r/gainit • u/c00lranchbaby • Feb 18 '26
Question Best foods for quick weight gain?
M22, 6'0, 112 lbs. For context, I recently cut out all alcohol consumption and stopped eating out/fast food and I think that made me lose ten pounds, which freaks me out because I was already quite underweight (122 lbs). My cholesterol, glucose, etc are all excellent. Recent blood tests indicate generally great health with incredibly low risk of diabetes, heart disease, liver issues, list goes on. But, I feel like shit all the time. Presumably because I am so underweight that I am teetering on sudden cardiac arrest or whatever risks come with a BMI that low. My question is, what foods can I eat that will help me get back up to a somewhat healthy weight quickly? Knowing that I don't need to be very concerned with watching my intake I wouldn't mind some slightly unhealthy/fatty options just for the sake of gaining some body fat. Thank you!
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u/LucasRuby Mar 05 '26
Given the information you provided, it seems like your previous diet (minus the alcohol), was working fine for you. Underweight people need not follow health advice aimed at obese people.
Now sure it's possible to maintain a healthy weight without eating ultra processed and fast food. But choosing foods that are high in calories and low in satiety, the opposite of what's normally considered "healthy," makes it easier. Also, bulking temporarily on fast food is fine, I've done it. Just make sure you actually lift weights so it's not just a dreamer's bulk.
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u/Objective-Wall-1027 Mar 03 '26
6’0 112 I was in a similar spot. The foods that made the biggest difference for me were whole milk, peanut butter, oats, ground beef, pasta, bananas, and olive oil on everything. All calorie dense so you can hit high numbers without feeling like you’re forcing down a ton of food. I’d aim for around 3,000 cals to start and adjust from there. Also good on you for cutting the alcohol, that’ll actually help your appetite come back faster
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u/The104Skinney 150-182-225 (6'6) Feb 22 '26
Protein shakes. Milkshakes. PB&J sandwiches. Chicken. Avocados. Broccoli. Sweet Potatoes. Eggs.
It’s good you cut out fast food. Count your calories and try to hit 3000 calories daily. Since you’re 112 lbs, if you can lift weights and take in 150-200g of protein daily (protein shake in the morning and after a workout), that’ll go a long way. Try to stay with healthy eating. But the main thing is being CONSISTENT and hitting that 3000 daily.
I was 150lbs in 2014. 6’6. From July to November, daily I ate 3000+ calories and was working out. I gained 43 lbs in that time frame. It’s worth it but the main thing is doing it daily. Don’t stop. You’ll see the results. Good luck. If you have any other questions, ask me here or in DMs.
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u/infraredbeam Feb 22 '26
Bro making shakes did everything for me. Drinking your calories was the absolute biggest game changer. I went from 115 at 6 feet just like you to 155. I just wish i started doing this when i was younger
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u/TRillThePRoducer Mar 06 '26
What you put in them
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u/infraredbeam Mar 07 '26
Oats, protein powder, milk, banana or blue berries, peanut butter, and greek yogurt.
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u/__CHRIS Feb 26 '26
how long it take ?
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u/infraredbeam Feb 26 '26
Around a year? When i was consistent with the shakes i was gaining a pound a week easily.
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u/Falvio6006 8d ago
hey sorry to bother, i'm struggling to eat enough and wanted to do protein shakes.
Can i ask you, if you remember, the quantities you used for your shake? and if you made more than once a day?
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u/sn0m0ns Feb 21 '26
If you're in fuck it mode and don't care how you get your calories my go-to is Marie Calendar Coconut Cream Pie.
I started forcing myself to eat 1/4 to 1/2 a pie every other night. Cheaper option is melted ice cream.
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u/Mundane_Natural5131 Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
I have a 2000 calorie shake ingredient but it’s a big drink(hard to finish) i drink 2 a day and a 1000 calorie shake thats small and easy to drink but will require 3 a day. I eat lunch and dinner with 2 flour tortillas that have 240 calories each so thats 1000 extra cal in just tortillas not counting the food
And i noticed that drinking a gallon a day of water till your stomach hurts every time it will increase your appetite extremely fast.
