“I would also like to have your worries” – this is what underweight people often hear when they wish to gain weight. In a society where everyone seems to want to lose weight, hardly anyone understands the problems of the underweight. But being underweight can also be very stressful for those affected and endanger their health. EAT SMARTER tells you what to look out for if you want to gain weight quickly and healthily.

Underweight – causes and health

Anyone with a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 is considered underweight . The BMI is calculated from the body weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of the height (in square meters). It is a helpful guide to a person’s nutritional status.

Nevertheless, the BMI should be evaluated with caution, as it does not take muscle mass and body fat percentage into account.

Underweight can have various causes: It can be caused by chronic diseases, eating disorders , loss of appetite with age, stress or simply by heredity. There are people who are naturally very slim and have a BMI below 18.5.

If you are underweight according to the Body Mass Index, you can still be healthy. However, to rule out possible diseases such as eating disorders, an overactive thyroid, celiac disease or type 1 diabetes, you should consult a doctor to be on the safe side and have your health checked .

Being severely underweight can have negative health consequences. A long-term study found that being underweight, like being obese, increases the risk of premature death in both men and women  .

Additionally, being underweight can also impair immune system function, increase the risk of infections and osteoporosis, and decrease fertility .

The nutrition expert Professor Dr. Kai Bühling explains how underweight and fertility in women are related:

“Deviations from the normal weight can lead to disorders of the menstrual cycle and thus also to fertility. If you are underweight and especially if you have an eating disorder such as anorexia, the body switches to the back burner in such a way that ovulation does not take place at all. Such cycle and conception disorders can usually be prevented by weight regulation fix it well. Underweight women who want to have children should therefore gain weight”.

Gaining weight healthy and fast

If you want to gain weight healthy and fast, the most important thing is that you do it the right way. Of course you will gain weight if you stuff yourself with unhealthy foods such as donuts, pizza, soft drinks, cake and the like.

However, your health will also suffer. When you’re underweight, you don’t want to gain unhealthy belly fat , you want to gain muscle and some healthy fat called subcutaneous fat.

That’s why it’s important to eat healthily and exercise, even if you’re gaining weight. The basis of being healthy and gaining weight fast is that you need to take in more calories than you burn. Depending on how quickly you want to gain weight, you should be consuming about 300-700 more calories than you expend each day.

To find out approximately how many calories you burn per day, you should calculate your calorie needs. Click here to learn how this works. In addition, it makes sense to start by monitoring your own calorie intake with the help of calorie counter apps. This gives you a good feeling about how much you have to eat to cover the increased calorie requirement.

In addition to the calorie surplus, it is important that you eat right.

In the following, EAT SMARTER explains which foods you should eat, which sport is suitable for gaining weight quickly and what else you should consider.

Eat plenty of protein

Protein is the building block for all parts of the body, including our muscles. In order to gain weight quickly and healthily, it is particularly important to eat a lot of protein. Above all, a high-protein diet helps build muscle mass and avoid gaining unwanted fat .

If you are gaining weight in a healthy way, you should eat around 1.5-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Since protein keeps you full for a long time, it is not always easy to take in enough calories with a high-protein diet.

If you’re having a hard time eating enough, you can try getting calories and protein in the form of protein shakes or milkshakes . It is often easier to absorb calories in liquid form.

Recommended high protein foods for healthy weight gain include meat, fatty fish, dairy products, eggs , legumes and nuts. A creamy quark with nuts and fruit or whole meal bread with scrambled eggs and cheese are healthy and suitable breakfast alternatives if you want to gain weight healthily.

Choose high-fat foods

In addition to plenty of protein, you should not skimp on fat if you want to gain weight quickly and healthily. Low-fat foods and light products should be removed from your diet.

You can use high-fat quark, cheese, Greek yoghurt, high-fat fish and healthy vegetable oils such as rapeseed, olive and coconut oil . 

Nuts and avocados also contain plenty of healthy fats and should therefore be eaten regularly. When choosing foods, make sure that they mainly contain unsaturated fatty acids , which have a beneficial effect on health.

