Weight and muscle gain

A person’s build depends largely on genetic factors, which is why it is difficult for a naturally thin person to put on weight. There are ways to put on weight; however, gaining lean body weight (muscle rather than fat) is a slow process that takes months or years rather than days or weeks. You must be patient. It is important to consult with your doctor to ensure that your weight-gaining tactics are healthy and appropriate for you.

Reasons for thinness
Some common reasons why a person may find it hard to gain weight include:

• Genetics
• Not eating enough
• Having a very physically active lifestyle or job
• Overexercising.

• Give you a check-up to rule out the possibility of an underlying medical condition that may be causing your thinness, such as hyperthyroidism.
• Use a range of charts to work out whether or not you are underweight.
• Suggest an appropriate weight goal for your height and build.
• Assess your diet and physical activity levels.
• Advise on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes that will encourage weight gain.
• Refer you to other specialists, such as a dietitian, if necessary.

• Use a kilojoule-counter book to calculate how many kilojoules you eat on an average day. The amount may be smaller than you think.
• Eat three good meals every day. Give yourself slightly larger serves if you can.
• Eat three snacks every day: at morning tea, afternoon tea and suppertime. A healthy snack may include fruit, yoghurt, muffin, rice pudding, low fat custard, milkshake or liquid meal supplement.
• Successful weight gain requires that you increase your daily intake of carbohydrates. Avoid low carbohydrate diets.
• Eating vast amounts of dietary protein won’t make your muscles grow faster and will put unnecessary pressure on your body, especially your kidneys. Avoid high protein diets.
• Avoid high fat junk foods. Instead, choose nutritious high fat foods such as avocado or nuts.

• Consult with your doctor before embarking on any new exercise program.
• Seek professional advice. You need guidance from a gym instructor, personal trainer, exercise physiologist or physiotherapist to make sure you are doing each exercise correctly. Good advice will increase your gains and reduce your risk of injury.
• Train just two or three times per week to give your muscles time to recover. If you’re tempted to train more often, remember that muscle growth occurs during recovery.
• Choose compound exercises that work multiple major muscle groups: for example, the squat and bench press.
• Make your workouts short and intense rather than long and leisurely.
• Consider cutting back on other forms of exercise. Remember that resistance training doesn’t have the same cardiovascular benefits as aerobic activities like walking and cycling.
• Don’t waste your time or money on powders, pills and products that claim to increase muscle mass. These claims are not scientifically proven.

• Be prepared to eat when you are not hungry.
• Use a timer to remind yourself to eat every two hours.
• Try to make your additional eating sessions as appealing as possible. For example, stock the fridge and cupboard with snack foods you love.
• Eat small serves of protein foods, before and after each resistance training session, to help promote muscle growth.
• Accept that an increase in food intake may cause bloating or gas.
• Be prepared to gain some fat as well. It isn’t possible to increase muscle mass without also increasing body fat.

• Keep a diary to monitor your kilojoule intake and training schedule.
• Be consistent. Weight gain requires that you increase your daily food intake every day. It may help to write up meal plans.
• Make sure your goals are realistic. For example, an increase of a few kilos may take a year to achieve. Putting on lean body weight takes time so don’t be disappointed with small gains.
• See your doctor regularly to assess your progress.

• Your doctor
• An accredited practising dietitian, contact the Dietitians Association of Australia
• Exercise Physiologist
• Physiotherapist
• Qualified gym instructor
• Qualified personal trainer
• ‘Go for your life’ Infoline Tel. 1300 739 899

• Gaining lean body weight is a slow process that takes months and years rather than days and weeks.
• See your doctor before starting any weight-gain program.
• To gain weight, you must eat more and stimulate muscle growth.
• Don’t waste your time or money on powders, pills and products that claim to increase muscle mass.

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