For underweight women, the pressure and the struggle to add on pounds can be as significant as the task of losing weight for someone who's overweight or obese. Much about meeting the struggle is the same in both cases, even if the goals are complete opposites. Healthy weight gain requires making smart dietary decisions that revolve around the most nutritious foods. It is best accomplished patiently, with small, gradual modifications that add up over time. And, as with losing weight, it's important that a doctor or registered dietitian be involved in planning your weight-gain strategy and monitoring your progress.
Step 1
Replace low-calorie foods you often eat with higher-calorie but nutritious alternatives. This helps you gain weight without having to eat more. This can spare you a lot of discomfort and feeling like you must always stuff yourself. For example, opt for full-fat dairy products over reduced-fat versions. Use mayonnaise instead of mustard. Find higher-calorie whole-grain cereals, breads and baked goods. Choose salmon over other fish.
Step 2
Break up three big meals into five or six smaller meals if you don't have the appetite to eat much more at one time.
Step 3
Free up some of your appetite by drinking less. Liquids fill you up, often without providing many calories, especially if you drink water, tea, coffee or diet soda. When you do drink, opt for small glasses of 100-percent fruit juice that are nutritious and provide a good number of calories.
Step 4
Look for small additions to your favorite foods that add significant calories but not much volume. For example, add mayonnaise to sandwiches. Grate cheese over eggs, pasta, vegetables and other suitable foods. Put fruit in your cereal, yogurt, ice cream and other foods. Sprinkle nuts or seeds into oatmeal, batters and doughs, salads, desserts and other dishes. Add dried fruit to many of these and other foods.
Step 5
Have avocados as fruit servings, because they're high in calories and unsaturated fats. Scoop it into salads, or put it on turkey, chicken and other sandwiches. Try homemade guacamole with whole-corn tortilla chips. Eat bananas, too, as they're relatively high in calories, and go well in cereal and on other breakfast foods, such as pancakes and French toast. Mangoes are another good pick. Eat them straight or add them to yogurt, cottage cheese or vanilla ice cream.
Step 6
Eat more whole grains. Pasta, bread, muffins and other foods are high-calorie, nutrient-rich and packed with dietary fiber. Have brown or wild rice side dishes. Eat granola in milk or yogurt.
Step 7
Cook with unsaturated fats, such as olive, canola, peanut, rice bran or sunflower oil. These promote heart health by helping to balance cholesterol levels and add a good number of calories to food. Use them as a salad dressing or dip slices of whole-grain bread in them as an appetizer or snack.
Step 8
Increase your portion sizes slightly and gradually at meals. Pour a little more cereal than you usually take. Make thee eggs instead of two, or make a second piece of toast. Add a few extra slices of deli meat to your sandwiches. Buy larger cuts of meat, poultry and fish.
References
- American Dietetic Association: Healthy Weight Gain
- MayoClinic.com; What's a Good Way to Gain Weight If You're Underweight?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; August 2011
- Pediatric Crohn's and Colitis Association: Making Every Bite Count: Increasing Caloric Intake; Nixie Raymond
- National Cancer Institute: Ways to Add Calories
- American Heart Association: Knowing Your Fats
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