If you have been that extremely skinny guy in your high school days, never getting picked for the soccer team, then it is time to fix that stubborn weight issue. Worry not, it s fairly easy, all you have to do is make changes in your diet. Diet is the primary component that can help gain weight.

Some tips you can follow and design your diet plan accordingly are mentioned below: 

Increase your appetite by eating more to gain weight. But do it step-by-step and not by stuffing yourself too much at one go. Add one extra chapatti or more rice than you normally consume, or you even start with fruits by eating an extra one every day. Ghee, oil or butter can not only help increase your weight, but it may increase weight by increasing your fat percentage in your body. Rather you can eat a proper well-nourished diet and increase your muscle mass and not only the fat accumulation in the body.

Carbohydrates are needed to gain weight but include healthier options like banana, potato, mango, whole grain, rice, etc. Instead of sugar-rich food items like chocolates and other junk food items. Carbohydrates are classified into simple and complex carbs. Reduce on your simple carbs like sugar and sweets which later on converts to fats. Complex carbs like whole grains, beans or fibre-rich vegetables and fruits can be consumed for a healthy weight gain.

Consume protein-rich food items after your workout to increase your muscle mass. And eat good fats like nuts and seeds in your diet. Eating a handful of pumpkin or flaxseeds is a good way to give your body the fat intake it needs. Though junk food items like vada pav or burgers are loaded with calories, they only increase body fat and not muscle mass. This is not the right way to go around. Every meal should comprise of carbs and protein. Post-workout nutrients and a well-balanced diet with the proper combination of carbohydrates and protein is the most important to maintain your muscle mass and weight gain process.
Sample Meal Plan -

To give you more opportunities to get the calories to gain weight, aim to eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day. For breakfast, enjoy generous servings of whole grains like whole-wheat bread with beans or egg whites, paneer or Cereals and a glass of milk with nuts will be a good combination.

Mid-morning can be fruit juices, fruit milkshakes, 1-2 serving of fruit or granola bars. Lunch and dinner can be incorporated with 3-4 wholegrain chapattis with a serving of pulses, paneer, chicken or fish and a serving of vegetables with a portion of rice OR 1 bowl of khichdi which serves you with good cereal pulse combination. In between meals if you feel hungry you can have sprouts or roasted channa. Evening you can either grab a whole wheat sandwich, a whole wheat roll or a whole wheat sub.

Bedtime you can either have a glass of milk or either banana /mango/strawberry milkshake.

Right Ways To Gain Weight!

Doing everything right can still make you gain weight. Irrespective of your diligent efforts, that paunch comes in the way of your crunches. Reviewing your exercise routine, diet and overall lifestyle may have no effect on the extra kilos. The reaction to such stagnation could be as many as the conspiring causes. Backpedaling into an unhealthy way of life is what cowards choose to do. The ideal way of approaching the problem is to find out the specific factors leading to excess weight.


These few factors can make you gain weight


1. Sleep deprivation results in significant bloating: You may not be aware, but a full night s sleep is indeed necessary. When a person rests, the human body carries on with repair work. Sleep helps your body to get rid of excess adipose tissues. A person who has not slept for two to three days at a stretch or has only slept insufficiently is likely to look fatter or bloated.


2. Being perpetually depressed could be the curse: Depression can lead to extreme ends; you may either gain a lot of weight or may even lose weight drastically. If your depression is at an advanced stage a medical practitioner will prescribe you with antidepressants. Antidepressants tend to fatten you up.


3. An irritable or slow bowel syndrome can prove to be adverse: If you suffer from problems related to the bowel your tummy might show. A patient of irritable or slow bowel syndrome feels bloated throughout the day. Since they face digestive problems, their bellies protrude.


4. The gray streaks of hair could be a reason: Gaining weight could also be the result of your age. If you are above thirty-five your metabolism decreases; this results in slower breakdown of food. Exercising can help, but it usually shows meager results once you have attained forty.


