Healthy Weight-Gain Meal Plan

Losing weight may be an excellent goal for many people, but not for everyone. There can be a variety of reasons why you may want to gain weight! Perhaps you're working on building muscle and would like your diet to support bulking up, or maybe you're recovering from an illness that dropped your weight below your ideal.

Related: Healthy Ways to Gain Weight

Whatever your reason, we've got you covered in this 7-day weight-gain meal plan for adding pounds the healthy way. These breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes focus on nutrient-dense, whole foods, like fiber-rich whole grains, lean protein (including plant-based protein options), healthy fats and plenty of fruits and veggies. With some simple meal-prep steps and recipes that do double duty and feed you more than once, we've streamlined the process of taking in the calories you need to gain weight, so it's an easy endeavor.

This meal plan is set at 2,500 calories, with modifications for 2,000 and 3,000 calories. You're probably familiar with 2,000 calories as a standard target for your daily eating. The FDA uses this round number for giving general advice about diet. For this reason, it's also the number you'll see on Nutrition Facts panels.

But 2,000 calories isn't one-size-fits-all, especially when you're trying to gain weight. Your current weight, height, age, gender and activity level all factor into the calories you need to put on pounds.

To find out your own caloric needs for weight gain, you'll first need to get an idea of your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is the number of calories your body needs to support a sedentary lifestyle, not including exercise. Once you've established your RMR, you can factor in your activity level for a more accurate calculation of your needs.

One simple way to calculate your resting metabolic rate is to multiply your current weight by 12.

For example:

If you weigh 150 pounds: 150 x 12 = 1,800 calories/day

Theoretically, this is how many calories you burn throughout the day, not including if you exercise. You would maintain your current weight if you stuck with this many calories per day.

Depending on how much you exercise, you'll want to take your resting metabolic rate and multiply it by the following numbers to get a more accurate estimate of how many calories you burn on a daily basis.

• Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days/week): x 1.2
• Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days/week): x 1.4
• Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days/week): x 1.6
• Extra active (extra-hard exercise 6 to 7 days/week): x 1.8
• Super active (extra-hard exercise 6 to 7 days/week and a physical job): x 1.9

For example:

1,800 calories/day x 1.2 (moderately active) = 2,160 calories/day

This is how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight if your activity level stays the same.

If you're in the bulking phase of bodybuilding (which is when you're trying to gain muscle) or if your doctor has advised you to follow a weight-gain diet, you can aim to take in 5 to 10% more calories.

For example:

For 5% more calories: 2,160 calories/day x 1.05 = 2,268 calories/day

For 10% more calories: 2,160 calories/day x 1.1 = 2,376 calories/day

When it comes to gaining weight and building muscle, macronutrients matter. But it's a myth that you have to go all-in on high-protein foods in order to gain muscle. While protein is vital for repairing the micro-tears that weight lifting and other exercises create in your muscles, carbohydrates and fats continue to serve important functions in your body as you bulk up—so don't neglect them! Here are some foods to focus on for a balance of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and plenty of protein.

• Oily fish like salmon, tuna, herring and anchovies
• Meats like turkey, chicken and lean beef, pork and lamb
• Beans and legumes, including chickpeas, black beans, lentils, cannellini beans and hummus
• Eggs
• Nut butters and nuts like cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans
• Whole grains like whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice and quinoa
• High-calorie fruits and vegetables like avocados, coconut, bananas, mangoes and dried fruit
• Full-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt and cheese

Here's what a healthy weight-gain meal plan looks like at 2,500 calories. If you're looking for a different calorie level, see the notes at the bottom of each day to see how to bump the calories down to 2,000 calories, or up even more to 3,000 calories.

• Make the Vegan Freezer Breakfast Burritos to have for breakfast this week.
• Make 5 hard-boiled eggs.
• Bake the Almond-Honey Power Bars to have as snacks throughout the week.
• Prep the Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables With Cauliflower Gnocchi and store in the fridge for lunches.
• Make the Maple-Nut Granola to have throughout the week.

• 2 servings Vegan Freezer Breakfast Burritos
• 1 cup strawberries

• 1 serving Almond-Honey Power Bar

• 2 servings Vegetable & Tuna Pasta Salad
• 1 cup mango chunks

• 1 large apple
• 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

• 1 serving Sheet-Pan Maple-Mustard Pork Chops and Carrots
• 1 1/2 cups Easy Brown Rice

Daily Totals: 2,516 calories, 105 g protein, 343 g carbohydrates, 46 g fiber, 88 g fat, 2,557 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Omit the peanut butter from the P.M. snack and omit the rice from dinner.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add an extra Almond-Honey Power Bar to the A.M. snack, add an extra 2 Tbsp. peanut butter to the P.M. snack, and add an extra ½ cup brown rice to dinner.

