Weight Gain Calculator

The weight gain calculator is a super useful online tool that helps underweight people calculate how much they need to eat in order to gain weight.

While many people suffer from being overweight, such as most of the American population these days, many others experience difficulties adding a couple of extra pounds, which is why it is so important to learn to use a weight gain calculator.

Keep reading below for everything you need to know about weight gain calculators and how they can help you.

Quick Summary

• Weight gain calculator is an online tool that helps you know how many calories you need to ingest to gain weight.
• The only proven way to gain weight is to be in a calorie surplus.
• According to Health Direct, being underweight is associated with conditions like malnutrition, osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, hypothermia, and lowered immunity.
• There are many causes of being underweight, including cancer, diabetes, and Celiac disease.

What Is a Weight Calculator?

A weight calculator is a tool that helps you estimate how many calories you need to consume to increase your weight. Weight calculators come in handy when modifying your diet to suit your goal of gaining more weight, especially if you're confused about how to gain weight.

There are many benefits of using an online weight calculator.

For one, it can ease the process of calculating how many calories you need to eat to increase weight. 

It can also save you a lot of time and help you achieve your weight-gaining goals faster.

Most people wonder how many calories they need to consume daily in their diet to gain weight. That is precisely where the weight gain calculator comes into play.

How Does a Weight Gain Calculator Work?

A weight gain calculator works by estimating how many calories you need to consume to gain weight. Usually, you need to enter some details, such as your height, sex, weight, age, etc.

In addition, you will also need to enter your target weight and choose your weight gain pace. 

This is simply the pace at which you would prefer to gain weight over a certain period of time.

The calculator will then provide you with information on how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and, therefore, the minimum calories you need to consume to gain weight.

Risks Associated With Being Underweight

Many risks are associated with being underweight, and most are well-established and backed by science.

It's well-known that too high a body max index is tied with an increased risk of diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease [1].

However, is being underweight really dangerous?

It certainly is, and you should carefully monitor your current weight to avoid dangerous diseases and side effects.

According to Health Direct, being underweight is associated with conditions like malnutrition, osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, hypothermia, and lowered immunity [2].

These are just some of the well-known risks associated with being underweight, and there are plenty more.

How Can You Gain Weight?

To gain weight, you must enter a calorie surplus. A calorie surplus is a term used to describe the number of calories you need to consume daily to gain a certain amount of weight.

So, the easiest and the only sure way to gain a certain amount of weight is to be in a calorie surplus or to eat more calories than you burn. However, this is easier said than done.

It might be challenging to consume as many calories as you need if your total daily energy expenditure is high. 

This counts for scenarios where a person participates in activities such as swimming, vigorously running, cycling, or training some other sports in general.

Here are some useful tips to remember to ensure you consume enough macro and micronutrients:

• Never skip meals.
• Include energy-dense snacks in your diet.
• Add toppings like nuts, seeds, and healthy dressing to get some extra calories.
• Don't consume drinks with your meal if they decrease your appetite.
• Always aim to estimate how many calories you eat on a daily basis.

How Many Calories Do I Need to Gain Weight?

To gain weight, you need more calories consumed than your total energy expenditure. Total energy expenditure, or TDEE, estimates how many calories you burn daily when all activities are taken into account.

Approximately you need about 7000 kcal to gain 1 or 2 lbs in a week. So, if you consume an extra 1000 kcal every day, you will gain 1 kg (2.2 lbs) within a week.

Total energy expenditure is associated with many different factors, some of which include:

• Basal metabolism: It depends on many factors, including your sex, height, age, fat-free mass, fat mass, and more. You can calculate it with a BMR calculator, which uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.
• Metabolic response: This ties to the food you consume, which is the energy necessary to ingest and digest food. 
• Physical activity: This ties to the level of your physical activity, which often varies from day to day. This is the second largest component of total energy expenditure.
• Physiological state: This ties down to pregnancy, growth, lactation, and similar.

To gain weight, you should know how many calories or what your total energy expenditure is. After that, you should aim to consume more calories than that particular number to ensure you start gaining some weight or consuming more than you can burn. 

Why People Want To Gain Weight

There are many reasons why people would want to gain weight, but the most important one is unhealthy body function. While most people are overweight, many individuals, particularly those with long and skinny bodies, struggle to put on some extra weight. 

Also, having a BMI lower than 18.5 is considered unhealthy, and about 1% of American men fall in this range, while 2.4% of American women do.

In addition, being overweight by a significant amount can lead to sudden or early death as it impairs the immune function of our bodies and frequently leads to osteoporosis. 

Furthermore, it often leads to an increased risk of dementia and lower fertility. However, some individuals aim to put on some weight in order to increase self-esteem and confidence. 

This is where fitness and a healthy diet come into play, while it is also important to establish a regular exercise routine for long-lasting results.

Leading Causes of Being Underweight

Here are some leading causes of being underweight:

• Hyperthyroidism: This involves having an overactive thyroid, which increases your metabolic rate, making it extremely hard to keep weight on.
• Eating disorders: Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are mental disorders that can potentially be life-threatening.
• Infections: HIV/AIDS, parasites, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases cause the body to spend energy fighting off these diseases.
• Cancer: A significant amount of energy is burned by cancerous tumors.
• Diabetes: This is more common in overweight people, but uncontrolled type 1 diabetes often leads to weight loss issues. 
• Celiac disease: This is an autoimmune disease that destroys the villi of the small intestine when people having it consume gluten. 

FAQs

Why Is Weight Gain Calculator So Important?

The weight gain calculator is so important because it helps you gain weight faster. 

Using a weight gain calculator will give you all the necessary information to start your weight gain journey. Remember, the only way to gain significant weight is to be in a calorie surplus. 

Other weight gain methods are not scientifically proven, and you should stick to the basic rule of consuming more than you burn on a daily basis.