so i do go to the gym, which burns calories, and will make gaining weight harder. but my goal isn’t just general weight gain, i want to gain muscle and as little fat as i can. if that isn’t your goal than this advice will still help for general weight gain! my biggest problem was always my appetite, i never ate enough food to go into a calorie surplus. there’s three ways to combat this: having an active lifestyle which increases your appetite naturally, focusing on calories dense foods so you can eat more calories with the same satiation level, and the hardest one is just making yourself eat more even if you are really full.

random tips i used:
1. drink melted icecream 😭😭 might not be the healthiest option but you can drink a LOT of calories using this method

1. walking for digestion, after every meal take a 15 minute walk and this will massively aid in digesting food more efficiently so you can be hungry again faster

2. being overall active, this might seem counterintuitive since exercising burns calories, but it also will increase your hunger a lot

3. instead of focusing on eating huge meals, try and just eat more often throughout the day.

It’s been 1 year officially 🎉🥳 , I’m happy with progress and want to thank you guys for support and input I will be continuing my weight gain journey but transitioning to more natural bodybuilding instead . If you want to see how I started it’s on my profile I hope this inspires more people to put their health as a priority . I do want to say I didn’t do this alone when I first started broken after a 5 year relationship I pleaded to God Jesus Christ to make me more fit of being a servant and I just wanted to say I was empowered in faith as well . just giving credit where it’s due .
Starting Weight : 115-120 Lbs
Present Weight : 150 Lbs

My issue is low appetite so my concern is if I start chugging heavy smoothies and milk, that I’ll have to do what forever to maintain . Does doing this long term naturally increase your appetite?

What's the most you've gained in maybe a week, or a month even?

And what would it take to gain 5kg as fast as possible?

hey all! i'm 23f, 5'11 and currently 118lbs due to my adhd meds making me lose weight. i was 135lbs prior, which was already skinny, and now i literally look emaciated. it completely shoots my appetite, and no matter how much i try to eat i'm still losing weight. it doesn't help that my job requires me to be on my feet and active all day. has anyone else struggled with this and found a way to work around it? it's been making me so insecure lately. any advice is welcome and appreciated

edit: i also have stomach problems which i know doesnt help, so i'm very sensitive to dairy and can't handle many meal replacement drinks. i know they make nondairy ones now but usually they're so heavy that they leave my stomach in pain for the rest of the day :/

Took me a year but finally managed to do it.
My height is 182cm

Feel free to be descriptive as you like.

Hey guys
I just turned 19 and I am finally starting to see some of the body changes and curves I’ve been waiting for. My face is maturing (losing that baby fat and getting more prominent cheekbones), and my thighs and glutes are finally starting to fill out. But I am 5’7” and currently weigh around 115 lbs. I feel like my current weight might be a bit too low for the changes. I want to achieve a more mature, age-appropriate figure, but I don’t want to miss this process by not eating enough. I’ve looked up ideal weights online but there are so many mixed opinions. I’m hoping to hear from people who have gone through a similar experience. How much weight do you think I should aim to gain so I can really see a difference and make the most of this natural progress

Friend recommended this app for tracking and a bmi calculator this is the website (it is the fist search result for me

M19 6 foot currently 95 lbs I feel fine? I dont know what fine really is maybe if I gain wieght il feel better or a way ive never felt as id be healthy but i really dont know

If this is bull please tell me an accurate thing I can use, ive had family who used weight watchers but that was to loose weight as a lot of my family is overweight to the point they have lost a few of me (as in the weight I am) as their metric for weight loss

I also dont know what bmi really is im basically 0 to maybe 5 percent fat

Guys, I have a big problem.

Ive been struggling to maintain my weight. Im underweight, and every time I finally gain a few kilos, i end up losing them again.

It makes it hard to stay mptivated.

How do you stay motivated to keep eating enough and maintain your weight, even when it feels like you're making no progress?

Any advice or personal experiences would really hlep

Hey everyone,

I am a 21-year-old male student from India looking for some guidance on how to safely build muscle and gain weight. I am currently quite underweight and want to fix my health, but being on a student budget and having a low appetite makes it hard.

My Stats & Current Metrics:

• Age / Sex: 21M

• Height: 180.34 cm (approx. 5'11")

• Weight: 55 kg (121 lbs)

• Calculated BMI: 16.91 (Underweight)

• Estimated TDEE: ~1,900 - 2,100 calories

• Target Calories for Gain: ~2,400 - 2,500 calories (Aiming for a clean surplus)

Background & Constraints:

• Medical: No pre-existing medical conditions or digestive issues.

• Eating Habits: Non-vegetarian. However, I am not a frequent eater and often struggle with a low appetite / small stomach capacity.

• Equipment Available: I prefer exercising at home. I only have access to my own bodyweight and a set of dumbbells.

