Hello friends, today we will be discussing one of the talked-about topics how to gain weight when we are living away from our families in the hostels or PG.
Hostel days can be the best days of one’s life at the same time they can lead to weight loss due to being on our own and having no one to take care of us.
When staying away from family, we tend to eat less at times or order in from the popular food joints nearby. The hostel food is usually a cyclic menu, which means the menu repeats itself often which leads to monotony by eating the same types of food day in and day out.
If we end up ordering too often, we might end up gaining weight but it’s not healthy as we might order mostly junk food.
Usually, we might not get healthy meals in the hostel or the vicinity as well so let’s see how can we achieve our goals.
We might need to purchase some extra food so that we can have our snacks with our choices and gain weight. Some foods like eggs, nuts like cashews, figs, dates, pistachio, and almonds can help.
How To Gain Weight While Living in Hostel or PG
Hostel PG with No Option of Cooking
When we stay in hostels, and we do not have any cooking option we might have to resort to ordering meals from outside which is healthy at the same time tasty.
Fruits like sapota or chickoo, mango, and grapes can be bought and eaten. When making coffee 1 tsp of milk powder can be added to make it a little denser.
When eating a continental meal outside like a pasta or sandwich one can include cheese in the same. For meals that are available in the hostel itself like rice or chapati, one can buy ghee and include it in the same as well.
A smoothie made from fruits can milk or a milkshake can be consumed. If drinking coconut water then coconut water with fresh coconut inside can be had.
Usage of sugar can be replaced with jaggery or honey to make it healthier and denser. When ordering from outside paneer-based dishes can be preferred as they can provide protein and good fat.
Biryani can be ordered which can be a full meal with vegetables, carbs, and protein in the form of non-veg, paneer, or simply raita.
These days some reputed brands have come up with high protein buttermilk which can also be used as a snack to keep full and good nutrition.
Hostel or PG with Some Basic Amenities
Sometimes, we can use induction or a blender in the hostel. If so, we can always boil eggs and have them with the yolk. Make a sandwich by adding cheese or mayo to it.
We can also make smoothies with full-fat milk and honey and fruit. We can add nuts as they are energy-dense as well. A peanut butter sandwich or Almond butter sandwich can be used.
A healthy smoothie recipe would include:
- 1 banana (medium)
- 1 tbsp oats (roasted)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 200 ml cold milk (full fat)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
We can blend the above ingredients together in a blender or smoothie maker and have the same as an evening snack. The fruit chosen should be a fruit that is pulpy in nature and not too watery like a watermelon.
Our food groups can be classified accordingly:
1. Cereals:
All cereals are healthy to make them denser we can always add ghee to rice or chapati.
Avoid maida chapati as they can lower the metabolic process.
2. Milk and Milk products
Full fat milk and milk products like paneer and curd should be used, instead of toned or skimmed. Milk powder can also be a good source.
3. Fruits & Vegetables
All fruits and vegetables can be taken at least 2 servings a day. With special mention to mango, banana, chickoo, custard apple, and grapes.
Vegetables like potato, sweet potato, yam, pumpkin, and raw banana can be included apart from the green leafy vegetables that we include in the diet.
4. Fats & Oils
Fats should be taken in the form of good fats like nuts, and seeds. Avoid fried food. Almonds can be soaked and taken in the morning. Walnuts and dates can also be included intermittently.
Good fats can be rich sources of Vitamin E which helps in taking care of our hair and skin as well.
A mix of sunflower, flax and watermelon seeds can be used. It can be eaten as a post-meal snack for good digestion as well.
5. Pulses and legumes
All varieties of pulses and legumes can be included. If making a dal preparation cream can be used instead of plain dal.
Dal Makhan Wala or makhani can be taken once a week. Mixed dal, chole, rajma, chana, and sprouts can be consumed on a regular basis.
6. Meat and Meat Products
Red meat should be restricted to twice a week. Eggs, chicken, fish, and prawns can be good sources of protein.
Important Tips for Gaining Weight
When we need to gain weight what we need to make sure is there is muscle gain and not fat gain. Muscles are inherently active in our bodies.
Skeletal Muscle percentage if high can result in better strength and stamina. So, we also have to make sure that with the increase in calories our workout also is included.
More than cardio, strength and resistance training is helpful. The reason to include workout in weight gain is that our body tends to store fat.
If the calorie intake is increased but the individual is sedentary then in that case what happens if the person will have more abdominal or belly fat instead of muscles.
Our calorie intake should be increased by a minimum of 300 Kcal per day. An important factor to keep in mind is workout is not for those who need to lose weight.
Workout is for everyone to remain healthy. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the main reasons why we might end up with co-morbid diseases.
Workout helps one build stamina which can lead to increased appetite in some individuals which helps in gaining weight in the long run. It’s easy to say to have multiple meals in a day but one needs to find time and appetite for the same.
Also, we should be aware that there are three body types:
1. Ectomorphs: They have difficulty gaining weight. Their BMR is high and they tend to lose weight easily. Physically they appear slim and trim.
2. Mesomorphs: Mesomorphs are the ones who gain and lose weight easily they have a medium metabolic rate.
3. Endomorphs: These are the ones who gain weight easily and have difficulty losing weight due to their sluggish metabolism. Physically they look well built.
The above information is important because in case the person is an ectomorph, he or she might have to make an extra effort in gaining weight.
A person staying in a hostel, who has an ectomorph body type will find it more difficult to gain weight, hence the effort also needs to be put more.
They should be patient with their weight gain process. We also need to know that as we age our metabolism reduces and we will gain weight but that weight gain is mostly in the abdomen.
If nothing else works, then supplements are available in the market in the form of weight gainers. These can be used with milk or water once a day.
But since supplementation is not a permanent solution so, simultaneously foods that are high in calories and healthy at the same time have to be consumed so that it’s an ongoing process.
One can also buy the protein energy bars which are very easily available in supermarkets or grocery stores these days, these bars can be a good source of protein, and healthy fats and can serve as an amazing mid-evening snack. It can also help with cravings for sweets.
When staying in a hostel we all tend to get parcels of love from home. We can always keep a stock of homemade healthy laddoo, chikki, or dry fruit powders which can be dissolved in milk and had before bed.
A healthy trail mix which is a mix of nuts and seeds can also be kept at the bedside so that mid-night cravings can be taken care of.
In winters the gud and besan ka laddoo or gond ladoo can be had to maintain the body temperature at the same time they are helpful in weight gain. Coconut ladoo or coconut can be added to the mix with nuts and seeds as well.
We need to take extra care of our health during our hostel days as the food can lead to indigestion and monotony which leads to loss of appetite.
Hence if we spend some extra bucks and keep our stores ready the process would be smooth and easy at the same time our health would be our priority. Health always comes first.
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Final Thoughts:
So, friends, this was how you can gain weight while living in the hostel or PG, these tips will be really helpful for boys and girls who are living in the hostel.
If you liked this post then please share it and if you have any doubt regarding weight gain then please drop a comment below and we will help you.