Eat regularly

In order to gain weight quickly and healthily, it is important to eat regularly. You should consume at least three meals a day.

If you find it difficult to reach the calorie surplus with only three meals, you can also choose five to eight smaller meals a day .

Every meal should contain the three main nutrients carbohydrates, protein and fat. Giving up carbohydrates makes no sense when gaining weight, as it reduces calorie intake and makes it difficult to achieve the desired calorie surplus.

It’s also good to snack between meals to get extra calories. Suitable snacks include nuts, dried fruit, muesli bars , protein bars, yoghurt or even smoothies and milkshakes.

Your body has to adjust to the extra calories first. That’s why you probably won’t always be hungry or hungry when the next meal comes around. However, you should then overcome yourself and eat anyway. It is important not to skip meals.

Only when you take in more calories than you expend will you gain weight. In order not to lose the enjoyment of eating, it is helpful to take the time to cook freshly and to season the prepared dishes deliciously. If your mouth is watering just by cooking, you will definitely get hungry and want to eat!

In addition, it makes it easier to reach the calorie goal if you consume calories in liquid form in between. Recommended high-calorie drinks are, for example, shakes, fruit juice or milk .

Choose foods with a high calorie density

In order to gain weight in a healthy way, you should not resort to fatty and high-sugar ready meals. Rather, you should choose healthy alternatives to increase the calorie density of your food.

Opt for the high-calorie alternatives and, for example, cook a delicious Bolognese instead of spaghetti with tomato sauce . Complement her morning oatmeal with Greek yogurt , nuts and bananas.

Refine soups with cream and enjoy a sandwich with it. Dress your salad with plenty of oil. Choose a  latte macchiato instead of a small cappuccino at a coffee party in the café.

Even small changes in your eating habits can make a big difference! Your creativity knows no limits.

To stimulate your imagination a little, here are a few more healthy foods that you should consume in abundance in order to gain weight quickly and healthily:

• Nuts, such as walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, etc.
• Dried fruits, such as plums, dates or cranberries
• High-fat dairy products such as Camembert, Greek yoghurt, cream or crème fraîche
• Vegetable oils, such as olive oil or canola oil
• Whole grain cereals, for example whole grain rice, bread, pasta, oatmeal
• Poultry, beef, lamb or pork, preferably pieces with a higher fat content, such as pork belly or ribs
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes, for example as potato gratin or crispy country potatoes
• Nut butters, such as peanut butter, almond butter, etc.
• Dark chocolate
• avocado
• coconut milk

Train right

Proper exercise is just as important as diet if your goal is not only to gain fat, but also to build muscle . Weight training is good for building muscle. It is recommended that you lift weights about two to four times a week.

In order to grow muscle, you should focus on fewer repetitions with heavy weights. The weights should be about heavy enough for you to be able to do 6-10 reps per set. You should do three sets of each exercise. Endurance training is also allowed from time to time when you are gaining weight, but should play a subordinate role as this burns a lot of calories.

For those who are new to strength training , it makes sense to get help from a trained trainer. Trainers are available in every fitness studio who can explain exercises and equipment and create a training plan tailored to your training goals.

If you have health problems, you should first discuss with your doctor whether strength training is the right sport for you or whether you should switch to other types of sport.

Knowledge to take away

1. Consume about 300-700 more calories than you expend each day.
2. Eat plenty of protein : About 1.5-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is recommended for healthy weight gain.
3. Choose high-fat foods such as cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, nuts, fatty fish, vegetable oils or avocados.
4. Eat regularly : At least three meals a day are recommended. If you want, you can also eat five to eight smaller meals. It is important that you do not skip meals!
5. Eat a balanced diet: Each meal should contain carbohydrate, fat and protein components.
6. Snack between meals: Nuts, cream quark, milkshakes, dried fruit, muesli bars or dark chocolate are the perfect snacks for between meals and help you to reach your calorie goal.
7. Choose high-calorie foods : if you gain weight, cream sauces, dishes baked with cheese, oil, etc. are welcome!
8. Lift Weights : Strength training is the perfect sport to build muscle and gain weight healthy and fast.