Reducing the weight on the scale, reducing measures and losing some folds are goals that are part of the list of many people in weight loss process While some struggle to conquer these goals, others seek the opposite path: gaining weight. You may have heard the expression "skinny bad". It is nothing more than someone who eats large quantities and, generally, does not follow a balanced diet, but does not gain weight. However, it is always important to try to maintain your ideal weight through proper nutrition. After all, how to gain weight in a healthy way?healthy?

First of all, it is necessary to understand the reason why the individual is not being able to gain weight. The genetic factor, for example, needs to be taken into consideration. One study published in the scientific journal PLOS Genetics found that obese people are more likely to have a set of genes linked to obesity. On the other hand, thin people have fewer genes linked to obesity.

In the study, the scientists compared DNA samples from 1,600 healthy, thin people with those from 2,000 extremely obese people and with others from 10,400 people of normal weight.

Despite the result, Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at the King's College of London says: "most obesity is acquired in adulthood and is linked to the obesogenic environment in which we live - an lifestyle sedentary and with lots of access to high-calorie foods."

Difficulties

Besides the genetic factor, the habits adopted by a person have a great influence on the way the health and appearance of the body appear. nutritionist Carol Maretto explains that knowing how to put together a balanced and diverse plate in terms of nutrients is extremely important in the process of weight gain: "Efficient nutrition is composed of a good division between what we callfrom macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat). However, the vast majority of people have difficulty in knowing how to combine these nutrients and the right amount of each one.

Diet to Gain Weight

One must be careful not to overindulge in unhealthy foods in order to gain weight more quickly. muscle mass gain That is, the individual consumes more calories than he or she expends in a day, which doesn't mean that the meals will be composed of foods rich in sugars and fats.

"The ideal is to adjust primarily carbohydrates (rice, potato, cassava, pumpkin) and proteins (meats, eggs, fish, beans, quinoa, whey, vegetable protein). The increase in muscle mass is very dependent on good sources of these foods," Carol points out.

Besides this, the specialist also brings up a mistaken practice in this process: "The big mistake is to eat less than the body needs. This compromises the weight gain with quality".

Physical activity

However, along with the increased intake of carbohydrates and a diet rich in protein, frequent physical activity is necessary. Thus, weight gain occurs in the form of muscle mass and not only in body fat .

While aerobic workouts raise the heart rate and are known to have a high caloric expenditure, anaerobic workouts focus on strength, aiming to build muscle mass. weight training , o pilates and the yoga are great options for those who want to gain weight and make their muscles stronger and more resistant.

Read also: How to gain weight the healthy way

How to gain weight in a sane way audible

Following a proper diet, rich in carbohydrates and proteins, and doing physical exercises are essential to gain weight in a healthy way:

• Quality sleep;
• Drink lots of water;
• Ingest vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables);
• Hormonal regulation.

On the other hand, there are foods that should be avoided, such as:

• Alcoholic beverage;
• Sweets;
• Frying;
• Soft Drinks;
• Snacks;
• Stuffed cookies;
• Sausages;
• Industrialized.

"They lack nutrients to help with muscle mass gain and can collaborate in the wrong way, bringing more body fat and lack of quality energy," Carol clarifies.

There are also cases of individuals who cannot gain weight because they suffer from hypothyroidism Therefore, it is important to have a professional follow-up in order to understand the reasons why weight gain is so difficult and the measures that are necessary in that specific case.

Source: Carol Maretto, nutritionist at Aguilera Clinic .