Gaining weight quickly and healthily: 10 tips!

1. With the masses of people looking to lose weight, you would almost forget that the opposite also happens! In addition to obesity, underweight can also be a serious problem. And if you have little appetite, gaining weight can be at least as difficult as losing weight.

1. A similar problem plays a role in many strength athletes. They too have to gain weight and gain weight in order to develop more muscle tissue. In both cases, arriving healthy is quite a challenge! In this comprehensive article we look at where the pitfalls are, and we give you some practical tips to gain weight.

The problem of being underweight

1. You are officially underweight when your BMI is below 18.5. Below that limit, your body simply no longer has the means to continue to function properly on all fronts. That causes more problems than people often think! For example, being underweight can lead to fertility problems: girls will stop having their periods at some point.

1. Your immune system also deteriorates, and you have a higher chance of, for example, fractures and infections. The risk of tissue breakdown and dementia is greater later in life. Finally, being underweight carries a much higher risk of premature death. Every reason to keep your BMI above that limit, so.

Causes underweight

1. When you notice that you are underweight, it is wise to first look at the causes. For some people it is a matter of construction; they have usually been on the light side all their lives. However, if you suddenly start to lose weight, that could be a reason to see your doctor.

1. Sudden weight loss can be an indicator of underlying medical problems. The Netherlands Nutrition Center cites a few examples, such as a malfunctioning intestine or an infection that causes more energy consumption. In those cases you prefer to have medical advice as soon as possible.

2. Sudden weight loss can be an indicator of underlying medical problems. The Netherlands Nutrition Center gives a few examples, such as a malfunctioning intestine or an infection that causes more energy consumption. In those cases you prefer to have medical advice as soon as possible.

1. Besides physical problems, mental problems can also be a cause of underweight. When you feel lonely, sad, or depressed, your appetite often diminishes. And eating disorders also lead to underweight.

Gaining weight quickly

1. Regardless of what causes underweight, gaining weight quickly is usually the healthiest option. Of course, that is never as easy as it sounds. If you have a low appetite or a super-fast metabolism, you will almost always have to eat more than what you want. That can be quite tricky.

2. No matter what causes underweight, gaining weight quickly is usually the healthiest option. Of course, that is never as easy as it sounds. If you have little appetite or a very fast metabolism, you will almost always have to eat more than what you crave. That can be quite tricky.

1. It is therefore important to draw up a good and realistic plan. Don't try to stuff yourself daily without a clear policy. Instead, determine how much you should actually be eating and how you will do it. With enough support, gaining weight quickly is a lot easier.

2. It is therefore important to draw up a good and realistic plan. Don't try to stuff yourself on a daily basis without a clear policy. Instead, determine how much you should actually eat and how you will do it. With sufficient support, gaining weight quickly is a lot easier.

Healthy weight gain

1. What do you have to think about when making such a plan? A first important condition is that you approach weight as healthy as possible. Of course, you can also gain weight by eating chips and coke all day long. But that won't make you any healthier, and your health was precisely the reason you wanted to gain weight.

2. What should you think about when making such a plan? A first important condition is that you approach gaining weight as healthily as possible. Of course, you can also gain weight by eating chips and coke all day long. But that doesn't make you healthier, and your health was precisely the reason you wanted to gain weight.

1. So you want a diet that provides you with as many healthy nutrients as possible. This way you help your body to recover from being underweight. Moreover, it prevents you from only gaining belly fat â € “because that is of course not what you are waiting for.

2. So you want a diet that provides you with as many healthy nutrients as possible. This way you help your body to recover from being underweight. Moreover, you prevent that you only gain belly fat â € “because that is of course not what you are waiting for.

1. This point also applies to athletes who are not underweight, but want to gain weight. If you do this in an unhealthy way, it will not benefit your sporting results. To gain weight in muscle tissue, you really need as many decent nutrients as possible. So keep eating healthy!

2. This point also applies to athletes who are not underweight, but want to gain weight. If you do this in an unhealthy way, it will not benefit your sporting results. To get to muscle tissue, you really need as many decent nutrients as possible. So keep eating healthy!

A good gain diet

1. So as many healthy products as possible. What else does a good gain diet have to meet? The most important thing is to create a calorie surplus. Only with excess energy can your body make more body mass, so that your weight increases.

