We are living in a time when a massive chunk of the population experience obesity.
Obesity is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic, the dangers of living far above your normal weight are no laughing matter at all! Year after year, the number of people who die from weight-related diseases increase in almost all countries.
But interestingly enough, there are still a lot of people who struggle with keeping their weight on.
It may seem like it’s a good thing at first, and in most cases it is, but there are still people who suffer from image and health issues even when they’re the opposite of being overweight.
This select group of people is commonly known as “the hard gainers“. Today we’ll look into how it is to live life as a hard-gainer, and how it affects them health-wise.
Hard Gainer Defined
In the simplest of terms, a hard gainer is someone who struggles with gaining weight – whether it be muscle, water weight or fat. Being a hard-gainer has its pros and cons in my opinion. Below are the most common ones:
Pros:
You are not fat. That’s a good thing. – Being overweight is obviously a lot more dangerous than being skinny. Science has confirmed that most diseases nowadays stem obesity. If there’s a good side to being a hard gainer this would probably be it.
It’s easier to gain weight than to lose weight. – The process of losing weight is HARD for most people. Multiple studies have shown that the majority of people that suffer from obesity experience some form of food addiction (especially addiction to sugar).
While it’s not impossible to lose weight, staying consistent with an eating routine is what makes it hard for most. Gaining weight can also have its challenges, but it’s not as difficult as going on a strict diet if I have to be honest.
Cons:
Some people just don’t like being skinny. – This is an image issue more than anything. The perception of being attractive is absolutely important to one’s self-esteem and that’s a fact.
Not liking what you see in front of the mirror can definitely have effects in the way you see your self-worth, so if there’s a way to improve your body image then, by all means, do it.
Practical Advice For Hardgainers
The value of nutrition can’t be emphasized enough. If you want to gain weight, it is imperative to eat at a surplus each time. Doing guesswork is never helpful in this instance, always calculate the calories that you take in to keep progress moving.
This will help bulk you up and give you the energy to work out, which is the other important part to do. A combination of heavy lifting and calorie surplus is the key to gain weight.
It’s as simple as that! A slow and steady approach to both will ensure that the pounds will come at a healthy rate, giving you the heft that you so desire. So eat up and lift heavy!