My daughter, Anna, is an expert at this.  She was anorexic at 12, very thin.  Her personality changed, suspicious and defensive.  Luckily, she wanted to continue to play soccer and softball so we had a lever to help her gain weight.  She had to gain weight every time she visited the doctor and then she was allowed to play one more sport.  When she had gained about ten pounds, her starvation personality disappeared and she was her sunny self again.

Homeostasis

Not the problem most people in the U.S. have.  Most of us want to lose weight not gain it.  There is a set point that your body tries to maintain. If you don’t eat, your body metabolizes food more efficiently since it ‘thinks’ it is starving, so you don’t lose weight.  If you eat more, your body excretes more, going into abundance mode, so you don’t gain weight.

The Role of Genetics  

Genetics plays a role in your physique.  Some people are naturally skinny, ectomorphs, others are naturally fat, endomorphs.  There are others, the mesomorphs, like my junior high school friend, Jackie Mulcahy who just breathed and gained muscle.

Fidgeting and Exercise

 A person who moves around a lot because they cannot sit still in one place can actually lose weight.  This is good news for the person trying to lose weight, but for the person trying to gain weight, you need to try and relax.  You can actually burn up to 700 calories a day by fidgeting.  This is almost two meals that are being burned.  Also, an athlete generally has a faster metabolism because  exercise quickens the metabolism.

Tips to Gain Weight

1. Eat constantly.  Make sure you eat three “big” meals a day plus one to three snacks. Never skip meals.
2. Eat larger portions. Eat just a little more of everything.  Eat two sandwiches, instead of one or drink a bigger glass of juice.
3. Strengthening exercises stimulate muscular development so that you bulk up, rather than fatten up with all that eating.  Do not be afraid to exercise.  It tends to stimulate your appetite and makes you want to eat more, while keeping building muscle, which can add to your weight.
4. Take weight gain supplements.  It is sometimes hard to get in all the calories and right kind of food that will help you to gain the “right” kind of weight.  You don’t want to gain a bunch of fat.  You want to be lean and strong and still have gained the weight you need to perform your best in the sport you love.

Protein and Carbs and Ketosis

Protein is important for gaining weight because it is made up of amino acids.  Weight training increases the need for amino acid.  If you do not get enough protein from a weight gain diet, your existing muscles will break down. 

But things are always more complicated than they at first seem.  If your diet doesn’t have enough carbohydrates, like the Atkins Diet, the body reacts by metabolizing fats.  This starvation state is called ketosis.  The cells use the fatty acids for energy instead of glucose,   the liver then creates glucose out of lactic acid and glycerol and some amino acids for use by the neurons and red blood cells.  If your breath and urine smell of acetone, nail polish remover, you are in ketosis.  So it is best to eat more carbohydrates

Protein Supplements

• Soy protein contains essential amino acids.
• Whey protein is absorbed more quickly and efficiently than eggs.  Milk is made up of the proteins casein, which is used in cheese, and whey and sugars and water.  Whey protein is a complete protein which means that it has all the essential amino acids, which the body does not make.  Whey also has a lot of branch chain amino acids which are important in synthesizing other amino acids like glutamine.
• Glutamine is an amino acid that the body needs to build the antioxidant, glutathione and to rebuild muscle.
• Egg protein is almost pure protein that is completely dairy-free.
• Creatine is a naturally occurring acid that forms in the body, and gives us quick spurts of energy by providing a little “shock” to the cells in our muscles. By consuming creatine in larger amounts, bodybuilders find that they have more stamina and energy to complete their workouts.

  So, have patience and enjoy eating, while you can.  The benefit of supplements is the convenience, it takes a lot of time to cook all the food you would have to eat to get the same nutritional value as a mix of food and supplements.