I’ve been writing a lot lately about different ways to lose weight, but what if you’re just the opposite? What if you’re too thin and need to gain weight? For some people, this is really a problem. I’ve got two close girlfriends who have a hard time gaining weight and keeping it on, so I asked them for their best tips for putting it on fast.

1. Add Calories …

My friend Lauren is naturally thin and has a hard time gaining weight, but one of her greatest tips is to add five hundred calories to your daily caloric intake. Five hundred calories isn’t too much, so she assures me that you won’t feel too full or sick, but those added calories beyond what you normally eat will help you add on weight.  A big bar of good chocolate or a very thick milk shake could do the trick!  Check out e-How’s post on How to Gain Weight for more examples of foods with more calories and WikiHow.com to learn how to start the weight gaining process!  Their advice is brilliant, but formula they use to calculate how many calories you need per day seems to be complicated, so I’d use this easy formula instead.

2. Drink Sodas …

My friend Jessica, who’s naturally super-slim, adds full-calorie sodas to her daily routine when she needs to put some pounds on. Jessica tells me that just a few sodas adds several hundred calories per day! If you’re interested in healthier calories, I would try adding fruit juice. I love fruit juice, and it is high in calories, so it would help you bulk up if you needed it.  Check out “Food and Fitness” to see why we put on weight when drinking soda.  And don’t forget to scroll through their great ideas on how to substitute soda with fruit and yet gain the same weight!

3. Eat Later at Night…

Diet experts are always saying to stop eating after 7:00 PM to lose weight, so how about eating later to gain weight? I think it stands to reason that you’ll gain more weight if you eat later. Well, according to this post from MSN, you will.  So, if I wanted to gain weight, I would eat dinner late and I’d have a late-night high calorie snack too to help me do it.

4. Lift Weights …

It doesn’t exactly make sense to exercise if you’re trying to gain weight, but I’m talking about weight lifting, not cardio. I know that weight training is a great way to add muscle to your body, and adding muscle not only makes me look better, it makes me weigh more! So, if I were trying to gain weight fast, I’d add more weight lifting to my exercise routine.

5. Eat More Protein …

If you’re trying to gain weight, one of my suggestions would be to increase the amount of protein you’re eating, especially if you’re weight training. Protein helps me build muscle, and that makes my body more toned and strong-looking while also raising the numbers on the scale!

The most common protein rich foods that you can find in any grocery store are the following, just to name a few:

• Milk
• Soy Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Peanut Butter
• Lean Meats, Fish, and Poultry
• Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and other Legumes
• Grains, including bread and pasta
• Nuts and Seeds

And I am currently working on an ultimate protein rich foods list, since the ones I found online were not that great …  So, stay tuned for that! :)

6. Add Oil and Butter…

I love cooking with oil, but I try to avoid it because I’m trying to lose weight, not gain it. However, if I were trying to gain weight, I would add more oil when I’m cooking my favorite foods. Just because someone’s trying to gain weight doesn’t mean they have to be unhealthy – I think olive oil is great for you as well as organic butter! Plus, I think those extra calories could help you put on quite some pounds.

Fats have more than twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein (9 calories per gram vs. 4 calories per gram), so foods that are 100% fat have the most calories per volume. Olive oil, which is pure fat, contains 1920 calories per cup. Any food that has a lot of fat in it will have a high calorie density.

- Suggest an expert from EveryDiet.com

So, guys, you heard the woman (or man), the more oil you use when cooking, the more “high calorie density” you’ll get on your plate!

7. Eat High-Calorie Snacks …

My friend Lauren is constantly snacking on high-calorie treats throughout the day so she isn’t too thin. Some of her favorites include a bagel with full-fat cream cheese, cheese spread on crackers, or a peanut butter sandwich. Lauren thinks that, by snacking all day on calories, she’ll keep her fast metabolism from burning through all her calories.  Check out 20 High Calorie Foods – Get Fat Fast … for more information.

8. Drink More Dairy …

I just love milk! A big, frosty glass of chocolate milk is one of my favorite treats, but it is high in calories. If I were trying to gain weight, I’d drink milk all day long! Not just milk, but milkshakes and high-calorie smoothies would make delicious ways to add calories for me.

9. Eat Three Meals per Day …

Many people skip meals to lose weight, but if I were gaining weight, I’d make sure to never skip a meal. My friend Jessica tries her best to eat three solid meals each day. This way, she doesn’t have to worry about getting hungry and burning through reserved calories in her body.  Although, some experts say it’s when we skip meals, we give out body a signal to start “storing” the fats, but I think that’s only true for people with extra weight.  If you are as skinny as my friend, looks like a skipped meal does the exact opposite – she would get even skinnier, as her body would be using up the fat that she has to get some energy. And what are your observations?

10. Increase Portion Size …

I’m always cutting back on portions because I’m trying to lose weight, but if I were trying to gain, it would be no-holds-barred eating time! I would eat larger portions of my favorite foods to help me gain weight. I always eat larger portions when I eat off a larger plate, so I’d serve myself food on a bigger plate if I wanted to gain.  And I wouldn’t hesitate to go for an extra scoop when my plate is empty :)