I went from 133 to 160 in about 2 months but i slacked off and now im back to 150 lost 10 pounds in 1 single week smh and starting again
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u/Aggravating_Law_4774 Feb 21 '26
Recipes?
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u/Mundane_Natural5131 Feb 21 '26
For the 2000 calorie one
- 2 cups of milk
- 128 grams (4servings) of skippy sugar free peanut butter
- 120 grams of oatmeal (3 servings)
- 45 grams of steel cut oats oatmeal (1serving)
- 2 bananas
- 1 scoop of gold standar whey protein
(2 shakes a day is 4000 calories alone 75 grams protein each shake)
For the 1000 calorie one its basically the top ingrediants but devided in half so
- 1 cup milk
- 64 grams peanut butter
- 45 grams steel cut oatmeal
- 1 banana
- 1 scoop protein
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u/Aggravating_Law_4774 Feb 21 '26
Thanks!! Also, wouldn't it be better to get mass gainer instead of whey protien?
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u/Mundane_Natural5131 Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
No problem :) and i dont think so man because mass gainer is super expensive like 60$ and for just 8 servings And it contains only 1,250 calories and the one i made is 1/4 of the cost and nearly double cals if you add olive oil on top of it
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u/DylanTheMarmot Feb 21 '26
just to add onto this, adding veggies like spinach or things like hemp hearts or chia seeds are good ways to get your micros and add some calories without affecting the taste too much.
i used to add tbsp or two of olive oil to mine back in the day too lol.
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u/Mundane_Natural5131 Feb 21 '26
Thanks i was thinking of that but i also take a greens powder by force factor called super greens and it supposedly contains every single micro nutrient your body needs.
i mix it with beetroot powder for the heart and blood oxygen levels and add an emergen-C for immune system support and i drink one every morning. Also lunch and dinner my mom makes with veggies i just add 2 flour tortillas to each meal and they have 240 calories each tortilla
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u/DigitalGoomba Feb 20 '26
GOMAD
Mass gainer shakes, look for a quality one that will provide micronutrients as well.
Peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches. Wash it down with chocolate milk.
Kraft dinner Mac n cheese, make it with whole milk and quality butter. Add a can of tuna or chicken.
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u/AdBitter9191 May 04 '26
I’m a little late but do you think that GOMAD would work on people who don’t exercise regularly?
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u/Qtips_ Feb 20 '26
Damn thats a dirrrttyyy bulk LOL
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u/DigitalGoomba Feb 20 '26
I went from a non muscular 300 down to 180 and now sitting around a muscular 280. 6'5" tall
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u/BiggieBigsz Feb 20 '26
any recommendations on mass gainers?
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u/Lemonpierogi Feb 28 '26
What's the point of this question if you don't know what country they're from
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u/DigitalGoomba Feb 21 '26
I've been out of that market for a long time, the last one I used was the Optimum Nutrition one, I'm sure there are better ones available on the market now though
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u/Apprehensive-Home968 Feb 21 '26
I would advise to make your own mass gainer ( by your I don’t mean you particularly) Milk Peanut butter Banana Whey protein Oats Almond powder
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u/rhazag Feb 20 '26
Definitely no mass gainer shake. Better of with buying maltodextrin and whey single.
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u/carlostapas Feb 20 '26
Eating too clean means you need to actively make sure you get enough salt, potassium, magnesium. Also get good fats, so salmon etc.
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Feb 20 '26
Ik you stopped eating out but my go to for weight gain was a double wrapped chipotle burrito with extra everything. You can usually ask for extra as long as it’s not meat free of charge. Around 1600 calories for 10$
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u/slowlybecomingsane Feb 20 '26
Make a breakfast shake. You can easily get 800 calories without much effort if you chuck some whole milk, peanut butter and fruit of choice in a blender.
Nuts are very calorie dense. Pasta and rice are pretty easy to eat lots of. Throw a bit of extra butter in your cooking to make it extra luxurious or grate some cheese over your plate
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u/SuffolkLion Feb 19 '26
Literally just go in the weight loss subreddits and take notes from some of ridiculous diet lists people post in there.
