Many people who are too thin want to gain weight, so they try to eat a lot of nutritious foods, consume more fats, and maintain a habit of late-night eating, yet they remain thin. However, this approach is misguided. Let’s explore the reasons why you might be eating a lot but still not gaining weight, along with the most effective methods to help you gain weight healthily.
Reasons You Eat a Lot but Still Don’t Gain Weight
Unbalanced Diet
Many people complain that they eat up to four bowls of rice per meal but remain thin, while others believe that eating a lot of meat will boost protein for muscle building or that consuming more fats will help them gain weight quickly.
Most people do not realize that every day, depending on the specific energy expenditure, the body will absorb a certain amount of carbohydrates or proteins. Therefore, consuming too much protein and fat can lead to excess, causing obesity or gout, while carbohydrates may only be sufficient to meet the body’s minimal activities. Additionally, the body can only absorb nutrients effectively when provided with a full range of nutrients. To gain weight healthily, it is essential to adequately and appropriately supplement carbohydrates, proteins, fats, along with vitamins and minerals.
Poor Absorption
According to nutrition experts, each body has different absorption capabilities. Thus, some people eat a lot but do not gain weight, while others may gain weight even while eating less.
Absorption capabilities are reflected in the characteristics of stool and the frequency of bowel movements. Individuals with poor food absorption often experience symptoms such as undigested stools, constipation, diarrhea, or multiple bathroom visits in a day. Furthermore, those suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, such as stomach pain or colitis, also have reduced absorption capabilities.
This can be improved by adjusting digestive enzymes.
High Basal Metabolic Rate
If you are eating a balanced diet and your digestive system is not disrupted, the reason may be your high basal metabolic rate.
Scientifically, the basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy expended for the minimum activities of the body, such as heartbeats and breathing. This metabolic rate varies from person to person; those with a high metabolic rate often exhibit characteristics like being energetic, lively, and unable to sit still, usually enjoying sports. Due to the high energy expenditure in basic metabolism, these individuals tend to be thin and have warmer skin compared to those with lower metabolic rates.
Genetics
Additionally, genetics is one of the factors that can lead to someone eating a lot yet not gaining weight.
Scientists have discovered that underweight individuals have many variants of genes but lack the Alk gene. This gene is located in the hypothalamus—the area of the brain that helps control appetite and how we burn excess fat in the body.
To investigate whether Alk helps control weight, researchers removed this gene in flies and mice and found that the levels of triglycerides, which are present in most foods and in our bodies, decreased. The mice became thinner and did not become obese, even though they had the same diet as other mice.
“Only 1% of the population can eat freely, not exercise, and still not gain weight. The hypothalamus of this group lacks the Alk gene,” says Dr. Josef Penninger from the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia (Canada).
When asked if humans could remove the Alk gene like mice to lose weight, Dr. Josef Penninger replied that it is indeed possible, but current technology does not allow for such actions.
The Alk gene is not new to science. It is well-known as a cancer-causing gene that promotes the growth of tumors. Mutations of the Alk gene have been found in lung cancer, malignant giant cell lymphoma, and neuroblastoma (a type of brain cancer).
The goal of science and medicine in the future is to create drugs that inhibit Alk for use in treating cancer and aiding weight loss.
Digestive Enzymes
MGAT2 is a type of digestive enzyme that helps regulate fat in the body. Without this enzyme, the body cannot utilize fat effectively, causing individuals to remain thin.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that mice lacking the MGAT2 gene could eat anything they wanted without gaining weight. The results indicate that this enzyme plays a significant role in lipid metabolism in the small intestine, and inhibiting MGAT2 could help treat metabolic disorders related to obesity.
Sleep
Cortisol hormone plays a crucial role in regulating hunger sensations. Therefore, getting enough sleep is essential; lack of sleep leads to elevated cortisol levels, which can result in weight gain.
Underlying Health Conditions
Some individuals cannot gain weight even while consuming large amounts of calories. Typically, the reasons stem from underlying health conditions such as hyperthyroidism and celiac disease, a serious condition of gluten intolerance.
How to Gain Weight?
First, you need to clearly identify the reason you are unable to gain weight. If it is due to diet or absorption issues, a nutritional and digestive enzyme adjustment is necessary. If it is due to a high energy metabolism rate, you will need to increase the nutritional intake for your body. After that, determine how much weight you want to gain and over what period.
Here are some tips from experts for gaining weight:
- Do not skip breakfast: Skipping breakfast is detrimental to the body. If you skip breakfast, it means that from 7 PM the previous evening until 11 AM the next day, you are providing no energy to your body. Additionally, you may develop stomach issues due to the prolonged lack of food for your stomach to process.
- Eat multiple meals a day: People often try to eat a lot in one meal, but the stomach cannot fully digest a large amount of food at once. Spreading meals throughout the day allows the stomach to digest more effectively and avoids discomfort or drowsiness after eating due to overindulgence.
- Eat a variety of foods: Although the foods you regularly eat may provide all the necessary nutrients for your body, varying your diet will keep you from getting bored and make meals more enjoyable, helping digestive enzymes to be secreted more.
- Exercise: This is an essential condition if you want to gain weight. Exercising not only helps keep the body healthy but also forces the body to absorb more due to the energy expenditure involved in workouts. Furthermore, regular exercise will help you achieve a balanced body while still gaining weight.
For men, the gym is the ideal place to overcome insecurities about their smaller physique. For women, jogging for 15 minutes each day will help achieve a slim and balanced figure, but be careful not to run too fast, as this can cause muscles to work harder than normal, leading to larger legs.
Instead of trying to find ways to gain weight on your own, which can lead to mistaken methods and adverse consequences, consult a doctor for the most accurate and appropriate advice.
