The quickest way to gain weight is to add high-calorie foods to your diet without reducing consumption of your regular foods. You can gain an average of about 1 lb. per week when you increase your total calorie intake by about 500 calories per day. The healthiest choices for weight gain are nutrient-dense, high-calorie foods.
Add Fats
Each tbsp. of fat contains 100 to 120 calories, so a quick way to gain weight is to add fats to your food. Use full-fat, oil-based salad dressing instead of a light or reduced-calorie dressing. Olive oil is a versatile fat that you can use for dipping your bread, tossing with pasta or grilling meat, fish or vegetables, and canola and sesame oil are good additions to a stir-fry. When possible, choose heart-healthy vegetable oils instead of butter, which is highly saturated.
Drink Caloric Beverages
Drinking beverages with calories can add hundreds of calories to your daily total without making you feel too full because calories from liquid sources are less filling than calories from solid foods, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fruit juice and low-fat or fat-free milk provide essential nutrients, and they are more nutritious sources of calories than soft drinks, whose calories come from sugars. Energy beverages may be fortified with vitamins or minerals, but they may be high in sugars and caffeine.
Eat Bigger Portions
A way to gain weight quickly is to eat bigger portions of your regular foods. Most people tend to eat the entire amounts on their plates, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, so try using a bigger plate in order to eat more. Purchase larger containers of food instead of single-serve multipacks, and consider taking second and third helpings When you eat out, order your own entrée rather than sharing with a friend.
Snack Frequently
A quick way to gain weight is to keep calorie-dense foods with you so that you can snack on them throughout the day. Nuts have about 160 to 200 calories per oz., and they are rich in heart-healthy fats, vitamin E and dietary fiber, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Dried fruit, such as raisins, is also high in calories, fiber and potassium. Less healthy, high-calorie choices that can help you gain weight include chocolate candies, potato or corn chips and snack cookies or crackers.
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