How To Gain Weight Fast For Women & Men Safely

Updated on  February 25, 2023
William Toro

Published By:  William Toro

Fact Checked by: Bridget MacDonald, RDN


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Gaining weight requires a higher calorie intake than calorie burn. That's a simple description of the weight gain process.

We don't think about healthy weight gain too often. More often, we're looking at ways to lose weight.

It's essential to gain weight in a lot of instances, though. Illness of some kind might have caused you to lose weight, or your doctor might recommend that you add some body fat.

In any case, it's important to understand healthy ways to gain weight rather than indulging in unhealthy ones.

We've researched heavily into this idea and come out with a few key insights. We hope the information below can help you through your healthy weight gain process.

We'll look at ideas such as:

  • Fundamentals of Gaining Weight
  • Body Fat Versus Muscle Mass
  • How to Build Muscle Mass
  • Weight Gaining Foods vs. Junk Food
  • A Healthy Way Forward

Let's take a look at the healthy way to gain weight fast.

Understanding Weight Gain

The nuts and bolts of gaining weight are described in the first sentence of this article.

Your weight fluctuates depending on the number of calories you take in, the number your body stores, and the number you burn. It sounds simple, but there's a lot more wrapped up in the equation.

For example, your metabolism plays a massive part in how easy it is to lose or gain weight. Your genes also play a significant role.

Further, your mindset and determination to change your body are integral to the process. We should understand what a healthy weight looks like before we start changing our bodies, though.

What is a Healthy Weight?

The " body mass index " is the accepted method of finding a person's healthy weight gain range is the "body mass index." This index takes your body weight and references it against your height to produce a number.

The equation takes your weight in kilograms and divides that number by the square of your height in meters. Sound tricky? We agree.

Take a look at this body mass index calculator to see where you stand.

Professionals use another method to check for healthy amounts of belly fat, although it might be slightly impersonal and outdated.

Women with waists larger than 35 inches and men with waists larger than 40 inches are considered to have excess belly fats. Excess belly fat puts individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, inflammation, etc.

Reasons to Gain Weight

Being underweight leads to numerous health issues, just as being overweight does. For example, you might be someone who needs to gain weight for a sport. But more likely, you need a little additional muscle mass and body weight to become a healthier individual.

You might have a high metabolism, a family history of low BMI, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or medical illnesses that have held you back. Those issues are difficult to push through, but a healthy approach to gaining weight is one of the critical steps you can take to move forward.

If you're working through a medical condition such as cancer, infections, eating disorders, or mental illness, it's wise to work through your diet plan with a medical professional.

It's not uncommon for a weight change journey to challenge the individual's mental health going through the process. A professional can help you gain weight while keeping you mentally well.

The Basics of Healthy Weight Gain

You should never try to gain weight by eating a bunch of sugary carbs, lying on the couch, and waiting for the pounds to pack on.

Sure, you can certainly gain weight fast that way.

You will be incredibly unhealthy, though, and that weight won't be easy to shed. You'll start to notice a drop in energy, possible issues with mental health, inflammation, and reduced mobility. These aren't things you want to experience.

Instead, you should attempt to gain weight by building muscle. If you gain muscle weight, you'll pack pounds on and get healthier simultaneously.

Nutritious foods with more calories are the things to eat. However, you might also simply take more calories in by creating smoothies, eating more healthy snacks, and finding room for extra calories throughout the day.

Weight gain supplements like creatine, protein, and exercise enhancers are also things to consider as you go through this journey.

The key is that you're taking in healthy foods and using those foods as fuel for muscle growth.

Body Fat Versus Muscle Mass

You might wonder why it matters whether you gain weight through body fat or muscle.

The truth is that you need a certain amount of body fat to keep a healthy body. Those who don't have an ounce of body fat on them aren't necessarily healthy.

Sure, they might be able to run long distances and do other strange feats of human nature, but a healthy person doesn't have to be a fat-less person. That said, there is a point where excess body fat contributes to myriad health complications.

Things like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and shorter lifespans come when we pack on too many pounds and fail to lose them.

Gaining weight through muscle doesn't lead to those concerns. The exercise required to build muscle typically reverses those illnesses and contributes to a positive, healthier future.

This fact is true for our bodies as well as our minds. There's an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest that exercise and strength training improves mental health.

Don't believe us? Take a look for yourself.

Gaining Weight Through Muscle Mass

In addition to eating more calories, taking in lots of healthy fats, and eating nutrient-dense foods, you need to enter into a new phase. That phase is an "exercise phase." Whatever way you want to frame it in your mind is okay.

Just know that building muscle weight requires intense exercise. Exercise motivates you to eat more calories because your body burns extra calories throughout the day.

As your muscles recover from the strenuous exercise, your body uses energy, and that energy requires calories. So, you need to more calories and exercise as many times per week as is healthy and convenient for you.

