ITS a popular believe that many people want to shed the excess weight,but there is aso some of those who want to add since in every action there is also its reaction.
Genetics
influence your body build and structure such that if your parents or siblings
are small bodied, then the likelihood is that you may have the same build.
In addition,
metabolism is also influenced by genetics. Metabolism is basically how your
body processes the calories we take in as food, in terms of breakdown to
release energy or storage.
The people
with faster metabolisms tend to breakdown calories faster and thus it may seem
that no matter how much they eat, they tend to maintain their weight.
On the other
hand, those with slow metabolisms breakdown calories slower and tend to store
more which means, they easily add weight. Although being lean can often be
healthy, being underweight can be a cause for concern if it’s the result of
poor nutrition or a medical condition or if one is pregnant or has other health
concerns and therefore the need for a proper medical review to rule out the
cause of the low weight and set a weight gain plan.
However, one
may wish to gain weight for various reasons.
First, one
must decide what kind of weight they want to gain. There are some options that
one could choose from. Here are examples:
Water weight —This is the easiest to gain. Drink a
lot of water then weigh yourself; but this is not sustainable.
Bone weight — This is very difficult to change as
this is genetically determined.
Fat weight — This is the kind of weight most
people gain with time but in reality want to avoid.
Muscle weight— This is what most people typically
want to gain.
Key to any
weight gain is a good nutrition and exercise plan. Calories are the units we
use to measure the energy contained in food, much in the same way we use kilograms
to measure the weight of things.
To actually
gain weight, you must consume more calories than those that you spend. This
means you must create a caloric excess. So some foods have more calories than
others.
A good weight plan should include:
Eating
regular meals every day, instead of two or three large meals eat five or six
smaller meals. It will also include eating foods rich in nutrients. Include all
food groups at meals including a whole grain breads and cereals, lean protein,
nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, dairy and healthy fats.
Eat healthy
snacks like nuts fruits and vegetables. Adding additional sources of calories
to your dishes like the use of cheese in casserole dishes, soups, omelettes and
scrambled eggs is also advisable.
Avoid diet
soda, coffee and other drinks with either excessive or few calories and little
nutritional value. Instead, drink healthy shakes.
It is also
advisable to drink fluids thirty minutes before or after a meal, not with the
meal. This helps you avoid becoming full before you eat. Lastly, increase your
exercise gradually, especially strength training.
This is the
only real way to gain weight by building up muscles. In addition exercise may
also stimulate your appetite.
By DR TOROOTI MWIRIGI
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