How to Gain Weight for Females: A Healthy Indian Plan
How to gain weight for females, safely: check BMI with Asian cut-offs, rule out thyroid and eating disorders, add 300 to 500 kcal, and lift weights. Sample day.
To gain weight as a woman, first check you're actually underweight (a BMI below 18.5), see a doctor if the weight loss was unexplained, then eat about 300 to 500 kcal a day more than you burn, with protein at every meal, and lift weights two to three times a week so the gain includes muscle. Expect slow progress, around a few hundred grams a week at most. The sample Indian day below has about 2,190 kcal and 81 g of protein for a hypothetical 44 kg woman.
Are you actually underweight?
The WHO defines underweight as a BMI below 18.5 and thinness as below 17, with the same cut-offs for women and men. For Indian adults, the healthy range is narrower at the top: the Endocrine Society of India's 2022 classification, summarised in a 2023 review in the Journal of Obesity, puts normal at 18.5 to 22.9, overweight at 23 and obesity at 25.
| BMI | WHO (global) | Indian cut-offs | For a woman of 158 cm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 17 | Thinness | Below normal | Under 42.4 kg |
| 17 to 18.4 | Underweight | Below normal | 42.4 to 46.1 kg |
| 18.5 to 22.9 | Normal | Normal | 46.2 to 57.2 kg |
| 23 to 24.9 | Normal | Overweight | 57.4 to 62.2 kg |
| 25 and above | Overweight | Obesity | 62.4 kg and up |
Check yours with the BMI calculator, which uses the Indian cut-offs. If you're in the normal range but feel thin, you probably want more muscle rather than more weight. The plan is the same, with a smaller surplus.
What to rule out with a doctor first
If you've lost weight without trying, eating more isn't the first step. The NHS advises seeing a GP if you keep losing weight without changing your diet or exercise, and lists these possible causes, among others:
- Overactive thyroid: weight loss, often despite an increased appetite (NHS symptoms)
- Type 1 diabetes
- Coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease
- Eating disorders, which the NHS notes are linked with depression, anxiety and OCD
- Stressful life events or low appetite
Eating disorders need special care. The NHS lists signs such as eating very little, worrying a lot about weight and body shape, exercising too much, feeling cold, tired or dizzy, and periods stopping. If that sounds like you, a calorie plan isn't the fix. Talk to a doctor, or call Tele-MANAS on 14416, the government's free 24/7 mental health helpline.
Also see a doctor if your periods have become irregular or stopped. The NHS lists sudden weight loss and too much exercise among the common causes. And if you're planning a pregnancy, ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 say underweight women should increase their food intake and have their weight gain monitored closely.
How many extra calories do you need?
The NHS advice for underweight adults suggests adding around 300 to 500 extra calories a day. A 2019 review by Slater and colleagues on gaining muscle suggests a similar conservative start, about 360 to 480 kcal a day.
Hypothetical example: a 25-year-old woman, 158 cm and 44 kg (BMI 17.6), training 3 to 4 days a week. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation used in the calorie calculator puts her maintenance at about 1,770 kcal. Adding 300 to 500 gives 2,070 to 2,270 kcal. To reach a BMI of 18.5 she needs about 2 kg; to reach the middle of the healthy range, about 8 kg.
Don't jump straight to the top of the range if your appetite is small. Add 300 for two weeks, then more if the scale hasn't moved.
How much protein?
The ISSN position stand recommends 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg a day for people who exercise. For 44 kg that's about 62 to 88 g. The sample day has 81 g, around 1.8 g/kg. Get your own number from the protein calculator.
Calorie-dense Indian foods that help
When appetite is the problem, pick foods that pack calories into a small volume. Values are approximate, from IFCT 2017 unless noted.
| Food | Portion | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo milk | 250 ml | 268 | 9.2 g |
| Cow milk (whole) | 250 ml | 183 | 8.2 g |
| Peanuts | 30 g | 156 | 7.1 g |
| Paneer | 50 g | 152 | 9.4 g |
| Oats | 40 g dry | 152 | 5.3 g (USDA) |
| Fresh coconut | 30 g | 123 | 1.2 g |
| Banana | 100 g | 105 | 1.2 g |
| Dried dates | 30 g | 96 | 0.7 g |
| Almonds | 15 g | 91 | 2.8 g |
| Peanut butter | 15 g | 90 | 3.3 g (USDA) |
| Ghee | 1 tsp (5 g) | 45 | 0 g |
The NHS suggests adding cheese, nuts and seeds to meals, eating smaller meals more often with snacks in between, and having high-calorie drinks like milkshakes between meals. It also warns against relying on chocolate, cakes and sugary drinks. ICMR-NIN suggests keeping ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, so get most added fat from nuts, seeds and milk.
