Gaining weight is a difficult process, mentally, physically and above all, emotionally. But like all difficult things, it's rewarding. I've gained enough weight in recent years to have encountered all aspects of this phenomenon. To share my experience with the masses, I've decided to break this up step by step.

Speaking of steps, the first thing a person gaining weight will experience is finding it considerably harder to move around on their feet. Walking isn't affected at the beginning, but running becomes tiresome. You can see signs of yourself slowing down quite early on. You can hide the fat on your body with loose clothing, and tell people it's just holiday weight, but your body will give you away as soon as you start running. It'll start with a dull ache deep in your stomach in the middle of a football game, and when you stop to catch your breath, you'll grow weak in the knees, almost as if you're in love. 

Being slow on your feet isn't one of the better things about getting fat; being unable to fit into your own clothes isn't one either. But there's light at the end of this tunnel, it's when you can fit into the clothes of another family member (or a friend) who's always been bigger than you. If your old clothes don't fit, you're going to get new clothes eventually, but now you have another person's wardrobe to choose from. For thin people, having clothes that fit is important, because they probably have a body shape that they want to show off. For people who aren't fit, clothes can be as loose fitting as they want it to be. Sky's the limit here, and that kind of freedom is always appreciated. 

Another mesmerising thing that happens at a later stage of gaining weight is gaining the ability to eat a lot more than one used to be able to. Often times, I've seen helpless people at a wedding or a restaurant where the food is amazing but they just don't have enough space in their tiny bellies to stuff in an extra mouthful. But that's never a problem if you can put on a few kilograms, you'll soon be in a place where you're always hungry and not being able to eat is the least of your concerns. 

There will come a time in the course of a person's fatness when they feel stuffy all the time. It gets unbearable in the summer and when you start sweating, it becomes worse. Some people start developing chronic cases of diarrhoea at this stage and aren't able to eat a lot, which is tragic. This stage is usually a sign that you've spun a tad bit out of control and need to watch what you eat, maybe even start working out. With a little effort, you can scuttle back to the stage where you could just eat a lot and wear your dad's clothes, which isn't a bad way to live. 

The final stage of growing fat is acceptance. You grow accustomed to the protuberant roundness of your midriff, and start spending time petting it, feeding it, pretending to play the tabla on it. If you're up for it, maybe you can allow people to make fat jokes about you. Get in on the act yourself sometimes, make people laugh. At the end of the day, if something has the potential to spread joy and laughter among people, it can't be bad, right? Being fat isn't bad, it's funny. 

Azmin Azran is terrified of the challenges life is about to throw at him. He watches football and listens to weird music to find strength. Give him encouragement at fb.com/azminazran