Those confused faces not withstanding, the question is a legitimate one and one that frustrates those who find themselves on the light end of the scale. While those on the heavy end can't get through a commercial break or flip through more than five pages of a magazine without someone offering up a solution to their weight problems, it can be a lonely struggle for those who want to put on weight.
If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to your question, it will probably involve the words "eat more." That, despite being obvious, is great advice. Quite simply, to gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for healthy weight gain.
You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more weight-furnished friends, but you are probably over-estimating your intake. After a trip to the doctor's office to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulk up (thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective weight gain program is to journal your eating habits. Counting calories for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.
From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300-500 calories until you start putting on the pounds. Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influence your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight you are putting on. So if you are after an aesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to these factors.
To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junk food and focus on eating whole foods. A good weight gain diet should be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and 20-40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids). Different ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people. Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.
Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle. A weight training program designed to give the body a reason to add some muscle will be very important to achieving your goals. Your workout routines should concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises (those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set. Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal the body into muscle growth. Try to either increase the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.
Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two or three one-hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the trick. Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spend too much time in the gym. This can be counterproductive in two ways. First, it means you are burning off a lot of the calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and, second, you can over-train your muscles by working them too hard, basically making them unresponsive.
If you are looking for some company in your quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean muscle mass. You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight. Be very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there are a lot of companies out there looking to take your money. While some of these products can help, others aren't necessary.
With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weight training program in place you will have all you need to achieve your gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at you. Neha Rai is a consulting editor at
Are you overweight, or just have a little extra to love, but you can't seem to get rid of the fat. Furthermore, you actually seem to be putting on weight? Maybe you have a good by except for one are that you can't seem to get rid of. Now you may be wondering how you can be gaining weight, if I really don't eat very much. You have dropped your caloric intake, by dieting, and still don't seem to see any results?
If these sounds like you, don't worry its okay. Many people struggle with this aspect of weight loss. There are many people who put on weight, but really don't over eat. Your metabolism is the key to your weight loss. Your metabolism is you body ability to convert the food you eat into energy, and how many calories you burn at any moment of the day. If your metabolism is lower, it may take longer for you to work of that piece of caramel apple pie you just ate.
Although metabolism is an important issue, weight gain can be simplified even more. The number one reason for weight gain is consuming more calories than you expend. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 54.1 percent of adults don't do the minimum level of physical activity that is recommended for their well-being. The CDC report also found that more than 15 percent of adults are physically inactive in the three activity areas examined: household work, transportation, and discretionary/leisure time. The report, the first to examine all three areas over a two-year period, appears in the Dec. 2 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a CDC publication.
If you intake 3500 calories a day, but you only lose 1000calories through your metabolism and then another 1500 throughout the day, that leave another 1000 calories/day that are still left in your system. If you do this everyday, seven days/week, that's 2 pounds of fat that you have gained. For you math majors out there, that 7000 calories, that have been stored.
One pound of fat = 3500 calories.
The truth is that you don't have to over-eat in order to fit into this category; you just have to eat and not exercise. Remember, consuming more calories than you expend. Consuming 1 meal, or even 2 meals a day is not good for you.
The idea amount of times to eat is 3-6 times per day. Just think of it as 3 small meals and 3 snacks. I have a simple diet that can be followed to achieve results. Title meal replacements/weight loss/exercise.
BUT REMEMBER- 80% of all results you see (positive and negative) while working out are a result of you diet. This means that if you diet isn't okay, you will not get the desired results no matter how hard you work out.
Both Neha Raiasin & Donny Fonseca are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Neha Raiasin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Body Building. Neha Rai is a Physiotherapist and consulting editor at She has indepth knowledge of physical muscle building techniques and other health is. Neha Raiasin's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.
Donny Fonseca has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cardio Training, Body Building and Personal Desktop. Vacationbodies.com, an online resources for helping readers creates a health conscious lifestyle, and reach fitness goals. We want to be you personal trainer here at