Though it seems like a problem everyone wants to have, not being able to put on weight can be a sign that something is wrong with your wellness. Being underweight can be the result of an underlying medical condition, such as a hyperactive thyroid, Celiac disease (which is a condition that causes ‘malabsorption’) or a bowel problem such as Crohn’s disease. Therefore, if you need to gain weight, the first point of call to look after your wellbeing should be at your doctor’s office.
However, if your doctor deems you otherwise healthy, and gives you the OK to gain weight, there are a number of safe, effective and long-term strategies that can help you to do so. There is a healthy and an unhealthy way to put on weight, just as there is a healthy and unhealthy way to lose it, and bulking up is an exercise in restraint just as much as slimming down can be.
According to Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, ‘If you’re trying to gain weight healthfully, don’t fall into the trap of chowing down on pints of ice cream, cheeseburgers, and doughnuts. The old phrase, “You are what you eat” is absolutely true—nutrients from food are literally the raw materials your body uses to construct new cells.’
Sass’s first and most important tip is that you eat frequently. ‘Don’t let over three to four hours go by without eating,’ she says. ‘Your body is like an engine that’s always turned on, so it needs a continuous supply of energy. When you skip meals or go long stretches without eating, you deprive it of the fuel it needs to keep going. The result is a dip into its energy piggy bank, which unfortunately includes muscle mass.’
The Mayo Clinic’s Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD, adds that a few strategies that read like the diametric opposite of weight loss advice could help. This means eating small, healthy but nutrient dense snacks between meals, such as ‘nuts, peanut butter, cheese, dried fruits, and avocados,’ she says.
However, trainer Jen Cassetty recommends that you start small, and only add an extra 200 calories a day, to see how well your body responds to the change, and medical nutritionist Dr Melina Jamplolis adds that ‘Your body can build at most about a half-pound of muscle each week, so if you eat too many extra calories trying to build more muscle, you will gain fat, too. I would suggest consuming an extra 250 to 500 calories per day.’
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