You may need to find healthy ways to gain weight if you are clinically underweight or if you are an athlete moving into another weight class. Gain weight slowly to avoid negative health effects. Make an appointment with a registered dietitian. She can help you determine the number of calories you should consume each day and outline proper food portions.
Increased Calories and Macronutrients
One pound of fat contains 3,500 calories. You can gain 1 lb. a week by eating an additional 500 calories per day. You need to eat a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Carbohydrates and protein each contain 4 calories per gram and fat has 9 calories per gram. About 45 to 65 percent of your calories should come from carbs, 10 to 35 percent from protein and 20 to 35 percent should come from fat. If you follow a 3,000-calorie diet for weight gain, you need 337 to 487 g carbohydrates, 75 to 262 g protein and 66 to 116 g fat daily.
Food Frequency
Gain weight by eating more meals, more frequently throughout the day. If you normally eat three meals a day, increase that to five or six meals a day. Spread your calories out throughout the day. For example, if you consume 3,000 calories for weight gain, eat five mini meals throughout the day that each contain around 600 calories. You can also drink your calories. Beverages, such as whole milk, sports drinks and fruit juice, all contain large amounts of calories. If you have a difficult time increasing your food intake, have one of these high-calorie beverages with your meal or as a snack.
Nutrient-Dense Snacks
Include two or three nutrient dense snacks throughout the day. Since fat provides the most amount of calories per gram, your snacks should include healthy fats. Eat snacks that have heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Enjoy peanut butter on a slice of whole grain bread, fresh guacamole with pita chips, hard boiled eggs or string cheese. These snacks are concentrated energy sources and will help you gain weight.
Weight Lifting
Muscle mass weighs more than fat mass. Lifting weights and increasing your muscle mass can also help you gain weight. Exercising burns calories, so you may need to increase your food consumption while weight training. One hour of vigorous weight lifting can burn up to 500 calories. Replace the calories you burn to keep your energy going and to help you gain weight.
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