Why gain weight?
Although most of the planet Earth struggles with excess weight, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 390 million people are underweight.
In an interview with Forbes magazine, Adam Atkinson, a certified personal trainer with the International Sports Science Association (ISSA), notes that there are medical reasons for underweight, including past illnesses, eating disorders, and hormonal problems.
Furthermore, weight loss is often caused by grueling workouts in a calorie deficit. Initially, a person may feel good because the body begins to utilize its reserves and gains energy. But if you continue in the same vein, fat melts away and muscle mass is not gained. This then leads to health problems.
Being underweight can lead to protein-energy malnutrition . It develops due to poor or inadequate nutrition, when the body lacks protein, energy in the form of calories, and other essential nutrients.
How does underweight manifest itself?
Typically, a person notices something is wrong when clothes that previously fit their figure begin to “hang” or “fall.” Along with this, the following symptoms are also present:
- Skin and hair: peeling, paleness, bruises without cause, wounds take a long time to heal, hair becomes thin, falls out, nails break, legs and face swell.
- Mucous membranes: cracks are visible at the corners of the mouth, the tongue is inflamed or cracked, and there is constant discomfort in the eyes due to a lack of tear fluid.
- Teeth and muscles: muscle weakness, pain, caries.
- Immunity: a person often catches colds, infectious diseases become protracted.
- Emotions and nerves: mood swings, headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, fatigue during physical activity.
- Blood and vision: gums bleed, vision in the dark deteriorates, anemia (weakness, dizziness) may develop.
To determine if your weight is normal, you need to know your body mass index (BMI). Calculating it is easy:
BMI = weight in kilograms divided by height in meters to the power of two
Example: If your weight is 61 kg and your height is 156 cm (that is, 1.56 m), then the formula would be: 61 / (1.56 * 1.56)
If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, your weight is normal. A BMI greater than 25 indicates overweight, while a BMI less than 18.5 indicates underweight.
How to Gain Weight: 7 Tips
Gaining weight is as difficult for some as losing it is for others. Simply eating cutlets at night or emptying the candy dish isn’t the answer. Weight may climb, but it’s due to fat, which isn’t good for the body either. So what’s the right way to gain weight?
1. More calories
To gain weight, you need to eat an additional 500–1000 kcal per day. Then you’ll gain half a kilogram per week.
But how do you know if you’re eating more, and what figures should you base your intake on?
In nutrition, there’s a concept called “daily energy requirement.” It’s measured in kilocalories and helps maintain weight. If you adhere to this norm, your body’s energy expenditure will roughly match your energy needs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) specifies energy requirements based on physical activity levels.
- Office workers, who typically have a sedentary lifestyle, need about 1,800–2,200 calories per day for women and 2,000–2,500 calories for men.
- Professions such as teachers, managers, and doctors, with a moderate level of activity, require around 2,000–2,400 calories for women and 2,400–2,800 calories for men.
- Sellers and couriers, whose jobs involve average physical effort, need about 2,200–2,600 calories daily for women and 2,600–3,200 calories for men.
- Builders, farmers, and cooks, who perform high levels of physical work, require approximately 2,400–3,000 calories for women and 3,000–4,000 calories for men.
- Finally, professional athletes, with very intense activity levels, may need over 3,000 calories for women and over 4,000 calories for men each day.
There are many factors that can influence the number of calories you need. For example, when the temperature is below freezing, the body expends more energy, so people living in cold regions need 15% more calories. Emotional state has an equally important impact.
2. Emotional peace
Those who want to maintain their weight and/or gain a few more pounds should avoid stress as much as possible. During acute stress, the adrenal glands release adrenaline into the blood, and norepinephrine levels in the brain increase. Both hormones prepare our bodies for the “fight or flight” response. Norepinephrine also suppresses appetite because when fighting for survival, the body has no appetite.
3. Strength training
It’s possible to gain weight without exercise. But it will mostly be due to fat. The fact is, muscles only grow if you move them. To ensure calories go to muscle instead of fat, strength training is essential.