Let's explore methods of weight gain exercise.

High Training Volume

Your training volume comprises the number of reps times the number of sets you do of a particular workout.

"Reps" stands for "repetitions" of a single movement. Sets are the number of repetitions you do before you stop to rest.

For example, you might do three sets of ten reps. That means you perform the exercise ten times, stop, and repeat the process two more times.

The way to achieve the most reps and sets is by reducing weight marginally.

Try performing 4-6 sets of an exercise instead of the standard three.

Do this by reducing the weight to around 50 percent of your max weight for that exercise.

Experts say that increasing your training volume is the best way to accelerate muscle weight.

Workout a Few Times a Week

You need to find the sweet spot for your body when it comes to exercise frequency.

The standard idea is that regular exercise should occur three times per week. Someone trying to gain weight fast, though, might consider adding a day.

You'll gain weight faster if you exercise more, but you won't be able to build muscle weight if you get burnout. Burnout occurs when you run your body too hard for too long. Many people who try to exercise for five days in a row over the period of a few weeks find burnout.

So, do your best to spread a day or two between each workout to allow your body to rest. Keep eating healthy foods and maintaining your weight gain diet on your rest days.

You'll notice that the muscle mass starts to pile on a couple of weeks after you begin the process of strength training.

Nutritious Foods to Gain Weight

Now let's look at the type of nutritious foods you need to build muscle mass. When you hit the grocery store, look for any nutrient-dense foods that you enjoy eating.

The more natural, the better. Some nutrient-dense foods include whole-grain bread, nut butter, dried fruit, fatty fish, dark leafy vegetables, and meats.

You should also look for options that provide you with healthy fats. Of course, fish is an excellent source of healthy fats, but you can also get extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, and legumes to offer some of that fat.

Not all fat is bad. In fact, we need healthy fats to stay well. The processed sugars and trans fats build up and contribute to unhealthy weight gain.

Condense Your High-Calorie Foods

It's easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of eating mounds of dried fruits, sweet potatoes, whole grains, and other energy-dense foods, which is especially tough if you don't eat that much at this point.

A great way to get enough calories to gain weight is to turn them into liquid calories.

Smoothies are an excellent option. You can pack thousands of calories into a smoothie or two throughout the day.

These are calorie-dense, they can include whatever you want, and they tend to taste great.

Smoothies are also a great way to incorporate dairy products if you're not a fan of milk or cheese.

The same is true for vegetarians or vegans who might have challenges with protein intake. You can add significant amounts of protein powder to smoothies without tasting the difference.

Find out how many calories you need.

Eat Smaller Meals More Often

A big hiccup for some is that they don't like to sit down and eat a heap of food at one time.

It's overwhelming to imagine two sandwiches, a pile of greens, and a few vegetables on one plate.

You multiply that to three times per day, and there's no way you can conceive of eating everything you need to gain weight.

Instead, make six or seven calorie-dense snacks.

Prepare them in advance, so you know you're getting what you need. That way, you get a lot of food, and you avoid the craving for empty calories when you're out and about.

Changing your eating habits is one of the best ways to start seeing a change in your body. But unfortunately, we get stuck in our eating habits and develop anxieties around them.

Making small changes and refiguring obstacles can really help us move toward solutions to our health problems.

Focus on Protein-Rich Foods

Protein-rich foods are a vital player in the attempt to build muscle.

Protein supplements are common aids for people trying to gain weight, but you should get proteins from natural sources. For example, meat is a common source of complete proteins. Complete proteins are those that contain all 11 essential amino acids.

Some protein sources are incomplete and don't give you everything your body needs. Meats, greens, legumes, seeds, nuts, and fruits contain essential amino acids.

Each item might not contain complete proteins, though. So it's essential to mix and match different foods to intake all amino acids that your body doesn't produce.

These are the essential amino acids. Learn more about these here.

Seek Professional Medical Advice

If you're struggling to figure out where to turn in your efforts to gain weight, it's necessary to talk with a doctor.

Your average calorie intake might be particularly low, and doctors can provide tailored solutions to your situation.

There are numerous ways for you to get more calories than you expend. Likewise, there are many ways for you to move up in your body mass index to achieve a healthy weight. Remember that the body mass index accounts for those underweight as well.

Struggling to Achieve a Calorie Surplus?

If you're having a hard time gaining fat and building muscle, you're not alone.

It's a challenge for many people. We're here to help you learn more about the health benefits when you gain muscle, tips for getting extra calories, and more.

Explore our site for more ideas on achieving your target weight.

William Toro

William Toro ‧ CPT & Nutritionist


William is a certified personal trainer from NASM, he has also been a rehab physiologist for sports persons. He has more than 15 years of experience training people. And has featured in multiple publications like FoxNews, CNBC, Bustle, and other. 


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