Gaining weight requires as much focus and dedication as losing weight. The best diet plan to gain weight consists of healthy foods that provide nutrition to help you put on muscle, rather than just fat. Junk foods may be full of calories, but they do not help you improve your appearance or health.
Features
You need 500 calories more than you burn daily to gain 1 lb. per week. Get these extra calories by serving yourself more whole grains and proteins at meals. While fruits and vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet, they tend to contain few calories per serving. A diet plan to gain weight includes more starchy vegetables, dried fruits and avocado to boost calorie intake. Adding low-fat dairy and unsaturated fats to meals also helps increase calorie intake while adding nutrients.
Strategies
The best weight gain plans include multiple meals, so you can spread your calorie intake out over the course of the day. Plan to consume at least three meals and two snacks. Make each meal contain between 600 and 800 calories and each snack between 300 and 500 calories. The exact number of calories you need depends on your size, activity level, sex and age. Carry snacks, such as nuts, granola or dried fruit, with you so you are never without a nutritious snack. If eating large quantities of food is hard for you, try adding unsaturated fats to meals. Add avocado to sandwiches and salads, sprinkle nuts over cereal or toss pasta with olive oil.
Considerations
The best diet plan to gain weight includes foods you enjoy eating. If your appetite is light, consider adding more calorie-dense, nutritious drinks during your day. Skip the diet soda and unsweetened tea. Replace them with 100 percent juice or low-fat milk, that offer nutrition along with calories. Add dry milk powder to liquid milk to increase its calorie content.
Sample Plan
Skipping meals will not help you gain weight. Your individual calorie needs determine portion size. Start with a breakfast consisting of a whole-wheat bagel, peanut butter, a banana, 1 cup of low-fat milk and a scrambled egg with egg whites. At lunch, have a bowl of chunky soup -- such as chowder or chili -- with a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich on dense, whole-grain bread with mustard, lettuce, tomato and avocado. For dinner, broil salmon steaks and have with baked sweet potato, brown rice and steamed spinach. At snack times, make a smoothie with fresh fruit, nut butter and soy milk, enjoy trail mix made with nuts and dried fruit and even eat a pre-bedtime snack of graham crackers with peanut butter.
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