While cardio is optimal for weight loss, resistance training is essential for gaining weight. These exercises utilize additional weights to create maximum stress on a specific muscle. By resisting the weight, the muscle begins to increase in size.
For strength training, deadlifts, squats, and bench presses should be performed at least twice a week. It’s important to regularly progress your workouts by increasing the weight, repetitions, and sets.
4. Drinks – only after meals
Workout, food, and drinks. This is the sequence you need to follow to gain weight. If you drink something before a meal, even just water, the liquid will fill up part of your stomach, making you feel full faster and eat less.
5. No cigarettes
Smoking not only has the well-known harmful effects on the body, but it can also affect weight. This is primarily due to nicotine: it suppresses appetite and speeds up metabolism. Therefore, many smokers prefer to “catch a cigarette” instead of lunch. When quitting, some gain approximately 5-7 kg, as the effects of nicotine wear off and appetite returns.
6. Healthy sleep
The quality of sleep determines how well and how quickly muscle mass grows. In 2023, South Korean scientists studied the sleep quality of nearly 20,000 people. Their analysis revealed that the worse a person sleeps, the more fat mass they have and the less muscle mass they have. If sleep is sufficient, the body produces insulin-like growth factor, which stimulates the growth of new muscle proteins.
7. Fast food is prohibited
Gaining weight should be done wisely to avoid damaging your metabolism. This means avoiding a diet dominated by fast food and chips, even though they are high in calories. Besides calories, fast food contains trans fats—low-quality “building materials.” If trans fats become embedded in cell walls, they interfere with their proper functioning and promote the formation of free radicals. Over time, trans fats increase the risk of atherosclerosis (clogged blood vessels), cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
What foods help you gain weight?
To gain weight without overeating, you need foods that contain healthy fats, plenty of protein, and enough carbohydrates. Your diet should remain balanced, but it’s recommended to consume up to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (double the recommended amount) if you regularly perform strength training. This will help you gain muscle mass rather than fat.
1. Nuts and nut butter
Nuts and nut butters can form the basis of a weight-loss diet. Just one small handful of raw nuts (¼ cup, or about 32 g) contains approximately 200 kcal.
A 32-gram serving of walnuts provides about 209.3 calories. The same amount of roasted hazelnuts contains 206.7 calories, while black walnuts offer around 198.1 calories. Roasted almonds have 191.4 calories per 32 grams, and roasted peanuts provide about 187.8 calories. A similar portion of roasted cashews gives 183.7 calories, and unsalted roasted pistachios come in at 183 calories.
Nut butters can be consumed alongside nuts. One tablespoon of almond butter contains 98 kcal, 3.4 g of protein, and 8.9 g of fat. Nut butters can be added to various snacks or dishes, such as smoothies, yogurts, and crackers, to turn them into a high-calorie snack.
2. Protein shakes
One protein shake will add 400–600 kcal to your diet due to protein.
You can make your own shake using whey protein. When you open a jar of yogurt, you’ve probably noticed the liquid on the surface—that’s whey. It’s separated from milk during cheese production. The protein portion of whey is called whey protein. It’s a complete, high-quality protein, containing all the essential amino acids. Whey protein doesn’t have a very pleasant taste, so it’s usually flavored. Popular powders include chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry; this form is very convenient for making a shake to suit any taste
- Chocolate-Banana-Nut Shake: Blend 1 banana, 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of peanut or other nut butter.
- Vanilla Berry Smoothie. Blend 1 cup (237 ml) fresh or frozen berries, ice, 1 cup high-protein whole-milk Greek yogurt, and 1 scoop vanilla whey protein.
- Super Green Smoothie: Blend 1 cup spinach, 1 avocado, 1 banana, 2 pineapple wedges, and 1 scoop of plain or vanilla whey protein.
A group of Portuguese scientists demonstrated the benefits of whey protein in a small study. The study involved eight men and women aged 18–30 with at least three months of training experience. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one received whey protein, the other a calorie-free mixture. All participants completed a 12-week training protocol to increase muscle mass and strength. The greatest muscle growth was observed in the whey protein group.
However, overindulging in protein shakes is not recommended, as some data suggest that excess protein can potentially harm the kidneys. However, there is no consensus on how much protein is considered excessive.
