Healthy B.P.M.

Believe it or not some people want, and need to gain weight. Most of us can’t relate to that just as they can relate to the majority of the population that’s struggling to lose weight. Those looking to gain weight aren’t necessarily suffering from an eating disorder. They just need to gain some weight to be healthier. People—especially those who are very thin for their frame, age, and height—are ecstatic when they gain a few pounds. For them, this weight gain could improve their health as well as help to shape their bodies.

A healthy weight is an indicator of good health and does wonders for a person’s overall outlook o life. The last thing you want to do if you want to gain weight is to binge on a bunch of food with no nutritional value. Junk food, and fast food loaded with fat, sugar and sodium is a health hazard, so go the healthy route.

What you Need to Know

People who are naturally thin are often referred to as, ectomorphs. If you appear to be:
Fragile, thin, have a flat chest, a delicate build, a young appearance, are tall, stoop-shouldered, have trouble gaining weight, and muscle growth takes longer; chances are you’re an ectomorph.

Ectomorphs should concentrate on gaining weight by adding lean muscle tissue (some women that are too thin may also want to put on a little fat to look more feminine). Your resistance training sessions shouldn’t be too often or for too long each session. Overtraining isn’t good for any body type. Focus on lifting heavier weights, lifting at a slower pace and with longer rest periods between sets. However, you have to build up to using heavier weights. Start with lighter weights and when you’re up to 10-12 reps (a rep is each time you lift and lower the weight) it’s time to move up. Increase your poundage about 10% each time.

Increased muscle mass is your best ally no matter what end of the weight spectrum you’re on. Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less room in the body. Therefore the scales may register a weight gain, but the fit of your clothes and the reflection in the mirror tell a different story.

What’s on your Plate

You’ll need a calorie surplus to grow from. Try not to go any longer then 2 hours without eating something. Each meal should contain protein and starchy and high fiber carbs. While the diet should be focused around natural unprocessed foods, some higher fat foods like peanut butter, lean red meat, whole eggs, and reduced fat instead of fat- free dairy products can be added to the diet to help increase the caloric intake. Ectomorph’s have really fast metabolisms so the risk of gaining body fat is low. Even if you do gain some body fat during the muscle building phase, you‘ll have no problem getting rid of it. Lucky you!

Aerobic and other activities (sports, dancing, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, at least until you are happy with your weight and looks. Remember these tips to ensure a healthy weight gain.

• Focus on a muscle building routine to increase muscle mass. This also helps to shape your body. Resistance training also helps to keep your metabolism stoked to burn any fat you main gain as a result of increasing calories.
• Spend some figuring out how much weight you want to gain. As in losing weight, gaining weight also requires time and dedication. Stick with your plan until you get the results you want.
• Eat well, eat often and make sure it’s a well balanced diet.
• Enjoy your life in the process.