If you want to know how to put on weight fast, it’s simple: eat more calories.
The logic goes something like this: if you can eat a lot more calories than you burn, you’ll put on weight, and if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. Eat the same number of calories that you burn, and you’ll maintain your current weight. That’s how to put on weight.
Does that make sense?
Although there is little information available on how to gain weight, there is an awful lot about losing weight.
This guide addresses that, providing you with information about gaining weight. This includes the best weight-gain snacks, meals, and diets you can follow to bulk up and fill out your figure. We’ll also cover what else is involved in gaining weight since it isn’t just about eating all day long.
How do you gain weight?
The first thing you should try to do in your quest for weight gain is figure out what you need to eat to achieve your goals. High-calorie foods, especially high-calorie vegetables, should make up a significant portion of your daily diet.
Of course, this assumes that you already have a concrete goal in mind since without one, it can be tough to know when you’ve passed a milestone. For the sake of tangible progress, we recommend that you shoot for a specific weight or BMI so that you can measure your progress and celebrate the small milestones.
Now that you have a goal in mind, you need to estimate how many calories you need to eat to actually put on weight. Fitness tracker apps such as MyFitnessPal are helpful for this, as they can help you keep tabs on your calorie intake over time and tell you how much you need to eat to hit your daily goal.
Generally speaking, you should try to eat 300-500 calories a day more than you need to maintain your current weight. For quick weight gain, Healthline recommends consuming 700-1,000 more than you need for maintenance.
At this point, when you have all the numbers you need, you can start planning your meals for the week ahead.
It’s usually best with any diet to think ahead of time and map out a rough schedule of what you’re going to eat for each meal. Meal prep is also a good idea since it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of the day and rush to cook a meal.
One of the easiest ways to ensure you come up with a solid meal plan for each day is to work closely with a nutritionist. With Superprof, you can find local certified nutritionists and dieticians who can help you develop the right eating plan for your goals. You can even work with them online, which may be more convenient for you.
What are the Best High-Calorie Meals?
The best high-calorie foods for weight gain typically contain the highest amount of protein. As such, when figuring out what you need to eat in a single meal to gain weight, you should try to include protein as often as possible.
What that might look like for an average dinner is chicken or fish accompanied with potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. That may be too basic for your tastes, but it should give you an idea of roughly what you should be aiming for.
This is also the healthiest way to gain weight since you want to balance your carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake.
The trick to gaining weight without suffering through bland plates of food is to inject your personality into your cooking.
If you can’t stand the thought of eating grilled, unseasoned chicken, you should marinate it a few hours before with a sauce and your favourite seasonings. Alternatively, learn how to make a few sauces, such as bechamel, so that you can add a healthy dose of flavour to your dishes without resorting to store-bought sauces that may have an unhealthy excess of sugar or sodium.
Here are some examples of high-calorie meals to try:
- Mac ‘n Cheese with Chicken
- Caesar Salad
- Honey Roasted Salmon with Vegetables
- Chicken Fajitas with wraps
- Beef Chili
There are also several high-calorie snacks that you can stock your fridge and pantry with to curb your cravings and keep your weight-gaining efforts on track.
Here are some great snack ideas to keep you full:
- Protein Shakes
- Cottage Cheese
- Avocados
- Hummus and Crackers
- Greek Yoghurt
How to Gain Weight Fast
As mentioned, your best bet for packing on the pounds quickly is to work with a nutritionist.
However, it isn’t just a nutritionist who can help you to a healthier weight.
You may also want to seek the assistance of a personal trainer.
Training with weights is hands-down one of the best ways to gain weight fast, and the best part is that a lot of the weight you gain will be due to the muscle you’ve gained.
We could all use more muscle to pad ourselves out and protect ourselves from injury, so why not start training now?
If you do no know where to start, finding a personal trainer is a logical first step. It’s the personal trainer’s job to ensure you reach your fitness goals, so if your goal is to gain weight, they’ll have the knowledge and resources to help you make it happen.
Bear in mind that it won’t be easy, as personal trainers are there to kick you into shape, not hold your hand, but you’ll be shocked at how much more quickly you can get results when you work with professionals.
