Over a decade ago, I wrote an article, 8 Nutritional Strategies for Those Who Can’t Gain Weight, that has become one of the most popular ones I’ve posted on my website. Now, 12 years later, I’ve got a few new thoughts on the subject, thanks to countless case studies of packing pounds on skinny athletes – not to mention the challenges of feeding one of our daughters who is a crazy active gymnast with very picky taste buds.

1. Don’t make the nighttime fast longer than it needs to be.

Nobody has a harder time gaining weight than the athlete who eats dinner at 6pm and goes to bed at 11pm – but doesn’t eat anything after dinner. If that same guy sleeps until 7am, he’s running a 13-hour fast. Mixing in a smoothie – or even something smaller – at 10pm is usually the best bet for shortening the nighttime fast.

2. Beware the weekend.

Some people go completely off the rails when it’s not Mon-Fri. Why? There’s no school or work, and they simply forget to eat when they’re not in their normal routines. With that in mind, this is where I always emphasize to try to control sleep/wake times; if you try to go to bed and wake up at the same times even on the weekends, you stand a better chance of hitting your calorie goals. Moreover, keep breakfast consistent; it’s a great way to make sure you’re kicking off the day with adequate intake. If you don’t wake up until noon, you’re well behind the 8-ball.

3. Find a high-quality, calorically-dense snack you can eat in 2-3 bites.

My wife hates eating in the morning, but she loves morning exercise. I don’t mind a little fasted cardio, but powering through a lift and then going right into a busy day isn’t exactly a recipe for success when it comes to building/preserving strength and muscle mass. As such, we searched far and wide for something she could actually stomach early in the day without feeling like she was full during her workouts. We landed on the PowerPro bar from 1st Phorm. They have a few flavors, and it’s clean ingredients and 290 calories. You can also eat one in two bites, so it’s a great option for skinny teenagers who feel like they’re always full when they’re trying to gain weight. It’s also a better option than a smoothie because you don’t have to worry about it going bad if you lug it around all day without refrigeration.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make up your own version with things like oats, honey, protein powder, nuts, coconut oil, dried fruit, and mashed-up bananas.

4. Plan for nerves.

I know of a lot of starting pitchers who can’t eat much in the hours before starts. With these athletes, you’re in trouble both acutely and chronically if you don’t have a plan for getting in sufficient calories. If you can’t eat much in the hours before a game, consuming calorie-containing electrolyte drinks during the game and nibbling on calorically dense snacks during the game is important. And, it’s a good idea to have a higher calorie smoothie waiting for right after that pitcher comes out of the game. Obviously, a whole food meal would follow sooner thereafter.

5. Cook in more healthy oils.

Things like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are great for a number of reasons:

a. these healthy fats provide a myriad of health benefits

b. they’re calorically dense

c. they soften foods up and make them more palatable

“C” might be the single-most important things for those trying to gain weight. Ever tried to eat a plain zucchini? In addition to being really bland taste-wise, it’s also super filling. Take that same zucchini and heat it up in a pan with olive oil, and it’s going to go down a lot easier. Forcing skinny teenagers to try to stomach plain vegetables is a recipe for coming up short on calories at the end of the day.

6. Seal the deal with nut butters.

Obviously, some folks have severe nut allergies and should steer clear of this nutritional strategy, but for those who don’t, it can be a game-changer. You’re looking at 180-200 calories in 2 tbsp of nut butters. Peanut, cashew, and almond are all in play; just make sure that you opt for the natural kind that doesn’t include a bunch of questionable additives. The ingredients should just be the nut and (depending on preferences) salt. Eating a glob off a spoon after each meal is a quick and easy way to bolster total caloric intake over the course of a day, and you also get some fiber and healthy fats in the process. If you’re really ambitious, combine it with an apple or banana.

7. Dried fruit for the win.

I don’t have a big sweet tooth, but I have to admit that if we consistently have dried mango in the house, I’ll quickly be on my way to weighing 300 pounds. Mango is my guilty pleasure, but suffice it to say that I could crush a lot of strawberries, apples, bananas, apricots, or anything else that can be dried out. Raisins and cranberries both fit nicely in this category, too. My downfall is a skinny athlete’s gain, though, as these are awesome portable options for folks to take on the road. And, the nice thing is that you get a lot of fiber that is typically missing from most on-the-go sports nutrition options.

Similarly, dried meat (i.e., beef jerky) can be a great option for quickly getting in the same protein you’d normally consume. I bring these meat sticks on the road with me all the time.

8. Watch out for carbonation.

You typically aren’t getting very high quality nutrition from beverages – soda and energy drinks, especially – that come with carbonation. In the quest to put on good weight, though, you can’t overlook that nothing fills an athlete up faster than a bunch of air bubbles. If you’re struggling to get in enough quality calories each day, leave out the calorie-free air and opt for “flat” drinks.

Wrap-up

These tips certainly aren’t exhaustive, but they should be complementary to what you’re already doing in your quest to gain weight the healthy way. As a good follow-up, I’d encourage you to check out a great guest podcast Dan Rosen did for me a while back: 10 Nutritional Considerations for High School Athletes.