Simply speaking, gaining weight requires consuming more calories than you burn. To gain one pound per week, you need to devour an extra 500 calories a day. Consuming an extra 500 calories is easier than you think if you add calorie-dense foods to your regular diet (calorie-dense foods provide lots of calories in a relatively small portion size). The key to gaining weight healthfully is to include extra calories to your diet without sacrificing good nutrition. For example, adding 1/2 cup of mixed nuts to your salad adds a whopping 410 calories. Besides being calorie-dense, nuts are also a good source of protein, fiber and vitamin E. Try to avoid foods that are low in nutrients and high in refined sugar such as cookies, cakes, donuts, and chocolate bars. Yes, large amounts of fat and sugar provide additional calories, but they will do little to improve your nutritional intake. Here are some other tips to help with the weight gain blues:

Always eat at least three main meals a day. Eat larger portions at those meals, or indulge in seconds more often.

Eat snacks. Plan on eating at least three snacks a day between meals. Have snacks on hand such as dried fruit, nuts, granola, or sports and energy bars. Healthy high-calorie snacks include peanut butter spread on crackers or apples, bran muffins, bagels with cheese, guacamole and low-fat tortilla chips or hummus and baked pita chips.

Add a little extra. Toss chicken or sunflower seeds in your salad, douse your burger with loads of ketchup and double up on the parmesan cheese sprinkled on your pasta. Order your pizza with extra cheese or enthusiastically indulge in the bread basket.

Add fruit juice or milk (1 percent or 2 percent) to your meals and snacks. It's a great and easy way to add calories to your diet.

Adding nutritious shakes or smoothies to your diet can help boost your nutrient intake and, best of all, help you pack on the weight. Try mixing Carnation Instant Breakfast with milk, bananas, strawberries and ice in a blender for a tasty treat. Add yogurt for a thicker consistency.

Gaining weight isn't easy, especially for those with accelerated metabolisms. Just remember to keep your diet nutritious and varied so you don't get bored eating the same foods every day. Every change, however small, will take you that much closer to your weight-gain success.

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written by martha d, December 07, 2007

I TRY TO FIND FOOD TO GET THAT EXTRA POUND, BUT I CAN'T FIND FOODS THAT I CAN NIPPLE ON FOR THAT EXTRA CALORIES DURING THE DAY. I DON'T REALLY HAVE TIME TO SIT AND EAT BREAKFAST, LUNCH. MAYBE DINNER, AND THAT WHEN I COVER MY PLATE WITH FOOD, THEN I GO TO SLEEP. WELL THEY SAID EAT AND SLEEP MAKE PEOPLE GAIN WEIGHT, BUT I TRY FOR TWO YEARS, AND MY WEIGHT GOES UP AND DOWN, I WANT IT TO STAY UP.
BY UNDERWEIGHT MOM