1 · Soft food
Soft-food calorie planner
Studies of texture-modified diets find they deliver substantially less energy than regular meals — pureed diets have measured around 31% fewer calories. If you eat soft, the fix is energy density: this splits your day into sittings and shows how much each booster adds back.
0 kcal/sitting
Per sitting
~0 kcal
Typical daily shortfall on soft food
Stirred into smooth food, each of these closes part of that gap without adding volume:
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Sources: Wright et al., J Hum Nutr Diet 2005 · Systematic review & meta-analysis, Nutrients 2020
2 · Timeline
Goal timeline
The simple estimate assumes every 7,700 extra kcal becomes a kilogram (about 3,500 per pound). Hall’s dynamic model adds the catch: metabolism rises as you gain, so a fixed surplus settles toward a plateau instead of climbing forever.
~0 lb
Plateau this surplus supports
Source: Hall et al., “Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight”, Lancet 2011
3 · Energy
Daily energy needs
Estimates resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the predictive formula reviews have found most accurate for healthy adults — then scales it by how active you are.
Eat under maintenance and weight drifts down; eat over it and weight builds. The next calculator sizes that surplus.
Sources: Mifflin et al., Am J Clin Nutr 1990 · Frankenfield et al., systematic review, J Am Diet Assoc 2005
4 · Surplus
Gentle surplus planner
A steady gain of ½–1 lb (0.25–0.5 kg) a week takes roughly 250–550 extra kcal a day, using the classic ~7,700 kcal-per-kg (3,500-per-lb) estimate. Faster rates are for clinical refeeding under supervision.
Sources: Wishnofsky, Am J Clin Nutr 1958 · Hall et al., Lancet 2011 · Refeeding outcomes in underweight adults, 2020
5 · Protein
Protein for building
A meta-analysis of 49 trials found muscle gains from extra protein plateau around 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day — about 0.73 g per lb (upper confidence bound ~2.2 g/kg). More than that mostly buys expensive urine.
For reference: an egg has ~6 g, a cup of whole milk ~8 g, a chicken thigh ~20 g, a cup of Greek yogurt ~20 g.
Source: Morton et al., Br J Sports Med 2018
6 · Range
Healthy weight range
The WHO healthy range is a BMI of 18.5–24.9. BMI is a blunt population tool — it knows nothing about your build or your history — but it gives a gaining journey a useful horizon.
Source: WHO — healthy lifestyle recommendations (BMI classification)
These calculators are educational starting points, not medical advice. If you're underweight, recovering, or managing a swallowing condition, build your targets with a doctor, dietitian, or speech-language therapist.