5. Nutrient deficiency should not be taken lightly: Being deficient in certain nutrients can also make you overweight. Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium are some of the nutrients that actively contribute to a person s body weight. A lack of these nutrients can make you fat.


6. Edema could be the underlying cause: Edema refers to a condition where a person s body retains water. Certain parts and joints become swollen. There are medications that can help push excess water out of the body through frequent urination. If not taken care of, edema could be the reason behind weight gain.

6 Strange Reasons you are Gaining Weight

It s frustrating to see that though there is little change in diet, weight gain becomes normal as we get older.  Tyres  around the tummy and heavy hips are often seen as a sign of being middle aged. There are many reasons for this change in the rate of weight gain. Some of them are:


Lower metabolic rate: As children and teenagers, the body is constantly growing and changing and hence has a high metabolic rate. Metabolic rate refers to the speed with which fat is burned to produce energy. After the age of 30, this metabolic rate naturally slows down and fewer calories are burned. This leads to the accumulation of fat. The only way to boost your metabolic rate and burn fat is by exercising. 
Less muscle mass: With age, the muscles in the body also begin to shrink. Thus, instead of forming muscle, fat cells are formed as a result of digestion. When comparing muscles and fat cells, the former burn more calories and hence when they are unavailable, the rate of burning calories is lowered leading to weight gain. 
Weight gain in menopause: When it comes to women, menopause is another trigger for weight gain. This is because, this condition is marked by hormonal imbalances. This leads to a sudden drop in estrogen levels that triggers a response in the body to draw out more estrogen from the fat cells. Ultimately, this leads to the formation of more fat. Men too can suffer from hormonal imbalances as they age. This is seen by a drop in testosterone levels that leads to abdominal weight gain.
Sedentary lifestyle: As we get older, our lifestyle turns more sedentary. A sedentary lifestyle is very unhealthy and leads to not only weight gain, but a number of other problems as well. Without regular exercise, the body s existing metabolic rate further reduces leading to accumulation of fat cells. To combat this, take half an hour out of your schedule every day to go for a walk, cycle or practice any form of exercise. 
Stress: Stress not only affects your psychological health, but your physical well-being as well. Being under pressure or anxious can increase the cortisol levels in the body. This creates hunger pangs that lead to unhealthy snacking. When eating in a stressful condition, little or no attention is paid to the food being eaten or the messages your body is trying to give you. This often results in overeating that causes weight gain.

5 Reasons Why You Gain Weight As You Age

Ayurveda is a renowned life science that has been credited with changing lives since ancient times. Not only can it prevent diseases and ailments, but it can also cure them with its combination of herbal medication, everyday routine and yogic poses. Weight management is a field that also enjoys various Ayurvedic remedies. Some of them are as follows.

Herbs: Herbs are a way of healing used by Ayurveda, and the use of various herbs can help in hastening the metabolism for healthy weight management.

Taste: Ayurveda recognizes six distinct tastes that should be incorporated into one's daily diet. These tastes include salty, pungent, sour, sweet, bitter and finally, astringent. Each of these tastes has several properties that balance the various hormones and health factors in one's body. These tastes form the various counterpoints to alleviate all kinds of health problems, which finally help in effective weight management. Also, one must eat all the seasonal fruits and vegetables to keep the body and hormones in good balance.
 
Exercise: While a daily routine of exercise is a must in any life science, Ayurveda too propagates the devotion of at least 45 minutes to one hour towards some form of exercise. Walking is said to be the most important and effective forms of exercise, followed by several yoga poses that can help in better weight management. Also, as per Ayurveda, it is important to move after each and every meal, so that a routine of eating and activity is built into the system. 

Sleep: Ayurveda recognizes sleep or rest as one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. While good eating habits and exercise form one side of it, sleep or rest completes the triangle. One can also practice the Savasana or resting pose for a period of rest. And at least six to seven hours of sleep is a must as per Ayurveda.