• 1 serving Raspberry Peach Mango Smoothie Bowl
• 1 hard-boiled egg

• 15 baby carrots
• 3 Tbsp. hummus
• 1 medium orange

• 1 serving Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables with Cauliflower Gnocchi
• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. unsalted butter

• 1 serving Homemade Microwave Popcorn
• 1 large banana
• 8 unsalted almonds

• 2 servings Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
• 2 cups fresh spinach & 1 cup shredded carrots topped with ½ Tbsp. olive oil & ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Daily Totals: 2,486 calories, 120 g protein, 298 g carbohydrates, 64 g fiber, 98 g fat, 2,470 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Omit the hard-boiled egg at breakfast, omit the hummus at the A.M. snack, omit the toast and butter at lunch, and omit the banana and almonds in the P.M. snack.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add another hard-boiled egg at breakfast, add 6 whole-wheat crackers and another tablespoon hummus at A.M. snack, and add dinner dessert of 8 oz. 2% plain Greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp. honey & 1 cup strawberries.

• 2 servings Maple-Nut Granola
• 1 cup 2% milk

• 1 slice Swiss cheese
• 8 whole-wheat crackers

• 1 serving Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables with Cauliflower Gnocchi
• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. unsalted butter

• 6 oz. 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 Tbsp. honey

• 2 servings Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom One-Pot Pasta

Daily Totals: 2,505 calories, 116 g protein, 315 g carbohydrates, 48 g fiber, 94 g fat, 2,052 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Reduce granola to 1 serving and reduce milk to ½ cup at breakfast, and omit hard-boiled egg and Swiss cheese at A.M. snack.

To make it 3,000 calories: Increase gnocchi to 2 servings at lunch and add 1 graham cracker at P.M. snack.

• 2 servings Maple-Nut Granola
• 1 cup 2% milk

• 15 carrot sticks
• 1/4 cup hummus
• 1 medium orange

• 1 serving Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables with Cauliflower Gnocchi
• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. unsalted butter

• 4 graham crackers
• 1 medium apple

• 1 serving Southern Style Oven-Fried Chicken
• 1 serving Greek Potato Salad
• 1 serving Garlicky Green Beans

Daily Totals: 2,499 calories, 81 g protein, 330 g carbohydrates, 53 g fiber, 101 g fat, 2,471 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Reduce granola to 1 serving and milk to ½ cup at breakfast, omit the buttered toast at lunch and reduce the P.M. snack to 3 graham crackers.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add 2 additional graham crackers and 2 Tbsp. peanut butter to PM snack, add a second slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. butter at lunch and add a second serving of beans at dinner.

• 1 serving Raspberry Peach Mango Smoothie Bowl
• 2 hard-boiled eggs

• 2 servings Almond-Honey Power Bars

• 1 serving Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables with Cauliflower Gnocchi
• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. unsalted butter

• 2 servings Homemade Microwave Popcorn

• 2 servings Green Goddess Salad with Chicken
• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. unsalted butter

Daily Totals: 2,509 calories, 157 g protein, 295 g carbohydrates, 60 g fiber, 86 g fat, 1,579 mg sodium

Meal-Prep Tip: Make the Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps tonight, so they're all ready to go for lunch on Days 6 and 7.

To make it 2,000 calories: Omit eggs at breakfast and omit 1 Almond-Honey Power Bar at the A.M. snack.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to the P.M. snack and add a dinner dessert of 1 square of dark chocolate.

• 1 serving Raspberry Peach Mango Smoothie Bowl
• 1 medium orange
• 2 hard-boiled eggs

• 1 medium apple
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter

• 2 servings Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps
• 1 cup strawberries

• 4 graham crackers

• 2 servings Tortilla Chip Flounder with Black Bean Salad

Daily Totals: 2,484 calories, 125 g protein, 311 g carbohydrates, 64 g fiber, 91 g fat, 2,281 mg sodium

Meal-Prep Tip: Refrigerate the last 2 Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps to have for lunch on Day 7.

To make it 2,000 calories: Omit the hard-boiled eggs at breakfast and reduce to 1 wrap at lunch.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add 2 Tbsp. peanut butter to the P.M. snack and add 1½ cups Easy Brown Rice at dinner.

• 1 serving Vegan Freezer Burritos
• 1 medium banana
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter

• 6 oz. 2% plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1 Tbsp. honey

• 2 servings Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps

• 1 serving Almond-Honey Power Bar

• 1 serving Creamed Spinach-Stuffed Salmon
• 2 servings Garlicky Green Beans
• 3/4 cup Easy Brown Rice

Daily Totals: 2,478 calories, 117 g protein, 302 g carbohydrates, 54 g fiber, 100 g fat, 2,548 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Reduce to 1 wrap at lunch and omit rice at dinner.

To make it 3,000 calories: Add a small pear and another Almond-Honey Power Bar at the P.M. snack and add an extra cup of rice at dinner.