Healthy Weight Gain

When is it OK to gain weight?

There are many reasons why people may need or want to gain weight.

• Older adults often lose weight without meaning to because they have less appetite or they have trouble buying or preparing enough healthy foods.
• If you have had a serious illness, you may have lost weight and muscle mass.
• If you are very thin, you may think you will look better if you gain some weight.
• Athletes may want to build their muscles and gain weight so they can perform better in sports.

Is it easy for everyone to gain weight?

Family history plays a major role in each person's build. If you are healthy but thin and have trouble gaining weight, even when you eat a high-calorie diet, take a look at other members of your family. The genes you inherit from your parents play a strong role in body type. The body can be changed to a certain extent through weight training and changes in diet, but these methods, even when followed strictly, will never turn a marathon runner's body into a linebacker's body.

People who are trying to put weight back on after an illness or surgery usually can gain weight more easily than someone who is naturally thin.

What can I do to gain weight?

The average person wanting to gain weight should try to eat foods with high calorie content and larger portions of food. Mild exercise can help to increase your appetite and help you add muscle rather than fat.

The following recommendations can be used by anyone wanting to gain or regain weight. It may be necessary, however, to change them to meet your specific needs. Check with your healthcare provider or dietitian about this.

• To start, eat about 500 calories more a day than you have been eating. Some people will need to add up to a 1,000 extra calories. Look at the top section of the Nutrition Facts label of packaged foods to see how many calories are in a serving.
• Eat snacks throughout the day.
• Choose higher calorie foods often.
• Try to always eat larger-than-normal portions at meals. If you have a poor appetite, it may work better to eat smaller, very high calorie meals and to eat more often. There are calorie and protein boosting powders that can be very helpful for people who are able to eat only very small amounts of food.
• Fat contains more calories than any other food group: 45 calories in just 1 teaspoon. Adding healthy fats, such as plant oils (canola, olive, or peanut oil), soft margarines (look for those with no trans fats), old-fashioned peanut butter (the kind that needs stirring before you eat it), and avocado, is an easy way to add a lot of calories without having to eat a lot more food.

  Avoid saturated and trans fats. Although all fats contain the same amount of calories, saturated and trans fats can increase your cholesterol and other harmful blood fats. Foods high in saturated fat include whole-milk dairy products, chicken skin, bacon, sausage, sour cream, butter, high-fat cuts of meat, and many processed snack foods. Many convenience, snack, and fast foods contain both saturated and trans fats.

• Even though you are eating a high-calorie diet, you should try to keep it healthy by including a lot of unprocessed (unrefined) carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fruits, as well as vegetables and lean protein foods such as skim milk products, skinless poultry, fish, egg whites, beans, and low-fat cuts of pork and beef.

What are some ways to add calories and protein to foods?

• Sauté meats and vegetables in canola or olive oil or wine sauces, or add bread crumb toppings. If you are an athlete or are recovering from surgery, you need more protein, so add extra portions from the protein group.
• To mashed potatoes add extra powdered milk and margarine.
• To soups, add skim milk instead of water. Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Bean and minestrone soups have more calories than broth types of soups.
• To cold cereals, add dried or fresh fruits, nuts, and seeds. Try to choose the higher calorie cereals such as muesli and granola.
• Prepare hot cereals with milk instead of water, and add powdered milk, margarine, honey, syrup, or dried fruits to the cereal.
• When you drink juice, you can add the most calories by drinking grape, cranberry, pineapple, or apple juice.
• To salads, include different types of lettuce and add tomatoes, avocado, garbanzo beans, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Chopped nuts and lean meats will add extra protein as well as calories. Generously use dressings made with heart-healthy oils, such as canola or olive oil.
• To 1% milk add a quarter cup of powdered milk to add both calories and protein. Carnation instant breakfast, commercial milk flavorings, and Ovaltine can also boost the calories in milk.
• Dietary supplements such as Boost and Ensure are good between-meal snacks. Specialty liquid supplements are available for people recovering from illness or with a chronic health condition, including special products for diabetics. If you have an intestinal problem, Enlive may be a good choice. Ask your healthcare provider about these products.
• Beans and legumes, such as kidney, navy, pinto, and garbanzo beans; peas; lentils; and peanuts are a great source of protein and fiber.
• Eat dessert after dinner. Look for desserts made with healthy oils or low-fat milk.
• Snacking is a big part of successful weight gain. Try yogurt with crunchy cereal added, fruit wafers, graham crackers, crackers with lean cheese, mini sandwiches and burritos, milkshakes made with frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream, dried fruits, trail mix, vegetables dipped in salad dressing, and nuts.

Are there additional ways for athletes to gain weight and build muscle?

Be aware that there is a lot of false information about the best way to build muscle and gain weight. There is only one known and safe way to build muscle and that is to exercise your muscles.

Commercial protein supplements may not help you gain weight and will probably add too much protein to your diet. If you need a liquid supplement, make sure it provides the extra calories you need as carbohydrates, not protein. Eating large amounts of protein does not improve muscle growth because extra protein in your diet is not stored in muscles. If you need more protein, the best way to get more it is to eat extra portions of high-protein foods.

Carbohydrate foods include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and yogurt and are the preferred fuel for muscles. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates, the muscles cannot perform or recover from workouts as well.

For more information about food groups and a healthy diet, see the Web site http://www.mypyramid.gov.