Meditation: This practice helps in focusing on awareness which can instil the desired function like weight management in the body. Being mindful of what your body needs can also help in eating and exercising right.

Weight management is a lifelong process in Ayurveda.

Weight Management and Ayurveda

If you are looking to lose weight, it is of utmost importance to focus on your diet. Eating a balanced diet along with regular exercise is your key to losing weight. You need to focus on picking the right foods to lose weight.

Carbohydrates are classified into three types - simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates and fiber.

Simple carbohydrates consist of foods such as fruits and sugar. These foods should be consumed in limited amounts as they tend to spike your blood sugar levels. Excessive consumption of simple sugar ups your risk of diabetes and leads you to gain weight.

Complex carbohydrates are foods like whole grains, oats and millets that have a different digestive mechanism compared to simple carbohydrates. These foods are digested slowly and thus, the energy is released slowly into the bloodstream. This means that there is no blood sugar spike during the process of digestion. However, it is important that you should not consume these foods in excess. Overconsumption of these foods may lead to weight gain.

Fiber is a type of nutrient that is also known as roughage and it is present in vegetables and fruits. Fiber rich foods are cabbage, broccoli and carrots. Fiber helps in improving digestion as it adds bulk to your stool. The other important benefit of fiber is that it enhances your heart health by reducing bad cholesterol levels in the body. Fiber is helpful in weight loss as it improves satiety and promotes digestion.

Protein is another component that is emphasized on when you try losing weight. Good sources of protein are eggs, chicken, turkey and lentils. It helps in building muscle in the body, which in turn increases your metabolism rate, so that your overall calorie burn increases. It is recommended that you consume 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. Protein lets you hold on to your muscle mass which increases your lean muscle mass that burns fat.

Can Specific Proteins and Carbs Keep Weight Off?

Summer vacations can make you very lazy and it becomes difficult for you to indulge in physical activities because of the hot and sweaty weather. However, here are a few ways in which, you can avoid weight gain during the season:

Never Arrive Hungry: Eating before hand can help you stay away from different kinds of temptations as you go to a celebratory event or a gathering. This way you do not end up eating a lot of junk food.
Redirect Your Attention: Many people overlook that there is a whole other world to an event or a party than the food. Try not to look at the gathering as only a feast occasion.
Pace Yourself: In case that you pack in as much as you can in thirty minutes, you bite faster. Biting slowly will fill you up easily and this way you do not consume too much.
Number Your food items: At the point when there are food items that you can count as you eat them, put a toothpick in your pocket for every bite you take. Set the farthest point for a number of toothpicks you can collect.
Outmanoeuvre the buffet: At the point when food is served in buffet-style, use a small plate and do not stack your food. Restrict your servings to a small amount. 
Restrain Alcohol: Abstain from drinking an excessive amount of liquor at parties. It is not just about calories but rather about control. In case that alcohol does tempt you, try to drink some water and then ask yourself if you still need that drink. Most of the times, it is because of lack of water that you feel the urge to drink other beverages.
Be Choosy About Sweets: With regards to sweet, be extremely particular. Confine your desires to little servings and only to what is exceptionally tempting to you. In case that you know you are the type who cannot stop at one chomp, it could be very unhealthy for you. Try to tell someone else about it and let them help you.
Present to Your Own Treats: Whether you are heading off to a gathering or an office potluck, think about bringing as a low-calorie treat that you know you will appreciate. Bringing your own pastry will make other options less enticing.
Confine "Tastes" While Cooking: In case that you do a great deal of cooking during the occasions, get serious about every one of those "tastes." People lose their cravings when they have been cooking than they have been eating the entire time.
Walk It Off: Other than consuming some additional calories, this will make tracks in an opposite direction from the food for a while. Get people off the chair and move. Go out for a stroll as a family before or after the dinner.

10 Tips To Avoid Weight Gain During Summers!

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