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Why am I not gaining weight?
Work out whether your bulk has really stalled, and what to change.
Short answer: If your weekly average has been flat for two weeks or more, add roughly 200 to 300 kcal a day and check again in two to three weeks. Under two weeks of weigh-ins cannot tell you anything — day-to-day weight swings are larger than the change you are looking for.
Slower than planned
Eat about 200 kcal more a day: around 3200 kcal.
- Your pace
- 0 kg a week
- Aiming for
- 0.19–0.38 kg
- Calories to try
- 3200 kcal
Over 4 weeks you have gained 0 kg, which is 0 kg a week against the 0.19–0.38 kg you are aiming for. Add roughly 200 kcal a day, hold it for two to three weeks, and check your weekly average again before changing anything else. If you have also been walking or moving noticeably more, that extra activity is part of the reason the scale has not moved.
About 30 g more carbohydrate and 9 g more fat a day — for example a bagel with peanut butter, or a large glass of whole milk and a handful of nuts.
The step comes from the shortfall of 0.19 kg a week and the rough approximation that a kilogram of body weight change is worth about 7,700 kcal, spread over seven days. Weight change is not all fat, so treat it as a starting adjustment and let your own weekly average correct it. Educational estimate for adults aged 18+. Not medical advice.
Check your pace with the lean bulking rate calculator.
Scale not moving? Work out what to change.
Find easy extra calories in the bulking foods calorie table.
Need a plan to train on? Download a printable workout plan.
Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.