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Quick and Easy Ways to Gain Weight

People may want to gain weight for several reasons, as a result of being underweight, or for a desire to build muscle. The most straightforward way to gain weight is to consume more calories, but it is advisable to keep your diet healthful. Diets that are excessive in sugars and fats can lead to ailments such as heart disease, cancer and stroke, according to WebMD's official website.

  1. Additional Meals and Snacks

    • Eating more calorie-dense snacks throughout the day increases your calorie intake and helps you gain weight. Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky recommends eating foods such as nuts, peanut butter, cheese and avocados throughout the day and before bed as a healthful way to gain weight. Zeratsky also recommends eating five to six small meals throughout the day instead of two or three.

    Weight Lifting

    • Lifting weights builds muscle, which adds weight to your body. Gaining weight through weight lifting requires an increase in calorie consumption as muscles need energy to grow. Nutrition and exercise professor Janet Rankin recommends eating an additional 250 calories a day in protein-rich foods when weight lifting. According to exercise physiologist Michael Barnes, it is important to target all the major muscle groups when weight training and to weight train at least three times a week for noticeable results.

    Watch What You Drink

    • Drinking fluids can suppress appetite, even if they are low in calories, such as water. Mixed juices such as apple/berry and peach/orange/banana are high in calories and can help you gain weight. Avoid drinking beverages within a half-hour of eating meals to help maintain your appetite. However, a small amount of alcohol (around 4 oz. of wine or 6 oz. of beer) before a meal can stimulate your appetite and help you eat more, reports WebMD.

    Eat Faster

    • A study published by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2009 found that eating at a moderate pace leads to a more pronounced appetite-reduction response in the body, versus eating quickly. Eating faster can increase your calorie consumption if you have trouble with feeling too full before meeting your calorie-intake goals. However, it is important to monitor the amount you eat so as not to develop a "binge-eating" disorder wherein eating habits become unhealthy. Symptoms of binge-eating include anxiety, depression and feelings that your eating is out of control.

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