I have a simple message for all of you who really struggle to put on weight: drink more, eat less.
Why? Because it is easy to consume a relatively large amount of calories quickly. Beverages are not necessarily nutrient dense, but they may as well be as the ease and speed to which they go down your throat is quite special.
To illustrate my point I have compared a few different types of foods. Look over these and ask yourself two questions: Which would take you longer to consume, and what is more likely to make you feel full?
1 cup (250mL) of orange juice, depending on the sweetness (sugar added) = apx 400 kJ
1 orange = apx 210 kJ
600mL bottle of Coke = apx 1000kJ
1 feijoa + 1 cup blueberries + 1 apple = apx 650kJ
1 jug (1000mL) of lager beer = apx 1500kJ
2 cups of homemade pumpkin soup = apx 1100kJ
Or at the bar: 1 cup of salted peanuts = apx 950kJ (and remember nuts are considered to be pretty nutrient dense).
Consider also that all of the later examples above would contain significantly more amounts of vitamins and minerals that are good for our health. So drink, drink, drink if you want to bulk up, or start consuming beverages sparingly if you are trying to lose weight.
