10 Best Tips to Gain Weight Fast and Safely
About two thirds of people in the US are either overweight or obese (1)
However, there are also many people with the opposite problem of having a low bodyweight. (2)
This is a concern, as being underweight can have health consequences just as bad as being obese.
Additionally, many people who are not clinically underweight still want to gain some muscle.
Whether you’re clinically underweight or simply struggling to gain muscle weight, the main principles are the same.
In this blog post I will share the 10 best tips on how to gain weight fast and safely, the healthy way.
What Does Underweight Really Mean?
We are speaking of being underweight when you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.5 or less as an adult. A BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered a healthy weight. Over 25 is seen as overweight and over 30 as obese.
The BMI score is calculated by multiplying your height in cm by two and dividing it by your weight in kilograms. Use this calculator to see where you fit on the BMI scale (opens in a new tab).
However, keep in mind that there are many problems with the BMI scale, which only looks at weight and height. It does not take muscle mass into account. One could have a BMI over 25 and be more fit and have a lower fat percentage than someone within the ‘healthy’ range.
Moreover, some people are naturally very skinny but still healthy. Being underweight according to this scale does not necessarily mean that you have a health problem.
While being overweight or obese is relatively common in the Western world, the prevalence of being underweight is far less. In the US, 1% of men and 2.4% of women 20 years and older are underweight (2) Being underweight is about 2–3 times more common among girls and women, compared to men.
What Are the Health Consequences of Being Underweight
It is well known that obesity has its health consequences. Currently it is one of the world’s biggest health problems.
However, being underweight may be just as bad for your health. According to one study, being underweight was associated with a 140% greater risk of early death in men, and 100% in women (3)
In comparison, obesity was associated with a 50% greater risk of early death, indicating that being underweight may be even worse for your health (3)
Another study found an increased risk of early death in underweight men, but not women, suggesting that being underweight may be worse for men (4)
Being underweight can also impair your immune function, raise your risk of infections, lead to osteoporosis and fractures and cause fertility problems (5), (6), (7)
What’s more, people who are underweight are much more likely to get sarcopenia (age-related muscle wasting) and may be at greater risk of dementia (8), (9)
Several Things Can Cause Someone to Be Underweight
Being underweight is the result of consuming less calories than your body needs for it to sustain a higher bodyweight. Losing weight or becoming underweight is the result of being in a calorie deficit, meaning you consume less calories than your body burns.
There are several medical conditions that can cause unhealthy weightloss. Some conditions (temporarily) increase the amount of energy your body needs. Others can make it harder for your body to absorb and use the calories you consume.
Several medical conditions that can cause unhealthy weight loss include:
- Eating disorders: This includes anorexia nervosa, a serious mental disorder.
- Thyroid problems: Having an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can boost metabolism and cause unhealthy weight loss.
- Celiac disease: Your body’s ability to absorb nutrients is impaired, which may lead to malnutrition and weight loss.
- Diabetes: Having uncontrolled diabetes (mainly type 1) can lead to severe weight loss.
- Cancer: Cancerous tumors often burn large amounts of calories and can cause someone to lose a lot of weight.
- Infections: Certain infections can cause someone to become severely underweight. This includes parasites, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
- Psychological issues: Stress and depression can disrupt healthy eating habits.
- Medicines: Certain prescription medicines can cause nausea and weight loss.
If you’re underweight, you may want to see a doctor to rule out any serious medical conditions.
This is particularly important if you have recently unintentionally started losing large amounts of weight.
How To Gain Weight the Healthy Way
If you want to gain weight, it’s very important to do it right.
In order to gain weight you have to be in a calorie surplus, meaning you have to consume more calories than your body burns. The excess calories you consume will be stored as either fat or muscle mass.
Binging on soda and donuts may help you gain weight, but will have a negative impact on your health. Chances are big it will also result in a net lower protein intake, which is not optimal for muscle growth.
If you’re underweight, you want to gain a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat rather than a lot of unhealthy belly fat.
Therefore, it’s absolutely essential to eat healthy foods and live an overall healthy lifestyle.
This blog post will now focus on how to gain weight the healthy way.
Eat More Calories Than Your Body Burns
The most important thing you can do to gain weight is to create a calorie surplus, meaning you eat more calories than your body needs.
You can determine your calorie needs by using an online calculator.
In order to gain 1 kilogram (or about 2 lbs) of bodyweight, you would have to consume an excess of approximately 7000 calories.
If you want to gain weight slowly and steadily, aim for 300 calories more than you burn each day according to the calculator.
If you want to gain weight fast, aim for around 500. calories above your maintenance level. This surplus will result in a 5 lbs weight gain in a month. We recommend not to exceed this, since more weight gain will result in a disturbed gain of fat to muscle mass ratio.
