How to Eat to Gain Weight

In my How Many Calories to Eat to Build Muscle and Burn Fat article, I recommend eating at least 20 times your body weight in calories each day to gain weight. Some people – such as those who have a fast metabolism or those who are naturally skinny – will need to eat even more calories.

It can be difficult to eat so many calories and so much food each day. Here’s a list of a few tips that can make it easier to eat more calories.

1. Eat more meals. In my 7 Nutrition Tips to Build Muscle and Burn Fat article, I recommend eating 5-6 meals per day. If you are trying to gain weight, you may need to add more meals. Eating 6-8 meals per day allows each meal to be smaller and thus easier to eat.
2. Track your calories. Most people who struggle to gain weight think they are eating enough calories, but actually are not. Use a food log or web sites such as Fitday and Nutrition Data, which are free resources to track the number of calories you are eating each day.
3. Eat calorie dense food. Some foods are more calorically dense than others. For example, one cup of spinach contains 7 calories while one cup of almonds provides 815 calories. Here are some healthy, calorically dense food choices:
   • Nuts. Nuts are good sources of healthy fats and protein. They are also easy to take with you and eat as a snack.
   • Brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Both brown rice and whole wheat pasta are calorically dense and are healthy sources of complex carbohydrates.
   • Avocados. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats and each avocado is almost 300 calories.
   • Olive oil. Olive oil is another healthy fat and can be used while cooking or added to salads and vegetables. One tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories.
4. Plan. You can make it easier to eat more calories by planning ahead.
   • Grocery list. Prepare a grocery list of all the foods you need for the week before you go to the supermarket. Make sure you always have food available at home.
   • Cook your food in advance. Choose a day or two each week to cook most of your food. I usually cook all my food on Sundays and Wednesdays. I will prepare all the chicken breast, rice, pasta, and hard boiled eggs I need for the next few days.
   • Carry food with you. When you go to work or school, you will need to take food with you. Also, make sure you have at least one backup food item in case a meeting runs long or you get stuck at school.
5. Eat protein. In my 7 Nutrition Tips to Build Muscle and Burn Fat article, I recommend eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weight 185 lbs, you should aim for 185 grams of protein per day. Good sources of protein include ground beef, steak, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and cottage cheese.
6. A gallon of milk per day. If you are having trouble eating enough calories and gaining weight, try drinking a gallon of whole milk per day. A gallon of whole milk has over 2300 calories and is easier to consume than the same amount of calories in whole food.
7. Monitor your progress. Weigh yourself each week in order to make sure you are gaining weight. If you are have not gained any weight, try increasing your daily intake by 200-500 calories. Wait another week and see if you have gained weight. If not, continue increasing your calories until you gain weight.