Key points
- The NHS suggests adding around 300 to 500 calories a day and gaining weight gradually.
- Eat every three to four hours: three meals, plus snacks like yoghurt, nuts, a banana or a milkshake.
- Put protein in every meal: eggs, daal, chana, chicken, fish, milk or yoghurt.
- Strength training or yoga helps extra food build muscle, and exercise can improve your appetite.
- If you've lost weight without trying, see a doctor before you start.
Am I underweight, or just slim?
Check your BMI first. For adults, a BMI below 18.5 is classed as underweight in the CDC BMI categories. Some people are naturally slim and healthy, so treat the number as a starting point.
Being underweight could mean you're missing out on vitamins and minerals, says the NHS. It also advises seeing a GP if you've lost weight suddenly, or lost weight without changing your diet or exercise routine, because unexplained weight loss can be a sign of an underlying health condition. Start there before any diet plan.
Our guide to healthy BMI for South Asians shows how to work out your BMI and measure your waist.
How many extra calories do you need to gain weight?
Around 300 to 500 extra calories a day, according to the NHS, which advises gaining weight gradually by adding healthy calories. That's less food than it sounds. Here's what it looks like with food already in your kitchen:
| Add this | About how many calories |
|---|---|
| A glass of full-cream milk (250 ml) | 155 |
| A banana | 105 |
| A small handful of peanuts (30 g) | 170 |
| Two boiled eggs | 155 |
| An extra roti (40 g atta) | 135 |
| A teaspoon of ghee or oil | 45 |
| A cup of cooked rice | 200 |
| A bowl of plain yoghurt (200 g) | 120 |
A glass of milk with a banana mid-morning and a handful of peanuts with evening chai already adds about 430 calories. Figures are rounded from USDA FoodData Central, and our guide to roti and weight loss shows how to size your roti.
How much protein do you need to gain muscle?
If you do strength training, aim for 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day. That's the range the International Society of Sports Nutrition gives for most people who exercise. For someone who weighs 55 kg, it means about 77 to 110 g a day.
Spread it across the day rather than saving it for dinner. Good protein foods are already in a Pakistani kitchen:
- Eggs: boiled, as an omelette with onion and tomato, or anda paratha at the weekend.
- Daal, chana and lobia, with roti or rice.
- Chicken and fish, in salan, karahi or tikka.
- Milk, yoghurt, lassi and paneer.
- Peanuts, almonds and roasted chana as snacks.
What does a weight gain diet plan look like?
Here's an example day. It shows the pattern, not a prescription: your portions depend on your size, your routine and your health.
| Meal | Example |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Two-egg omelette with onion and tomato, two rotis (or one paratha made with a teaspoon of ghee), doodh patti with full-cream milk |
| Mid-morning | Banana milkshake: a glass of milk blended with a banana |
| Lunch | Chicken or daal salan, a cup of rice or two rotis, raita and salad |
| Evening | Chai with a small handful of peanuts or roasted chana |
| Dinner | Fish or chicken karahi, two rotis and sabzi |
| Before bed | A bowl of yoghurt with a few dates, or a glass of milk |
For a weight gain diet chart for the whole week, keep the same pattern of meals and snacks and rotate the main dishes:
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Eggs and roti | Daal chawal and raita | Chicken salan and roti |
| Tuesday | Anda paratha | Chana pulao and raita | Fish and sabzi with roti |
| Wednesday | Oats cooked in milk, with a banana | Chicken karahi and roti | Daal mash and roti |
| Thursday | Eggs and roti | Lobia and rice | Keema matar and roti |
| Friday | Paneer bhurji and roti | Chicken biryani with raita | Daal and sabzi with roti |
| Saturday | Halwa puri, as a planned treat | Grilled chicken, roti and salad | Chicken salan and roti |
| Sunday | Eggs, roti and fruit | Family lunch: salan, rice and raita | Daal, sabzi and roti |
What if you have a small appetite?
Many people who struggle to gain weight simply feel full quickly. Eating more often helps more than forcing down bigger plates. The NHS suggests smaller meals more often, with healthy snacks in between.
- Eat something every three to four hours, and set a reminder on your phone if you forget lunch at work or college.
- Drink your calories between meals: a glass of milk, a lassi or a banana milkshake, rather than water or chai just before you eat.
- Make each bite count. Add a spoon of yoghurt to your salan, a few almonds to your oats, an egg to your breakfast, or a little ghee to your daal.
- Keep easy snacks within reach: roasted chana, peanuts, dates, a banana or a boiled egg in your bag.
If your appetite has dropped suddenly or you've lost weight without trying, see a doctor rather than pushing yourself to eat more.
What should you avoid when trying to gain weight?
Cakes, mithai, chocolate and sugary drinks add calories fast, but the NHS advises against relying on them to gain weight. They bring little protein, and South Asians face health risks at a lower weight than many people expect: a University of Warwick study found the type 2 diabetes risk seen at a BMI of 30 in white populations was reached at 23.9 in South Asian populations.
- Don't fill up on drinks just before a meal, another NHS tip. Have chai or water between meals.
- Samosay, pakoray and nimco are fine now and then, but not as your main source of extra calories.
- Be careful with appetite syrups and weight gain powders sold over the counter. Don't take any medicine to raise your appetite unless a doctor prescribes it.
Do you need to exercise to gain weight?
Food alone will add weight, but strength training decides how much of it is muscle. The NHS suggests building muscle with strength training or yoga, and notes that exercise can also improve your appetite.
A few short sessions a week at home is a good start: squats, push-ups against a wall or on the floor, lunges, and rows with a backpack or filled water bottles. Signature plans include an optional home exercise routine with an animated guide for every movement.
When should you get help with weight gain?
See a doctor first if you've lost weight without trying, if you feel unwell, or if you use the control of food to cope with feelings. The NHS lists each of these as a reason to see a GP.
A weight gain plan works best when it's built around your routine and the food your family already cooks. NutriZaika's 28-day plans do that, with every ingredient in grams, and Nida Tu Sehar, Nutritionist and Dietitian, reviews every plan. Core is PKR 8,500 or USD 40, Signature is PKR 14,000 or USD 60. If you'd like one, book a consultation.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before you change how you eat.
About this guide
Written by NutriZaika, a virtual health studio that builds personalised 28-day diet plans around Pakistani and South Asian home food, for clients in Pakistan and worldwide.
Last updated 21 October 2026. Every figure links to its source below.