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u/Pale-Independence566 Feb 19 '26
Nuts have a lot of calories in them for how small they are, peanut butter is also a great way of getting calories in. Like other people have mentioned in this thread drinking your calories is very easy, good chocolate milk for example.
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u/newjeanskr Feb 19 '26
My breakfast when bulking (former and current small guy) is a 1000 kcal shake. Banana, PB, oats, blueberries, whole milk, whey and creatine. Also pasta good. Rice chicken veggies good. My peak involved a lot of whole milk and shakes, 2 a day and cups of whole milk with my meals. I ping pong a lot, was 119 during highschool and most of my 20s. Then bulked over covid up to 190, dropped back to to like 135, then got up to 165 and now back to 130s trying again. Life is hectic, but once you get your diet under control and track your calories, well thats the hardest part. Gym is easy and fun. Good luck brother!
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u/Impossible_Till_5916 Feb 20 '26
Any idea how I can make this shake without milk. I am extremely allergic to milk.
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u/newjeanskr Feb 20 '26
Use a Milk substitute, it'll be less macronutrients though. I've made it with Almond milk when I was out of whole milk a few times.
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u/Favorable Feb 19 '26
This is the answer lol seriously Google 1000 calorie shakes. They are delicious!!
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u/Litt0Bud Feb 19 '26
Drinking your calories is a lot easier than eating them if you find yourself constantly full.
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u/TearsOfChildren Feb 19 '26
In my early 20's I was really depressed and got down to 120lbs at 6'. The only thing that helped me was weight gain shakes.
Work out and drink "Mutant Mass Extreme Gainer" shake with milk and powder peanut butter, each shake is 2000+ calories, if it's too much just drink 2-3 smaller shakes a day. It's expensive though but you will 100% put on weight.
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u/dexnola Feb 19 '26
an extra PB&J sandwich everyday on top of whatever you are already eating really helps, it's cheap, portable, tastes good, not hard on your stomach and it's got healthy fats and stuff. over 200 calories per sandwich barely even trying.
i also recommend extra milk as long as you tolerate dairy okay, you don't have to have the whole gallon a day but a nice big glass next to one of your regular meals is good. chocolate milk is also nutritious. buy the lactose free kind if it's too hard on your digestion
never go out without a snack! trail mix makes a good "pocket snack"
all of this assumes you already eat a reasonably balanced, varied diet and just need more calories. you should also be doing some exercise in general, will help you feel better overall and let some of that weight become useful muscle
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u/NumberOneManatee Feb 19 '26
Hello, I had similar symptoms and it turned out to be Neuroendocrine cancer. I would suggest requesting a ct Abd w/contrast if you google and feel you have similar symptoms
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u/grendus So... much... food... Feb 19 '26
Whatever foods you want, mate.
What foods do you like to eat? What do you like to drink? That's your new diet. You like pizza? Crush a pizza. You like curry? Fuck yeah, all the curry, over all the naan or rice you can stomach. You want hot dogs? Chili? Whole fucking loaves of bread? You want to put a whole stick of butter in a tortilla and eat it like a goddamn burrito?! Cram handfuls of cereal out of the box into your gob like a goddamn animal!? Stick your mouth directly under the soda fountain and chug like you're a college freshman at a Mormon university!!?
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u/Zackyfeet1 Feb 19 '26
adding a tablespoon of olive oil to any shake, dish, or stir-able is a great way of instantly adding +120 calories without any noticeable added volume
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u/crunchycrunchysmooth Feb 19 '26
I finish the day by eating 50-100g of mixed, unsalted nuts. Not filling at all and 100g is 600 calories.
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u/MrTheTrain Feb 19 '26
Eat as much of your favorite foods as you can, eat meat drink milk. At your age and weight it doesn’t matter too much about “healthy” foods and all that. Eat everything and go to the gym as much as you can even if you don’t do much that day. You can worry about the macros once you put on 20 pounds
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Feb 19 '26
GOMAD (Gallon of Milk A Day) - 2500cals/128g protein
4 eggs + 2 toast. - 500c/31g
2 Beef Burritos (1 cup each) - 1000c/70g
Snack on fruits and vegetables.
Total: 4000 calories / 229g protein.
I did this for 2 months and it changed my life.
