Are you so underweight that you spent hours thinking about how skinny people gain weight fast? That guy you knew who used to be skinnier than you but he has gained weight and you are still thinking about how to gain weight fast and safely. It’s not fair, isn’t it? You were supposed to be healthy and muscled after your teenage yet, you are stuck with bones popping out and no muscles.
It could seem that the world is ending, but it isn’t. You must be loaded with work and have no time on your schedule but you can turn the reality around. First thing first, you need to ask yourself some questions –
Are you just a few kgs away from your ideal weight?
Are you still in your teenage and thinking about weight gain?
Do you have food obsessions?
Are you suffering from a medical condition that makes you gain weight?
Do you have a severe eating disorder?
If the answer to any question is yes, then you might want to read on, you may not find a perfect solution here but you can always change your eating habits to healthy ones. Let’s dive deep into the problem.
How Do You Know If You Are Underweight?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you’re considered underweight if your BMI falls below 18.5. Here is a chart to determine if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.
BMI Weight status
18.5 or below Underweight
18.5–24.9 Normal
25.0–29.9 Overweight
30.0 or above Obese
Why Is It So Difficult For Someone Who Is Thin To Gain Weight?
Genetics are to blame mostly for leading a naturally skinny body type for some people but not all are lean due to that. Some people have medical conditions and other factors that dictate their rapid weight loss or being underweight. Here are some reasons why it is hard for skinny people to gain weight naturally.
Hyperthyroidism
Sometimes your thyroid decides to go overactive causing excess hormones in your body. The thyroid is responsible for causing many things in your body from metabolism to liver to cholesterol to fatty acids etc.
If you have a thyroid problem, it can put a halt to your weight gain. You need to get tested and start proper medication.
Type 1 diabetes
In Type 1 diabetes, the body destroys the cell in the pancreas responsible for the production of insulin.
If unmanaged, it can cause a high level of blood glucose and lead to excess glucose excretion through urine. It causes unintentional weight loss.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by inflammation of the intestines. It causes conditions such as Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis, which can cause you to lose weight or make it impossible to maintain a healthy weight.
You should seek a doctor’s help as IBD can cause frequent diarrhea, and you may get limited to some food options due to the medical condition.
Eating disorders
People who have eating disorders may find it difficult to gain weight. Some people suffer from anorexia nervosa, they limit their food intake, which makes it impossible to gain weight fast.
However, with other disorders such as bulimia, you can intake enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.
Medications and Treatments
Sometimes medicines or treatments also lead to weight loss and make it difficult to maintain weight. Generally, people recover but some people find it challenging to gain weight.
Healthy Ways To Gain weight If you Are Underweight
How To Gain Weight Fast And Safely?
If your head is wrapped up constantly on this tangent, you might need to relax and look for better solutions as thinking will only reduce your weight. Here are some ways for skinny people to gain weight fast.
1. Focus on Building Muscles
Focus on both – cardio and weight training. They both are good for your health but training with weights is essential for skinny people to gain weight fast. It will not increase your overall body fat but with healthy muscle gain, you can increase a few kgs.
2. Eat More
You need to eat frequently and consume more calories. Break your larger meals into multiple smaller meals and include calorie-rich foods. In any case, eat at least 3 times a day.
3 . Include Condiments
Most of the condiments are high in fat and they will help you to gain weight fast. By adding condiments to your meal, you can easily add more calories to your daily food intake.
4 . Take Shakes and Supplements
Include shakes and protein supplements in your daily intake. It will help you increase your daily calorie count and maintain your ideal weight.
5 . Don’t Drink Excessive Water
When you drink a lot of water, it gets difficult to consume more food. Your belly feels full and you tend to avoid eating much. If you are trying to gain weight, please avoid excessive consumption of water.
6 . Take More Calories Than You Burn
Make sure that your calorie intake is higher than your body burns in a day. You need to make sure you are eating more calories than your body needs to gain the desired weight.
Also Read: Planning Gains? Check Out These Foods For Building Muscles And Load Up
What Is The Best Food To Gain Weight?
Life has become so hectic that you can’t keep focusing only on your meals, so it’s important to know what to eat and which food to include in the process. These foods are divided into 4 criteria:
- These foods must have high calories
- These foods must be low in volume
- These foods should be highly palatable
- These foods should require minimum or no preparation time
Here is a list of foods that are good for weight gain and takes almost no time to prepare:
- nuts and nut butter
- trail mix
- dried fruits and dates
- fruit smoothies
- instant oats
- avocados / olives
- eggs and omelets
- full-fat dairy (e.g. cheese and milk)
- fatty meat and fish (if eating out)
- olive and flaxseed oil (as seasoning)
- granola bars
- jams & spreads
- sports drinks (no caffeine)
- fruit juices
- cereals
- pastry and white bread
- (dark) chocolate
- chocolate milk
- weight gainer powders
If you have a little time in your hands and can spend it on preparing food, then here are some options:
- Chocolate banana shake
- Vanilla berry cake
- Caramel apple shake
- Vanilla blueberry shake
- Super green shake
- Rice dishes
- Red meat
- Brisket
- Potato dishes
- Salmon and oily fish
If you ever wonder how skinny people gain weight fast, just remember with a little effort and determination you can gain weight too. Stay healthy!