15 Best Foods to Gain Weight & How to Eat to Gain Muscle Mass According to the Experts

In a world consumed with the idea of losing weight, it's easy to forget that gaining weight is a goal and a challenge for many. Whether you want to gain muscle mass to build on your physique or improve your health, the task of gaining can be a struggle, with endless meals, mass gainer shakes and bars filling your gym bag. Sometimes we just don't want to eat more, especially if it's endless dry chicken and rice.

Fret not, for MH have the solution to your dull mass gain phase meal plans with the 15 best foods to gain weight. But don't take just our word for it, heed the advice from performance nutritionist Danny Lennon MSC of Sigma Nutrition, who brings you the cutting edge nutrition information you'll need to support your weight gain goals.

According to Lennon, if muscle gain is your goal, it's important to prioritise slow progress. 'There are a number of reasons why someone may wish/need to gain weight,' says Lennon. 'Some of these are clinical reasons. However, here I will presume that someone wishes to gain weight in order to "bulk up", either for aesthetic reasons or for sports performance. In such a case, the desire to gain weight is primarily to gain muscle mass specifically.

Since this is the case, it's no surprise that the first step in your weight gain journey is to get your training in check while incorporating the principle of progressive overload.

'To gain muscle mass, the primary stimulus will come from training,' says Lennon. 'So for now, let's presume the individual has an appropriate training programme [i.e. is of sufficient volume, intensity, and proximity to failure], and focus our attention on the nutrition side.'

Lennon continues to explain that while training is the driver to build muscle, nutrition will be supportive of that process. In order to gain muscle at a rate that's as fast as possible for you individually, the first dietary changes to consider will be calories and protein.

When it comes to calorie intake, eating more calories than you burn (creating a calorie surplus) is necessary to gain muscle, as supported by evidence published by Frontiers. However, more isn't always more.

'With calories, it will be best to be in a slight calorie surplus,' says Lennon. 'While a calorie excess will be the best environment for gaining muscle at the maximum speed, be aware that the more calories you eat, doesn't translate to more muscle. There is a limit to how fast we can build new muscle, and so beyond a certain point there is no added muscle gain advantage to more calories, but there is the potential downside of excess body fat gain.'

'For example, if someone usually eats 2,500 calories to maintain their body weight, then increasing their intake to 2,800 calories will be beneficial during a muscle gain phase. However, if they ate 4,000 calories per day, they likely wouldn't gain any additional muscle muscle. Instead, they would gain considerably more body fat. The extent of a surplus required is a lot smaller than many think.'

Lennon recommends that for most trainees, being in a consistent surplus of about 200-400 calories will be plenty.

Lennon continues to explain that this number will depend on your training experience, as beginners can likely have bigger surpluses. It will also depend on your usual calorie intake and/or body size. 'For example, someone that's 100kg needs a bigger absolute surplus than someone that's 70kg,' says Lennon.

It seems that finding the right rate of gain for you individually is key. 'Ultimately, we should pick the amount of calories that allows us to gain weight fast enough, but not too fast,' says Lennon. 'So how fast should you go? For most people, in most situations, setting a weight gain target of a 1.0% to 1.5% increase in your body weight per month probably puts you in the sweet spot of maximising gains from training, whilst not gaining too much body fat unnecessarily.'

As per usual, the key is patience. 'Muscle gain takes time,' says Lennon. 'Don't yo-yo from a gaining/bulking phase for a few weeks to dieting again. Aim to stay in that gaining phase for perhaps 3-6 months, depending on the circumstances.'

According to Lennon, the evidence suggests that a protein intake of 1.6 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight can maximise gains from resistance training. 'However, given the potential for individual response, for practical reasons we might simply advise those aiming to gain muscle to aim for 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight,' says Lennon.

In other words, take you bodyweight in kilograms, multiply that number by two, and that's your target protein intake in grams. Note, however, you don't need to be exact with your intake. Getting in the ball park of this number will be sufficient.

Gaining weight isn't easy for many people, and therefore it can be tempting to search for the 'perfect food' to gain weight. However, it isn't quite so simple. Lennon recommends the following tips if you are struggling to gain weight. Once you've read up on them, then take a look at our list of the 10 best foods to gain weight.

'Gaining weight [including muscle] is mainly a function of eating in a calorie surplus. So for those who are not seeing the scale increase despite trying to gain weight, they are likely just not eating enough total calories,' says Lennon. 'There are no specific foods one needs to eat to gain weight, rather it's the overall diet that matters, and ensuring it has enough calories, and ideally protein. That said, if someone is struggling to eat enough, it may be because they don't have the appetite to eat more and are already finding their meals filling.'

To get around this problem, Lennon recommends to choose foods that are:

• Relatively easy to eat
• Palatable/enjoyable
• Don't cause a lot of satiety per calorie

'Basically the opposite of what you'd advise for weight loss,' adds Lennon.

He also recommends these 5 diet tweaks:

1. Include calorie dense smoothies: As the liquid meal might be easier to get through.
2. Include milk in your protein shakes: Rather than just drink a protein shake with water, add your scoop of protein to some milk plus a large spoon of peanut butter, and blend it up.
3. Cook with more oil: Include more oil in your meals or during cooking.
4. Avoid trying to 'eat clean': For example, having some ice cream is not only psychologically healthy, but in this case will directly support your goal.
5. Adjust meal frequency: If you struggle to eat enough in 3 square meals, increase your snacking frequency to get more calories in across the day.

Realistically, any food can help you gain weight. However, here are 10 foods that could contribute to your calorie surplus, which are easy to digest, don't fill you up too much, are high in calories and, more importantly, enjoyable.

1) Peanut Butter Smoothies

Adding peanut butter to your smoothies is a great way to increase the calorie content of them. Here is the perfect smoothie recipe to add into your muscle gain meal plan:

Ingredients

• 2 small bananas or 1 large
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tsp honey
• Ice cubes

Blend all ingredients together and add ice or frozen bananas for hotter days.

Calories: 507

Fat: 15g

Carbohydrates: 69g

Protein: 40g

2) Flapjack Protein Bars

Having foods with you on the go that you enjoy is key when you are trying to gain weight. These no bake flapjacks are the perfect post-workout snack:

Ingredients for 12 flapjacks

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup protein powder
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together and stir. Remove from the heat and mix in the oats, protein powder, salt and then the chocolate chips. Press the mixture evenly into a greased pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Calories: 279

Fat: 12g

Carbohydrates: 29g

Protein: 19g

3) Eggs

Eggs are high in protein and fats that'll help bolster your muscle-building meal plan. Opt for omelettes with cheese to further up your protein and calorie intake.

4) Salmon

Salmon contains unsaturated fats that'll benefit your health as well as your calorie surplus. Combining it with rice or pasta is the perfect post-workout meal to suit your weight gain goals.

5) Rice

Rice is a staple in many a meal prep box and for good reason. It is less filling than potatoes, something important when you're trying to increase calorie intake and can be combined easily with protein for a balanced meal.

6) Bread

Sandwiches are back on the menu. While many may abstain from eating bread for their weight loss goals, it is a fantastic source of carbohydrates and calories to bolster your lunch box.

7) Pasta

Pasta, especially the white variety, is calorie dense and high in carbohydrates which will help fuel you through your workouts. Pair with a protein source such as chicken or salmon for an easy evening meal.

8) Cheese

Cheese is high in calories which will further support your surplus calories goals. Keep an eye on saturated fat intake when increasing portion sizes, the British Heart Foundation recommends no more than 30g of saturated fat per day for men.

9) Nuts

Nuts are easy to pack in your gym bag and is a great on the go snack if you struggle to eat big meals. Aim for one large handful per portion which amounts to roughly 200 calories.

10) Yoghurt

Yoghurt in combination with nuts and dried fruit is a perfect well balanced breakfast to start your day. Full fat greek yoghurt will serve you 220 calories. Chuck in a handful of nuts and dried fruit and you are increasing your bulking efforts to a hefty 500-600 calories per portion.

11) Chicken

Your standard 130g chicken breast contains 34g of protein. It is a complete source of protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that are vital for building muscle and optimal function.

12) Tempeh

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is a complete plant based protein. Delivering 19 grams of protein and 193 calories per 100 grams, it is an efficient addition to vegan and vegetarian weight gain diets.

13) White Rice

At 200 calories per cooked serving, white rice delivers important carbohydrates to fuel your workouts and help you recover. What makes it a decent weight gain food source, is the low fibre content, allowing us to consume more without getting full so quickly.

14) Avocado

Avocados are a rich source of unsaturated fats, and while supportive of health, they are also high in calories, which for those of us who have the goal of gaining weight, makes them a perfect food to supplement our meals with. Whether that's alongside eggs for breakfast, in a smoothie or to bulk up a salad, avocados can raise the calorie intake of a meal by another 240 calories for a whole portion.

15) Beef

Slightly higher in calorie than other meat sources, beef is a good weight gain food due to it's protein content as well. While intake should be moderated, it can be a good addition here and there in your weight gain meal plan.

Kate Neudecker

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.