How can I increase my fat? A healthy and sustainable guide to weight gain

October 17, 2025 •

4 min read

Dietary fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient, providing 9 calories per gram. To address the question, "How can I increase my fat?", a successful strategy focuses on a calorie surplus built from healthy fats and nutrient-dense foods, not just any junk food.

Quick Summary

This guide explores balanced nutritional strategies for gaining weight, focusing on incorporating healthy, calorie-dense foods like nuts, avocados, and oils into a daily meal plan. It emphasizes a health-conscious, balanced approach over unhealthy methods.

Key Points

Create a Calorie Surplus: To gain weight, consistently consume more calories than your body burns, aiming for an increase of 300-500 calories per day.
Prioritize Healthy Fats: Focus on unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, which are energy-dense and heart-healthy.
Avoid Unhealthy Fats: Limit intake of saturated and trans fats found in processed foods, red meat, and high-fat dairy to avoid increasing the risk of heart disease.
Include Resistance Training: Incorporate weightlifting or bodyweight exercises to ensure weight gain is primarily from muscle mass rather than unhealthy body fat.
Enhance Meals with Nutrient-Dense Additions: Boost the calorie content of your meals by adding healthy extras like nuts to cereal, cheese to casseroles, or olive oil to vegetables.
Eat Frequently: For those with smaller appetites, eating 5-6 smaller, calorie-dense meals and snacks throughout the day can be more manageable than three large ones.
Choose Nutrient-Rich Drinks: Opt for high-calorie, nutrient-packed beverages like homemade protein shakes or full-fat milk to increase daily intake easily.

Understanding the Need for a Healthy Calorie Surplus

To increase body fat, or overall body weight, the fundamental principle is to consume more calories than your body burns through daily activities. This is known as a calorie surplus. However, the type of calories and the source of your weight gain are critical for long-term health. Gaining weight exclusively from junk food, which is often high in unhealthy saturated and trans fats, can lead to fat accumulation in harmful areas, increasing the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A healthy, sustainable approach prioritizes nutrient-dense, calorie-rich foods that build a balanced amount of both muscle and subcutaneous fat.

Prioritizing Healthy Fat Sources

Not all fats are created equal. The key is to replace unhealthy fats with beneficial unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, support heart health and can improve cholesterol levels. They are typically liquid at room temperature and found primarily in plant-based sources and fish.

Monounsaturated Fats

These fats can help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol while maintaining "good" HDL cholesterol. Excellent sources include:

Avocados and avocado oil
Olive oil and canola oil
Nuts like almonds, peanuts, and cashews
Seeds such as sesame and pumpkin seeds

Polyunsaturated Fats

This category includes the essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which the body cannot produce on its own. They are crucial for brain and heart health. Rich sources are:

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines
Walnuts and flaxseeds
Sunflower, corn, and soy oils

Limiting Saturated and Trans Fats

While not all saturated fat is equally harmful, excessive intake can raise unhealthy cholesterol. Trans fats, largely eliminated from processed foods, are the most harmful type and should be avoided. Sources to limit include red meat, butter, ice cream, and many processed baked and fried foods. A heart-healthy diet emphasizes replacing these with unsaturated fats.

Incorporating Healthy Fats into Your Diet

Integrating healthy fats effectively can significantly boost your calorie intake without requiring you to eat larger volumes of food, which can be challenging if you have a smaller appetite.

Enhance Smoothies: Blend full-fat yogurt, nut butters, avocados, and seeds into your protein shakes or smoothies for a calorie-dense, nutrient-rich drink.
Smart Snacking: Trade low-calorie snacks for energy-dense options. A handful of mixed nuts, a slice of whole-grain toast with avocado, or full-fat yogurt with dried fruit are excellent choices.
Top it off: Add extras to your meals to increase the calorie count. Sprinkle cheese on casseroles, add nuts and seeds to salads and cereals, and use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and dressings.
Cook with Healthy Oils: Use olive or canola oil for sautéing vegetables or cooking fish instead of butter or lard.
Enriched Milk: Add 2-4 tablespoons of powdered milk to a glass of whole milk for an easy calorie and protein boost, perfect for making enriched soups, mashed potatoes, or cereal.

Balancing Your Macronutrients for Sustainable Weight Gain

While focusing on fat is essential for increasing calories, a balanced approach includes all macronutrients. Protein is vital for building muscle mass, and carbohydrates provide the energy needed for workouts and daily function.

A Balanced Meal Plan

Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal made with milk, topped with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter or a handful of almonds.
Lunch: Salad with fatty fish like salmon, avocado, cheese, and an olive oil-based dressing.
Dinner: Chicken or lean beef stir-fry cooked in canola oil, served with brown rice and a side of steamed vegetables.

The Role of Resistance Training

For healthy weight gain, which involves increasing muscle mass and not just fat, incorporating regular resistance training is crucial.

Stimulates Muscle Growth: Exercises like squats, lunges, and weightlifting promote muscle hypertrophy (growth).
Boosts Appetite: Physical activity can naturally increase your appetite, making it easier to meet your calorie surplus goals.
Promotes Lean Mass: When paired with adequate protein and a calorie surplus, resistance training ensures that extra calories are used to build muscle, not stored as unwanted fat.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Fat Sources: A Comparison


Feature	Healthy Fats (Unsaturated)	Unhealthy Fats (Saturated & Trans)
Types	Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated	Saturated & Trans
Best Sources	Nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish, olive oil	Red meat, butter, cheese, processed foods, fried items
Physical State	Liquid at room temperature (e.g., olive oil)	Solid at room temperature (e.g., butter)
Cholesterol Impact	Can lower "bad" LDL and raise "good" HDL cholesterol	Raises "bad" LDL cholesterol
Health Effects	Supports heart health, brain function, and reduces inflammation	Increases risk of heart disease, stroke, and obesity

Conclusion

Successfully answering 'How can I increase my fat?' involves adopting a balanced, health-conscious nutritional strategy rather than relying on empty calories. By creating a sustainable calorie surplus through nutrient-dense, healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and oily fish, and pairing this with regular resistance training, you can achieve your weight gain goals safely. This approach promotes a balanced body composition, prioritizing muscle mass and supporting overall health for the long term. Consulting with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian is always recommended to create a personalized and safe plan. A healthy diet focuses on a variety of foods, and you can find more guidelines on the official World Health Organization (WHO) website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Excellent food sources include avocados, nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds (chia, flax), fatty fish (salmon, sardines), extra virgin olive oil, and full-fat dairy products like yogurt and cheese.

For steady and safe weight gain, a good starting point is to aim for a daily calorie surplus of 300–500 calories beyond your maintenance needs.

While it is possible, resistance training is highly recommended. It helps build muscle mass, which ensures your weight gain is lean mass rather than just unhealthy body fat.

Saturated fats should be consumed in moderation. It is best to replace a majority of your saturated fat intake with healthier unsaturated fats to protect your cardiovascular health.

Incorporate calorie-dense additions like sprinkling nuts on salads, mixing seeds into smoothies, or using healthy oils in your cooking. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can also help.

Healthy fats are typically unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), liquid at room temperature, and support heart health. Unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats, are often solid at room temperature and can raise bad cholesterol levels.

Yes, gaining a high percentage of belly fat can increase the risk of health problems. A healthy weight gain strategy focuses on nutrient-dense foods and exercise to promote a balanced gain of muscle and subcutaneous fat.