If you decide to go it alone to save money, you can join an affordable gym and pay a monthly fee to access all of their equipment. Or, you can invest in some dumbbells and other gear that you can use in your home.
If you really don’t want to loosen your purse strings, you can find a bodyweight training programme online and work out with nothing but your body!
Calculating Your Daily Calorie Needs for Weight Gain
Before eating lots of calories, remember to carefully calculate how many calories you'll need to gain weight.
You won't see any benefits if you overeat low-quality foods or will end up frustrated by a lack of progress.
Calculate your maintenance calories, the number of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. Then, add a calorie surplus to promote weight gain.
For a steady pace of weight gain, an additional 300-500 calories per day above your maintenance level is required. For faster weight gain, 700-1,000 calories per day might be appropriate.
Online calorie calculators like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculators can help. Make sure you factor in your age, height, weight, sex, and activity level.
From there, you can add your chosen calorie surplus to determine your calorie target, though we recommend speaking with a medical professional before making any drastic changes to your diet.
Step 1: Estimate your maintenance calories (use online tools or apps).
Step 2: Multiply maintenance calories by a gain factor:
For steady weight gain: Maintenance × 1.15 to 1.2
For faster weight gain: Maintenance × 1.3 to 1.
If your maintenance calories are 2,200:
- Steady gain: 2,200 × 1.2 = 2,640 calories/day
- Fast gain: 2,200 × 1.3 = 2,860 calories/day
Tip: Start at a lower surplus (e.g., 300–500 extra calories/day) and adjust based on your progress.
After calculating your calorie needs, track your daily intake to ensure you're consistently hitting your targets. Weight gain will be more predictable and measurable.
Macronutrient balance is essential, too.
- Protein to support muscle gain.
- Healthy fats to boost calories and provide essential nutrients.
- Carbohydrates for energy to support workouts and daily activity.
High-calorie Diets
If you want to gain weight, you have to treat it with the same seriousness that you would a weight loss diet.
Just because it sounds easy to eat more food doesn’t mean that, in reality, you’ll reach your desired weight in no time at all. If you’re not careful, you’ll put on the wrong kind of weight and balloon up, which could lead to health issues.
You need a plan.
Often, a plan will look like a diet you follow to keep you on track.
While there isn’t a diet specifically for those looking to gain weight, you can devise your own system. You can even choose to follow a dietary method such as paleo but increase your food intake rather than decrease it.
The whole point of following a diet is to find a healthier way to eat, so going on a diet doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it just means you’re committing to a healthy lifestyle.
The most common diet to follow to gain weight is a 3,000-calorie diet.
This diet has no requirements other than that you hit around 3,000 calories every day since that should mean you reliably and healthily put on weight, given that the average person consumes around 2,000 a day. Of course, the caveat here is that there are differences in how many calories different people need based on a variety of factors. As a result, you need to check that 3,000 calories are the right target for you.
To stick to a diet like this, the most crucial factor to bear in mind is that you should strike a balance of the three main macronutrients. Ideally, you should eat around half of your calories from carbohydrates, 25% from fats, and 25% from protein. Of course, this isn’t an exact formula, but the main idea is to mix up what you eat and not derive your calories from one macronutrient.
Top 10 High-Calorie Foods to Add to Your Diet
To gain weight correctly, you need to choose the right foods, not just the number of calories.
The best approach is to choose nutrient-dense, high-calorie foods that contain protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals.
Avoid empty calories from sugar and processed foods, though.
