Too skinny?

AS sure as losing weight can be a challenge, gaining a few pounds for some people is a tedious task. Nutritionist and fitness coach Donovan Grant said while most people will want to lose weight, there are some who want to gain and it will mean an increase in calories or food.

But he said the increasing of calories by any means should not be encouraged, so eating in a healthy way should be practised.

“In a nutshell, an increase in weight usually comes in two ways — an increase in body fat or by growing muscles. In order to increase body fat an increase in calories in excess of what is burnt will be necessary. An increase in calories can come from healthy foods such as fruit juices, yoghurt shakes, ground provisions, ackee and pear, among other things,” Grant said.

He added that once calories are increased there is the possibility that some can be stored as fat; however, it is important that this fat is stored in the right areas and not too much in areas like the stomach.

According to Dr Alfred Dawes, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, most people who want to gain weight do so for cosmetic purposes.

“We recommend that you gain weight in areas that would be cosmetically appealing. These include the legs, thighs, buttocks and arms. This is done by building the muscle groups on those areas and would involve a diet and exercise routine,” he said.

Below are ways in which natural weight gain can be achieved.

1. Diet

According to Dr Dawes, having a high protein diet and increasing your caloric intake over what is your daily requirement combined with resistance exercise or weight training can build your muscle mass. “It builds it in a healthy way so that the excess calories you are taking in is not stored as fat,” he said.

2. Exercise

Doing squats and lunges and resistance exercises, extending your knees or doing exercises that build your gluteal muscles, will increase the size of the gluteus or buttocks muscles and in so doing give you a more shapely figure. “Also building the leg muscles will strengthen them and give you firmer and bigger thighs,” he said.

3. Toning

According to Dr Dawes, you don’t want to gain excess fat, especially if it is stored in the abdominal region. “Aerobics will burn off the excess fat making you fitter and healthier overall. Doing abdominal exercises such as your crunches and sit-ups will help to tone the abdominal muscles so you don’t end up with a paunch,” he said.

4. Consume plenty of water

Dr Dawes said 60 per cent of our body’s weight is water. “If you are exercising you want to make sure you are not dehydrated and the water in hydrated muscles and under the skin will give you a fuller and healthier appearance overall,” he said. Dr Dawes added that this is a nice side effect to the health benefits of water, which include flushing your kidneys and helping your gastrointestinal system to flow better and decrease constipation.

–KIMBERLEY HIBBERT