There are many reasons people want to gain weight, from being too skinny to wanting to improve their appearance. However, whatever the reason, increasing weight needs to be done in the right way so as not to cause health problems.
Not a few people who do various ways to gain weight. However, how to gain weight needs to be adjusted to each person’s health condition and the reasons why his weight can be low.
Therefore, before you start a weight gain program, first check your nutritional status by calculating your body mass index.
If the calculation results show that you are indeed underweight, try to improve your diet or consult a doctor to find out the right way to gain weight.
Some Causes of Low Weight
There are many conditions or diseases that can cause a person to be underweight, including:
- Certain diseases, such as hyperthyroidism and diabetes
-
Food malabsorption, eg Celiac disease
- Digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Cancer, especially those that have entered an advanced stage
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa
- Psychological disorders, such as stress and depression
- Malnutrition or malnutrition
- Infections, such as HIV and tuberculosis
In addition, weight loss can also be caused by other things, such as extreme diets and side effects of drugs, including chemotherapy and slimming pills. Certain habits, such as taking drugs and drinking alcoholic beverages, can also lead to drastic weight loss.
Healthy Ways to Gain Weight
The best way to gain weight is to treat the disease or condition that causes weight loss. If these conditions can be overcome, the weight will increase.
In addition, there are several tips to gain weight in a healthy and safe way that you can try, including:
1. Choose healthy foods that are rich in nutrients
To gain weight, you are not required to eat high-calorie foods, fast food, fatty foods, and foods or drinks with high sugar content.
In order to gain weight more healthily, you still need to eat a balanced nutritious diet, such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, skinless or fat-free meats, tofu, tempeh, eggs, and fish.
If necessary, you can also take additional nutritional supplements as recommended by your doctor to meet your nutritional needs and gain weight.
2. Eat more often with small portions
A person who is underweight often feels full quickly. Instead of eating 2-3 times a day in large portions, it is better to eat smaller portions but often.
3. Consumption of calorie-dense and nutrient-dense drinks
Not only from food, nutritional intake can also be obtained from calorie-dense drinks, such as smoothies, milk, yogurt and fresh juice between meals. In addition to meeting the needs of body fluids, you can also avoid dehydration.
4. Choose healthy snacks
Snacks can be a source of additional calories that can help you gain weight. However, you are advised to choose healthy snacks that are rich in nutrients, such as yogurt, dark chocolate, fruit, or whole-grain bread.
Avoid consuming unhealthy snacks, such as fried foods, because these foods contain oil and high cholesterol. If consumed in excess, these unhealthy foods can increase the risk of diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, to cancer.
5. Tincrease calorie intake
To gain weight, you need additional calorie intake in your daily diet. Choose healthy sources of additional calories, such as sprinkling grated cheese on bread, butter in stir-fries, or cream and milk in soups.
However, you need to be careful in choosing foods that increase calories so as not to cause excess blood sugar, salt, and cholesterol, which can interfere with body health.
6. Drink after eating
Drinking lots of water before eating can make you feel full faster. Thus, your appetite will decrease and you will eat less.
7. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is not only done to lose weight, but also to gain weight. With regular exercise, the body will form more muscle tissue and trim excess fat.
If followed by a healthy diet, regular exercise can help you achieve a more ideal body weight. In addition, exercise can also increase appetite, so that nutrient and calorie intake can increase.
Gaining Weight During Recovery After Sickness
Pain for a long time can have an impact on decreasing appetite, causing weight loss. In fact, at this time the body really needs the intake of calories and nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins and minerals, in order to quickly return to health.
While recovering from certain diseases, you can eat the following healthy foods:
- Smoothies or fresh fruit juice
- Porridge or oatmeal
- Boiled eggs
- Tofu and tempeh
- Soup or chicken gravy
- Wheat bread
- Milk, yogurt or cheese
- Fruits and vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or boiled potatoes, bananas, apples, mangoes, kiwis, spinach, and broccoli
- Fish
- Nuts
Increasing appetite during and after illness is not easy. So that you can recover quickly and keep your appetite good, there are several ways you can try, including:
- Take a short walk before eating, because it is believed to stimulate appetite
- Eat your favorite food, as long as it’s healthy
- Reduce stress and get enough rest
- Stop smoking and stay away from cigarette smoke and alcoholic beverages
In the market there are many circulating supplement products or herbal medicines that are claimed to be able to gain weight. However, before you consume it, first seek information regarding the benefits and purposes of its use. Also make sure the product has been registered with BPOM.
If necessary, you can consult a doctor when you want to use a weight gain supplement product. It should also be remembered that even after using these supplements, you still need to have a healthy diet and exercise regularly to gain weight healthily.
If after following the guidelines above you do not gain weight, consult a nutritionist. Doctors can give you drugs and supplements or suggest certain diets to gain weight according to your condition.