Top 10 High-Calorie Foods for Healthy Weight Gain
| Food | Calories (per serving) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Carbohydrates (g) | Other Nutrients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut Butter (2 tbsp) | 190 | 8 | 16 | 6 | Vitamin E, Magnesium |
| Whole Milk (1 cup) | 150 | 8 | 8 | 12 | Calcium, Vitamin D |
| Almonds (1 oz) | 165 | 6 | 14 | 6 | Healthy fats, Vitamin E |
| Avocado (1 medium) | 240 | 3 | 22 | 12 | Potassium, Fiber |
| Olive Oil (1 tbsp) | 120 | 0 | 14 | 0 | Healthy fats, Antioxidants |
| Cheddar Cheese (1 oz) | 115 | 7 | 9 | 1 | Calcium, Vitamin A |
| Greek Yogurt (1 cup, full-fat) | 220 | 20 | 11 | 9 | Probiotics, Calcium |
| Rice (1 cup, cooked) | 200 | 4 | 0 | 45 | Carbohydrates, Selenium |
| Ground Beef (4 oz, 80% lean) | 290 | 19 | 23 | 0 | Iron, Zinc, B Vitamins |
| Heavy Cream (1/4 cup) | 200 | 2 | 22 | 2 | Vitamin A, Saturated Fat |
Why These Foods?
- Protein-rich options (e.g., Greek yogurt, ground beef, and cheddar cheese) help build muscle, not fat.
- Healthy fats (like olive oil, almonds, avocado) provide dense energy and essential fatty acids.
- Carbohydrates (like rice) ensure your body has the fuel to grow and repair.
- Dairy products like milk, cheese, and cream are great for adding calories, fat, and protein with small servings.
These foods can be added to daily meals and snacks, creating a calorie surplus without making you feel too full.
Rice with ground beef and cheese or Greek yoghurt with almonds and honey are two high-calorie meals that are tasty and a healthier way to gain weight.
High-Calorie Meal and Snack Ideas to Boost Your Intake
As you add calories to your intake, it's trickier to fit them into your daily meals and snacks sustainably.
If you're struggling, focus on calorie-dense meals and snacks. That way, you'll eat enough without feeling too full.
Incorporate healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into every meal. Then, you won't have to increase portion sizes to add calories drastically.
Add oils and butter to cooked foods: olive oil, coconut oil, and butter are easy calorie boosters.
Snack frequently: aim for 2–3 snacks between meals to keep calorie intake high.
Drink calories: smoothies, milkshakes, and protein shakes are great if you struggle with large portions.
Top everything: sprinkle cheese, nuts, seeds, and dressings on meals whenever possible.
High-Calorie Meal Ideas
Here are some excellent high-calorie meals that can help you gain weight more healthily for every time of the day.
Breakfast Ideas
- Greek yogurt parfait with honey, granola, nuts, and sliced banana (500–700 calories).
- Oatmeal with whole milk, peanut butter, chia seeds, and a serving of berries (600–800 calories).
- Scrambled eggs cooked in butter, topped with cheese and avocado, with whole grain toast (700–900 calories).
Lunch Ideas
- Chicken and rice bowl with olive oil drizzle, roasted vegetables, and avocado (700–1,000 calories).
- Ground beef chilli with cheese, sour cream, and rice or cornbread (800–1,200 calories).
- Pasta with creamy sauce (made with heavy cream and cheese), chicken, and vegetables (800–1,100 calories).
Dinner Ideas
- Salmon with quinoa or rice, roasted vegetables with olive oil, and a side of avocado (800–1,200 calories).
- Beef stir-fry with white rice, nuts (like cashews), and a rich sauce (800–1,000 calories).
- Chicken fajitas with wraps, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream (700–1,000 calories).
Greek yogurt + honey + nuts = ~400 calories
Peanut butter on whole-grain toast + banana slices = ~350 calories
Avocado + crackers + cheese slices = ~450 calories
Protein shake with whole milk + oats + peanut butter = ~600 calories
Cottage cheese + olive oil drizzle + almonds = ~350 calories
Remember that for any healthy weight gain, it's recommended that you speak to medical professionals and work with nutritionists, coaches, or experts.
In terms of nutrition and exercise, why not work with a nutritionist or fitness coach? On Superprof, you can search for coaches and tutors for almost anything you can think of.
Search for what you need, and you can browse their profiles today. Since most of the tutors and coaches on the site offer the first session for free, you can also try a few before choosing the right one for you, your goals, and your budget.
Even if you can't find any locally, you can always find coaches and nutritionists across New Zealand and around the world offering their services online!
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