12 Best Weight Gain Tips (and Muscle Mass)

Have you been struggling to gain weight? Then, make sure to read these weight gain tips. These are my favorite tips that have helped me a ton at times when I have wanted to gain weight.

1. Set the Right Expectations

Setting the right expectations and goals is very important for your weight gain journey. If you don’t set the right expectations, it’s very easy to burn out and quit before you see results. Let’s not do that!

You need a goal and timeframe you are happy with, but it has to be realistic and attainable.

So what is attainable?

3 Popular Calorie Plans:

Slow-Medium (easy-medium difficulty):

• 250 extra calories daily
• Weekly Weight Gain: 0.5 lbs (0.23 kg)
• Six-Month Total Gain: 13 lbs (5.9 kg)

Medium-Fast (medium-hard difficulty):

• 500 extra calories daily
• Weekly Weight Gain: 1 lb (0.45 kg)
• Six-Month Total Gain: 26 lbs (11.8 kg)

Fast-Extreme (very hard difficulty):

• 1000 extra calories daily
• Weekly Weight Gain: 2 lbs (0.9 kg)
• Six-Month Total Gain: 52 lbs (23.6 kg)

I know that many people are very impatient about their weight. But it’s important to look at the bigger picture. It’s much healthier to gain weight over a longer period than all at once.

It gives your body more time to adapt to its new weight and build muscle rather than store pounds and pounds of fat. And in the grand scheme of things, three months, six months, or even a year isn’t that long if you can be at your ideal weight healthily by the end of it.

2. Increase Caloric Intake Gradually

When I first started a weight gain diet, a big struggle of mine was my appetite. I wasn’t hungry at all, and all my meals felt forced, and they definitely weren’t enjoyable.

What was my problem? I started too fast!

Why is that a problem?

Our bodies are very habitual, and they regulate the release of hormones, such as our two major “hunger hormones,” ghrelin (which increases appetite) and leptin (which reduces appetite). In other words, our bodies are currently adapted to our eating patterns.

This means that we need to give our bodies some time to re-regulate our hunger hormones to our new diet. The easiest approach to do this is to increase your calorie consumption gradually, which you can do by working your calories up over time until you reach your calorie plan.

This way, you will face much less resistance and not have to force food down without an appetite. – Which we all know sucks!

A good time frame is to start the calorie intake plan below your target calorie plan for the first 2-4 weeks.

For example:

1. If your goal is to gain at a medium pace (e.g., 1 lb per week or 26 lbs in 6 months, which equates to 500 calories per day):
2. Begin at a lower rate, such as 0.5 lbs per week or 13 lbs in 6 months (250 calories per day), for the first 2-4 weeks.

This will make the hardest weeks, which are the start, much more manageable and allow you to start building your momentum.

3. Understand Your Calorie Maintenance

Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-rule-fits-all when it comes to calorie maintenance levels. Different lifestyles, metabolisms, and even the amount of muscle you have affect your calorie maintenance level.

However, there are ballpark figures, and over time, you can start to narrow them down and get an idea of your calorie maintenance level.

What is a calorie maintenance level?

Calorie maintenance is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. Once you have an idea of this, it’s much easier to incorporate a more accurate calorie plan.

What are calories?

My favorite way to look at calories is as energy or fuel. Our bodies need a certain amount of calories (or fuel) to use for everything from breathing, hormone regulation, circulating blood through your body, and exercise.

Some ‘hard gainers’ will have a slightly higher calorie maintenance level (higher metabolism) than others, meaning their bodies burn slightly more calories daily.

The easiest way to figure out your calorie maintenance levels is to use a calorie maintenance calculator without adding exercise (because adding exercise to a calorie calculator is too generic).

If you feel you are a ‘hard gainer’, you can then add 200 more calories to your daily intake.

Tip: Don’t forget when choosing your calorie plan that you need to add on any additional calories you burn via exercise, which you can do as an average throughout the week.

4. Regular Resistance Training

Exercise is extra important while on a weight-gain diet. When you are in a calorie surplus (consuming more calories than your body burns), your body will store the extra calories as either fat or muscle.

Exercising, particularly through resistance training, will prompt your body to utilize nutrients to repair and grow muscles, leading to more muscle and less fat gains.

So, if you don’t want the vast majority of your weight gain to be fat, you need to do some type of exercise!

You may be wondering, what types of exercises are good for weight gain?

For the majority of training, we want to focus on muscular hypertrophy (resistance training), which is the most effective way to build muscle mass.

Tips on Incorporating Resistance Training Into Your Weight Gain Plan:

Consistency is Key: To see significant muscle growth, you must be consistent with your training. Aim for at least 3-4 days of resistance training per week, focusing on different muscle groups each session to allow for recovery and growth.

Progressive Overload: To continue making gains, you need to gradually increase the resistance or load you’re lifting. This can be achieved by adding more weight, increasing the number of repetitions, or changing the exercises to challenge your muscles differently.

Focus on Compound Movements: Exercises that train multiple muscle groups at once (such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses) are incredibly effective for building muscle mass. They allow you to lift heavier weights and work more muscles in less time.

5. Use a Weight Gain Meal Plan

A well-designed meal plan removes the question of “what to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?”.

Why a Meal Plan Helps:

• Consistency: A meal plan helps you maintain a steady intake of calories and nutrients necessary for weight gain.
• Balance: Helps make your diet more optimal and well-rounded by pre-planning a good mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and electrolytes.
• Convenience: Knowing exactly what and when you will eat, which makes grocery shopping and meal preparation much easier.
• Stress: Reducing the stress and thought process of wondering what you need to eat and when.

