Weight gain diet plan: a 7-day Nepali week with calories and protein

A weight gain diet plan is simple on paper: eat about 10 to 20% more calories than you burn, get enough protein, and lift weights so the extra goes to muscle rather than only fat. Most people who struggle to gain are not eating badly. They are eating too little, usually a normal plate of dal bhat twice a day with chiya in between.

Below is how big the surplus should be, how fast to gain, and a 7-day Nepali week with calories and protein for every day.

This is general guidance for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, are under 18 or pregnant, see a doctor or hospital dietitian first.

How many extra calories do you need to gain weight?

A review of off-season bodybuilding research recommends a surplus of about 10 to 20% above maintenance, with a target gain of about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight a week for beginners and intermediates (Iraki et al., 2019). The same review says people who have trained for years should be more careful, and suggests 200 to 300 kcal a day for highly trained athletes.

“Maintenance” (also called TDEE, total daily energy expenditure) is what you burn in a day, including work, walking and training. Our calorie calculator gives an estimate.

If you maintain on	10% surplus	20% surplus
2,200 kcal	2,420 kcal	2,640 kcal
2,500 kcal	2,750 kcal	3,000 kcal
2,800 kcal	3,080 kcal	3,360 kcal

Start at 10%. Move to 20% only if the scale has not moved in three or four weeks.

How fast should you gain weight?

Body weight	0.25% a week	0.5% a week	Over 12 weeks
50 kg	125 g	250 g	1.5 to 3 kg
60 kg	150 g	300 g	1.8 to 3.6 kg
70 kg	175 g	350 g	2.1 to 4.2 kg

These are rates of weight, not muscle. Some of every gain is fat and water. Gaining faster than about 0.5% a week mostly adds fat, so be wary of any plan that promises “5 kg in a month”.

Why dal bhat alone is not enough

At typical portions (250 g rice, 150 g dal, 150 g tarkari), a plate of dal bhat tarkari gives about 487 kcal and 14 g protein, by our sums from the Nepal Food Composition Table (DFTQC 2012). Rice brings 322 kcal of that. Cooked dal is mostly water, so a katori gives only about 4.9 g protein.

That is why the fix is adding to the plate, not dropping rice:

• A second half plate of rice: about +161 kcal
• 1 tsp ghee: +45 kcal
• 2 boiled eggs: +148 kcal, +13.4 g protein
• 1 katori chana tarkari: +190 kcal, +8.9 g protein
• 50 g paneer: +166 kcal, +11.8 g protein
• 100 g chicken breast (raw weight): +168 kcal, +21.8 g protein

How much protein on a weight gain diet?

For people who train, the ISSN puts the range at 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day (Jäger et al., 2017). For a 60 kg person that is 84 to 120 g. Our daily protein requirement guide has a full table of Nepali foods and two sample days.

A 7-day weight gain diet plan with Nepali meals

The week follows a normal Kathmandu day: chiya early, bhat in the morning, khaja in the afternoon, a second meal in the evening, milk or dahi before bed. All numbers are our sums from DFTQC 2012 and the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Portion weights are our assumptions, not measured plates, and the tables themselves carry about ±10% error. Meat is counted at raw weight without cooking oil, so a curry will be higher. Treat each total as “about”.

Day	Early	Morning meal	Khaja	Evening meal	Before bed	Total
Sun	Chiya, banana, 30 g badam	Dal bhat tarkari, 1 tsp ghee, 2 eggs, extra half plate rice	100 g chiura, 200 g dahi	Dal bhat tarkari, 1 tsp ghee, 100 g chicken	Glass of cow milk	2,535 kcal, 98 g protein
Mon	Chiya, 2 roti, 2 eggs	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, chana tarkari, extra rice	Plate of buff momo	3 roti, dal, tarkari, 50 g paneer	Glass of cow milk	2,576 kcal, 114 g protein
Tue (veg)	Chiya, banana, 30 g badam	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 200 g dahi, extra rice	30 g roasted bhatmas, 50 g chiura, chiya	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 30 g Nutrela (dry weight)	Glass of buffalo milk	2,435 kcal, 88 g protein
Wed	Glass of cow milk, 50 g chiura, banana	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 2 eggs, extra rice	Boiled sakarkhand, 30 g badam, chiya	Dhindo, dal, tarkari, 100 g goat meat	200 g dahi	2,394 kcal, 97 g protein
Thu	Chiya, 2 roti, 2 eggs	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 100 g chicken, extra rice	Plate of chicken momo	3 roti, dal, tarkari	Glass of cow milk	2,365 kcal, 110 g protein
Fri (veg)	Glass of cow milk, banana, 30 g badam	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 50 g paneer, extra rice	50 g chiura, 200 g dahi, 1 tbsp til	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, chana tarkari	Glass of buffalo milk	2,681 kcal, 93 g protein
Sat	Chiya, banana	Dal bhat tarkari, ghee, 100 g goat meat, extra rice	100 g chiura, 200 g dahi, 30 g bhatmas	3 roti, dal, tarkari, 2 eggs	Glass of cow milk	2,331 kcal, 103 g protein

Portions used: rice 250 g a plate (extra = 125 g), dal 150 g a katori, tarkari 150 g, roti 40 g each, momo 250 g a plate (10 pieces), milk 250 g a glass, dahi 200 g a bowl, chiya with 50 g milk and 10 g sugar.

If your number is higher than the week

The week sits at about 2,300 to 2,700 kcal. If your calculator target is 3,000 kcal, add 300 to 600 kcal from this list each day:

• 30 g badam: 171 kcal
• A glass of buffalo milk instead of cow milk: +94 kcal
• 1 tsp ghee on each bhat meal: 45 kcal each
• A second half plate of rice: 161 kcal
• A banana and 30 g chaku in winter: 230 kcal

More food ideas, with a calorie table, are in weight gain foods.

Budget-friendly foods that add calories

In Kathmandu the cheapest calories are the ones you already buy: rice, chiura, roti, dal, potatoes, bananas, milk, dahi and peanuts. Per 100 g, roasted badam gives 570 kcal, chiura 346 kcal and dry soybean 411 kcal (DFTQC 2012). Eggs and Nutrela are the cheapest protein for most households. Paneer, chicken and goat cost more, so use them where they matter most: the meal after training.

Training with a weight gain diet

Eating more without lifting adds weight, but most of it will not be muscle. Lift 2 to 4 times a week with a full-body or upper/lower plan, and add a little weight or a rep each week. Our strength training guide has a beginner plan.

If you want someone to set the weights and check your intake every few weeks, that is what our personal trainer sessions for building muscle do. If you already train well and only need to eat more, you do not need us. The table above and a kitchen scale will do the job.

Common mistakes on a weight gain diet

Mistake	What to do instead
Eating big for two days, then forgetting	Same meals most days; repeat the week
Skipping khaja at the office	Pack chiura, badam and a banana
Filling up on chiya and biscuits	Swap one cup for a glass of milk
Weighing every day and panicking	Weigh once a week, judge over 4 weeks
Cardio every day	Keep some walking; put the effort into lifting
Festival binge, then nothing	Dashain and Tihar are fine; get back to the plan the week after

When to see a doctor first

See a doctor before a weight gain diet if you are losing weight without trying, your BMI is below 18.5 (the WHO’s “underweight” cut-off, WHO Europe), you have diabetes, a thyroid condition or a digestive problem, or you have a history of an eating disorder. Being thin for no clear reason is worth a check-up before it is worth a diet.