The best way to gain weight is to calculate your daily allowance and then increase your intake from all food groups.

To put on a pound in weight you will need to eat at least an extra five hundred calories a day for seven days. This is only an average as some people struggle to put on weight due to their metabolism. If you’re genetically predisposed to be thin you can increase your weight through diet, weight training and as you age but this isn’t guaranteed.

My advice is to calculate what you need per day and then keep a food diary to ensure you are eating the correct amount. Increase your intake by five hundred calories a day and see how much weight you put on over a month. If you’re still struggling, resist the temptation to eat more protein because you don’t store excess protein as muscle. It’s better to take the surplus in carbohydrate as you will have more energy to exercise, and muscles that work via resistance and weight lifting will cause your muscle fibres to break down and increase in size.

To increase your intake you can eat slightly larger portions and add a couple of extra snacks.