In the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, experts indicate that athletes who want to build muscle should optimally consume 1.6 mg of protein per 1 kg of body weight.
3. Milk
It provides 149 kcal and 8 g of protein. The protein content of milk is 80% casein and 20% whey protein. This composition makes cow’s milk helpful for building muscle mass, but only if combined with strength training.
4. Rice
Rice is a gluten-free food that is easily digested and rarely causes heartburn. However, it is quite high in calories. One cup (158 g) of cooked white rice contains 204 kcal, 4.2 g of protein, and 44 g of carbohydrates.
The Chinese love rice so much that they even made rice cookies—niangao—out of it. They are considered a must-have dish for Chinese New Year because they symbolize good luck. Chinese people believe that eating rice cookies will bring them increased prosperity.
5. Red meat
Scientists from Italy and the UK have found that eating meat, especially red meat, plays an important role in increasing muscle mass when combined with strength training and may prevent muscle loss associated with aging.
Red meat, including beef and pork, definitely ranks high among effective muscle-building foods. One serving (85 g) of steak contains 228 kcal, 24 g of protein, and about 2.5 g of leucine.
Additionally, red meat is a natural source of creatine. Creatine is a nitrogen-containing protein from which cells create creatine phosphate. This molecule is used by muscles during intense and prolonged exercise. Over the long term, creatine helps build muscle mass.
When the goal is weight gain, you can indulge in the fattiest cuts of meat to get more calories. However, it’s best to boil rather than fry the product, as otherwise healthy fats turn into trans fats. Furthermore, processed meats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease when consumed in large quantities.
6. Cheese
Those trying to gain weight can indulge in cheese—indeed, they simply must. Cheese is very high in calories: two cubes (28 grams) provide 110 calories and 7 grams of protein. Cheese is also another food rich in leucine.
7. Salmon and fatty fish
Our list wouldn’t be complete without fish, as it packs protein, calories, healthy fats, and vitamins into a single product. Those looking to gain weight should consider wild Atlantic salmon fillets without bones. A serving of salmon provides about 155 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 22 grams of high-quality protein, which can help build muscle mass or gain weight. Other fatty fish are also good choices: baked mackerel contains 262 calories, while canned sardines in oil contain 208 calories.
8. Potatoes
One 100-gram potato contains 72 kcal. The main active ingredient in potatoes is starch, a complex carbohydrate that makes them quite caloric. Starch from the outside increases muscle glucose stores, called glycogen. Glycogen is the primary source of energy muscles use during exercise, providing quick fuel for the muscles. When glycogen is low, the body uses fat or carbohydrates, and you lose weight instead of gaining it.
9. Eggs
One large raw egg weighing 50 g contains approximately 74 kcal. A recent study showed that whole eggs (whites and yolks) are more effective in stimulating muscle protein growth after exercise than egg whites alone. This is because the yolk contains important nutrients that are absent in pure egg whites.
Dr. Stefan van Vliet and colleagues from the University of Toronto asked 10 young men to eat either a whole egg or egg white after strength training. It turned out that although egg white is digested faster, whole eggs stimulate muscle protein growth more strongly. Don’t avoid egg yolks: the fats they contain are not harmful to the body if consumed in moderation. A study involving over 100,000 people showed that eating one egg a day is safe for the cardiovascular system.
10. Spaghetti
And rounding out our list of weight-gain foods is a European dish so prized and respected by Italians. Spaghetti is a high-calorie source of carbohydrates. However, unlike potatoes, spaghetti is a low-glycemic index food [35], so it’s not off-limits for those monitoring their blood sugar levels.
100g of spaghetti contains about 339 kcal, but that’s only from the pasta itself. The dish itself is unthinkable without Bolognese sauce, which contains at least 160 kcal, and Parmesan, two tablespoons of which add 45 kcal. So, one serving of spaghetti can provide at least 500 kcal.
Why can’t you gain weight quickly?
Don’t try to gain weight quickly. Weight gain, like weight loss, should be gradual, allowing the body time to adapt and minimizing the risk of digestive problems.