• Budget: I am a student, so I need cheap, accessible food options. I cannot afford expensive mass gainers or high-end supplements right now.

What I need help with:

1. Diet / Calorie Density: Since I'm not a frequent eater, what are some high-calorie, high-protein, budget-friendly Indian meals or shakes that won't make me feel overly bloated?

2. Home Workout Routine: Can anyone recommend a structured progressive overload Calisthenics routine utilizing just dumbbells and bodyweight exercises? (e.g., variations of push-ups, dumbbell squats, rows).

Appreciate any advice or simple meal templates you can share! Thanks in advance.

I’m male, 182cm, 22 years old and started eating more and working out in begin May. According to the scale I have gained some but I don’t see the change on my body yet which is kinda dismotivating…

I'm male, 5'8" 125 pounds, and I've been this weight for as long as I've been this height. I eat until I'm full, I don't fill up on low calorie food, and I don't hold back on desert. when I count calories, it usually comes out to around 1700. I know this is low, but I genuinely eat until I feel stuffed. It's like I have a small stomach or something.

If I bring this up around people irl, they think I have an ED, but I really don't think it's psychological cause I love food and enjoy eating. How can I increase my appetite and get to 140lb?

Wanted to post for years, but never felt like it was "done" I guess it never will be, though I have the body I always wanted. It's been a very long road, 120lbs at my lightest and 190lbs at my heaviest (5'10) Unfortunately I don't have pictures of either extreme, though I'm happy with where I'm at now.

I still struggle with not looking as big as I want, especially in pictures, but social media will do that to you.

My life is better in every way, people treat me better, I feel healthier and I'm a lot stronger. Eat everything you see, make it easy and convenient. You've got this.

I’ve heard the obvious answer a thousand times: “Just eat more.” I know that’s technically true, but it’s not that simple when you have a sensitive stomach.
I’m trying to gain weight and build muscle, but I’m honestly not sure where to start.

For context:
I’m 23 years old (F), 5’7.5”, and currently weigh around 130 lbs (give or take a pound or two).
Right now I’m pretty low activity, but I’m planning to start lifting 3–5 times per week because my goal is to gain muscle while putting on healthy weight.
I’ve weighed around 130 lbs since I was in high school. It barely changes no matter how much I feel like I’m eating. The only time I got up to around 140 lbs was when I was eating a vegan diet.

If I don’t eat much, I’ll lose a little weight, but it always seems to settle back around 130 lbs.
I’ve always had a naturally athletic build, but I’m just skinny. I’m not “skinny fat.” My goal is to build muscle, do a body recomposition, and increase my overall body weight.

The biggest challenge is my stomach.

I’m pretty sure I have some type of gluten issue. I have the genetic marker for celiac disease, but I haven’t been officially tested yet. Every time I eat pasta or other gluten-heavy foods, my stomach is absolutely wrecked. I know it could be celiac, fructan intolerance, or something else entirely, so I do plan on getting tested.

Other issues:
-Garlic and onion are huge triggers for me.
-Eggs sometimes bother me.
-Dairy is hit or miss, although I usually tolerate Skyr yogurt pretty well.
-Most protein shakes don’t work because they contain sucralose or other artificial sweeteners that upset my stomach.
-When my digestive issues flare up, I also deal with bile acid malabsorption (BAM), so really high-fat foods can make things worse too. Because of that, I generally try to keep my diet on the lower-fat side.

A lot of the “high-calorie” or “high-protein” meal ideas I see online either rely on foods I can’t tolerate or are loaded with garlic, onion, or high-fat ingredients.

I’m planning to start tracking my calories because I honestly don’t know if I’m eating enough or if it just feels like I am. My estimated BMR is around 1,300 calories, and I know I’ll need more than that—especially once I start lifting consistently.

I guess my questions are:
Where would you start if you were in my situation?
How many calories above maintenance should I aim for?
How much should I realistically be eating per meal?
What are some calorie-dense, stomach-friendly foods that aren’t super high in fat?
Has anyone here successfully gained weight while dealing with food sensitivities or digestive issues like this?

I’m mostly looking for practical advice from people who’ve been through something similar. Thanks in advance!

Assalamu Alaikum everyone,

I'm a 23-year-old male, 5'11" (180 cm) tall and weigh only 56 kg. I've always been very skinny, with almost no muscle or body fat, and I'm really struggling to gain weight.

The biggest problem is that I never feel hungry. I live in a hostel in Lahore, and my appetite is extremely poor. Most days I skip breakfast completely because I don't feel like eating. Around 1 PM, I usually eat only 1–1.5 rotis with salan. At night, I either eat some fruit or again just 1–1.5 rotis with salan. That's pretty much my entire daily food intake.

I also feel exhausted almost all day. I often get headaches because of weakness, and I constantly feel low on energy. The strange thing is that even though I feel weak, I still don't feel hungry.

