On average, the chances of gaining weight are twice as high for women than for men. For example, as noted by weight-related studies and journal reports from locations like Haiti and the USA, we have a lot more older women suffering from obesity than older men. For this reason, more women and people are asking how to lose weight, than those asking how to gain weight. Regardless, weight gain is a huge challenge for some women.
The good news is such women can gain the extra weight that they so desire to have. This is provided they follow certain weight gain rules. We will help out in this IST Health weight loss article by discussing some of these weight gain rules for females. Just keep reading this study to find out what needs to be done.
Summary
Your Weight Matters a Lot
Being within a moderate weight range is important for women. As much as there are health challenges with being overweight, underweight people are not spared susceptibility to certain health challenges as well. For example, studies were conducted on a cohort of underweight females.
Gathered data from this group study pointed out how most of the participants were highly susceptible to health challenges like osteoporosis, hypothermia, lowered immunity, malnutrition, and decreased muscle strength. These are just a few of a long list of possible health troubles. This is the IST Health fitness scholar, just like many others, recommends that your fitness goal be centered on getting your body within a safe weight range.
Weight Gain Rules for Females
With a larger percentage of the female population dealing with obesity issues, underweight women do not get as much information as women with obesity issues. We exist for such reasons here at IST Health. To this end, here are some result-yielding rules guaranteed to help underweight women gain weight:
Beef Up Your Intake of Calories
This point is a no-brainer. A calorie deficit is the most likely reason for not having as much body fat as you should, or would like to have. So, your calorie intake needs to be increased every day to gain some additional body fat and even lean muscle.
One good way to do this is to add some dense-calorie extras to what you would normally eat every day. For example, don’t eat eggs and scrambled eggs alone. You should add a glass of fruit juice as well to beef up the number of calories you take in through food. The plan is to increase your intake of calories and so your diet should be structured this way.
Be Selective with Your Workouts and Physical Activities
Nutrition alone would mostly increase your body’s fat level. With the right fitness training, there is a high chance of increasing and developing your muscle mass and not just having body fat increase. So, exercise plays a huge part in helping you gain extra weight properly.
However, you need to be very selective about your exercise programs to achieve this weight gain goal. Don’t get yourself involved with high-intensity workouts that will not support your goal of gaining weight. Most high-intensity exercise workouts will even make you lose, rather than gain weight. Rather than high-intensity exercise training, engage in low-intensity and cardio workouts that support this course.
Be Selective with Your Food
Many underweight women make the mistake of eating just about anything to achieve a calorie surplus. While achieving a calorie surplus is important, you need to get the right kind of calories. This is so that you don’t just gain body fat but lean muscles.
So, don’t just go about eating anything without knowing what it offers you. This is why protein needs to be high on the list of foods that make up your diet every day. You can even use a good protein powder to ensure you get a high amount of protein every day.
Keep Track
Set out to get reports on how you are faring with your plan every week. When you set out to do this, you will discover what needs to change as weeks go by. You can even invest in pieces of equipment that help you keep track of your weight gain progress. For example, there are Fitbit devices designed to help monitor how many calories you burn each day. You can decide to use such Fitbit products.
Set Realistic Goals
Weight gain is a process that will take some time. You have to respect that process. So, set realistic goals. By realistic, we are not only talking about attainable, but safe and healthy goals as well. Your plan should respect all these.
Other documented weight loss studies on this website can be read to keep you well-informed. For example, you can read this weight loss-related article to find out if alcohol can make you gain weight.