How Do You Gain Weight If You Are Skinny? Which Foods Are Best for Weight Gain?

How do you gain weight? (Image via Pexels/Photo by Pavel Danilyuk)
How do you gain weight? (Image via Pexels/Photo by Pavel Danilyuk)

‘How do you gain weight?’ will always have a simple two-word answer - calorie surplus. However, it’s not easy for someone who doesn’t quite know what food to eat or how much to eat if they’ve always been skinny.

Now, skinny does not always mean better metabolism. In fact, if you have muscles, you probably have a better metabolism than someone who is skinny. But, if you’re skinny and want to gain weight, you need to start adding the right food to your diet.

If you’re already eating at a surplus yet you’re noticing no weight gain, it’s possible you have a genetic advantage. It won’t be absolutely easy to overpower it and add weight, but it can be done with the right nutrition and training.


How do you gain weight?

If you want to gain weight, you need to focus on the right food. You cannot fill up on junk food that provides non-nutrient value to your body. The way cutting fat requires a proper diet, gaining weight is the same too.

Eat sufficient protein

Your diet must have plenty of protein. It is one of the three most important macronutrients. If you eat more protein than what your body needs to maintain muscles, the extra protein is stored as fat.

This is a good way to add some extra body fat. However, putting too much protein, especially more than what your body can digest, will not do you any good.

Some high protein foods include fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products, and others.

Load up on carbs and fat

You need to include plenty of carbs and fat in your diet considering your goal is to add weight. Even a lesser volume has sufficient calories to push you into a calorie surplus.

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Use condiments

Sometimes weight gain can become a tedious process. You may not feel like consuming calories that push you into a calorie surplus. During such times, you can make your food taste better by using numerous condiments. These condiments will continuously add to the calories as well as make the food delicious enough for you to want to eat it all.

At this point, you should be willing to eat as much as possible, but only the foods that have nutritional value.

Add nutritious snacks to your diet

While you’re having the required meals, you must add some snacks to your diet as well. These can be energy-dense snacks such as nuts, high-fat dairy, dried fruits, and others.

Homemade smoothies

Sometimes, you won’t feel like eating solid food. In such cases, you can turn to homemade smoothies. You can use high-fat dairy, protein power, bananas, honey, etc. to make it as good as possible.

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How do you gain weight at the gym?

Now, the kitchen is where the magic happens, but the gym plays a role too. Whether you want to gain or lose weight, the gym will be a place you must visit.

When you’re trying to gain weight, you must do so healthily. Eating without working out may lead to obesity or an eating disorder which will require professional help to rectify.

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The extra food you consume will be used by the body to rebuild muscle fibers when you workout. In this regard, you need to lift heavy, but not too heavy. You keep adding weights as and when your body permits, and your muscles will constantly use the extra food to grow back stronger.

This way, not only will you add muscle mass but also ensure you’re acquiring a lean physique while gaining weight.


Bottom line

There is an answer to 'how do you gain weight?', but the real question is 'how do you gain weight healthily?'. You can do so with the proper food, proper diet, and strength training!