The average woman needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain her weight. Men need about 2,500. But you need more if you are underweight and want to gain weight successfully.
Add:
- 4oz cheddar
- 2oz butter
- 2 luxury, shortbread or chocolate biscuits
- one level teaspoon of sugar
That adds up to 1,000 calories.
Add cheddar to your beans on toast, or on top of tinned tomatoes, sprinkled on your soup or in a ham sandwich – and you have added an extra 450 calories.
Butter will add another 400 calories. Obviously you can use it on toast or sandwiches. But what about putting a knob of butter on your sprouts or carrots? Or using it to fry mushrooms to go with your bacon? And buttery scrambled egg is delicious.
Chocolate digestives, for example, are between 70 and 90 calories each, depending on the brand. So having a couple of these with a coffee between meals adds at least 140 calories.
And a level teaspoon of sugar – in a hot drink, on your cereal – will add 15 calories.
And that's added 1,000 calories – without having to feel too full or go to lots of trouble. You can probably think of other ways to boost your meals. Give it a try.