In order to gain body weight, the number of calories consumed in the diet must exceed the number of calories the body needs to maintain its current weight. Medical problems such as depression, hypochlorhydria and achlorhydria, bulimia or anorexia must be addressed and treatment underway before weight gain will occur.
The nutritional considerations of a healthful diet still apply when weight gain is desired: the goal is to increase the number of calories in the diet while making healthful choices from a variety of foods.
An increase of at least 500-1000 calories each day should be adequate for a 1-2 pound (0.5-1.0Kg) weight gain per week. It takes an extra 3500 calories to gain 1 pound (0.5Kg) of body weight.
Avoid foods which you know you do not tolerate well. Where being seriously underweight is a problem, weight gain can best be achieved by concentrating on foods with either a higher calorie or fat content. Ounce for ounce, fat has more than twice the calories of either carbohydrate or protein.
Special Considerations
Tips for Gaining Weight
The more time that the stomach has to work on the ethanol, the less harm it can do to your body. When a meal is eaten the exit valve of the stomach closes in order to digest the food. When food and alcohol are consumed at the same time this prevents the alcohol from passing quickly into the small intestine from where it would be rapidly absorbed giving the enzyme more time to work.
Eating is the first and most important factor that is needed for proper weight gain – put simply, you need to eat more calories than you burn. Taking meals and snacks more frequently will help accomplish this. Eat every 2.5 to 3 hours; focus on foods higher in protein along with fruit, vegetables and assorted types of nuts. What you eat is the most important ingredient in a successful weight gain program.
Alcohol tends to go very quickly through the intestines if drunk on an empty stomach, inducing the drop in blood sugar that makes one feel light-headed and drunk, and then keeping it low throughout the night and into the following day, resulting in a major hangover. Do not drink any alcohol until your stomach contains food.
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