Some might think that nutrition issues only mean treating obesity and losing weight, but there's a fact some might not know. The harm obesity causes isn't worse than the harm of being underweight. Both are bad and harmful to your body's health. To treat being underweight, there are basic good nutrition principles that can help you - if you're looking to fix being underweight - gain weight fast and safely while also increasing muscle mass. In this article, we focus on what being underweight really is, and the main good nutrition principles to treat it.
First: What is being underweight?
A person is called underweight if they look thin and not fit, and if their body mass index (BMI) is less than 18.5. BMI shows overweight if it goes over 25, and obesity if it goes over 30. You can read more about BMI from here.
Even though being underweight doesn't always mean health issues, in most cases a thin body lacks many nutrients and elements, which puts a person's health at risk and causes problems because the body can't do some vital functions. Being underweight is more common in women than men.
Second: What are the harms of being underweight?
Just like obesity threatens health with many risks, being underweight also carries many negative health effects, such as:
- A 100% higher chance of early death in women, and 140% in men, while the chance of early death due to obesity does not exceed 50%.
- Weakening the immune system health and reducing its function, which increases the chance of infections.
- Higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Being underweight also affects fertility and causes some reproductive problems.
- Increased chance of muscle weakness as you age, plus higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Third: What are the main causes of being underweight?
There are many causes of being underweight, whether linked to natural factors or environmental ones, including:
- Eating disorders: There are some disorders related to how you eat, which can cause thinness like: anorexia nervosa.
- Thyroid gland disorder: If you have a noticeable increase in thyroid hormone secretion, you'll definitely look very thin because this hormone level boost speeds up metabolism abnormally.
- Digestive system disorders: Common examples include lactose intolerance, gluten, nuts, and other food allergies.
- Diabetes: Poor blood sugar control in type 1 diabetes causes severe weight loss (thinness).
- Cancer: Cancer tumors often cause the body to burn more calories, which ultimately leads to weight loss.
- Body infection: Infectious diseases caused by parasites and viruses like HIV cause severe weight loss.
So if you're dealing with severe weight loss, you should see a doctor to find out why, especially if you're not on a strict diet and there's no clear reason for the weight loss.
Fourth: How to gain weight in healthy and safe ways?
If you want to start treating weight loss quickly and safely for your health, here are some key nutrition tips to overcome weight loss:
Add more calories to your diet:
Eating more daily calories than your body needs by about 300 to 500 calories will give you a slow weight gain. If you want fast weight gain, add about 700 to 1000 calories to your daily meals.
Eat more protein:
You need to get most of your calories from protein to build muscle and stop the extra calories from turning into harmful fat. Protein is the main building block of muscles.
Eat carbs and fats:
People who are overweight or at risk of obesity often get told to limit carbs and fats because they increase weight. But since you want to gain weight, make sure to include carbs and fats in your daily meals.
Eat more than three meals a day:
If you want to beat thinness and fix its effects, eat more meals, at least three a day. This helps you gain weight fast. Also, make sure these meals are healthy and cover all your body’s nutritional needs for safe weight gain.
Eat high-energy foods:
These foods not only have high energy levels, but they also contain a lot of calories which helps you reach your goal quickly, safely, and healthily. Important examples include nuts, dried fruits, full-fat dairy products, oils, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grains, meats, dark chocolate, peanut butter, coconut cream, and protein bars.
Add spices and sauces to your meals:
Because the only way to gain more weight and fix your thinness is to eat more daily calories, adding spices and sauces to your daily meals is a perfect way to enjoy tasty food and then eat more, helping you gain weight quickly and healthily.
Practice strength training and weight lifting:
If you want to gain weight by increasing your muscle mass, not just adding extra calories as fat, you need to do strength training and lift weights 2 to 4 days a week, while cutting down on cardio so you only get some fitness, not burn the calories you're trying to add. If it feels hard at first You can get help from a personal trainer that Fitness Garage provides for you.
Fifth: Ten more quick tips to gain weight and fix thinness
- Don't drink a glass of water right before eating to avoid feeling full in your stomach.
- Eat more snacks anytime, even before you go to bed at night.
- Keep drinking full-fat milk regularly to get more protein and more calories.
- Use weight gain powders because they have high amounts of carbs and fats.
- Eat your food on big plates to make sure you eat large amounts.
- Add cream to your coffee because it's an effective way to gain weight.
- Take muscle-building supplements since they help increase your muscle mass.
- Eat protein first, then vegetables last. This means start with high-calorie foods first, then medium, then low if you're eating a varied plate of foods and nutrients.
- Stay away from smoking. it's a harmful habit that causes your body to be thin.
Finally, it might be hard for your body to gain more weight because it's comfortable at its normal weight. That's why you need to stick to these tips for a while and avoid your other habits that could make you lose all the weight you gained. Otherwise, you might lose hope and feel frustrated, which could lead you to stop treating your thinness and stay where you are.