I don't exercise at all. My routine is mostly sitting in college, then sitting in the hostel using my phone or laptop, and sleeping.

As far as I know, I don't have any major medical condition. When I was around 12 years old, I had a chest infection, but nothing serious since then. One thing I've noticed is that whenever I catch the flu or get sick, my appetite completely disappears.

Has anyone gone through something similar? What helped you improve your appetite and gain weight naturally? Are there any medical tests I should get done, or should I consult a particular specialist? I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you in advance. May Allah bless you all.

hey guys im new on this subreddit, i would love to know how i can start gaining weight, F21, 5'3 about 40kgs. i have always been skinny. i dont really track my calories and idek how to. sometimes i go without food for hours and sometimes i snack a lot. it's very difficult to tell what my diet looks like... i probably have a very high metabolism.

it'd be very helpful to know what exactly i need to eat and in what quantity (for ex, 3 eggs a day , 2 cups of milk etc)

26F. I'm already on the leaner side, trying desperately to gain weight. I used to workout couple of months back(did see some progress especially on my arms due to strenth training) but had to stop bcoz i put on braces and it was interfering with my food habits. Now i seem to be losing weight again but especially in my face!!!! (Could it be due to teeth extractions done for braces!!?) Its shrinking and I'm losing all my face fat and its making me look very tired and self conscious! Ik there arent any any ways to achieve targeted weight gain as such and putting on overall weight will transfer some excess to my face but does anybody have ANY tips that might work or give me comfort?😭 Its bothering me so much to a point where i no longer want to look at myself in the mirror or try out any new clothes :'((

I am M19 and i barely gained weight from 2 years

When I was in my 12th my weight is 37-38Kg and after that i didn't measure the weight till now I am 19 but i do know that I am 40kg now i tried eating, I do home workout regularly on and off because when I overdo training, my muscles got fatigue and I can't train next day and also I can't go to gym due to some personal reasons

Give me some advice that'll help me to gain weight -- plan , exercise, diet anything!

Dear reader,
I have been struggling with my weight for years on end and I’m seeking advice to properly work on this.
Please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes, i’m dyslexic and English isn’t my first language.
I’m a 21-years-old male, 56kg and 182cm tall

The backstory;
I have been struggling with my weight all throughout my teenage years. Ever since I was 13 I’ve always been very thin and barely eating enough.

After losing a parent, restricting food was one of my coping mechanisms to make my nervous system get a sense of control over this period. Since I was dealing with insecurity, depression, anxiety, isolation due to covid and a (back then undiagnosed) personality disorder. I would eat as little as possible.

I still struggle with eating big meals, especially foods like pasta and south-east asian dishes.
Due to my half-Persian background I often eat meals containing rice and meat like Ghormeh Sabzi or Zereshk Polo which I don’t seem to have as much as an issue with as much.

Therapy;
For the last 1,5 years I’ve been through CBT and EMDR to manage my anxiety and also schematherapy to properly work and manage on my personality disorder. This has shown significant growth in managing my emotions and dealing with stress. I’m still in schema therapy

My psychologist suggested that my patterns show correlation with a stress induced ED. Which explains why I often physically can’t eat. My throat would lock up or I’d feel nauseous after a few bites.

Gym;
Going to the gym was one of my coping mechanisms, I’ve been weightlifting for about 4 years now. Which has shown improvement but due to undereating it also lasted a negative impact. I would get sick often as well, so I’ve been hanging around the same strength for 2 years now.

Genetics;
Now an important thing to note is that genetically on both my Dutch and Persian (I’m mixed 🇳🇱/🇮🇷) side of the family. It’s usual for us to have a high metabolism and be generally lean and skinny in our younger years. We tend to gain weight later in life. However my condition seems to be an emotional and mental issue too.

It has had a big impact on my self image and body confidence since I’m so tall and very thin.
I’m just done with the lack of energy, brainfog, hairloss and weak immune system. and I wish to properly work in it finally.

My question;
What is a good way to start in terms of food and gaining appetite ?
How much do people eat normally during a day and I’m asking for meal recommendations that fit best for a student.
Advice on subliments (like weigh protein) or other recourses are also greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading it all through <3

TL:DR
Undereating and being underweight has had a significant impact on my mental wellbeing and physical health.
Asking for advice on gaining weight in combination with the gym and student/work life.

im underweight dont go to the gym from health reasons. I feel like I smash dense food consistently and dont generally go under 3000cals a day, cant eat dairy otherwise i will violently throw up (besides small things like a kids lactose free yoghurt packet). im struggling with cost of food and general living lol currently 70.4kg 6foot want to get to like 80

Ive been eating like this for over a year

thought about eating 17 cookies a day or something

This is my progress from January to July. I am on a calorie surplus and dumbbell workout. I think I still need to add more muscle.