What is the safest weight gain program?

Eat enough protein

In combination with regular weight training, consuming 0.8–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will increase a person's muscle mass. This is essential to healthy weight gain. Foods high in protein include eggs, meats, fish, nuts, and legumes.

Gaining weight is a complicated, albeit scientific, process if your body isn’t naturally hardwired towards it. On paper, it looks deceiving simple- you need to follow the right diet and workout plan. However, executing this, in reality, requires a considerable investment of time and energy and can often turn out to be quite a trial-and-error enterprise.

1. Weight Gain and Diet

Eating for weight and muscle gain isn’t just consuming large amounts of food mindlessly. While you do need to consume calorie-heavy food such as carbs, fats, and proteins to maintain a calorific surplus in your diet (that is, you consume more calories than you burn), you need to ensure they are the healthy variants. You want to build muscle, not fat- and you definitely don’t want to give yourself a heart disease.

2. Working Out to Bulk Up

When it comes to your workout routine, you need to engage in extensive weight training. Even if you don’t want to shell out on a gym membership, investing in some basic equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, and eventually a barbell weight set, will definitely pay off through your weight gain journey.

3. Nutritional Supplements

Sometimes the weightlifting and a calorie-heavy diet aren’t sufficient to transform your ectomorphic build. You may need some additional support from weight gaining nutritional supplements like protein shakes and weight-gain mixes to see the best results.

How To Gain Weight: The Fast Version

Here's a simple formula for gaining quality muscular weight.

Track your nutrition to see how you're eating now.

Eat healthy food—a lot of it.

Drink shakes rich in nutrients, calories, and protein if eating gets exhausting or expensive.

Strength train at least 3-4 times a week.

Sleep big—6 hours minimum, 8 hours ideally, plus naps if you can.

Do the work and be patient, adjusting as necessary. "If you're not gaining half a pound a week, eat even more". "If you're gaining 1 pound a week, keep doing what you're doing. If you're gaining much more than that, dial it back just a bit."

But don't try to keep gaining forever. "Give this approach 6-8 solid weeks, and then dial back a bit and see what has changed". "Doing it for months and months at a time will probably just wear you out, and increase the possibility that you're adding fat, not muscle."

The Best Weight-Gain Foods

Proteins

Oily fish like salmon and sardines

Red meat

Dark meat chicken and turkey (thighs, drumsticks)

Protein powders and bars

Homemade protein treats

Whole eggs

Fats

Nuts and nut butters

Seeds

Avocados and avocado oil

Olives and olive oil

Coconut, coconut milk, and coconut oil

Full-fat milk, butter, and cheese

Mayonnaise

Carbs

Fresh and dried fruit

Starchy vegetables like carrots and peas

Potatoes and sweet potatoes

Whole-grain bread, bagels, and pasta

Granola

Trail mix

Here's a sample daily meal schedule from registered dietitian Douglas Kalman, Ph.D.

Weight-Gain Meal Plan

7:30 or 8 a.m.: 3-4 eggs, 2 slices of whole-wheat toast with nut butter, bowl of fruit, glass of milk

11 a.m.: Grilled chicken breast or thigh, broccoli, a cup or more of brown rice with olive oil and nuts

3 p.m.: A couple more big handfuls of nuts, plus some dried fruit or granola

6 p.m.: Post-workout protein shake (if you train at night)

7 p.m.: Flank steak, sweet potatoes or a grain, huge salad with avocado

10 p.m.: Yogurt, cottage cheese, or casein protein mixed with nut butter