Weight gain, as much as weight loss, is a controversial topic. Exercise, healthy sleep, and regular nutrition are among the main elements of weight loss. However, all these materials are not just a guide for weight loss, but also for weight gain. For example, eating too much may not mean you will gain weight. Subsequently, you need to take a few more steps and make it a regular routine.

Weight changes are closely related to metabolic rate. When you are active during the day, your body metabolism burns calories actively. Metabolic rate varies according to age, sex, sleep, menstruation, pregnancy, endocrine glands and muscle mass. Men, for example, have a higher metabolic rate than women. All these factors play an active role in your weight gain and loss process. Before examining the ways of healthy weight gain, let's talk about the feeling of hunger and saturation.

Are you really hungry?

For your vital activities to occur, your body needs some kind of fuel. Since vital activities are constantly active, your body needs energy and you feel hungry at certain intervals. This feeling is replaced by the feeling of relief and saturation with food consumption. The presence of nutrients in your digestive system neutralize the feeling of hunger, which helps you calm down physically and emotionally. When your body digests any food, meaning that it uses it to survive and perform the functions it needs, the feeling of hunger develops again. This cycle continues as long as vital activities are active. Hunger and appetite should not be confused with each other. Hunger is related to the individual's physiological state, while appetite is a purely psychological phenomenon. Another issue that should not be confused with each other is the feeling of satiety and saturation. Saturation concludes with food intake, while the feeling of satiety refers to the time until the next hunger.

The feeling of saturationThe hunger cycle of our stomach shortly begins with a hormone called ghrelin. When our body burns food in our stomach, blood sugar and insulin levels begin to drop, and ghrelin communicates with the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus is the main command center in the brain with the shortest definition. The hypothalamus, located in the deep middle of our brain cavity, plays an active role in regulating our basic body functions, such as thirst, sleep and sexual impulses. The hypothalamus, which receives the message of "eat something" by ghrelin, warns us. So even if your stomach rumbles, the feeling of hunger comes from the brain.

Ghrelin also plays an active role in the secretion of the growth hormone. When the ghrelin hormone increases, the need to eat further increases as well. Therefore, weight gain and body development are closely related to the ghrelin hormone. Your stomach sends a variety of messages to your brain by releasing the ghrelin hormone every half hour.

The reason for asking questions such as "Why do I constantly crave something?" or "What should we drink?" is usually these messages. When you start a diet program, these messages get faster. That's why you constantly crave something to eat or think about food all the time. Your body will not be able to resist these messages after a while and will lose its willpower. Diet programs can fail for this reason.

For healthy weight gain:

Eat more often: Consume more calories than your body burns. Your weight is closely related to your metabolism and activity levels. However, if you do not gain weight, then you are not eating enough food. Find out how many calories you need to consume to gain weight. Then consume more calories continuously. Consume at least three main meals and three refreshments or snacks per day.

Choose foods rich in nutrients: Add healthy cereal bread, pasta and legumes to your healthy weight-gain program. In addition to this, you can consume foods rich in protein. Eat 1 gram of protein per your body weight for muscle formation and muscle healing. For example, you need to consume 55 grams of protein per day if you are 55 kilograms. The best protein sources for weight gain are:

l Steak, peanuts

Chicken breast

Tuna fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines

Yogurt, cottage cheese, milk

Whole eggs

Eating foods rich in carbohydrates: Vegetables are healthy, but they do not contain too much calories. For example, there are only 25 kcal in 100 grams salad and 380 kcal in 100 grams pasta. Instead of consuming salad alone, you can add greens into it. It is easier to gain weight if you consume more calories per serving. The best foods to gain weight are carbohydrates and fats. However, you should choose healthy fats for your fat consumption. Unhealthy fats can cause diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Carbohydrates and fat-rich foods are:

Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, peanut butter, mixed nuts

Dried fruits: Raisins, dates, prunes, apricots

Milk: Whole milk, whole fat yoghurt, cottage cheese

Cereals: Pasta, rice, oats, bread, sandwiches

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts

Oils: Olive oil, coconut, avocado

Meat: Chicken, beef, fatty fish

Weightlifting: Lifting weights triggers your body to form muscle mass. Your body uses the foods you eat to protect your muscles and create new ones. Lifting weight also increases your appetite, which enables you to consume more food. If you do not lift weights, or do not do not lift them properly, all the excess food you eat will be stored as fat. This is usually the case in people who consume more calories than they burn. Their bodies hide the extra energy in their belly as fat. For this reason, you need to work out. In addition, regular exercise helps you gain weight and increases your appetite.

Also;

Do not drink water before meals. This can fill your stomach and make it difficult to get enough calories.

Drink milk. Drinking whole milk to relieve your thirst is a simple way to get better quality protein and calories.

Use larger plates. If you are trying to gain weight, definitely use larger plates, because smaller plates automatically cause people to eat less.

Get quality sleep. Proper sleep is very important for muscle growth.

Do not smoke. Smokers are lighter than nonsmokers and quitting smoking helps gain weight.

Consume plenty of fruit. Fruit contains sugar, which can contribute to your weight gain process. You may prefer to consume fruit that does not require much chewing, such as bananas.

Do not exercise immediately after meals. According to studies, exercising right after meals burns calories, it prevents weight gain. So, you should stay put for a while after eating.

Do not consume junk food. The most important aspect of weight gain is staying healthy in the process. Junk food consumption may help you gain weight, but remember that it is quite unhealthy.

Do not skip breakfast. Your body sleeps eight to 16 hours per day on average (it can vary by person). Along with waking, your metabolism also takes action. Starting the day with a good and satisfying breakfast is very important in terms of weight gain. Be sure to eat at least one egg, cheese, cereals, milk and almonds for breakfast. The more varieties you consume during breakfast, the more you contribute to your daily calorie amount.