What to Eat to Gain Weight

When you're struggling to gain weight, eating enough food to see the scale go up can be overwhelming. It's tempting to simply grab junk food or fast food to boost your calories, but you have better options. Before you resort to the drive-thru, make a concerted effort to eat more of these specific muscle-building foods, all of which are nutrient-dense and calorie-rich.

Take the list below to the store. Then plug each item into the eating schedule below and see if it helps the scale move in the right direction. Sure, you could get plenty of the same nutrients simply by drinking a gallon of milk a day, but mixing up your diet will give you a wider range of nutrients—and be a lot less boring over the course of weeks or months!

The Best Weight-Gain Foods

Proteins

Oily fish like salmon and sardines
Red meat
Dark meat chicken and turkey (thighs, drumsticks)
Protein powders and bars
Homemade protein treats
Whole eggs

Fats

Nuts and nut butters
Seeds
Avocados and avocado oil
Olives and olive oil
Coconut, coconut milk, and coconut oil
Full-fat milk, butter, and cheese
Mayonnaise

Carbs

Fresh and dried fruit
Starchy vegetables like carrots and peas
Potatoes and sweet potatoes
Whole-grain bread, bagels, and pasta
Granola
Trail mix

Here's a sample daily meal schedule from registered dietitian Douglas Kalman, Ph.D.

Weight-Gain Meal Plan

7:30 or 8 a.m.: 3-4 eggs, 2 slices of whole-wheat toast with nut butter, bowl of fruit, glass of milk
11 a.m.: Grilled chicken breast or thigh, broccoli, a cup or more of brown rice with olive oil and nuts
3 p.m.: A couple more big handfuls of nuts, plus some dried fruit or granola
6 p.m.: Post-workout protein shake (if you train at night)
7 p.m.: Flank steak, sweet potatoes or a grain, huge salad with avocado
10 p.m.: Yogurt, cottage cheese, or casein protein mixed with nut butter

Weight-Gain Shakes

At some point, cooking and eating all that food can start to feel like a chore. This is where shakes come in.

Weight-gainer shakes are high-calorie drinks or smoothies that let you rapidly ingest a ton of calories along with protein and other macros. Use them as a quick but substantial meal replacement when you're on the go, drink them with meals for extra calories, or snack on them before bed.

There are two basic ways to do gainers: You can buy a mass-gainer supplement, or make your own. There are benefits to both. Making your own with real foods provides more micronutrients, but the muscle-gainer powders are definitely convenient. Even if you plan to mostly DIY it, having a powder is great for those times it isn't practical to break out the blender. Keep one of our best muscle-building protein powders on hand for these situations.

How to Make Your Own Weight-Gain Shakes

Start with protein powder and add extra calories any way you can. Get creative! Pick at least one ingredient from each category and blend until smooth.

Protein: whey protein powder, plant protein powder, mass gainer powder, Greek yogurt, silken tofu
Carbs: fruit, honey, molasses, oats, sweet potatoes (seriously!)
Fats: nut butters, coconut oil, tahini, avocado, avocado oil
Liquid: milk, cream, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, coconut water, fruit juice

6 Monster Weight-Gain Shake Recipes

To get you started, here are six monster shakes to power your massive gains, from registered nutritionist and competitive powerlifter Paul Salter, MS, RD. Three of them are perfect to drink any time you need some calories, and the other three are ideal for that post-workout period when your muscles are screaming for fuel.