What to Use to Gain Weight Permanently and Healthily

December 15, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the National Health Service (NHS), individuals can facilitate healthy weight gain by consistently adding 300 to 500 extra calories to their daily intake. Achieving permanent, healthy weight gain involves more than just eating more; it requires a strategic combination of a nutrient-dense diet, targeted strength training, and consistent lifestyle adjustments.

Quick Summary

Permanent weight gain is achieved through a controlled calorie surplus, focusing on nutrient-dense foods, increased protein intake, and consistent resistance training to build muscle mass. This approach avoids gaining unhealthy fat and promotes lasting, healthy weight changes.

Key Points

Consume a Calorie Surplus: To gain weight permanently, you must consistently eat more calories than your body burns, focusing on nutrient-dense rather than high-sugar foods.
Prioritize High-Quality Protein: Increase your protein intake from sources like lean meat, eggs, and dairy to fuel muscle growth and repair, especially when paired with exercise.
Incorporate Resistance Training: Engage in strength training at least twice a week to build muscle mass, which accounts for healthy, lasting weight gain.
Eat Frequently: Opt for five to six smaller, frequent meals and snacks daily to increase total calorie consumption, which is especially helpful for those with a small appetite.
Use Healthy Fats and Carbs: Include energy-dense foods like nuts, avocados, and whole grains to boost calories and provide essential nutrients.
Consider Supplements Carefully: Protein powders or mass gainers can be useful for meeting calorie goals, but they should complement, not replace, a balanced diet.
Track Your Progress: Monitoring your food intake and training progress can help boost motivation and ensure you are on track toward your goals.

The Science of Permanent Weight Gain

To gain weight and keep it on, you must consume more calories than your body burns consistently. This is known as a calorie surplus. However, the quality of those calories is crucial. Filling up on junk food might increase your weight temporarily, but it won't lead to lasting, healthy results and can harm your health. The goal is to build lean muscle mass and healthy body tissue, not unhealthy fat stores.

Prioritizing a Nutrient-Dense Diet

Rather than simply eating more, focus on nutrient-dense foods that pack a lot of calories into a smaller volume. This approach is especially helpful for individuals with a smaller appetite who get full quickly.

Energy-dense foods: Incorporate foods high in healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil. Dried fruits like raisins and dates are also excellent for adding concentrated calories.
High-quality protein: Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue. Good sources include lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, and legumes. Spreading protein intake throughout the day can support muscle growth.
Complex carbohydrates: Choose whole grains like oats, brown rice, and quinoa over processed carbs. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are also great sources of fuel.
High-calorie beverages: If solid food is a challenge, drink your calories. Homemade smoothies with milk, nut butter, and fruit can be an easy way to increase intake.

Strategic Eating Patterns

Consistency is the secret ingredient for long-term success. Creating a structured eating schedule can help ensure you meet your caloric goals daily.

Eat frequently: Instead of relying on three large meals, aim for five to six smaller, frequent meals throughout the day. This helps prevent feeling overly stuffed.
Add calorie boosters: Find simple ways to add extra calories to your existing meals. Sprinkle nuts or seeds on salads, add cheese to baked potatoes, or mix milk powder into soups.
Make meals and snacks enjoyable: If you struggle with appetite, ensure the foods you eat are appealing. Stocking your fridge with snacks you genuinely enjoy can help ensure you eat consistently.

The Role of Exercise in Sustainable Weight Gain

Pairing a calorie surplus with resistance training is critical for ensuring the extra weight gained is muscle, not just fat. Exercise also helps stimulate appetite, which can be beneficial for those who struggle to eat enough.

Best exercises for muscle growth:

Compound movements: Focus on exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. Examples include squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
Progressive overload: To continue building muscle, you must consistently increase the challenge. This can be done by increasing the weight you lift, the number of reps, or the intensity of your workout over time.
Allow for recovery: Muscles grow on rest days, not just during workouts. Schedule 48 hours of rest between targeting the same muscle groups to allow for proper repair and growth.

Considering Supplements for Weight Gain

Supplements should be considered a complement to a healthy diet, not a replacement. While not essential, they can be a helpful tool for some.

Mass gainers: These are high-calorie powders, typically with a blend of protein and carbohydrates. They can be useful for those who find it difficult to get enough calories from food alone.
Protein supplements: Whey, soy, or casein protein powders can help you meet your daily protein needs, especially after a workout, to aid in muscle recovery and growth.
Creatine: Creatine monohydrate is a widely studied supplement known to improve exercise performance and increase lean muscle mass over time.
Avoid unproven products: Be wary of products making unrealistic claims. Focus on research-backed supplements and consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

Comparison of Healthy Weight Gain Strategies


Strategy	Primary Mechanism	Benefit	Best For	Potential Drawbacks
Nutrient-Dense Foods	Provides concentrated calories and essential nutrients	Promotes healthy weight gain with quality fuel	Everyone, especially those with small appetites	Requires consistent meal planning and preparation
Frequent Small Meals	Increases total daily caloric intake without feeling stuffed	Easier to consume more calories throughout the day	Individuals with poor or easily satisfied appetites	Can be challenging to fit into a busy schedule
Resistance Training	Builds lean muscle mass, which accounts for healthy weight gain	Ensures added weight is muscle, not unhealthy fat	Individuals aiming for lean muscle definition and strength	Requires consistency and can lead to injury if form is poor
Weight Gainer Supplements	Delivers a large number of calories and macros in liquid form	Convenient and easy for meeting high caloric needs	Hard gainers or those with very high energy demands	Can be expensive; some people dislike the taste or texture
Adding Calorie Boosters	Increases total daily calories without changing core meals	Simple way to add extra intake gradually	Anyone looking for an easy, low-effort approach	Needs consistency; calorie tracking can be overlooked

Conclusion

Achieving permanent, healthy weight gain is a gradual process that relies on a strategic, multi-pronged approach. The foundation of this strategy is a consistent calorie surplus achieved through a nutrient-dense diet. By focusing on high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates, you provide your body with the necessary fuel to build and repair tissue. Crucially, pairing this nutritional plan with regular resistance training ensures that the weight gained is lean muscle mass, contributing to strength and long-term health rather than unhealthy fat. Supplements like protein powder and creatine can be supportive tools, but they are not a magic bullet and should always be used alongside a balanced diet and exercise regimen. Before starting, consulting a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian can help you set a safe and realistic plan tailored to your specific needs. With patience, consistency, and the right tools, sustainable weight gain is an achievable goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

For healthy, steady weight gain, a daily surplus of 300 to 500 extra calories is recommended. For faster gain, a surplus of 700 to 1,000 calories can be targeted, but it is important to monitor how your body responds.

You can build muscle with lighter weights as long as you train with enough intensity and push your muscles close to failure. The key is to progressively overload your muscles over time to stimulate growth.

Weight gainer supplements can be a helpful tool for increasing calorie intake but should not replace whole, nutrient-rich foods. They are most effective when used to supplement a balanced diet and resistance training program.

If you have a small appetite, focus on eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Incorporate calorie-dense foods like nuts and healthy oils, and drink high-calorie smoothies between meals to increase your overall intake.

While rapid weight gain is possible, it is not always healthy. Focusing on a gradual increase, primarily through lean muscle mass rather than unhealthy fat, is the best approach for lasting results.

Gaining muscle involves increasing lean body mass through a combination of a calorie surplus and resistance training. Gaining fat results from consuming a calorie surplus without enough exercise, causing the body to store excess energy as fat.

Permanent, healthy weight gain is a slow and gradual process. It can take months or even years of consistent effort with diet and exercise to achieve your goals, so it's important to be patient and consistent.