Keep in mind that calorie calculators only provide estimates. Your needs may vary by several hundred calories per day, give or take.
Gradually you will get a feeling for how many calories you are eating without having to count calories.
Eat Plenty of Protein
The single most important nutrient for gaining healthy weight is protein.
Muscle is made of protein and without it most of those extra calories may end up as body fat.
Studies show that during periods of overfeeding, a high-protein diet causes many of the extra calories to be turned into muscle (12)
However, keep in mind that protein is a double-edged sword. It’s also highly filling, which may reduce your hunger and appetite significantly, making it harder to get in enough calories (13), (14). We have recently shared 10 tips to increase your appetite on our blog.
If you’re trying to gain weight, aim for 0.7–1 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.5–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram). You can even go above that if your calorie intake is very high.
High-protein foods include meats, fish, eggs, many dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds. Protein powder or other supplements can also be useful if you struggle to get enough protein in your diet.
Eat Plenty of Healthy High-Carb and High-Fat Foods at Least 3 Times per Day
Make it easy for yourself to get in enough calories.
Many people try restricting either carbs or fat when trying to lose weight.
This is not recommend if you are struggling to gain weight, as it will make it harder to get in enough calories.
Eat plenty of high-carb and high-fat foods if weight gain is a priority for you. It is best to eat plenty of protein, fat and carbs at each meal.
It is also a bad idea to do intermittent fasting. This is useful for weight loss and health improvement but can make it much harder to eat enough calories to gain weight.
Make sure to eat at least three meals per day and try to add in energy-dense snacks whenever possible.
Eat Energy-Dense Foods
Again, it’s very important to eat mostly whole, single-ingredient foods.
The problem is that these foods tend to be more filling than processed junk foods, making it harder to get in enough calories.
Using plenty of spices, sauces and condiments can help with this. The tastier your food is, the easier it is to eat a lot of it.
Also, try to emphasize energy-dense foods as much as possible. These are foods that contain many calories relative to their weight.
Here are some energy-dense foods that are perfect for gaining weight:
- Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, etc.
- Dried fruit: Raisins, dates, prunes and others.
- High-fat dairy: Whole milk, full-fat yoghurt, cheese, cream.
- Fats and oils: Extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
- Grains: Whole grains like oats and brown rice.
- Meat: Chicken, beef and lamb.
- Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
- Dark chocolate, avocados, peanut butter, coconut milk, granola, trail mixes.
Many of these foods are very filling, and sometimes you may need to force yourself to keep eating even if you feel full.
It may be a good idea to avoid eating a ton of vegetables if gaining weight is a priority for you. It simply leaves less room for energy-dense foods.
Eating whole fruit is fine, but try to emphasize fruit that doesn’t require too much chewing, such as bananas.
You can add sauces, spices and condiments to your foods to make it easier to eat more. Base your diet on energy-dense foods as much as possible.
Lift Heavy Weights and Improve Your Strength
To make sure that the excess calories go to your muscles instead of just your fat cells, it’s absolutely crucial to lift weights.
Go to a gym 2-4 times a week if possible. Lift heavy and try to increase the weights and volume over time.
If you’re completely out of shape or new to training, consider hiring a qualified personal trainer to help you get started.
You may also want to consult with a doctor if you have skeletal problems or any medical issue
Doing some cardio is fine to improve fitness and well-being, but don’t do so much that you end up burning all the additional calories you’re eating.
10 More Tips to Gain Weight
Combining a high calorie intake with heavy strength training are the two most important factors.
That being said, there are several other strategies to gain weight even faster.
Here are 10 more tips to gain weight:
- Don’t drink water before meals. This can fill your stomach and make it harder to get in enough calories.
- Eat more often. Squeeze in an additional meal or snack whenever you can.
- Drink milk. Drinking whole milk to quench thirst is a simple way to get in more high-quality protein and calories.
- Include more of your favorite foods. Especially if you have a low appetite, it is important to make the meals enjoyable.
- Use bigger plates. Definitely use large plates if you’re trying to get in more calories, as smaller plates cause people to automatically eat less.
- Add cream to your coffee. This is a simple way to add in more calories.
- Schedule meal times. Having a regular meal schedule is important for stimulating appetite, helping you consume enough calories and nutrients every day.
- Get quality sleep. Sleeping properly is very important for muscle growth.
- Eat your protein first and vegetables last. If you have a mix of foods on your plate, eat the calorie-dense and protein-rich foods first. Eat the vegetables last.
- Consume less fiber. Fiber can slow down digestion and keep you feeling full for longer.