How To Gain Weight On Less Than 2,000 Calories Per Day

While your body weight is a result of a variety of factors, whether or not you gain weight ultimately boils down to your caloric balance, or the number of calories you consume vs. those you expend. Your body has a unique daily caloric requirement based on your body type, sex, age and physical activity level. One person might be able to gain weight with a daily caloric intake under 2,000, while another might not.

Step 1

Calculate your total daily caloric requirement. You can do this by performing a series of calculations but, for simplicity, use an online calculator such as mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598, which will ask you to enter a variety of genetic factors, and will then ask for your typical daily physical activity level. According to the Mayo Clinic, most adults need about 2,000 to 2,500 calories each day to support their energy needs.

Step 2

Plan your diet. You need to consume a total of 3,500 extra calories to add 1 lb. of body weight. You can spread this positive caloric balance out over several days. For example, if your body requires 1,200 calories each day, you can add 1 lb. in a week by consuming 500 extra calories each day, or a total of 1,700. If your total caloric needs are 2,000 or greater, you will simply not be able to gain weight by consuming less than this amount.

Step 3

Reduce physical activity. While no doctor or fitness professional would likely recommend doing so, you can reduce your basal metabolic rate and ultimately gain weight by decreasing the number of calories you expend each day. According to the USDA, a highly active adult woman needs about 2,400 calories each day, while a sedentary woman needs closer to 1,800. Just by reducing your activity level, you might put on an additional 1 lb. each week.

Tips and Warnings

The best way to gain weight is to consume about 500 additional calories beyond your body's needs per day, regardless of whether this total is under 2,000 or not. Make sure to balance your diet with plenty of carbs, fat and protein. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 45 to 65 percent of your calories from carbs, 20 to 35 percent from fat and 10 to 35 percent from protein.
Muscle weighs more than fat, and you might have been informed to perform resistance training to add weight. Unfortunately, you will likely burn so many calories in the process that this will actually result in weight loss. Also, muscle burns calories at a greater rate than fat. Additional muscle will increase your BMR, and thus, your total daily caloric requirements.