In many cases, gaining weight is not a good thing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1/3 of Americans are obese. However, there are legitimate reasons for some people to gain weight. People who are underweight due to illness, and certain athletes, such as football players and bodybuilders, may want to add large amounts of muscle, which will also add weight. The key is to gain weight in a healthy way. If you need to gain weight for medical reasons, make sure you do so under a doctor's supervision.
Eat More
To add 1 lb., you need to take in an additional 3,500 calories. You could easily do that by eating junk food such as cakes, candy and fried foods, but that would simply add unhealthy fat. To add healthy weight, Go Ask Alice, Columbia University's Health Q&A Internet Service, recommends eating foods that are energy-dense, such as nuts, low-fat peanut butter, lean meats and fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna. The Student Nutrition (& Body Image) Action Committee (SNAC) at UCLA also offers several other recommendations for boosting caloric intake, including eating more often, eating larger portions and adding healthy "extras" to foods, such as oils and whey.
Lift Weights
A good way to gain weight is to increase your muscle mass. The way to do that is through strength training using resistance exercises. UCLA's SNAC recommends strength training two to three times a week to convert the extra calories you are consuming into muscle rather than fat. Katherine Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic nutritionist and registered dietitian, suggests that lifting weights, in addition to helping you "bulk up," may also increase your appetite.
Take Supplements
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says taking certain supplements can help with muscle growth, which should aid in weight gain. ACE recommends both creatine, a substance that occurs naturally in the body, and whey, a protein derived from dairy, for building muscle. Creatine supplementation has been linked to kidney problems, so consult your physician before adding weigh-gain or muscle-building supplements to your diet.
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