Although most of the people in the world either overweight or obese, even more people are suffering from the problem of being too thin and looking for natural weight gain. This is a matter of concern, because having less weight than normal is as bad for your health as obesity.
We know that due to weight loss, people have to look at things like being joking around them, depression, loneliness in society, etc., besides lack of immunity, weakness and some changes in their routine strapped to gain weight. For them, these small changes in the diet will help you to gain weight, regularly include them in your daily diet.
Whether You Need Weight Gain?
The body mass index (BMI) of underweight people is less than 18.5. People with low body mass index are called underweight and are advised to increase weight. In contrast, people with a BMI of more than 25 are considered obese in the category of overweight.
BMI | NUTRITIONAL STATUS |
Below 18.5 | Underweight |
18.5-24.9 | Normal Weight |
25.0-29.0 | Pre-obesity |
30.0-34.9 | Obesity Class 1 |
35.0-39.9 | Obesity Class 2 |
Above 40 | Obesity Class 3 |
However, keep in mind that there are also many problems with BMI scale, which are based only on weight and height. It is not related to muscles. Some people are naturally very thin but still healthy. Losing weight according to this scale does not mean that you have a health problem.
Footnote. Before gain weight you must know your BMI (Body Mass Index). People those have less than 18.5 of BMI consider as underweight and those have more than 25 are consider as obese. |
14 Golden Rules for Natural Weight Gain.
- High Calorie Food.
- Balanced Diet.
- Do Not Delay the Two meals.
- High Amount of Protein.
- High Quality Fats.
- Weight Gaining Fruits and Vegetables.
- Take Small Foods.
- Use More Energy than you Need.
- After Workout Meal.
- Regular Exercise.
- Yoga.
- Deficiency in the Absorption.
- Weight Loss Diseases.
- Record Weight.
High Calorie Food for Weight Gain.
Consume bran flour, bread, rice, potatoes, sweet potato, full cream milk and curd, paneer, mango, litchi, banana, palm, semolina, jaggery, chocolate, honey and maple syrup. Those foodstuffs are considered as a high calorie food and very much effective for weight gain. Through which you can fulfill your daily calorie requirement.
Diet for Weight Gain.
Eat ghee or butter with bread, whenever you take milk, you can also increase calories by adding chocolate or almond powder. You can also take milk, buttermilk instead of water.
Do Not Delay The Two Meals.
Never delay between two meals. Prefer home-made food, milkshake (with nuts), corn salad, boiled gram salad, paneer sandwich, dates and almond-raisins etc. in mid-meal. So that you will be able to increase your energy content.
Protein for Weight Gain.
Due to weight loss, the muscles are weakened. So you must use high-protein foods, pulses, rajma, chickpeas, yogurt, egg, fish and lean meats etc. If your food has a low protein content, you can also ask your doctor to take protein supplements.
Fats for Weight Gain.
They will not only meet your daily fat requirement but also helps you to gain weight. You can take almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, white sesame seeds, linseed seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds and melon seeds etc. in your salad, smoothie, fruit or with tea etc. For oil you can include mustered, olive, sunflower, canola, sesame, coconut and homemade white butter etc. in your food.
Fruits and Vegetables for Weight Gain.
In fruits you can use mango, litchi, banana, grapes, palm and vegetables. In the ground vegetables you can use potatoes, sweet potato and carrots etc. (Use minimally if diabetic).
Take Small Foods for Weight Gain.
If you take more food at a time, it is seen as a problem of central obesity (i.e. fat accumulation on the abdomen) and there is also a problem of bloating, so divide the food of the day into 5-6 portions.
Use More Energy Than You Need.
Try to consume 300 to 500 more energy from the daily requirement to increase weight. You can use our calorie calculator with the right information to know the daily requirement of energy and to find out the energy of the food items.
After Workout Meal.
Regular workout helps to increase weight and muscles. If you are a vegetarian, you can take low fat paneer and if you are non-vegetarian then you may take boiled eggs or boiled chicane. If you want to take protein supplements, you can take whey protein. But before starting any supplements, you must consult the doctor about your health condition.
Exercise for Weight Gain.
Suitable exercises for the body help you to make muscles, so you can get an exercise chart for yourself by meeting a physiotherapist or a certified trainer. Your exercise must includes all three items, such as cardio, weight training and stretching, which helps to increase your body muscles, strength. Apart from this it also helps to tone your body muscle.
If you cannot make these exercise, take a walk for a while, which will help you to digest the food eaten for extra energy and also relieve the bloating. At the same time, exercise creates happy hormones in the body, which helps to reduce stress.
Yoga for Weight Gain.
Yoga treats many problems such as stress, poor metabolism and lack of stamina etc. It is also very beneficial in increasing your weight. Doing many yoga postures increases your appetite, such as Sarvangaasana and Pawan Muktaasan. They fix your stomach related problems and increase appetite.
Deficiency in the Absorption.
Poor absorption prevents weight gain even after taking food as needed, often we hear “food does not feel in the body”, in this situation, there is a shortage of some nutrients as well as several essential vitamins like vitamin-B12, vitamin D, folate and iron etc. Get a blood tests, if they are deficient, start supplementing with the advice of doctor, which can improve the metabolism.
Weight Loss Diseases.
TB, the problem of weight loss is also seen in diseases like hypothyroidism, COPD, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison’s disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and AIDS etc., if you suffer from any of these problems, treat it as soon as possible or control the disease.
