When we talk about weight gain, it’s all about eating more calories than the calories spent per day. Our body has to be in energy balance to maintain weight, but when it comes to gaining a few pounds and that too naturally, go for increasing a gradual calorie intake of 500 kcal/ day.

1. Don’t go mad for proteins!

Yes, you heard it right. Carbohydrates and the fats are the major sources of energy in our diet while protein is known for bodybuilding and cellular growth. And people go crazy for protein supplements to gain their weight, without realising that firstly, we don't need only protein. And secondly, fats and carbohydrates are not ‘bad’. Consuming healthy fats and carbohydrates is a good way to gain natural weight such as bananas, nuts, raisins, fatty fish etc. Nuts and fatty fishes are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation in the body.

2. Focus on the meal patterns

Rather than following the age-old trend of three square meals per day, indulge in 5-6 meals per day. Healthy snacking in-between meals is an important ingredient for the recipe of weight gain. These healthy between-meals could be yoghurt, smoothies, fruit salad, juice, bananas, peanut butter sandwich, dried fruits and nuts. Along with being calorie dense, they are also loaded with other essential nutrients. These meals should provide 200-400 kcal per day. Keep in mind not to overdo fats and sugar to gain weight.

     3.  Keep an eye on portion sizes

Increase the amount you were eating in a meal and avoid skipping meals. Begin by increasing 500 kcal/ day for 3-4 weeks and gradually increasing it. Keep in mind to increase 100 kcal per meal in a day’s diet. Say, you used to consume tomato and cucumber sandwich for breakfast. You can begin by increasing the bread slices from two to three. Also, adding paneer stuffing will help. Focus on making your meals calorie dense. To name a few, adding nuts to the gravy vegetables, paneer slices as snacks etc.

     4. Eating junk to gain? Unhealthy gain!

Do you feel that having junk food makes you obese? So, you begin to have more of junk foods, binging on fries and burgers. Do you think this makes sense for a healthy lifestyle? Overloading with sodas and sweets and pizzas will obviously make you gain, but at the cost of your health.

     5. Lift weights!

To make sure that the excess calories you consume goes to your muscle  than the fat cells, it’s important to lift weights. Yes, cardio is also good, but weight training is the best for those who want to gain a few pounds. It helps to increase muscle mass than fat.

A few handy cues-

• Drinking water before meals may suppress hunger. So, avoid water to make your stomach feel full.
  
• Eating more often is the key. 
  
• Drinking milk to quench thirst is a good option to raise the calories consumed.
  
• Bring in some larger plates from grocery stores.
  
• Also, quality sleep is very important for building muscles.
  
• Talking about the order of foods to be consumed in a meal, begin to have proteins first and vegetables last.
  
• Don’t smoke as it also sheds weight.
  

The final word

Yes, it’s true that for some it may be difficult to gain weight because your body is comfortable at a particular set-point. And it becomes difficult to change this point because body resists this. Gaining weight is a marathon, not a sprint. So, consistency is the key.