When we speak about our health, we often mention decreasing weight. However, there are situations when it is necessary to gain weight. This may sound contradictory, but there are various instances in which your doctor may request that you gain weight, regardless of your age or gender.
There is also the “how” in addition to the “why.” When you need to gain weight, you should still take a healthy approach rather than just adding a lot of high-sugar, high-fat foods to your diet. While this will undoubtedly increase weight, it is not always the healthiest method for your body.
We spoke with paediatrician Ellen Rome, MD, and registered dietitian Devon Peart, MHSc, RD, about why your doctor may encourage you to gain weight and how to do so safely for both children and adults.
Why may your doctor advise you to gain weight?
There are various reasons why your doctor may urge you to gain weight, whether you are an adult or a child/adolescent.
Less than a healthy body weight
According to Peart, physicians will search for indications of healthy body weight and, if evidence suggests you’re underweight, they may urge you to gain weight. “While body mass index (BMI) has a number of disadvantages, it may assist a doctor detect whether someone is at an unhealthy weight,” she explains. “The issue is whether you are receiving enough vitamins, minerals, and energy (calories) for your body and immune system to work properly.”
Defying disease
Dr Rome also suggests that you are battling an acute or chronic sickness. This might apply to either an adult or a youngster. “It might be anything like inflammatory bowel disease,” she explains, “where the patient has lost a lot of weight.” “Or it may be a cancer patient who has to bulk up before starting treatment.”
Such a need may also be required after significant surgery, such as dental surgery that interferes with your capacity to eat or another treatment that resulted in weight loss. “After something like that, when a person hasn’t been able to keep a regular diet, they’re not at their normal body weight and will need to get it back,” Peart explains.
She notes that different medications may influence appetite or even the flavour of meals. “Medication may make food taste metallic, so you eat less since it doesn’t taste very nice.”
Food avoidance/restriction disorder
While food restriction diseases such as anorexia nervosa are among the reasons someone may need to gain weight, Dr Rome believes that a recently identified condition known as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a reason youngsters may need to gain weight.
“These youngsters are divided into many categories, and they may belong to more than one,” she explains.
Among these groupings are:
- Children who eat little because they are finicky eaters or are just uninterested in food.
- Children who see food as frightening or hazardous. “For example,” Dr Rome explains, “if a kid chokes or becomes ill from a certain dish, they may choose to avoid that item.”
- Children who have additional disorders that lead them to avoid meals, such as persistent stomach discomfort, COVID-19-induced loss of smell and taste, or appetite loss from other illnesses such as infectious mononucleosis.
“We’re learning more and more about how to aid youngsters who have ARFID,” she says.
How to Safely Gain Weight
When it comes to gaining weight, it’s important to do it in a healthy, nutritious manner that doesn’t hurt your body or long-term health. And it’s not as hard as you may assume.
Kids’ healthy fats
Proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates are the fuel your body needs, particularly in children, and it’s critical to strike the correct mix. The issue, according to Dr Rome, is the way obesity is sometimes addressed. “A parent may be encouraged to cut down on fats for their diet, but it cannot be applied to a child’s diet,” she explains. “From early adolescence until age 26, their fat intake should be between 50 and 90 grammes per day.”
Avocados and hummus are high in these fats, which may help children gain weight healthily. Making guacamole using avocados is a terrific method to make it more attractive to children. Dr Rome also believes that ice cream should be consumed in moderation.
Select calorie-dense foods.
It’s the same with grownups. Peart advises achieving a balance by eating more calorie-dense meals that yet have some nutritional benefit. “It’s not simply about counting calories. “You may imagine that consuming a lot of sweets would increase calories, but not in a healthy manner,” she explains. “You also don’t want to stuff yourself with low-calorie meals like popcorn.”
Instead, she advises avocado as a quick snack. “It’s heart-healthy and contains good fat,” she says. Other ideas are as follows:
- Cheese.
- Nuts.
- Peanut butter (peanut butter, almond butter).
- Fruits dried.
“These items add calories to your meals or snacks,” she says. “Even if you’re eating a salad, you can layer in those additional calories in a more nutrient-rich, nutritious manner with avocado and dried fruit.”
Shakes with protein
Dr Rome and Peart both recommend various additional shakes for toddlers and adults. Dr Rome advises parents to avoid powders in favour of ready-to-drink smoothies for their children. “They pack a lot of calories into a container the size of a juice box, and it’s ideal for a parent to make the night before and give to a kid for breakfast in the morning.”
For those with lesser appetites, Peart recommends protein drinks or even smoothies. “Drinking may be more appealing (or easier to swallow) for some than solid meals, so that’s one method to acquire those calories,” she explains. “You may also add things like honey, fruit, and even dried oats.”
Eating at regular intervals throughout the day
According to Peart, one obstacle for some individuals who wish to gain weight is that they have difficulty eating significant quantities at each meal. “I would advocate eating smaller, more frequent meals and snacks throughout the day, about every two to three hours,” she explains. “This might assist if you have a lesser appetite or anything else that prohibits you from eating as much from a regular three-meal schedule.”
Adding snacks to complement meals or just eating more, smaller meals throughout the day will help you ingest enough calories to acquire the weight you need without pushing yourself to eat when you’re not hungry.
Drinks should be avoided immediately before supper.
If feeling full is a concern, avoiding big quantities of drinks before a meal will help keep your stomach a little emptier. “Anything you drink before a meal, no matter what it is, fills your stomach up so you may feel less hungry when you start eating,” Peart adds. Drink between meals rather than before.
How rapidly should weight be gained while being safe?
Everyone is unique, and our bodies respond to food in unique ways. As a result, any strategy to gain weight should always be carried out under the supervision of a doctor or with the assistance of a qualified nutritionist. Weight loss is a process that must be done correctly, healthfully, and safely.
For children
“With most outpatient kids, you’re looking for a half-pound to two pounds every week,” Dr Rome explains. However, she notes that it may vary based on your kid and their medical circumstances. “Collaborate with your physician, a dietician who specialises in weight gain rather than weight reduction, and an adolescent medicine specialist,” she advises. “They can make this trip more bearable.”
Adults only
According to Peart, most individuals may gain around a pound per week by eating 500 additional calories every day. The catch is that some folks may gain weight faster than others for a number of reasons. “A dietician can tailor a strategy to your specific needs,” she says. “They can work with you and your likes, dislikes, and appetite size to come up with a healthy strategy for you to gain weight.”