While most Americans suffer from obesity there are a small number of individuals that are underweight and cannot seem to figure out how to gain weight. They eat and eat and yet don't gain an ounce.

Although most Americans would be envious the truth is that these individuals experience many of the same problems as those that are overweight. Many individuals, especially males tend to have lower self esteem and lack self confidence, which can lead to social anxieties and cause them to withdraw from social activities.

While it may not be easy, it is much easier to gain weight than to take it off. Individuals that are underweight do have many options to help their situation. The first step would be to have an examination to first determine if the problem may be genetic or due to a nutritional intolerance such as a gluten sensitivity or a more serious form of gluten intolerance such as Celiac disease.

Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include abdominal pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea. An individual with gluten sensitivities will be unable to properly digest foods and may suffer from allergic reactions of the immune system.

Gluten is found in wheat and flour products such as cereals, pasta, bread and pastries. Some individuals may also have parasites that cause weight loss, diarrhea, depression and fatigue. If none of these are to blame then the solution to the problem may be as simple as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise.

In order to gain weight the body needs to take in more nutrients than it uses on a daily basis. The extra nutrients can be stored in the body as fat or muscle. When trying to gain weight an individual will need to eat smaller more frequent meals with an emphasis on breakfast and dinner.

A healthy breakfast will enable the body to make use of the calories in the food for energy, rather than burning off body fat or muscle. A healthy dinner will enable the body to do the same during sleep (the body does burn calories during sleep and rest). The types of food you eat are very important.

Avoid processed and fatty foods such as cakes, fried foods, and foods high in sugars such as fructose, sucrose or most others ending in "ose". Eat foods consisting of proteins such as lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, fresh fruits, vegetables and grains.

Proper exercise is very important for weight gain. While cardiovascular activities are important for maintaining a healthy heart, weight training is essential for muscle growth, otherwise you may just pack on fat. A balance of upper body training and lower body exercise is essential for proportional growth.

Weights and expensive equipment are not necessary. Swimming can provide a full body workout once a week. For upper body building, simple push ups can be beneficial. Three sets of push ups until your muscles tire are enough. For lower body building, a simple horse stance or single leg squats are enough.

When working out it is important to let your body rest for a few days, otherwise you do not allow enough time for muscles to heal and you will experience muscle fatigue and little muscle growth. It is a good practice to work on a single part of the body per day and allow 2-3 days of rest in between.

There are many types of exercises that you can perform which focus on various parts of the body. As you build muscle and become stronger you will be able to do more repetitions more often. For instance simply doing as many push ups as you can daily you will eventually reach a point where you can do thousands of push ups daily (if you want to).

Some natural and highly beneficial exercises include:

• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Crunches
• Single leg squats
• Horsestance
• Leg lifts (flutter kicks)

Despite which exercises you chose, they should only be done until there is burning and repetitions become difficult. At this point the muscles have been stretched and torn. As your body takes in nutrients the muscles will be rebuilt and become bigger due to the stretching.

Do not over exert youself this can lead to fatigue and mentally you will not want to continue working out over a long period of time, meaning you will discontinue weight training prematurely, perhaps only after a few weeks due to body fatigue. Take it slow and easy, significant and natural weight gain does take time but the effects are longer lasting since you would have created a natural habit of it.