The perfect plan to Gain weight

Struggle with weight loss is something we all hear about quite often, but it is the struggle to gain weight that's heard less about. You'd be surprised to know that it is, indeed a sore point for many. At the outset, a weight gain program may seem like an opportunity for indulgence. Just grab some fried food and have a go at it! Unfortunately, just as healthy weight loss requires a balanced approach, healthy weight gain means more than adding junk food to your daily meals. Your journey to gain weight doesn't necessarily have to be unhealthy. As a matter of fact, wrong food choices can create havoc within your system. Agrees nutritionist Karishma Chawla, "It is important for nutritionists to break the myth of just needing to ingest calorie dense food to gain weight." Just like in case of excess weight, it is important to understand the underlying cause of weight loss or lack of weight gain. Dr Kalpana Gupta Shekhawat, Functional Medicine & Metabolic Disease and Age Management Consultant, SENSAnti-

- 

Ageing/Wellness Clinic explains, "Sometimes you could be suffering from hyperthyroidism - where you burn out whatever you eat because of internal disturbances. Appropriate diet, thus, gets extremely important. We even do allergy tests to rule out allergy or hormone imbalances. Inflammation is a major reason we should look at."

Body type has three main categories - ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Dr. Namita Nadar, Chief Nutritionist, Fortis Hospital, Noida explains, "Ectomorph is a person who has lean build and high metabolism. It is this high metabolism that makes your body consume more calories to carry out the daily tasks to maintain your body. This makes it difficult for an ectomorph's body to store fat and thereby gain weight. The key then, if we are to gain weight, is to lower the metabolic rate and increase your food intake in terms of caloric intake. Another way is to increase your food intake and go to the gym and put on weight not as fat, but as muscle which will actually be more attractive in the long run."

Why is it a challenge?