Gaining Weight

In the past decades, the alarming increase of overweight and obese individuals prompted different health organizations to increase obesity awareness among adults and young.

Because much effort has been directed to obesity control, the unique health care needs of underweight individuals were often disregarded.

However, for individuals who weigh less than they should, gaining weight is an important part of the treatment regimen.

Being underweight can result from different conditions, such as eating disorders, chronic diseases and increasing age. The senses of taste and smell are lost in the elderly, which result in thinness.

Limited mobility prevents the older population to prepare their meals, which may explain the increasing number of the elderly who are underweight.

Individuals who are significantly underweight may increase their risk for heart failure and cancer. The underweight elderly are frail, increasing their risk for hip fractures.

Underweight men are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Home Remedies for Gaining Weight:

Healthy Diet:

A healthy and balanced diet is the most important home remedy for gaining weight.

The diet must include more calories than are used up in physical activity, allowing the excess calories to be stored as body fat.

Frequent small meals, around five to six times a day, is recommended. Include foods from different food groups to add variety to your meals.

Exercise:

Maintaining a regular exercise regimen is necessary for weight gain. Although exercising is commonly associated to weight loss, moderate exercises regulate your metabolism, resulting in increased lean muscle mass.

Resistance training exercises are the best exercises that increase your muscle mass; thus, it is recommended to include them in your regimen.

Focus on squats, deadlifts, bench presses, chin-ups and military press. Gradually add a small amount of weight each week, if tolerable.

Work out three times a week to achieve the maximum benefits from the exercise regimen.

Protein:

An adequate supply of protein is vital to build lean muscle mass. Including foods high in protein in your diet is one of the most useful home remedies for weight gain.

Whey, fish, low-fat dairy products, seeds and meats are good sources of protein.

Consume protein powders and nutritional supplements in-between meal snacks if you need more calories.

Healthy Fats:

Consume foods with healthy fats.

Add olive oil, sunflower oil and flax seed oil in your daily diet.

Omega 3 – essential fatty acids from fish oils is a good source of healthy fats.