Our weight gain diet for skinny people covers cheap calorie-dense foods in more depth, with a homemade gainer shake and a 3,000 kcal day. Most women need far less than that; the day below is a smaller version.
A sample 2,190 calorie weight gain day
For the 44 kg example above. Raw weights for atta and dal; cooked for rice. Portions follow the same katori method as our 1,500 calorie Indian diet plan.
| Meal | What you eat | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2 paneer parathas (70 g atta, 40 g paneer, 1 tsp ghee), 150 g curd | 480 | 20 g |
| Mid-morning | Shake: 250 ml milk, 1 banana, 20 g dates, 15 g peanut butter | 440 | 13 g |
| Lunch | 1½ katoris rice (225 g cooked), toor dal (30 g), 1 katori sabzi, 1 tsp oil | 460 | 15 g |
| Evening | Chai with 100 ml milk, 20 g peanuts with 10 g gur | 210 | 8 g |
| Dinner | 2 rotis, rajma (40 g), sabzi, 100 g curd, 2 tsp oil | 490 | 20 g |
| Bedtime | 150 ml haldi milk | 110 | 5 g |
| Day total | 2,190 kcal | 81 g |
Food values: IFCT 2017 for atta, paneer, milk, dals, rajma, peanuts, gur, dates, banana and vegetables; USDA for cooked rice, curd and peanut butter.
Six eating times sounds like a lot, but each one is small. If you eat eggs, two boiled eggs at breakfast add about 150 kcal and 13 g of protein.
Lift weights so you gain muscle, not just fat
Food sets how much you gain. Training decides what it's made of. ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say that without resistance exercise, the protein you eat isn't used for building muscle. The NHS advice for underweight adults says to build muscle with strength training or yoga, which can also improve appetite.
Women build muscle well. A 2020 meta-analysis by Roberts, Nuckols and Krieger found no significant difference between men and women in relative muscle growth on the same programme. The WHO recommends muscle-strengthening activity for all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
Start with 2 to 3 full-body sessions: squats, a hip hinge, a push, a pull, adding weight or reps over time. Our guide to weight training for women has an 8-week starter plan and answers the "will I get bulky" question.
How to track progress
- Weigh 3 mornings a week and compare weekly averages.
- A review of muscle-gain diets suggests about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight a week; at 44 kg that's roughly 0.1 to 0.2 kg.
- Not gaining after 2 to 3 weeks? Add 150 to 200 kcal, like a glass of milk or 30 g peanuts.
- Gaining faster than 0.5 kg a week for several weeks? Ease back; some of it is fat.
- Track a few lifts. Getting stronger is the best sign the weight is muscle.
Quick checklist
- Check BMI with Indian cut-offs; underweight is below 18.5
- See a doctor first if weight loss was unexplained, periods have stopped, or food feels hard to think about
- Add 300 to 500 kcal a day, starting at the low end
- Protein 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg, spread over 5 to 6 small meals
- Milk, paneer, peanuts, dates, banana and oats; go easy on ghee and sugar
- Strength train 2 to 3 days a week
- Judge progress over a month, not a week
Useful links
- NHS: advice for underweight adults
- NHS: unintentional weight loss
- NHS: eating disorders overview
- WHO: BMI cut-offs for adults
- Kalra et al. (2023), defining and diagnosing obesity in India
- ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
- IFCT 2017, Indian Food Composition Tables
- Roberts et al. (2020), sex differences in resistance training
This is general information, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a woman to gain 5 kg?
Usually a few months, not weeks. A review of muscle-gain diets suggests about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight a week, which for a 44 kg woman is roughly 0.1 to 0.2 kg a week. Gaining much faster is more likely to add fat.
Will eating more junk food help me gain weight faster?
It adds weight, but not the kind you want. The NHS advises underweight adults not to rely on chocolate, cakes and sugary drinks, and to use healthy snacks, milkshakes between meals, nuts, seeds and protein foods instead.
Can I gain weight without going to the gym?
You can gain weight by eating more, but much of it will be fat. Strength training at home or in a gym is what makes the gain include muscle. The NHS also notes strength training can improve appetite.
Should I eat lots of ghee to gain weight?
No. Ghee adds about 45 kcal per teaspoon but nothing else much, and ICMR-NIN suggests limiting ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day. Peanuts, almonds, milk and paneer add calories along with protein and minerals.