One of the worse things you can hear someone tell you on your weight gain journey is “You need to eat more.” While high-calorie nutritious foods are helpful, it takes much more than eating more. There are right and wrong approaches to weight gain and being in surplus isn’t always sufficient. The types of foods you consume, along with specific habits when learning how to gain weight naturally is key.
Often, people are told to consume more food without the motivators. This is one of the main things that those who can’t keep the weight on tend to struggle with. Although a weight gain routine can get you to your goal weight, you need to make sure you can sustain it long-term. In addition to choosing sustainable food choices, having a healthy relationship with food through better habits is essential. Keep reading to discover how to gain weight and maintain the results.
What You Should Know Before Trying to Gain Weight
Are you gaining weight for yourself or due to comparisons? There are a lot of various reasons why people may want to gain weight. If it is not medically necessary, make sure you’re doing it for the absolute right reasons.
Sometimes, the words of others and what you see around you can pressure you into something that is not necessary for you. Additionally, without purpose, you can lose motivation along the way, which also contributes to difficulty in maintaining weight. In brief, give your body a chance to develop and maintain healthy eating habits. Sometimes, it takes time, but eventually, you’ll reach your goals.
How To Gain Weight Without Exercise
Let’s face it, as much as you may dislike it, working out is important and a healthy way to maintain weight. Although you should consider it in your routine, the tips discussed are not exercise-related. Read on to see which exercise-free methods will help you maintain your desired weight.
Add Weight Gain Supplements
There are different reasons why gaining weight proves to be difficult for some more than others. Common factors are genetics, eating disorders, and underlying medical conditions. In many of these instances, you may supplement with other sources of calories, asides from your daily meal.
Supplements are also a method used when people want to know how to gain weight fast. They’re amazing when attempting to maintain weight, especially with a low appetite. Keep in mind that supplements are simply a boost and should not be prioritized over your meals, as the nutrition you obtain from food is far better.
For supplements to help you maintain your weight, you should first obtain the nutrients you need from food. For those looking to supplement with calories, mass gainer supplements tend to work best.
Avoid Resetting to Your Old Habits
Your body has a certain weight setpoint based on what it’s been used to for most of your life. This theory explains why your body gets back to what it used to be after you gain or lose weight. It is a way for the body to get you to a range it believes is favorable for you.
Avoid getting back into your old eating habits, which makes it easier for the body to adjust back to its usual set point. Your body will adapt based on your dietary changes, which somewhat manipulate your metabolism.
While your body can easily get back to its set point, you can counteract that by being aware of the foods you’re consuming. Therefore, switching to older habits that kept you at a lower weight can make it difficult to maintain your current weight.
Beware Of Replicating Others’ Diets
There are meal plans that can help you achieve your goal weight. However, it is important to customize it to your body. Although many of these plans are effective, they may not always work for you as they did for someone else, especially if not tailored to your lifestyle and personal goals.
Additionally, trying to replicate someone else’s meal plan may not be sustainable long-term. This is why it is important that you’ll be okay in different areas of life, financial and personal when you choose a meal plan. If you can keep similar or the same eating habits while gaining weight, then it is easier to maintain it.
Make Food More Interesting
Food boredom is real and can lead to a lack of excitement when you get hungry. Sometimes, you find yourself trying to eat just to satisfy your hunger. Whether you’re tired of the routine meals, or your food choices are just bland, you need to make changes. When you find yourself experiencing food boredom, it can make it difficult to maintain a certain weight.
Seek out exciting new recipes when you cook. Add some colors and different flavors to your dish. For instance, if you drink oatmeal with whole milk in the morning, add some dried fruits along with honey for flavor and color. When it looks appealing to the eyes, it is more likely to attract your attention. This is the same reason why food commercials leave you drooling and tempted to eat.
Watch Your Stress Levels
Stress plays a major role in weight gain, as it can trigger the release of the hormone, cortisol, which promotes hunger. While you want to gain and maintain weight, stress is not something you should bank on. The weight gain you experience from chronic stress increases insulin levels, which store glucose as fat.
Asides from the mental effects stress can have, you are also not likely to control the amount of weight you gain. Additionally, fat accumulated from stress often accumulates in the abdominal area. On the other hand, short-duration stress can also contribute to weight loss due to the release of epinephrine. Overall, stress is something you should learn to effectively manage when trying to maintain weight.
Spread Out Your Meals
Smaller low-volume meals spread out throughout the day is far more helpful than a large amount in one sitting. Foods with higher fat content are known as low-volume foods. They are higher in calories and less likely to make you full faster. Examples of low-volume foods with high caloric content are honey, nuts, and butter.
Eating low-volume foods in good quantity throughout your day ensures you eat more. You’re more likely to have space in your stomach to consume more food, which can help you gain and maintain the weight you desire. Additionally, you’re eating more, but less likely to feel heavy, which helps increase comfort when eating as well.
Summary
These strategies will help you gain but also maintain weight. While some biological factors are outside of your control, you can take charge of the things discussed in this article.
Weight gain maintenance can be difficult to achieve if you’re not careful with the choices you make. The main thing is to adopt healthy lifestyle changes that are sustainable long-term. While eating is important, being mindful of what you eat along with the additional factors highlighted in this article is essential to maintaining weight gain.
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