Weight Gain Calculator

How Many Calories Do You Need to Gain Weight?

It depends on your BMR and activity level. More you expend in exercise the more you need to consume.
Adding 500 calories a day helps to gain 250-500 gm per week or 1lb, a standard way to gain weight.
If you want fast weight gain then adding 700-1000 calories per day will help to increase 1kg per
week if combined with exercise. Based on this set your expectations and goal.

Different Kind of Calories and Their Effects

There are a lot of ways to increase total calorie intake. Unhealthy sources and healthy sources.

Unhealthy sources are calorie dense and immediately increase your demand but they are rich in
saturated and trans fat mainly which though increase your weight but the fat mass not the muscle
mass. Some of them are:

1. Refined carbohydrates
   Concentrated sources of calories as well as carbs. Taking more of these in forms of cakes,
   pastries, doughnuts will no way to lead you metabolic disorders.
   Better to replace these refined sources with whole grains to get plenty supply of fibre,
   resistant starch and well as fuel from carbs.
2. Processed Foods
   They are loaded with trans fats, processed sugar which are not a healthy option to boost up
   calorie intake.
3. Trans Fat
   They are very tasty as deeply fried in reused oil and easily can increase your calorie
   content of meal but if you want a healthy choices this is not a good option to include. You
   can swap your unhealthy french fries or pizza with some healthy varieties.

Healthy sources are always better to opt for, whether they come from complex carbs, protein, or healthy fats.

1. Carbohydrates
   1 gm of carbs on oxidation provides 4 kcal of energy. So try to get these calories from
   complex carbs like whole grains and cereals, replace normal potato with sweet potato,
   doughnut buns with whole grain buns to get not only energy but also fibre to make your body
   healthy.
2. Protein
   Very important macros to build up mass. Muscles are made up of proteins for which we need
   high biological value protein. As per RDA healthy adult persons require 0.8 gm protein/kg
   body weight which is important to meet basic requirements (1).
   To build lean muscle mass you need to increase intake as 1.5-2.0 g/kg body weight or 35 % of
   total calories based on your activity level. Include lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses and
   legumes, nut protein in your plate (2).
3. Healthy Fat
   Fat is not always bad what you need to choose healthy options and 1 gm of fat on oxidation
   gives 9 kcal of energy which is quite high. Include health oils like olive oil, flaxseed
   oil, healthy nuts or nut butter, lean meats, dairy products.

There are many high-calorie foods for weight gain. Adding them to your diet will greatly increase your muscle mass, helping you gain weight in a healthy way.

Macros Ratio To Gain Weight

To build muscle and gain weight macronutrient distribution should be:

Protein : 30% of total Calorie

Fat: 30 % of total Calorie

Carbs: 40 % of total Calorie

General Health Tips To Gain Weight

1. Exercise

Exercise is one of the best methods to bulk up your muscles along with a properly balanced diet. Do not try strength training activities every day. Instead, do strength training 3 times a week and balance it with some cardio and warm-up sessions for best results. Divide your activity regime part-wise like keeping a day for leg muscles, one day for chest and hand, and another day for abs along with cardio. You can check out some of the exercises to gain weight and add them to your routine.

2. Proper Sleep

This is an extremely important factor to recover your muscle wear and tear. Proper sleep for 7-8
hours boost up your metabolic rate, make you fresh for next activity as well as promotes muscle
healing process.

The most common cause for being underweight

1. Family History: Heredity plays a common role to determine your physique whether you are obese or underweight.
2. Eating disorders : People with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa may have lower BMI.
3. Stress: Often stress is related to undereating which could be one of the reasons to lower your BMI.

The Most Common Health Risks Of Being Underweight

1. Bone Health Issues: Low body weight may result in lower bone density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures (3).
2. Weakened Immune System: Just like obesity, being underweight is also linked to a weakened immune system. It can make your body more susceptible to infections and illnesses (4).
3. Anemia: If you are underweight and have iron deficiency, it may cause anemia, which causes fatigue and weakness (5).
4. Psychological Issues: A low body weight may also lead to body image concerns, which in turn, may affect your mental health.

1. How much protein you need everyday? Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.
   https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096
2. Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes, Medicine
   and Science in Sports and exercise, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of
   Health.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027/
3. Severity of underweight and risk of fracture: a Korean nationwide population-based cohort study
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9203809/
4. Body mass index and the risk of infection – from underweight to obesity
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28232162/
5. Health risk and underweight
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10383423/