Body care & Fitness

Those who are underweight often try to put on weight so
that they do not look as thin as a hockey stick. Though
they eat all the fatty and oily stuff and eat lots of sweets
and diary products and drink gallons of whole milk and
cream, then also nothing seems to be working for them.
Well, if you are one of them, do not be hopeless because
it is not actually impossible to put on weight. But
remember that you should aim for a healthy weight gain
and not just adding body fat. To do so you should know
a few things about your body.

Your genetic condition

Genetics play an important role in shaping your body.
And this is hereditary, which means that if your parents
are thin then there are chances that you will have a
similar body type and you can work out how your body
might change with age. Your lifestyle also plays an
important role to shape your body. If your life steams
along at a hectic pace, you do not eat regular meals; you
are unlikely to put on weight easily. If you remain in
frustration and it is impossible for you to relax and rest,
you will face this problem. People who remain restless
frequently can burn up to 700 calories a day – that is
about two whole chocolate bars!

Your diet habit

The main thing about putting on weight is that you do it
sensibly and that you put on the 'right kind' of weight:
muscle rather than fat. Thus if you want to put on
weight you need to you need to take in more calories
than you burn up. The best source of calories is from
carbohydrates - you should try to get at least 70% of
your calorie intake from carbohydrates such as potatoes,
rice and pasta. Up to 15% of calories should come from
protein and the rest from fat.

Special strategies

• Keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to learn more
about your eating habits.

• Rather than struggle to eat really big meals plan 3
regular meals plus 2 to 3 snacks.

• Make meals a little larger or more calorific, for example,
an extra slice of toast at breakfast; drink grape juice
rather than orange juice; make coffee with milk; serve an
extra spoon of rice or pasta; be more generous with
healthier unsaturated oils, salad dressing and spreads;
always have a dessert.

• Have snacks to hand so you never go short. For
example, nuts, seeds and raisins; pots of rice pudding,
custard or yoghurt; cereal or cereal bars; milk or
yoghurt, wheat meal biscuits; cheese and crackers; fruit
plus small chocolate bar.

• Stop drinking non-caloric beverages such as diet
Pepsi, and plain coffee or tea. Choose skim or 1 percent
milk (we want healthy calories, not fat, so avoid milk
with higher fat contents), 100 percent fruit juice or
sports drinks.

• Make it a habit to routinely choose foods that are
higher in calories. Each meal should include some type
of starchy food (potato, rice, pasta, bread, cereal), fruits
and vegetables, and a protein source (chicken, red meat,
fish, peanut butter, legumes, eggs, cheese).

Regular exercise

Regular exercise and activity will help your body gain
muscle and not unwanted fat. To gain weight in a
healthy way, keep bones strong and your body toned.
Ensure regular physical activity for 30 minutes, 5 days a
week. You can go in for walking, swimming, cycling or
join a gymnasium. Take care not to be too active. If you
are someone who is always on their feet, make time
each day to relax. Remember that you need to consume
more calories than you can burn up.