Can Multivitamins Help Me to Gain Weight?
By: Melissa Mitri, MS, RD

While many people set a goal to lose weight, there are also many who struggle to gain weight. If your goal is to gain weight in a healthy way, a multivitamin supplement can help support the process.

Nutrition insufficiencies are incredibly common, with close to ⅓ of the United States population being deficient in at least one nutrient.¹

A daily multivitamin can provide numerous benefits to your health and help you reach your goals. Even if you strive to eat a balanced diet, it’s not always possible to meet your nutrition needs through diet alone. 

And if you’re missing important nutrients, this may affect your energy, exercise performance, and weight gain goals.

In this article we will discuss:

  • How weight gain works
  • How to gain weight in a healthy way
  • How multivitamins can help you gain weight

Let’s begin with a refresher on how weight gain works and how multivitamins can facilitate the process.

How Weight Gain Works

Your ability to gain weight is dependent on a variety of factors, and it’s not always a simple “calories in, calories out” formula. 

You can start by simply consuming more calories than you burn, which will increase your chances of gaining weight. This is known as a calorie “surplus.” However, that does not always lead to a healthy type of weight gain.

If you’re not considering other factors other than just eating more, your weight gain will likely be primarily fat gain. This puts strain on the heart and other internal organs, and is not a healthy way to gain weight.

Instead, you want to aim for muscle weight gain, where the weight gain is primarily muscle mass. To do this, you’ll want to be strategic in your plan of attack and ensure everything that you do supports this type of weight gain.

Calorie Balance Scale

How To Gain Weight in a Healthy Way

If you’re struggling to gain weight, you may have tried many things to try to tip the scale in your favor. 

Here are 5 key habits that can ensure you gain weight in a healthy way.

1. Focus on the type of food, not just the quantity

When it comes to healthy weight gain, the focus needs to be on both the amount of food and the type of food you’re eating. 

Focus on getting in more protein, vitamins and minerals. Protein is the number one nutrient you need to gain muscle, so you can gain more muscle and less fat.²

It’s also essential to get enough vitamins and minerals so your body is able to fully utilize the food it’s taking in. 

High quality protein sources include lean chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, eggs, Greek yogurt, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. 

Additionally, eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in addition to a daily multivitamin will help you meet your vitamin and mineral needs for weight gain.

2. Eat frequently

In order to gain weight, you may need to eat more frequently, which can make it easier to fit in those extra calories. Eating 4-5 times per day versus just 3 meals a day can make it easier to meet your daily calorie target.

Calorie intake for weight gain needs to be slightly above maintenance needs, upwards of 100-250 calories per day, until weight gain is achieved. These extra calories can easily be met by consuming a protein shake before and after exercise so that you’re consuming approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

3. Burn fewer calories than you take in.

In order to gain weight, you must be eating more calories than you’re burning with exercise. This also includes calories burned through daily movement.

Use the dotFIT program to determine your daily calorie intake target and take measurements at least every two weeks to ensure you’re on track and make any needed adjustments

4. Incorporate strength training

Regular strength training is essential for any healthy weight gain plan. Strength training helps to build muscle, and leads to bigger results than just eating extra protein alone. You need both strength training and a higher protein diet to maximize success.

5. Replenish nutrient insufficiencies

Filling gaps in vitamins and minerals can provide the energy you need for a healthy metabolism. If your body is lacking in any nutrients, it doesn’t function as smoothly. This can make it harder to do exactly what you want it to do, which is build muscle and help you gain weight.

People lifting weights

How Multivitamins Can Help You Gain Weight

A daily multivitamin supplement is a must, whether your goal is to gain weight or just for overall health. 

In regards to weight gain, here is how a multivitamin can indirectly support your goals:

Provides energy: A good-quality multivitamin supplement provides all of the essential vitamins and minerals, as well as needed energy so you can feel your best. And when you have more energy, you’ll be more inclined to lift weights and do the things you need to do to gain weight and build muscle mass.

Corrects insufficiencies and deficiencies:  If you consume suboptimal levels of vitamins and minerals, your body is not operating at its full potential to support healthy weight gain.

A multivitamin supplement can bring your nutrient levels back to normal. When taken consistently, multivitamins have been shown to fix nutrition deficiencies.³

Once your nutrients are replenished, you will be more focused to be able to tackle your weight gain goals.

May improve absorption of nutrients that support weight gain: Many vitamins and minerals work together with enzymes and other nutrients to support our metabolism. A healthy, well-functioning metabolism is essential for muscle building and healthy weight gain.

Taking a multivitamin every day brings peace of mind that you are getting enough of what you need to support your weight gain goals.

Gaining weight doesn’t have to be so hard. Hone in on increasing the quantity and quality of your diet, incorporating strength training, and eating regularly to hit your weight gain goals. 

Adding a daily multivitamin to your regimen will provide extra assurance you’re giving your body all it needs to support weight gain.

Multivitamin with nutrients

References

  1. Bird JK, Murphy RA, Ciappio ED, McBurney MI. Risk of Deficiency in Multiple Concurrent Micronutrients in Children and Adults in the United States. Nutrients. 2017;9(7):655.doi:10.3390/nu9070655
  2. Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1136. doi:10.3390/nu11051136
  3. Blumberg JB, Frei BB, Fulgoni VL, Weaver CM, Zeisel SH. Impact of Frequency of Multi-Vitamin/Multi-Mineral Supplement Intake on Nutritional Adequacy and Nutrient Deficiencies in U.S. Adults. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):849. doi:10.3390/nu9080849

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