How many calories should I eat to gain weight?

Eat about 250–500 kcal above your TDEE. Start smaller if you gain fat quickly; increase if the scale has not moved in two weeks.

How can a hardgainer gain weight?

Track honestly for a week, raise calories with dense foods and shakes, lift heavy, sleep enough, and keep cardio moderate so it does not cancel the surplus.

You can gain on less-perfect foods, but an uncontrolled dirty bulk adds excess fat you will later cut. A slight surplus is cleaner and easier to reverse.

How much protein do I need to gain muscle?

A common target is roughly 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight while training hard, spread across meals.

Is this gain-weight guide free to use?

Yes. Calculators and limited photo scans are free; paid plans add more scans if you log most meals every day.

Healthy surplus · Build, don’t just bloat

How to Gain Weight

Eat above maintenance with enough protein, train hard, and track so the surplus lands as muscle — not only snacks.

1Check BMIConfirm you need a surplus 2Find TDEEAdd ~250–500 kcal 3Save GoalsHit protein every day 4Scan mealsMake sure you actually eat enough

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How to gain weight is asked as often as how to lose it — especially by hardgainers who “eat a lot” yet barely move the scale. The fix is rarely a mystery metabolism; it is an underestimated maintenance level and meals that look big but are calorically light. A controlled surplus plus lifting beats dirty bulk regret.

1. Prove you are under eating

Run the TDEE calculator and log everything for a week with the calorie counter (photo scans). Many “always hungry” people still land under maintenance once oils, drinks, and second plates are counted. Check BMI if you are clinically underweight — that is useful context for your doctor too.

2. Add 250–500 kcal above maintenance

A small surplus (~0.25 kg/week) favours muscle when you train; a huge surplus mostly adds fat. Prefer calorie-dense whole foods — oats, rice, nuts, olive oil, dairy, lean meats, smoothies — over only junk. Reassess every two weeks: if weight is flat, add another 150–200 kcal.

3. Lift progressively and eat protein

Without progressive overload, a surplus is just weight. Train compound lifts 3–5 days a week and keep protein high at each meal. Use the macro calculator on meal photos to see whether protein is actually showing up on the plate.

4. Track so the surplus is real

Save a “gain” target under Goals and scan meals daily. Busy days are when hardgainers silently drop 800 kcal. Liquid calories (milk, shakes) help when appetite dies. For burn estimates around training, see the exercise calorie calculator — but do not let cardio erase the surplus you fought to eat.

Scan a meal free See plans Save your goals

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I eat to gain weight?: Eat about 250–500 kcal above your TDEE. Start smaller if you gain fat quickly; increase if the scale has not moved in two weeks.
How can a hardgainer gain weight?: Track honestly for a week, raise calories with dense foods and shakes, lift heavy, sleep enough, and keep cardio moderate so it does not cancel the surplus.
Should I dirty bulk?: You can gain on less-perfect foods, but an uncontrolled dirty bulk adds excess fat you will later cut. A slight surplus is cleaner and easier to reverse.
How much protein do I need to gain muscle?: A common target is roughly 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight while training hard, spread across meals.
Is this gain-weight guide free to use?: Yes. Calculators and limited photo scans are free; paid plans add more scans if you log most meals every day.