Taking Adderall and Cant gain weight!

hutchisonchristie9

I am a 23 year old female 5'5" was 130 in a year prescribed adderall i have lost 17 lbs. I have been so insecure about my body because I no longer can find clothes. Or scrubs to fit me! Ant idea how I can start packing on the lbs?

Steve__McD

Hi, I am taking a similar medicine for likely the same reasons. I have lost 21 pounds in 6 weeks and am about to stop the weight loss. (The loss so far was great for me, but now I am coming to an ideal weight and need to maintain. Others on MFP won't sympathize but weight management -- up or down -- is a challenge for us all.) I don't have any answers but others have suggested to me that high-calorie nut spreads (peanut butter, almond butter and the like) can be part of healthy diets and return a lot in calories. If you are like me, the issue is not that we use lose weight, it is that we are not so hungry. I get full eating a few chicken wings. I think we just need to start looking for high-calorie but still healthy options. Send a friend request if you are interested in connecting and sharing some motivation and ideas. Either way, all the best to you!

_Bropollo_

Only thing you can do is just eat more. If you have problems getting enough calories, grab snacks that are high in calories (candy, cookies, w/e). Junk food is actually pretty useful when you feel like you just can't eat anymore but still need to eat more calories for the day.

I would figure out what you are currently eating in calories, and then just start bumping it up by 100 calories every two weeks until you see the weight start to creep up slowly.

Obviously, if you don't lift weights and you are in a calorie surplus, the weight you will gain will be almost all fat , just a warning.

zombiedad0203

I'm in the same boat... I take Adderall 30MG XR and it seemed like it was suppressing my appetite, but recently I changed my diet to include more carbs and protein and less saturated fat/sugar. That seems to be helping as I'm averaging about 1/2lb - 1lb per week in gained weight.

HamsterManV2

First off, find out what your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is. Go on google, put in your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level. This is the number of calories you need to eat to MAINTAIN weight.

To gain weight, you need to eat +500 calories a week for 1lb /week of weight gain. That is probably too hard, so I recommend aiming for +250 calories over your TDEE for 0.5lb / week of weight gain. Track everythign you put in your mouth with a food scale and a my fitness pal account. You NEED to find high caloric foods that are easy to eat. Examples are:

-Spreadables: Peanut butter, nutella, those flavored peanut butter spreads, etc.
-Liquid: Whole Milk, Olive oil (filled with healthy fats but lots of calories per tablespoon... I used to just take shots when I was underweight and needed more calories before bed).
-Shakes: I used to make shakes with whole fat milk, olive oil, chocolate protein, peanut butter, bananas, etc. If you don't mind 'dirty' foods, add in ice cream too! You can easily make 1000 calorie shakes if you want!

If you are OK with it, you can 'dirty bulk' meaning having high calorie foods that are not exactly known for being healthy. So things like fast food, ice cream, pizza, whatever. If you don't want that, stick to the things I listed above.

Cheers!

Edit: Just a reminder to track your calories - underweight people overestimate how much they are eating, and overweight people underestimate it. Tracking what you eat will be a full time job, but you need to do it for at least 3 weeks until you have an idea of how much you should eat daily. 3 weeks is what it takes to build a habit / make it routine. GOOD LUCK!

hutchisonchristie9

I will definitely try this! I struggle every day.

eckelsburrows

Hampsterman, I think I love you. My nutritionist has all kinds of ideas, but most of them I can't afford. However, I think if she wrote a letter about my need to "dirty bulk" the pantries I go to might be able to give me more cookies etc... Thank you also for explaining what TDEE stands for. Keep forgetting to ask nutritionist!

eckelsburrows

Christie...I hear you. My med is Quillivant ER liquids. I can't digest the pills to take Adderall anymore. My Dinner 2 (meal 6 of 6) is where I can often eat more. But it is at 8pm, and Dessert with bedtime meds is at 10pm. If I eat too much or wrong stuff, I end up waking up with GERD issues. You can feel free to friend me if you want...