6 weight gain myths debunked by nutrition experts

Struggling to gain weight? Stop believing these 6 myths regarding weight gain, and see your body grow the right way.
Myths about weight gain
Get a flat stomach with these tips. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Purvi Kalra Updated: 19 Sep 2022, 11:16 am IST
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Tried everything to put on weight, but nothing really seems to work? Fret not! You’re not alone. Weight gain is as much a struggle as weight loss, or maybe even more. Yes, you got that right. With so much information available to us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The result? Most of us give in to commonly heard weight myths ending up making our transformational journey hard to finish.

Health Shots reached out to nutrition experts Kavita Devgan and Avni Kaul to dispel some myths around weight gain. Read on to know about it and also some tips on weight gain.

Commonly heard weight gain myths

1. You should eat high-calorie junk food to gain weight.

Eating junk will always bring you more harm than good. Junk or processed food is loaded with ingredients that can make your hormones go haywire and lead to lifestyle disorders. Devgan says, “A better way is to increase more quality protein in your diet.”

avoid junk food
Please avoid junk food. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

2. Stop exercising to stop calorie burn

People with high metabolism struggle a lot with gaining weight. Feeling so, most people stop hitting the gym thinking that it can pause calorie burn. But that doesn’t really work. Indulging in some sort of workout is not just healthy for your overall well-being, but also exercises can actually boost your appetite and can help increase muscle mass. Regular strength training helps in toning and giving the right shape to your body.

3. Having more protein helps get bigger muscle

People around you could be recommending a high-protein diet for muscle gain. The truth is entirely different.

To this, Avni Kaul adds, “Building muscle mass includes two things, progressive overload to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and having more calories than you can burn off. With all the hype surrounding high protein diets lately and knowing that muscles are made of protein, it is simple to believe that protein is the best fuel for building muscle. However, muscles work on calories which must predominantly be obtained from carbohydrates”.

muscle gain
Indulge in healthy muscle gain? Image courtesy: Shutterstock

4. Eating fats makes you fat

We all have been brainwashed to believe that if you eat fatty foods, you will get fat. In reality, this is not scientifically true. In most cases, people are eating less fat than ever only to end up getting fatter. The rationale is low-fat diets are mostly rich in salt and starchy or sugary carbohydrates which raise insulin and promote weight gain, says dietician and nutritionist Avni Kaul.

5. Vegetarians or vegans can’t make muscles

Being a vegetarian or vegan is a lifestyle choice. However, that doesn’t mean people who are off a non-veg diet can not make muscles. Right strength-based training coupled with soy protein supplementation has been seen to increase body weight the right way.

vegan diet
Vegan diet can also help you gain weight! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

6. Use artificial sweeteners

We all gorge on diet soda or beverages thinking them to be healthy. A label that reads “no sugar” is not doing you any good. According to one research by Purdue University, rats who were given artificial sweeteners before they ate, finished eating more calories.

 

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After testing her skill-set in the field of management and marketing, Purvi Kalra is exploring the world of turning thoughts to words. Her penchant for writing stems for being an avid reader all her life. Her work drives her to be better every day. ...Read More

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