Which will assist you to increasing weight. At the same time, eat the medicines prescribed by the doctor in regular basis and at the right time.
Read Now: Breakfast Cereals: Healthy or not? |
Record Weight.
Check your weight regularly and use a diary to record it, which will give you an elevation to achieve your goal. Give this process a moment. A healthy weight gain or decrease is a time consuming process, so go ahead with patience and go ahead with your goal, don’t be discouraged.
Footnote. You must change your dietary pattern and lifestyle to gain weight naturally. Plan a balanced diet consisting all vital nutrients and protein such as paneer, chicken and boiled eggs etc. |
Change These Habits.
Avoid Taking Water or Any Drink Before Meals.
This habit will already fill your stomach so that you will not be able to take enough food.
Avoid Junk Food.
The use of junk food will definitely increase your weight, but with weight, it also triggers other health related problems, such as cholesterol, heart related problems and blood pressure etc.
Supplements.
A lot of supplements in the market are available with a claim to increase weight, but some of these supplements cause a lot of damage to our liver and kidneys. So consult with your doctor before starting any medicine or supplements.
Avoid Eating Disorders.
Eating disorder is one of the main causes of malnutrition, in which (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa) they either leave food or has seen a lot of food habit at once. This causes obesity or malnutrition, as a result you may face state of weight loss or obesity.
Alcohol.
Most of the alcohols are contains cheap nutrients, which hamper our metabolism and increase fat percentage in the body. It also hamper our liver, kidney and promotes other several health issues. So, it is important to avoid alcohol if you want to achieve your goal of weight gain.
Stay Away From Gadgets.
Today gadgets are involved in every task of our routine, try to eat food by keeping or closing your mobile, tablet and laptop while eating, which increases the chances of overeating, causing problems of digestive system disorders and bloating.
Smoking.
A little bit smoke suppresses appetite and also increases your metabolism. When you quit smoking, your appetite and metabolism becomes back to normal, making you hungrier and the body has to spend less calories.
In addition, your ability to smell and taste food improves after quitting smoking. You can increase the amount of energy by making food more attractive and tasty, which will prove beneficial in increasing weight.
Footnote. In the journey of weight gain you must quit some bad habits from your daily routine. Such as smoking, alcohol and junk food etc. As this habits promotes several health issues. |
Read Now: Nutritional Management of Acute Pancreatitis. |
Medical Reasons for Underweight.
There are many medical conditions that cause unhealthy weight loss. Some of them are the following;
Eating Disorders.
It may have conditions of anorexia nervosa, which is a serious mental illness. It changes the ability of a person to think about his body, food and eating habits and receive a very small amount of food.
Thyroid Problems.
Having hyperthyroidism (an overdose of thyroid hormone) promotes metabolism which causes a lot of difficulty in gaining weight or the person gets into an underweight situation.
Celiac Disease.
Eating gluten-wheat proteins in celiac disease causes damage to the small intestines. Most people suffering from this disease do not know that they have these diseases.
Diabetes.
Uncontrolled diabetes (mainly type 1) also leads to weight loss.
Read Now: Nutrition Concerns for Adolescence |
Cancer.
Cancerous tumours often burn large amounts of calories and cause a lot of weight loss.
Infections.
Some infections can lose too much weight. These include parasitic, TB and HIV-AIDS infections. If you have recently lost a lot of weight without trying, you are able to notice the above conditions. In this case, meet the doctor as soon as possible and check your entire body.
Footnote. In spite of dietary pattern and lifestyle, your medical condition is also responsible for your overall health. If you have any disease such as diabetes, sugar and cancer then it will hamper your natural weight. |
Additional Tips for Natural Weight Gain.
Natural Weight Gain Supplements.
The natural weight supplements are:
- Protein powder.
- Creatine powder.
- Citrulline.
- Caffeine.
- Beta-Alanine.
- HMB.
Natural Weight Gain Pills.
The natural weight gain pills are:
- Oxandrolone.
- Oxometholone.
- Methyltestosterone.
Natural Weight Gain Herbs.
The natural weight gain herbs are:
- Ginger.
- Mulethi.
- Ashwagandha avaleha.
- Badam pak.
Frequently Asked Question.
1. How to gain weight naturally at home?
To gain weight naturally at home following things can be done:
- Add butter and sugar in your daily diet.
- Eat dates along with milk.
- Take afternoon nap.
- Instead of tea, take a glass of banana shake in the morning.
- Eat mango along with milk.
- Eat baked potato instead of boiling them.
- Keep peanut butter in your diet.
Bottom Line.
Last but not the least, maintain a healthy weight is more important. If you have any medical problems you should consult with your doctor. Apart from that you must maintain a healthy lifestyle with healthy diet. It is always recommended to make a daily exercise habit according to your ability.
+6 Sources
Freaktofit has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, educational research institutes, and medical organizations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and up-to-date by reading our editorial policy.
- Everything You Need to Know About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); https://www.healthline.com/health/copd#:~:text=Chronic%20obstructive%20pulmonary%20disease%2C%20commonly,interferes%20with%20outward%20air%20flow.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353315
- Addison’s disease; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/addisons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350293
- Anorexia nervosa; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591
- Bulimia nervosa; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bulimia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353615
- What to know about celiac disease; https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/38085#:~:text=Celiac%20disease%20is%20a%20chronic,malabsorption%20of%20minerals%20and%20nutrients.