How to Develop an Effective Meal Plan:

1. Calculate Your Needs: Determine your daily caloric needs based on your weight gain goals, adding calories for planned exercise. Use tools like a calorie maintenance calculator to fine-tune your requirements.
2. Plan Your Meals: Design meals that not only meet your caloric needs but are also appealing and easy to prepare. Include calorie-dense foods that are also nutrient-rich, such as high-calorie fruits, high-calorie vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean meats.
3. Batch Recipes: Add meals that are easy to batch cook to save time prepping and to reduce the temptation to eat off your weight gain plan, especially when you’re tired.
4. Diversity: Include a variety of foods in your meal plan to avoid dietary boredom, and offer a better variety of nutrition.

Meal plans take a lot of time and recipe testing to make! Currently, I only have one 3500 calorie meal plan that includes 35 recipes, which took me about a month of recipe testing to make! If people like the meal plan, I will surely make more with different calorie/dietary needs.

However, for now, you can still tweak the calorie plan above. For example, if you need 3200 calories a day, you could reduce the recipes by 10% or use the recipes for inspiration for your own unique meal plans.

6. Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods

It’s important to focus on foods that are not only high in calories but also packed with nutrients. Nutrient-dense foods provide vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds that support your overall health and well-being.

Why Nutrient Density Matters:

• Maximizes Nutrient Intake: Ensures you’re getting essential vitamins and minerals without consuming empty calories.
• Supports Overall Health: Promotes better health outcomes, including improved energy levels, immune functions, and muscle recovery.
• Enhances Muscle Growth: Provides the necessary nutrients for muscle repair and recovery, especially important if you’re engaging in resistance training.

7. Frequent Meals

Consuming four to six smaller meals throughout the day, rather than three large ones, can help increase your overall caloric intake without causing as much feelings of overfullness.

It also helps to keep your energy levels stable by not spiking your blood sugar levels as much and using as much of your body’s resources on digestion.

If you find it challenging to prepare multiple meals, consider meal prep strategies where you prepare several meals at once.

8. Drink Your Calories

Drinking your calories is one of my favorite ways to hit my calorie surplus. It’s much easier to drink a 700+ calorie weight gainer smoothie than to eat a 700-calorie dinner. And most high calorie smoothie recipes only take about 2 minutes to make on average.

To make calorie-rich drinks, blend ingredients like fruits, vegetables, protein powder, nut butter, and milk or dairy alternatives together. You can also add extras like oats, yogurt, or honey for additional calories and nutrients.

9. Post-Workout Nutrition

Post-training nutrition is important to promote muscle growth from training, supporting recovery, and replenishing energy stores.

Include in your post-training nutrition high-quality protein to support muscle synthesis and recovery, as well as carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen stores and water for rehydration.

• Aim to consume 20-40g of high-quality protein in your immediate post-workout meal or drink.
• Refuel with carbohydrates post-training to restore glycogen levels. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates.
• Remember to rehydrate with adequate fluids after a session, especially if you are a heavy sweater.

An example post-workout meal could be a smoothie with fruits and protein powder or a chicken pasta salad.

10. Take Advantage of Protein Supplements

Protein supplements are a convenient and effective way to help you meet your daily protein requirements and boost your calories.

Why Are Protein Supplements Beneficial:

• Convenience: Protein supplements like whey, casein, or plant-based options provide a quick and easy way to get high-quality protein without the need for extensive meal preparation.
• Absorption Rates: You can pick a protein powder for optimal different absorption rates. Whey protein is absorbed quickly, making it ideal for post-workout recovery when your body needs immediate protein. Casein is digested slowly, providing a steady release of amino acids, which is perfect for sustaining muscle protein synthesis over longer periods, such as overnight.
• Versatility: Supplements can be incorporated into a variety of recipes, such as shakes, pancakes, oatmeal or even mixed into milk for your cereal.

How to Use Protein Supplements:

1. Post-Workout: Consume a protein shake immediately after your workout to help speed up muscle recovery and growth by taking advantage of the metabolic window when your muscles are primed to absorb nutrients.
2. Between Meals: Use protein shakes or bars between meals to maintain a steady supply of protein throughout the day, which supports muscle synthesis and helps prevent muscle breakdown.

11. Midnight Snacking

Since you are on a weight-gain diet, you can take advantage of midnight snacking when you wake up hungry. Having a protein-rich snack before bed can provide your body with the amino acids it needs to repair and build muscle overnight.

This could be a protein shake, a bowl of cottage cheese, or a wholegrain bagel with peanut butter. Just make sure to keep these snacks light and healthy. Eating a large, heavy meal just before bed can disrupt your sleep and lead to digestive issues.

Also, it’s best to avoid sugary snacks, as these can lead to spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, potentially disrupting your sleep.

12. Avoid Drinking Water Before Meals

Drinking large amounts of fluids before meals can fill your stomach and decrease your appetite, which can make you feel full quicker.

While it’s very important to stay hydrated, try not to let your fluid intake interfere with your food intake. Drink water, during or after your meal so that it doesn’t reduce your appetite.

Conclusion

Use these tips to help better optimize your weight gain diet and help you hit your calorie goals. Remember small frequent meals, adding high calorie smoothies, and not drinking before meals will help your appetite.

And a combination of an achievable weight gain goal, goal tracking and a good weight gain meal plan to help reduce stress and build momentum.

Lastly, don’t forget that exercise is very important on weight gain diet so that you put on a healthy balance of fat and muscle.

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