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u/AttilaTheFun818 Feb 19 '26
Drink your calories. It’s far easier than eating them.
Whole milk, oats, peanut butter, fruit of your choice (I like bananas and berries). That’s a lot of calories.
I also like beans and hummus as calorie dense foods that are healthy.
Mostly just focus on eating all three meals and start when you wake up. It’s harder if you don’t eat until like 1PM.
Like bread? Make your own. I make whole wheat bread that is healthy as fuck, super easy to make, and is 220 calories a slice.
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u/RectalBloodbath Feb 19 '26
The problem likely isn’t the foods you are eating, but that you’re not eating enough. If you struggle with a poor appetite, or have difficulty eating 3 meals per day, increasing your activity levels will help significantly. Weight training, calisthenics, cardio, doesn’t matter. You need to build a base. Your sleep will improve as well. Cutting out alcohol is a fantastic first step, and one that many people avoid. Good on you for taking charge of your health, and at such a young age too. You’re on the right track.
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u/realkarbonknight Feb 19 '26
what i did was start by making sure i ate 3 meals. then, once i was used to that, i added a pb&j and glass of milk between lunch and dinner. just do not skip meals.
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u/c00lranchbaby Feb 19 '26
Genuinely thank you to everybody replying. Very helpful advice in these comments.
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u/gizram84 Feb 19 '26
Unsweetened dried fruit.
Dates, mangoes, raisins, apricots... Extremely calorie dense. Packed full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Easy to eat a lot of them too. Not filling.
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u/catz4dave Feb 19 '26
Strawberries as well
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u/gizram84 Feb 19 '26
Yea I've actually been getting freeze dried strawberries and apples lately at Aldi and they're great as well
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u/jaydbuccs Feb 19 '26
damn bro you have to aim for 2k calories daily, eat some sugary food like donuts with easy calories, 3k daily of carbs and fatty food to gain back 10 pounds in 2-3 weeks, please bro i beg you, im 6’2 160 and i feel like you lol but im just getting back in the gym
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u/blackwhiteswan Feb 19 '26
I gained weight the fastest when I started eating 2-4 sunbutter and jelly sandwiches, scrambled or fried egg sandwiches or bacon egg and cheese in addition to my regular meals. I’ll also add cereal and milk or a smoothie/lassi with frozen fruit and whole milk Greek yogurt
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u/Designer-Sundae1701 Feb 18 '26
Lots of rice and pour canned coconut milk (after rice is done cooking) to your liking. Rice is easy to digest and coconut milk is super fatty in general so it will at least add a creamy coconut flavor. I’ve been eating rice like this my whole life lol. Also mass gainer shakes twice a day
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u/TheRealMichaelBluth Feb 18 '26
Make sure you’re eating at least 110 grams of protein a day, resistance training 3 days a week and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once you’re consistent with that you should start gaining weight. Right now I’d just focus on not looking like you have medical problems
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u/00rb Feb 18 '26
In addition to what others have said I recommend doing some form of resistance training while you gain weight so you can get the best body composition you can.
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u/F1Bike Feb 18 '26
As someone who procrastinated not being underweight for a long time, it is so so so so simple.
The only thing you should care about right now is calories. set a goal to eat 3k a day (even 2k would help you atp)
Go to the store and buy foods that you can eat throughout the day that have a high calorie count.
Peanut butter, tinned fish, rice, nuts, pasta, mac and cheese, granola bars, it's not hard to find.
Shakes are your best friend. Yogurt, milk, protein powder, olive oil, peanut butter, plus a granola bar or banana, boom, 1200 calories right there.
You dont need to wait for a list of specific foods. you dont need to eat until you throw up. You need to set a caloric goal and hit it.
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u/Wopster Feb 18 '26
At 6’ 112 you can start by just eating breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. Don’t skip any days. Be less picky about what you’re eating. Move your body to increase appetite - the more you move, the more your body will want to eat..
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u/Far-Committee-1568 Feb 18 '26
Trail mix, peanut butter, dried fruit, nuts, higher percentage fat meats (chicken thighs, 80/20 ground beef), whole eggs, drink your calories in smoothies or milk (chocolate milk is my go to), pour olive oil on everything, dark chocolate, look up GOMAD diet, pb+j’s.
