Gaining weight is every bit as challenging as losing weight for some people. Adding 1 lb. of body weight requires 3,500 calories in excess of the energy you need for your daily activities, according to Kansas State University. After you figure out your basal metabolic rate--the energy your body needs to keep itself going--and add to that the energy you expend in exercising, consuming an additional 500 calories per day allows you to gain 1 lb. of weight each week in a safe and healthy manner.
Step 1
Create a food diary. For three to seven days, jot down everything you eat or drink that contains calories, no matter how much or how little. The more days you include in your diary, the more accurate your average daily caloric intake calculation will be.
Step 2
Use food labels or the searchable USDA database to calculate how many calories you consumed each of the days you kept your diary, based on the specific foods and amounts you ate. Include calories from all sources, including condiments and beverages.
Step 3
Calculate the average number of daily calories you consumed by adding together each daily total and then dividing that number by the number of days you kept your diary. Save this number for later comparison.
Step 4
Calculate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, using the Harris-Benedict formula. If you are a woman, multiply your weight in kilograms by 9.6 and multiply your height in centimeters by 1.8. Add these two numbers to 655 and, from that number, subtract your age multiplied by 4.7. If you are a man, multiply your weight in kilograms by 13.7 and multiply your height in centimeters by 5. Add these two numbers to 66, and, from that number, subtract your age multiplied by 6.8.
Step 5
Calculate your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, by multiplying your BMR by a factor relating to your activity level. If you exercise very little or not at all, multiply your BMR by 1.2. If you exercise two to three days a week, your activity factor is 1.375. Exercising five to six days a week or strenuously every day is an activity factor of 1.55 or 1.725, respectively. If you are training for a marathon, for example, multiply your BMR by 1.9 to calculate your TDEE.
Step 6
Compare your average daily caloric intake to your TDEE. Note the difference if your daily intake of calories is less than the number of calories you need for your total daily energy expenditure.
Step 7
If your average daily calorie intake equals your TDEE, add 500 calories to your TDEE to find the correct daily number of calories needed to gain weight. If your average daily calorie intake is less than your TDEE, add the difference between the two, plus 500 calories, to your TDEE to find the correct daily number of calories necessary to gain weight.
Tips and Warnings
- To convert pounds to kilograms, multiply pounds by 0.45. To convert inches to centimeters, multiply inches by 2.54.
- Consult with your health-care provider before beginning a new dietary program.
Things You'll Need
- Notebook
- Pen
- Food labels
- Calculator
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