Whether you are working to put on fat, muscle or both, you will need to eat 3,500 calories more than you burn to put on a pound of weight. Get in the habit of snacking and eating higher-calorie foods to make this happen. Keep your overall diet healthy, however, as it's not worth gaining weight but losing cardiovascular health.
Drinks
Beverages are opportunities to consume extra calories without getting too full. Rather than drinking a low-calorie beverage such as iced tea, knock back a smoothie, some fruit juice or milk. Smoothies provide an especially efficient way to put on weight, as you can pack a number of calories into just one drink. To make a high-calorie smoothie, add ingredients such as nut butter, whey powder and bananas to whole milk. Drink one as a snack each day to bump up your overall calorie consumption.
Snacks
Snacks are the bane of many dieters, but they can work to your advantage. Keep a variety of high-calorie snack foods within easy reach at home, work and in the car. Healthy snacks that can increase your weight include dried fruit, nuts, cheese and crackers and peanut butter sandwiches. Eating just two snacks a day can easily add 600 or more calories to your daily total, resulting in a weight gain of more than a pound each week.
Increasing Calories at Breakfast
The foods you choose to eat for breakfast can make a big difference in your weight. Many breakfast cereals are relatively low in calories, as are unadorned eggs. To increase the number of calories you eat for breakfast, choose hardier cereals such as granola and muesli. Add wheat germ, nuts and dried fruit to cereal to increase the calorie content. If you eat eggs, always include the yolk. Add cheese and meat to bump up the calorie count.
Increasing Calories at Lunch and Dinner
Whenever you are preparing lunch or dinner, ask yourself if you can add something to your meal. For example, if you are making a baked potato, add butter, chili and cheese. Choose relatively high-calorie vegetables to go with your meals. Potatoes, carrots, corn and peas will help you gain weight faster than high-volume, low-calorie options such as broccoli and cucumbers. As you work to gain weight, remember to keep your levels of saturated fat within a healthy range.
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