surely get you that extra pound you want, but this is dangerous because it can predispose you to serious medical conditions like obesity, heart conditions, diabetes and hypertension.

3. Get more calories.

Our body burns calories everyday during our every day activities. The extra calories is what it uses to build up your body, and therefore enabling you to add weight. Therefore, if you want to add weight, you need to eat more weight than that which your body burns.

You can use online apps or calculators called calories calculator, to determine the amount of calories you need to add weight. Ideally, aiming for about 850 calories above your normal level is ideal to add weight.

You don’t need to always calculate the amount of calories, this calories calculators are just there to help you estimate what you need.

4. Lots of carbohydrates and fat.

Here’s a simple rule for you, if you want to loose weight, minimise carbs and fat, but if you want to gain weight, eat plenty of foods, rich in carbohydrates and fat.

5. Atleast 3 meals a day.

If you really want to add weight, fasting is probably not a good idea for you. This is because during fasting, your body will start using your reserves to get energy to keep you going, resulting in weight loss.

Try as much as possible to atleast have 3 meals a day, and whenever possible, get an extra snack or meal during the day.

6. Visit your local gym.

Make a schedule, get a partner to help you visit the gym. Visiting the gym is an excellent idea and very crucial if i may add. It will help gain much more, and also prevent that unwanted fat cells. Visit the gym and lift heavy, atleast 2 – 4 times in a week.

One may ask, what about cardio, is it good for gaining weight? And my answer is no. Cardio actually burns alot of calories, which in our case we don’t want.

For those with underlying medical conditions, please consult your doctor before doing this, so that they may advise you accordingly.

More tips to gain weight.

Here are 10 more tips to help you in your goals of gaining weight;

Eat more often, remember more meals, more calories. But not overeating.
Love milk, it contains alot of high protein and therefore more calories.
Quit smoking, smoking is bad for your health.
Get alot of quality sleep. Our bodies grows best during rest, therefore get alot of high quality sleep. Making a sleep schedule is a good idea.
Drink plenty of water. 60% of your body is water. You need alot of it. But remember, you should take water Atleast an hour before a meal.
Take creatinine supplements, for example Creatinine monohydrase, it can really help you add some weight.
More fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, remember to add them in your diet.
Avoid stress. This can cause depression and will interfere with your journey to gain weight. Follow my simple rule, if you are stressed, seek help, talk to someone.
Eat energy dense foods. Remember more energy equals more calories which eventually equals more weight gain. Energy dense foods such as dried fruits, fats and oils, grains and nuts are a good source of this.
Cut on your alcohol intake

Final words – consistency is key.

You will not add weight overnight, and it can be a difficult journey. Consistency and being focused in attaining you goal is key. Don’t give up easily, stick to these tips and you will eventually see results.

Please follow and like us: