Gaining weight the healthy way
This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in October 2005.

Take it slowly
Gaining weight and keeping it on can be as tricky as losing it and keeping it off. Rather than having the occasional extra snack, you need to regularly take in more calories than you burn. Combining this with toning exercises helps too. Set yourself realistic target weights and aim to gain gradually - say, around 1kg (2.2lb) a month. To do that you'll need to add an extra 300 to 350 calories or so to your daily intake. It's best to do this in a healthy way as part of a balanced diet, rather than simply eating more fried foods or chocolate!

Top tips
Keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to learn more about your eating habits. Rather than struggling to eat a few really big meals, plan three regular meals plus two or three snacks. If you tend to eat erratically, write down a regular meal plan and keep to it. Make meals a little larger or more calorific. For example, have an extra slice of toast at breakfast; drink grape juice rather than orange juice; make coffee with milk; serve an extra spoon of mash, rice or pasta; be more generous with healthier unsaturated oils, salad dressing and spreads; always have a dessert. Have snacks to hand so you never go short. Good choices include nuts, seeds and raisins; pots of rice pudding, custard or yoghurt; cereal or cereal bars; flapjacks; milk, yoghurt drinks or smoothies; a scone or fruit bun; wheatmeal biscuits; cheese and crackers; fruit plus small chocolate bar.

Exercise options
Although exercise helps to burn calories, it's important to include some form of activity into your plan to help keep your bones strong and your muscles toned.
Ensure regular physical activity for 30 minutes (or two 15-minutes sessions), five days a week - walking is ideal. Combine this with some resistance training using gym equipment or home weights, if possible. First seek safe advice from a qualified fitness adviser. Take care not to be too active. If you're someone who's always on their feet, make time to relax each day. Keep up your increased food intake to fuel your exercise - with enough to spare to allow you to gain weight gradually.
Maintaining your healthier weight
Once you've reached your target weight, to maintain it you need to keep up the lifestyle changes you've made.