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Mi hermano ha engordado cinco kilos; necesita hacer dieta.

Mi hermano ha engordado cinco kilos; necesita hacer dieta.
My brother has gained five kilos; he needs to go on a diet.
From Lesson 210:Duration of absence (llevar sin)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano ha engordado cinco kilos; necesita hacer dieta.

Why use ha engordado instead of ha ganado for "has gained"?
While you can say ha ganado cinco kilos (he has gained five kilos), the verb engordar specifically means "to gain weight" or "to get fat". It is extremely common and natural in Spanish to use engordar directly followed by the amount of weight.
Why does the Spanish sentence use hacer dieta for "go on a diet"?
In Spanish, the set phrase for "to go on a diet" uses the verb hacer (to do or make), so it is literally "to do diet". Another common phrase is estar a dieta, which means "to be on a diet". You cannot translate the English "go on a" word-for-word here.
How could I express that he hasn't dieted in a while using the llevar + sin structure from this lesson?
To say "he hasn't dieted for a year" or "he has gone a year without dieting", you would say lleva un año sin hacer dieta. This perfectly uses the llevar + amount of time + sin + infinitive formula to describe an ongoing absence of an action.
Is engordar considered a rude word to use?
Not when used like this. While calling someone gordo (fat) as an adjective can be blunt depending on the tone, the verb engordar is the standard, neutral way to state the physical fact of gaining weight.

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