Eat five to six meals a day, instead of the three or two usual meals. Add toppings and extras to your food for a caloric boost. Eat as much as you can when you do.

Grains, pasta and breads should be whole grain. Avoid processed versions of these. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts, seeds, and lean meats. You may want to try shakes or smoothies. As always, monitor your diet to provide appropriate levels of sugars.

If you do want something to drink before a meal, make sure it’s something that has nutrients and calories.

Nuts Cheese Peanut butter Avocados Dried fruits

Whole grains Beans Milk Yogurt

Use olive or canola oil when you cook. Eat nuts, seeds, and avocados. Try natural peanut, cashew, or almond butters. As always, monitor your glucose levels as you make changes in your diet to keep them at a safe level.

The most common measurement to determine ideal body weight is known as BMI, or body mass index. Many calculators are available online to help you determine your BMI. The formula used for imperial calculation of BMI is weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703[9] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source The formula used for metric calculation of BMI is weight (kg) / [height (m)] 2 [10] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source Generally, a range of 18. 5 to 24. 9 using the BMI, is considered normal body weight.

Count how many calories you are currently eating in a day. Add 500 calories a day, for one week. Check for weight gain. If no weight was gained, add another 500 calories a day next week. Do this until weight starts to accumulate. Maintain that level of caloric intake until a healthy weight is achieved. A rough estimate of calorie intake required to gain weight is around 3,500 calories a day. This will equate to gaining around 1lb.

Weight lifting or strength training is the best way to transform the increased calories into muscle. [13] X Research source Exercise is a great way to meet your goals in a healthy way.