A couple weeks ago, I posted about strategies for gaining weight. I kept the information pretty general since I didn’t know how many readers would be interested in this topic. But we got quite a response from many who are struggling to gain weight. (See, you are not alone!) So I wanted to write again with more specific guidelines and helpful hints.

In my opinion, it is much easier to drink your extra calories each day, instead of consuming them in solid form. I have worked in two different children’s hospital and frequently consulted with families of children with cystic fibrosis. These kiddoes have extremely high metabolism but need to maintain their weight to stay healthy and fight off infections. So for most of them, eating is a major and constant nuisance. My patients would often say, "Do I have to eat again? Can I just wait until dinner tonight?" For these underweight patients, we had to rely heavily on high-calorie beverages. The kids could sip on them throughout the day, in between meals and before bedtime, without having to sit down for a meal six to eight times a day.

By drinking your calories in the form of supplements or shakes, you are avoiding the constantly full and satiated feeling that food provides. And you can sip on drinks throughout the day, just a little at a time. Drinks are also much more portable and convenient. (If you are encouraging a young child to gain weight, consider buying him/her a personalized sippy cup or water bottle. They are more likely to drink it and remember to take it from place to place ). One reader pointed out that she drinks fruit juice instead of water throughout the day to increase her caloric intake (for short term weight gain).

A few of my favorite high calorie supplements include Nestle's Boost Plus, Carnation Instant Breakfast (in packets, which can mix with any type of milk), Resource Breeze (fruit juice with almost twice the calories or regular juice and 9 grams of protein per serving), and Pediasure.

If you don’t think the high calorie beverages will be an option for you, consider trying one of these high calorie additives to your food. Benecalorie is packaged in small tubs and contains a whopping 330 calories in 1.5 oz serving. This product mixes easily into most soft foods such as oatmeal, mashed potatoes and other liquids. Another option is Duocal, a milk protein-free powder, which contains 42 calories per tablespoon. It can also be mixed with any moist food or beverage.

Almost all of these products can be found at your local grocery store or pharmacy; when you've found something you like and know a baseline price, you can often get good deals online for larger purchases. Be careful, though, as prices on sites like Amazon can vary drastically. Right now, for example, Vanilla Boost Plus on Amazon beats Nestle's online shop by a couple of dollars, even though it's shipped by Nestle; but other flavors, sold through third parties on Amazon, have significantly inflated prices.

Remember this - In order to gain one pound per week, you must consume an extra ~500 calories per day or ~3500 calories per week (3500 excess calories = 1 pound of weight gain)!