How To Gain Weight In 30 Days? 5 Tips To Gain Healthy Weight

How to Gain Weight in a Month? 5 Methods to Gain Weight Healthily

Eat More High-Protein Foods

Consuming enough protein will ensure you are gaining lean muscle mass in proportion to body fat on a high-calorie diet.  A meta-analysis^[8] investigating the impact of excessive feeding regimens in athletes found that a high protein diet had a positive effect on gaining muscle mass vs. fat mass Try eating more of these high protein foods at every meal or snack:

• Lean meat cuts of beef, chicken, or pork
• White fish, shellfish, or tuna
• Eggs
• Tofu, tempeh, or soybeans
• Dairy products such as milk, cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt

Increase Consumption of Healthy Fats & Carbohydrates

Fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient, so focusing on foods high in healthy fats along with whole-grain carbs will balance lean protein foods in your diet plan to gain body weight efficiently.

Carbs and fat from refined sources are an easy go-to when you might think about gaining weight. However, carefully choosing a balance of unsaturated fat and high fiber foods will be important to ward off the result of excess belly fat.

These healthy fats and complex carbs will help your weight gain goals:

• Olive oil or avocado oil
• Nuts and Seeds such as cashews, peanuts, pistachios, or walnuts (also a good source of protein!)
• Fatty fish such as salmon or tuna
• Whole milk dairy products
• Brown rice, quinoa, or bulgur
• Whole grain bread
• Oats

Eat More Frequently

A simple way to increase your calorie intake is to eat more frequently throughout the day. Try these tips:

• Eat at least three meals per day
• Fit in three snacks daily, including a bedtime snack
• Try drinking beverages between meals and snacks. Fluids can fill you up without as much caloric benefit

Focus on Nutrient-dense Foods to Get Those Extra Calories

Eating for rapid weight gain can be difficult in terms of the sheer volume of food intake you may need to consume. It will be helpful to focus on calorically dense foods that have the most calories in a low volume. Good options include:

• Nuts or nut butter
• Dried fruit
• Moderate amounts of high-fat dairy such as half & half and butter
• Avocadoes
• Coconut flakes
• Chia seeds, flax seeds, or hemp seeds

Include these foods as toppings or condiment-like additions to your foods for high impact. This might look like adding 1-2 tbsp of half & half creamer for your coffee, sprinkling chia seeds on yogurt, or adding sliced avocado to your salad. 

Combine Nutrient-dense Eating With Weight Training

To support muscle growth as part of gaining weight, include a regular weight training workout with a high-calorie diet.  Weight lifting or resistance training will support your goals of building muscle, but high-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise will likely burn too many calories and slow down weight gain.

There is still a careful balance of energy expenditure for resistance training workouts when the goal is to gain weight fast.  Research^[9] suggests a higher resistance load with fewer repetitions will provide the most benefit to gaining muscle mass.

Weight training has been shown to be especially effective^[3] in gaining muscle mass when combined with sufficient dietary protein.  So, a healthy diet with nutrient-dense choices is an important factor in reaping the muscle-building benefits of a weight training program.

Diet Plan to Gain Weight in 30 Days

Exactly what a diet plan may look like for gaining weight is highly individual and can look very different for everyone.  Always talk with your doctor before starting a new eating plan or physical activity regimen.  If you need a personalized eating plan for your targeted calorie intake, consider meeting with a dietitian for more guidance.

If we use a standard benchmark discussed earlier of 2500-3000 calories per day, a daily eating plan may look like the one below.  In general, this plan aims for about 600 calories per meal and at least 300 calories per snack.

Sample 1- Day, 2800 Calorie Meal Plan

Breakfast:

• 3 eggs
• 1 slice whole-grain toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 8 oz whole milk

Morning Snack:

• ¼ cup cashews
• ¼ dried fruit

Lunch:

• 3 oz tuna with ½ an avocado on whole-grain bread
• Mixed greens side salad with 2 tsp olive oil dressing
• 8 oz whole milk

Afternoon Snack:

• Fruit Smoothie with protein powder
• (1 cup frozen fruit, ½ cup milk,  fruit juice, and one scoop whey protein)

Dinner:

• 6 oz grilled chicken
• 1 cup roasted vegetables with olive oil
• 1 cup brown rice with butter
• 8 oz whole milk

Evening Snack:

• Oat granola bar
• Fresh berries and 3/4 cup yogurt

Planning can be important to ensure you are meeting your energy needs and eating a balanced diet while working to gain weight quickly. To keep on track, it may be helpful to plan meals and snacks ahead of time for this period to achieve your healthy weight goals.

It may feel a little overwhelming for your food budget. If so, check out our tips on healthy eating on a budget.