Write down a week of food when the weight won't rise

You eat what feels like a lot. You lift, or you mean to. The scale stays where it was, and the standard answer, “eat more”, does not say how much more, or whether something else is going on.

If your weight will not rise, write down everything you eat and drink for a week and compare it with what you thought you were eating; if it is clearly more and the weight still does not move, see a doctor.

This page is for an adult who is underweight or cannot put weight on. If you are at a healthy weight or heavier, or if food and weight are already tangled up with worry for you, jump to the last section and start with a doctor, not a list.

Why the list comes first

Many people say the arithmetic cannot be dodged: weight goes up only when you take in more than you burn, and what feels like a lot of food is often less than your body needs. One person says people who struggle to gain often underestimate what they need, and that the intake has to be written down rather than guessed. Lifting makes the gap wider, as some people point out: training raises what you burn, so lifting on your usual diet can leave you flat or lighter.

Some people describe being exactly here: eating what they considered enough, training, and not gaining. That is the situation the list is for.

On whether a fast metabolism is the real reason, two people disagree. One says differences between people are mostly small, so a fast metabolism is rarely the whole story. Another says the range is wider at the extremes, and even a modest daily gap is one you have to eat past. A written week does not settle that argument. If it shows you eating less than you believed, the fix is food. If it shows clearly more food for weeks with no change, the next step is a doctor.

Doing the week

Write each thing down when you eat it, not at night from memory: on paper or in a free app. One person notes that most calorie-tracking apps charge, and that free ones exist. Weigh yourself on the first morning and the last, at the same time of day. If your weight stayed about the same across the week, what you wrote down is about what your body burns on your current routine: that is arithmetic, not an opinion. The NHS says adults could try adding around 300 to 500 extra calories a day, gradually, and to choose healthy calories.

If the list shows less than you believed, you have found the gap, and it costs nothing to fix. If it shows a lot and the scale is still flat, keep the list: it is exactly what a doctor will want to see.

Getting the extra in

Some people suggest cheap, dense staples such as oats, eggs, whole milk, peanut butter, rice and potatoes over pricier “health foods”. One person adds that dry beans bought in bulk and cooked in a big pot are cheap and filling, and another that a slow cooker turns tough cheap meat into food that needs little effort. One person suggests cooking big batches and freezing portions, so there is always something ready to eat when you are hungry. Prices cut both ways: one person notes that bulk buying needs spare money up front, and another that ground beef prices swing a lot. One person argues that fast food beat ingredients for calories per dollar, and another argues that potatoes, oats and milk win on cost and on health. Local prices decide that one.

If solid food fills you up too soon, some people suggest drinks and extra fat: milk, home-made shakes, a drizzle of oil on a meal. The NHS also suggests smaller meals more often, healthy snacks between them and high-calorie drinks between meals. On sugary food, two people split. One says sugar is fine because the goal is calories. Another says sugary junk is poor advice because you want lean weight, not diabetes risk. The NHS talks about adding healthy calories.

Two small warnings. One person says a sudden pile of beans can bring a lot of wind, so start with small portions. One person says lactose intolerance may call for a dairy alternative or a lactase supplement.

One person reports that trying to eat more made them throw up several times a day, which made the standard advice useless for them. If that happens to you, it is a reason to see a doctor, not to push harder.

Lifting, so it is not only fat

Many people say that to make the extra weight muscle rather than fat you need resistance training alongside the extra food, with big lifts or slowly adding load. The NHS says strength training builds muscle and can improve your appetite. For adults, the NHS and the CDC both set strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week. One person says 2 to 3 sessions a week is enough for a beginner; another says 3 to 4 sessions on the big lifts. One person says eating lots of carbohydrate without moving leads to extra fat rather than muscle, so some movement matters. One person says poor sleep is often overlooked next to food and training.

Some people warn that bad technique hurts you, and say to ask for help or watch instructional videos before the weight gets heavy. One person warns that training too hard or too often as a beginner leads to quick burnout. One person warns that hard cardio and group classes can leave a new lifter vomiting or miserable enough to quit.

You do not need a gym to start. Some people say a mat, a pair of dumbbells and resistance bands are enough at the start. One person suggests a backpack of books or milk jugs as weights; another warns a backpack of books may strain the back and neck.

If chest pain, breathlessness or faintness comes while you lift, stop: the safety box above has the numbers.

If the list says you eat plenty

Some people say that if weight will not rise despite a high intake, or you are bloated and very thin, a doctor should look for a medical cause, such as malnutrition, a digestive-enzyme problem or a hormone imbalance. Some name an overactive thyroid; one person adds vitamin deficiencies and another diabetes. Some people say a check-up, with blood tests, should come before assuming the problem is only food. One person puts the wait at a month of clearly eating more with no gain before seeing a specialist. Another person’s view is that it is a solvable matter of eating enough and tracking it. Both can be true of different people; a week or more of written food, plus a check-up, is how you tell which one you are.

The NHS says to speak to a GP if you have lost weight suddenly, if you have lost weight without changing your diet or exercise, or if you use control of food to cope with feelings.

Some people say gaining is slow, and that genetics changes how quickly you fill out. One person says a beginner may see change in the first three months and more after six. One person says some people have a naturally fast metabolism or a small frame and may not reach “normal” weights easily. If that sounds like you, a doctor can say what a good target is for your body.

Who this page is not for

If you are at a healthy weight or heavier, “eat more” may be the wrong direction for you. People who answered a heavier person asking how to build muscle did not agree: one argued for eating less first, one that the first year of lifting should be a bulk because you have little muscle, one for just eating well and deciding after a few months. The CDC calls BMI a screening measure, and one person points out it can misjudge a muscular or large-framed person. A doctor is the one to ask.

If you have lost weight without trying, or counting food or eating more makes you anxious, or you have ever had an eating disorder, start with a doctor, not a list. If you are here because someone told you your body is wrong, this is the wrong tool; some people warn that forcing yourself to eat or train only to win a partner’s approval can make anxiety and self-esteem worse.

This page does not give a protein target, a calorie total or a meal plan, because the people it draws on gave different ones and the right amount depends on your health. A doctor or a dietitian can tell you.