When it comes to weight issues, people generally think only about overweight or obesity but that is not the only weight related problem.
Underweight or skinniness is also a serious problem and is equally harmful as obesity.
Earlier back in the initial days of my practice as a nutritionist, a client approached me and complained about weight gain problem.
She said “I am too thin; I am unable to gain weight”
How can gaining weight be a problem?
I would like to tell you that gaining weight is as difficult as the ways to reduce weight.
In this article we’ll tell you some weight gaining tips and also provide you a comprehensive diet plan to for weight gain.
As per statistics, only 10% of the total population in India are known as underweight. However, the actual figure is much more. This is because of lack of awareness.
There are many health issues related to underweight but we are not aware of it.
7 Indicators To Check Your Weight
The following are 7 crucial indications of you being underweight:
1) Your Body mass index (BMI) is below 18.5
2) Your digestive system is not proper
3) You are having gastric trouble
4) You feel weak and tired entire day
5) You are not able to lift heavy objects
6) Your weight is less, but you have a tummy bulging out.
7) You do not feel hungry at proper intervals.
Now let us look at an effective weight gain diet plan.
Weight Gain Diet
A diet chart for underweight person that helps to gain weight by increasing the muscle percentage without increasing fat % is a healthy diet for weight gain.
Most underweight people have a misconception that they can gain weight by just eating junk food. However, junk food can be very harmful for your health and it can elevate the health problems of an underweight person.
Now let’s look at the best diet to gain weight.
Diet Chart for Weight Gain
Follow this diet chart for effective weight gain:
Early Morning
1 banana
Breakfast
1 cup Milk (150 ml) + 1 cup (30gm) Muesli / Oats
Mid-Morning
1 glass milk shake+ 4 walnuts + 2 dates
Lunch
1 cucumber + 1 cup brown rice (15 gm raw) + 1 cup dal (Add 1 tsp Ghee) + 1 cup veg (100 gm raw) + 1 cup curd (100 ml).
Take 2 pieces of jaggery (10gm) after lunch.
Post Lunch 2 hrs
1 cup green tea + 1 boiled potato
Evening Snack
1 cup sago khichdi + 2 pieces of groundnut chikki/ 1 handful of roasted peanuts.
Dinner
1 chapatti + 1 cup dal + 1 cup veg + 1 cup curd
Post Dinner
Take 2 pieces of jaggery (10gm) after dinner.
Bedtime
1 cup milk + 2 almonds + 1 tsp Honey
Quantity of the foods will differ according to your weight and height, but the quality of diet should be maintained.
For an effective diet chart for underweight person, it’s not only important to know what to eat but also how to eat.
Ways to Follow a Weight Gain Diet
1. Eat every 2 hours.
You must eat every 2 hours as mentioned in the diet chart.
This will help you
- To improve your digestion.
- Helps in increasing the serotonin levels which help to maintain your appetite.
2. Do not drink Water
You should NOT,
- Drink water half an hour before having food.
- Drink water during your meals.
- Drink water half an hour after your meals.
Drinking water while eating food will lead to improper absorption of nutrients, and hence digestive system becomes weak.
3. Take 8 hours Sleep
If you are not taking the required minimum of 8 hours sleep then there are chances of hormonal imbalance. Sleep deprivation may lead to lack of appetite.
4. Never Skip Breakfast
- Breakfast is very important being the first meal in the morning. It is important factor in managing your digestion and absorption of food.
- It should be the largest meal of the day, and it should add either milk, milk shake. You can also include whey protein powder in it.
5. Exercise for 45 minutes in a day
Don’t get surprised, exercise is not only for losing weight, it is equally important for weight gain.
- To increase your metabolic rate (BMR)
- It helps to improve digestion
- It helps to shape your body
- It helps to increase lean muscle mass.
6. Decrease Fat content in the Diet
You should NOT indulge in consuming
- Fried foods
- Pickles
- Junk foods
- Butter
- Cream
- Sauces
- Preservatives
- Chocolates
- Ice cream
These foods will increase your abdominal fat percentage and will hamper the nutritional absorption capacity.
7. Chew your Meals Properly
Chewing is the first and very important step of digestion. Chewing aggravates your hormones and help in:
- Better nutrient absorption.
- Improving digestion
- It increases appetite if it is very low.
- It gives mental satisfaction if you chew properly.
Dietary Supplements are useful for Weight Gain
a) Pre and Probiotic
The dosage of Prebiotics & Probiotics Capsules should be 2 capsules per day, 1 after lunch and 1 after dinner.
b) Whey Protein Powder
Take 3 scoops of Whey Protein Powder per day in milk or water (preferably with milk for weight gain).
Take the First scoop during breakfast, second scoop during workout and the last scoop after workout.
c) Multivitamin and Minerals
1 Multivitamin and Minerals tablet per day after breakfast.
If you follow the above-mentioned steps and follow diet chart to gain weight along with the essential dietary supplements, you will definitely get good results in increasing your weight.
Do comment in the below box to give your suggestions on how to gain weight. Also share your experience with us and the results you got after following this diet chart to gain weight. Do share this useful information with your friends so that they can also take the first step towards a healthy life.
Photo Courtesy: dietnutritionadvisor.com, women-health-info.com