2. So as many healthy products as possible. What else does a good gain diet have to meet? The most important thing is to create a calorie surplus. Only with excess energy can your body produce more body mass, so that your weight goes up.

1. A calorie surplus of about 300-500 calories above that is a good goal for steady growth. If you really want to gain weight quickly, you can go up to the 700-1000 extra. Eating even more is not wise, your fat percentage will then become unnecessarily high.

1. Do you want to know exactly how much you should be eating? Then read this blog: how many calories to eat to gain weight.

1. What are good ways to get those calories? We give you 5 tips below:

1. Proteins provide amino acids, the â € building blocksâ € ™ for your body. If you want to gain weight not only in fat, but also in muscle tissue, you need plenty of this. For avid athletes, 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a good rule of thumb. Non-athletes need less, about 1 - 1.5 grams per kilo.

1. You get proteins from both animal and vegetable sources. Examples of the first category are meat, fish, dairy and eggs. In the second category you will find, for example, soy, legumes, nuts and whole grains. The Nutrition Center recommends getting at least half of your protein from vegetable sources.

1. Especially if you have little appetite, it is nice if you get as many calories as possible with as little food as possible. Energy-dense foods are therefore very useful for gaining weight quickly! Examples are:

1. Liquid calories saturate a lot less than solid calories. That is inconvenient if you want to lose weight, but do you want to gain weight healthily? Then wisely chosen high-calorie drinks can help you a lot!

1. Whole milk and buttermilk are good examples of high-calorie products that also provide many useful substances, such as proteins and calcium. Another tasty option is to make smoothies with fresh fruit. Juices are not recommended: they contain a lot of fast sugars. Even if you want to gain weight, it is not recommended.

1. If you have to eat extra calories, it is unwise to limit yourself to three meals a day. After all, at a certain point you are just full. To get extra calories, you can choose to eat more meals per day. If you prefer not to, you can also schedule regular snack moments.

1. Whichever approach you choose, it is wise to make a feeding schedule. This way you have to think a little less and it is easier to mustpower to eat. the easier you make it for yourself, the better.

1. Don't feel like putting together a feeding schedule yourself? You can also easily create an automatic feeding schedule with our handy tool. If you want to arrive, you can often slide a little in there. For example, replace the low-fat dairy with full-fat dairy to easily get more calories.

Extra weight gain tips

1. Healthy weight gain is of course mainly about your diet. However, you can also make a contribution with the rest of your lifestyle! We give you five extra tips here:

1. Many people do not or hardly exercise. While it is advisable - see below - it is not necessarily necessary. Even if you do not exercise extra, it is still advisable to keep moving enough.

1. Sitting still a lot has a bad effect on your appetite. By exercising regularly and getting outside enough, you increase your appetite. And yes, that also applies if you do exercise every now and then. Even then, sitting still at the office for 8 hours is not recommended…

1. As mentioned earlier: you would prefer not to have all your new kilos consist of fat. Preferably you also build up some new muscle tissue. That certainly applies to athletes, of course, but it is also the healthier option for underweight people.

1. But how do you ensure that your extra calories end up in new muscle tissue? By doing strength training! At least two workouts per week can make a world of difference in body composition for untrained athletes.

1. Where strength training helps you to build new body tissue, cardio mainly breaks down tissue. With sports such as running and cycling you burn calories and the production of tissue is not stimulated. That is not useful if you want to gain weight.

1. It is therefore best not to do this kind of sports too much. If you want to keep working on your fitness, you can do a short cardio workout per week, for example. Or combine strength with cardio, as is done in many group classes in the gym.

1. And for both strength training and cardio, limit the time you train. After an hour you increase the chance that your body will break down muscle tissue in addition to fat tissue to get enough energy. That is the last thing you are waiting for. Therefore, make sure you limit the duration of your workouts anyway.

1. Finally, healthy weight gain is really a matter of staying consistent and persistent. Even if you continue to eat well above your calorie requirement, it can take a while before your weight is where you want it. It is of course important that you do not give up before then.

1. Don't just focus on the end result, but also on the constant improvement on the way there. Weigh yourself regularly to see how much progress you continue to make. That way you stay motivated to keep eating enough!