While America's obesity epidemic steals the media limelight, the need to gain weight plagues about 5 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Those who are underweight can suffer from health problems, infertility, frailty and social stigmatization. You may also seek to gain weight to improve athletic performance in sports, such as football or bodybuilding. Gaining weight means you must follow a high caloric diet, but not just any diet high in calories will yield the results you desire.
Calorie Needs
To gain 1 lb. per week, you need to eat 500 calories more than you burn; and to gain 2 lbs., you need 1,000 calories more. If the average adult needs between 1,800 and 3,200 calories per day, a high-calorie diet for weight gain could include anything from 2,300 to 4,200 calories per day. To determine your specific needs, use an online calculator that estimates your daily calorie burn according to your height, weight, age, sex and activity level. Add an extra 500 to 1,000 calories to this daily burn rate to come up with the number that constitutes a high-calorie plan for your body.
Choices
While you could gorge on loads of junk foods with fat and sugar to add calories, this leaves you vulnerable to health problems and fat gain. Focus, instead, on larger portions of healthy foods from the major food groups. Lean proteins, carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and low-fat dairy are sources of calories that also provide nutrition to support muscle gain.
Strategies
Instead of trying to stuff yourself at just two or three meals, divide out your daily calorie needs over at least three meals and three snacks. While larger servings are one way to add calories, choosing foods with a higher calorie-density at each of these sittings can help you meet a high-calorie diet without having to consume high quantities of food. Include foods containing unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, peanut butter and flaxseed oil, to boost meals' calories. Drinking full-fat milk enhanced with milk powder is a way to boost calorie intake without having to eat more solid food or increase fat intake.
3,500-Calorie Plan
A 3,500-calorie meal plan could start with a breakfast of 1/2 cup dry oatmeal cooked in 8 oz. of full-fat milk with 1 oz. walnuts and 1/4 cup dried cherries. Have two scrambled eggs and an English muffin alongside. For your first snack, stir together 1 cup of low-fat plain yogurt, 1/4 cup of granola and 1/4 cup raisins. At lunch, make a burrito with a 12-inch whole-wheat tortilla, 2 oz. lean ground turkey, 1/2 cup black beans and 1/2 cup brown rice. Top with one-quarter of an avocado, 2 tbsp. low-fat sour cream and 1/4 cup salsa. For your mid-afternoon snack, spread 2 tbsp. of peanut butter on two slices of sprouted grain bread and top with a sliced banana. For dinner, cook up 3 oz. of whole-wheat pasta and sauté in 1 tbsp. olive oil with 4 oz. roast chicken breast, 10 chopped asparagus spears, a chopped tomato, minced garlic and 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan. After dinner, have a snack of 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1 cup fresh pineapple.
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