Hi, I'm 20m, 52kg.. I'm looking very small... how can I increse my body weight?shall I go to gym for gaining weight? How long it will take?:(:(:(

In simple terms, you burn calories every day. Every activity you do causes you to burn a certain amount. You can guesstimate the amount of calories you use every day depending on the kind of activity you do.

First thing you need to calculate your calorie needs is to find your BMR. Here's a BMR Calculator (http://health.discovery.com/centers/heart/basal/basal.html).

After you have your BMR, multiply it by one of the following numbers to find your daily calorie needs. Be honest with yourself about how much activity you do daily:

Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

-If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

-If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

-If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

-If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

-If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Once you know how many calories you need to simply sustain your current weight and activity level, your next step for weight gain is simple: eat more than that amount of calories. If you eat 500 extra calories a day, you will gain 1 pound a week (this is the math behind it-everyone has a different body so your results may vary).

You can still go to the gym and eat healthy foods while you're gaining weight-in fact that's the best way to do it. Don't try and do something drastic like eating 2000 extra calories a day (something athletes would do), because you're trying to instill a lifestyle-not a temporary fix. It's the same advice I would give to someone who's trying to lose weight: do it gradually, do it the healthy way, and do it with the goal in mind to instill a lifestyle-not a "diet".

Best of luck to you!

EDIT: I Google searched the BMR calculator linked here. I found one that I believe will be more accurate. Keep in mind that these calculations are rough (they can only be rough) because we all have different bodies. Going by these calculations *should* be a good kick off point for you to start on your weight gain journey. If these rough calculations don't give you results over the next couple of months, you might want to seek a dietitian who will do some more exact testing on your caloric needs.

Wait... you're really 20m long? That's taller than some buildings I know ;)

Also, nice post Southy :)

I'm myself trying to gain some weight and know I eat more than many people I know. It's probably the activities I'm into... Oh well, I need to get another job at a hotel to get lots of food at lunchtime :p