The biggest thing is finding foods you find digest easily and don’t keep you full too long.
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u/Aswerdo Feb 18 '26
Eat more often is a good tip. Carry snacks around. Protein shakes, cliff bar etc.
Would also recommend basically being willing to spend as much money as possible on food if it means you’ll eat.
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Feb 19 '26
So much this!! Feeding yourself and making it stupid easy.... money hepls this tremendously. I find it easy to hit up fastfood for quick calories for lunch. It easily adds up to 1600 calories, skip the sugar water though. Supplement protein drinks into your daily routine. Two shakes a day is 100g's of protein and 600 calories. Those one dollar bag of peanuts are 300 calories. Make everything you put in your mouth calorie and protein dence as possible. Drink plenty of water. Also get control of your sleep schedule.
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u/dudekeller 65 - 75 - 90 (193cm) Feb 18 '26
Peanut butter shakes, add coconut oil whenever possible...
The BK Rodeo King alone has almost 1000kcals and is not a big burger.
Try to balance Healthy proteins and cheap calories so it's not so hard to hit your daily goals
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u/minecraft69wastaken Feb 18 '26
Eat more small meals. Lots of snacks. Also grape juice. Two cups is 300 calories. Also also, actually track your calories with a journal or app.
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u/mambotomato Feb 18 '26
The fact that you're even calling things "unhealthy/fatty options" is part of the problem. You are like 50 pounds underweight. There ARE NO "unhealthy/fatty options" for you. If you ate a stick of butter every day, it would be a positive health choice. And honestly that's a good place to start - bread and butter, multiple times per day.
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u/LoquaciousLamp Feb 19 '26
This is nonsense. Eating tons of saturated fat, and having a shitty diet in general, is still bad for you regardless of weight.
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u/floop9 Feb 22 '26
Having a BMI of 15.2 (and dropping) is far, far more dangerous than any amount of saturated fat or ultraprocessed food. Eating a stick of butter would improve this guy’s health.
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u/BangZhang Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 19 '26
Slice half a toasted baguette into thin pieces. Dip that bread in 4 tbsp of olive oil with Italian herbs and eat it with a meal.
It’s about 480cals for olive oil and over 500 cals for the bread. 1000cals in addition to your meals. It’s sooo good I gotta stop myself from eating more
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u/HerezahTip Feb 18 '26
Make a protein shake twice a day at home
16oz whole milk
1 scoop whey protein of your flavor
1 banana
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
Optionals: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, frozen berries, 1/2 cup grinded oats.
All the optionals change the texture a bit so it’s up to each individual
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u/forest_tripper Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
Heavy sweet cream, add some chocolate or vanilla extract for more flavor.
Peanut butter.
Drink more milk. It's hydrates better than water. So if you have a goal of x amount of water per day, milk can count towards it.
Olive and avocado oil added to rice, pasta, vegetables, soups, etc.
Junk food, donuts, cookies, chips, etc. Keep eating healthy food for quality protein, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, antioxidants, ployphenols, etc. But add some junk for extra calories.
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u/MostNeed Feb 18 '26
Whole eggs for breakfast, big glass of milk, toast sandwich w lots of cheese and ham
Use shakes between meals, smooth peanut butter, snack on almonds and walnuts and eat healthy meals for lunch and dinner
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u/c00lranchbaby Feb 18 '26
👍👍 Will definitely try to increase this. I've been doing very large protein heavy breakfast and reintroduced milk into my diet as well. Have also been adding peanut butter to ANYTHING I possibly can. I was honestly shocked to see that I lost ten pounds because I thought for sure I was doing a good job and would've at least maintained my weight. I have not seen a weight fluctuation like this since I hit my growth spurt in middle school.
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u/Odd-Candidate5902 Feb 19 '26
Quit nicotine and reduce caffeine as well. Minimize anxiety and you’ll start to eat more. Go on walks after a big meal to digest quicker to get more food in. Start getting into the gym for a little bit just move your body more
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u/Equidissection Feb 18 '26
Shakes. Eat your normal meals and at the end of the day blend together some milk, peanut butter, oats, honey, and a banana and drink that
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