How to gain weight safely

If you have a BMI of 18.5 or less, you are considered underweight. You can calculate yours at home or with the help of your local pharmacist.

But why does it matter? Being underweight can increase your risk of developing a range of health conditions including osteoporosis (weakened bones), poor immunity, fertility issues and anaemia.

Although it may seem obvious, eating more food more often can help you put on weight.

This is because it will improve your energy balance. This is a measure that compares the amount of energy you intake through food and drink with the calories you burn in a day.²

Simply put, bulking up your meals can help you gain weight.

Adding 300 to 500 calories from healthy foods improves your energy balance so you’re not in a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you eat).³

Instead of having 3 large meals a day, try to have 5 or 6 smaller meals. Listen to your body’s hunger signals and try to snack throughout the morning and afternoon. This approach will help you to add calories throughout the day without feeling overly full.⁴

Opting for nutrient-dense foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and lean proteins like chicken and fish add variety, calories and nutrients to your everyday meals.⁴

There’s lots you can eat to fill yourself up.

But if you’ve tried to add some of these foods to your meals in the past and felt less than satisfied, you might be reluctant to add more of them to your diet. These foods have benefits beyond their ability to help you put on weight. Fish and avocados, for example, are great sources of omega-3, which is important for your heart health.⁴

They are also fibre-rich so they should stop you from feeling hungry once you’ve eaten them.

Look for recipes that suit your tastes. There are plenty of ways these food groups can be whipped up into tasty, flavourful meals.

Regular resistance training helps build lean muscle and develop your strength.⁵

It has benefits for people seeking to gain weight as well as those who want to lose it. This is because it helps you to tap into your fat stores and improve your muscular strength and endurance.

But how does it work?

When you strength train, your muscles tear slightly. To repair this, your body uses protein-based building blocks called amino acids to plug the gaps. This allows your muscles to grow.⁶

There are lots of ways you can work on the strength of your muscles. Try using:

• Resistance bands
• Free weights like dumbbells or barbells
• Weight machines
• Calisthenics or bodyweight exercises
• Classes.

Low-impact exercises like swimming can help you build lean muscle as you stabilise yourself and move through the water.⁷

It’s important to make sure your hard work is paying off. If you’ve been eating more food and exercising, recognising how far you’ve come can help keep you motivated.

Apps, progress pictures and regular body measurements are all ways you can hold yourself accountable and celebrate your successes.

Weighing yourself regularly can also help. But your weight will naturally change based on several different factors. These include:

• Changes to your hormone levels
• Medication use
• Dehydration
• Exercise
• Eating food
• Alcohol use.

Tracking your progress can also help you have better, more meaningful conversations with any health professionals you might need to speak to. They can give you practical advice based on your individual needs.

Gaining weight can take time. Although you may want to see a rapid change, gradually changing is safer and more sustainable.

If you started to make positive changes and adopted healthy habits, do your best to stick to them.

You can always discuss any concerns, you have with a relevant professional. For example, a personal trainer or nutritionist might be able to give you practical advice that you can use in your everyday life. A doctor or pharmacist can help you understand how any new or existing conditions might affect your progress.

Whatever stage you’re at in your journey, acknowledge how far you’ve come. If you’re noticing that you’re more confident, feel healthier or are socialising more because of the effort you’re making, then you have a lot to be proud of.