How to Gain Weight: A Healthy 7-Day Meal Plan With Calories, Protein and Costs

The short answer: how to gain weight in a healthy way comes down to eating more calories than you burn, mostly from nutrient-dense foods, while you stay active. The 7-day plan below averages about 2,900 calories and 140 grams of protein a day, and the food costs about $7.30 a day.

• Key numbers: 2,682 to 3,074 calories a day · 139 to 153 g protein · 5 or 6 eating times a day · $51.12 of food for the week
• Top moves: add healthy fats like peanut butter and avocado, eat smaller meals more often, keep calorie-dense snacks handy and drink milkshakes between meals, not with them.
• Free and paid next step: get the free calorie tracker (we email it to you), or plan the week with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

Prices were checked November 5, 2026. The sections below cover how to gain weight step by step, whether you should, the 7-day meal plan with calories and cost, the 16 meals, a calorie booster table, a shopping list, a prep schedule and how to track progress.

Should you gain weight? Check your BMI first

Body mass index is a quick screen, not a diagnosis. The NHLBI BMI calculator lists a BMI below 18.5 as underweight and 18.5 to 24.9 as healthy. It also notes that BMI doesn't account for muscle mass, bone density or body composition, so your provider decides whether your number is too low for you.

The National Institute on Aging's guide to maintaining a healthy weight says to always talk to your doctor before trying to lose or gain weight.

Losing weight without trying? MedlinePlus says to talk to your provider if you're losing or gaining weight without trying, because a sudden, unexpected change can be a sign of a medical problem such as thyroid or digestive disease. Get that checked before you start a weight gain plan.

How to gain weight: 7 steps

1. Find your calorie starting point. NIA points to the USDA MyPlate Plan, which estimates daily calories from your age, sex, height, weight and activity. Your doctor or a dietitian can tell you how far above that to aim.
2. Eat more calories while staying active. NIA's advice for gaining weight is to increase the calories you eat while keeping a moderate activity level. Activity also helps your appetite.
3. Choose foods with healthy fats. NIA names avocados and peanut butter. Olive oil, nuts and cheese pack a lot of calories into a small portion.
4. Eat smaller meals more often. If you fill up fast, NIA suggests frequent, smaller meals. MedlinePlus suggests 5 or 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones.
5. Keep snacks within reach. NIA lists nuts, cheese and dried fruit. This plan uses trail mix, cheese toast and granola with milk.
6. Drink calories at the right time. MedlinePlus advice on eating extra calories says not to fill up on liquids before or during meals, and to drink milkshakes between meals.
7. Make meals more enjoyable. Both NIA and MedlinePlus suggest eating with family or friends, and NIA says it makes meals more enjoyable.

How we built and priced this plan

• Nutrition: every ingredient was weighed in grams and matched to its USDA FoodData Central entry. Daily totals add up the meals.
• Prices: Walmart.com shelf prices for Great Value staples, checked November 5, 2026. Ground beef, chicken legs, bananas and tomatoes use September 2026 national averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ground beef averaged $6.79 a pound and bananas $0.66 a pound.
• Cost per day is the food you eat, plus $0.05 a meal for seasoning. The shopping list shows the full cash price, whole packages included.
• Your prices will differ by store and region. A grocery price book helps you track yours.

7-day weight gain meal plan

Every day has 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks, which gives you 4 or 5 eating times. Add one more snack on hungry days to reach the 5 or 6 MedlinePlus suggests.

That's $51.12 of food for the week, an average of about 2,919 calories and 143 grams of protein a day. Day 2's lunch is the leftover spaghetti from day 1.

The 16 meals, with calories and how to make them

Each row is one serving.

Calorie boosters: add 100 to 300 calories without a bigger plate

When you can't face a larger portion, add one of these to a meal you're already eating. MedlinePlus lists similar ideas, including melting cheese over vegetables, putting peanut butter on fruit and mixing whole milk into soups.

Two or three boosters a day add 300 to 600 calories. Peanut butter, olive oil and butter cost the least per calorie.

Weight gain shopping list for one week

This is the full first trip for one person, including items that last more than a week such as olive oil, peanut butter, oats, rice and mayonnaise.

About $44 of that first trip is food you'll still have at the end of the week, and it carries into week 2 as pantry staples. Repeat weeks run closer to the $51 of food eaten. For more ways to bring the total down, see how to grocery shop on a budget and meal planning on a budget.

Healthy weight gain foods that cost the least

These are the foods in this plan that give the most calories for the money, based on the prices above.

For a family that eats more than one plan, our average grocery cost per month guide puts these numbers in context.

Meal prep schedule for a weight gain week

Sunday, about 90 minutes

1. Cook about 1 1/4 cups of dry rice for the two bowls and the fried rice.
2. Bake 2 large potatoes for the loaded potatoes on days 2 and 5.
3. Cook 6 oz of chicken thighs for day 1's bowl.
4. Brown 2 lb of ground beef. Make half into meat sauce and half into bean chili and burrito filling.
5. Bag 1/3 cup portions of trail mix.

Wednesday, about 45 minutes

1. Roast the chicken legs, potatoes and broccoli tray for days 3 and 6.
2. Cook the chicken thighs for the fried rice and day 5 bowl.
3. Wrap and freeze extra burritos for busy mornings.

More batch-cooking ideas are in meal prep on a budget and high protein meal prep.

How to gain weight if you have a small appetite

• Eat by the clock. MedlinePlus suggests eating when you're hungry, not just at mealtimes. A phone reminder every 3 hours helps.
• Drink your milkshake after a meal, not before. It won't take up room on the plate.
• Pick soft, dense foods. Oatmeal, peanut butter, eggs and potatoes are easy to eat when chewing feels like work.
• Cook ahead. MedlinePlus suggests making simple meals when you feel up to it and freezing them for later.
• Ask about other help. MedlinePlus suggests asking your provider about liquid nutrition drinks or medicine that can stimulate appetite.

Weight gain for teens, older adults and people who are ill

• Teens and children: growth is tracked against age, so ask a pediatrician before changing a child's calories. This adult plan isn't a fit.
• Older adults: MedlinePlus notes that keeping muscle and strength is key as you age, and that sudden weight loss should always be checked. NIA's guide is written for this group.
• During illness or cancer treatment: the MedlinePlus page on extra calories was written for this situation. It suggests the calorie boosters above if your provider says it's OK.

How to track your progress

1. Weigh yourself once a week, same day and time.
2. Write down what you ate on the days you hit your target, so you can repeat them.
3. Bring your log to your next appointment. Your provider can adjust the target.

A calorie tracker makes step 2 easy. If you want more meal ideas, see high protein meals, healthy snacks and overnight oats.

Real example: Malaysia, who runs HomeBase Paper Co., plans meals for her family on one planner page and keeps snacks on a separate line of the grocery list. For a weight gain week, that snack line is the part that does the most work.

Plan the week and print your list

A weight gain plan works when you can see the next meal and snack. The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) has a weekly meal planner, a monthly menu, a meal prep checklist, an aisle-sorted grocery list, and pantry and freezer inventories.

Save the meals that worked in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99), with section dividers, recipe cards and a fillable type-in version.

The Family Life Admin Bundle is $15.99 ($23.95 bought separately). It includes the meal planner, the recipe binder, a kids chore chart, a newborn baby tracker and pet health records. See all our printable planners or bundles.

More meal planning help:

• How to meal plan for the weekly routine
• Healthy meals for the whole family
• Freezer meals to cook ahead
• Breakfast burrito for a make-ahead breakfast