NUTRITION
Healthy Eating
Meal Prep Vitamins & Supplements
Lifestyle Diets
Weight Management
Conditions
Products
NUTRITION
Evidence Based
How to Gain Weight Fast: Tips to Be Safe and Healthy
Why gain weight?
Underweight definition
Health risks
Causes
10 quick tips
Consistency
If you want to gain weight healthfully, skip the sweets. Opt for nutrient-dense foods and beverages, like nuts, dried fruit, high-fat dairy products, meat, and shakes.
Which food is best for weight gain?
If you’re underweight and looking to gain weight, it’s very important to do it right.
Consuming soda, donuts, and other junk foods may initially help you gain weight, it can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer (1 trusted source, 2 trusted sources, 3 trusted sources).
A healthier approach to gaining weight involves gaining a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat rather than a lot of unhealthy belly fat (4 Trusted Source).
A recent animal study suggests that belly fat specifically may be correlated with increased cancer risk (5 Trusted Source).
A high percentage of body fat also increases your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems, even if you are not overweight (6 Trusted Source, 7 Trusted Source).
To gain weight healthily, focus on eating more nutrient-dense foods and living an overall healthy lifestyle that involves exercising, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress, if you can.
This article outlines simple strategies to quickly gain weight without increasing your risk of disease.
SUMMARY
It’s important to eat mostly healthy even when you’re trying to gain weight.
Why is gaining weight important?
While about 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, there are also many people with the opposite problem of being underweight (8 Trusted Source, 9 Trusted Source).
Some individuals may be naturally underweight due to genetics or a fast metabolism. Being underweight may also be indicative of poor nutrition or underlying health conditions (9 Trusted Source).
Additionally, many people who are not clinically underweight may still want to gain some muscle and put on weight for other reasons.
Whether you’re clinically underweight or simply struggling to gain muscle weight, the main principles are the same.
What does it mean to be "underweight"?
Being underweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5. This is estimated to be less than the body mass needed to sustain optimal health (10 Source).
You can use this calculator source see where you fit on the BMI scale.
However, keep in mind that there are many problems with the BMI scale, which only looks at weight and height. It does not take muscle mass into account.
While about 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, there are also many people with the opposite problem of being underweight (8 Trusted Source, 9 Trusted Source).
While about 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, there are also many people with the opposite problem of being underweight (8 Trusted Source, 9 Trusted Source).
Some individuals may be naturally underweight due to genetics or a fast metabolism. Being underweight may also be indicative of poor nutrition or underlying health conditions (9 Trusted Source).
Additionally, many people who are not clinically underweight
Some individuals may be naturally underweight due to genetics or a fast metabolism. Being underweight may also be indicative of poor nutrition or underlying health conditions (9 Trusted Source).
Additionally, many people who are not clinically underweight
Some people are naturally very skinny still healthy. Being underweight according to this scale does not necessarily mean that you have a health problem.
According to the Centers for Diseases and
You must be logged in to post a comment.