85lb for over 10years

emoran1223

I am 25 with two kids and still exactly 85lb. They only time I ever gained was when I was pregnant and still struggled to get to 110. They where born around 8lbs. I have a hard time getting an appetite. I can go the day without even thinking about eating. If I do eat it was only one meal dinner or late lunch. Maybe it's because I am always on the go. I have tried the ensure drinks three times a day and increasing my calories, but that has not worked either.

I know everyone says just eat more... it's really hard because either I get nauseated by the thought or I just can't finish a whole plate.
I started three days ago on whey protien and weight gain powder so I'll see how it goes. My plan was to have three shakes a day plus calories, but I'm struggling to even hit 2000 calories a day.

stupid_in_the_street

Have you seen a doctor?

HamsterManV2

What are your stats? Age=25 weight=85lbs height=? Do you exercise?

First off, calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) - this is how much you need to consume to MAINTAIN weight. Eating at +500 calories from that results in +1lb per week. Since you are a smaller person however, a more realistic approach is +10% to +20% your TDEE. You also need to be weighing your food - underweight people overestimate how much they eat (and visa versa).


I imagine you were failing because you tried to go all out at 2000 calories a day, which I imagine for you would be incredibly difficult. Slow and steady wins the race here, this is a marathon not a sprint. Do something realistic that you can maintain for a long period of time.


Go for high caloric foods and liquid calories. That means:
-avocados, snack on lots of nuts, whole fat milk, spreadables (peanut butter / almond butter), olive oil (each tbsp. is 120 calories!), make shakes, etc. You can probably find a list of higher caloric foods somewhere on this site.

I used to make a shake using whole fat milk, protein powder, a banana, almond butter, and some olive oil to boost up my healthy fats and calories. Drinking 600 calories is much easier than eating it. I even took shots of olive oil before bed if I didn't eat well during the day. Gained 1lb per week and I have reached my goal weight. You can too!

Edit: I just assumed you were 5'5" and did not exercise - your TDEE is 1300 calories, so 2000 calories is incredibly difficult (eating 1.5x the amount you need to maintain weight). If your TDEE is 1300 calories, a realistic goal for you is 1430 to 1560 calories daily, resulting in around 0.5lbs of gain per week.

emoran1223

Yes, I am 5'4 and I do not exercise but I am very active. I have been drink weight gain powder and eas whey protein powder to help and consuming around 2100 calories a day including the shakes. I find it difficult just to do this because I get to full I feel like I am going to vomit. Thanks for the imput.

emoran1223

stupid_in_the_street wrote: »

Have you seen a doctor?

Yes, they said I'm healthy and won't help.

tiffanylacourse

5'4" and 85 lbs is very underweight. See a different doctor or a nutritionist or someone that can help you better. You should be at a minimum of 108 lbs for your height.

MzManiak

Instead of trying to jump to 2000 calories per day, why not log the food you normally eat, see how many calories you average and try to do a few hundred more than that first. Then you can raise the calories every week or 2 as your body gets used to it and doesn't want to vomit...

itsthehumidity

Ah the struggle of the hardgainer, how I envy it.

Choose foods and drinks that are energy dense (rich in calories). Whole milk, peanut butter, avocado, etc. Cook with lots of olive oil. You can eat tons of calories without very much volume of food.

RyleyMarieMacDonald

How many times a day do you eat and snack? My nutritionist told me when you're trying to gain and have a high metabolism, try and eat only 3 times a day and have double servings, or at least try and make them 1000 calorie meals. As you only eat 3 times a day larger meals your bodies metabolism slows down, eating multiple times a day and snacking your bodies metabolism is constantly working trying to break down your snacks, making it harder to gain. If you eat larger meals less times a day your metabolism with decrease as its not always trying to break the food in your belly down. Less times a day with bigger meals, you still get the calories you need but your body isn't constantly over working trying to digest and store. While always digesting your body has no time to store it as fat. Also, eat foods with more CARBS in them than most, calories might help but CARBS are what you want to store fat! And wayyyy healthier than gaining with foods with high fat percentages.

Noreenmarie1234

itsthehumidity wrote: »

Ah the struggle of the hardgainer, how I envy it.

Choose foods and drinks that are energy dense (rich in calories). Whole milk, peanut butter, avocado, etc. Cook with lots of olive oil. You can eat tons of calories without very much volume of food.

She is not a hard gainer if she barely can make 2000 calories.... I maintain on over 2000 if I ate what she was eating I'd lose. She is severely underweight because of her habits. Plain and simple she is not eating enough.

All you need to do is eat 2500+ calories and you will gain.

arditarose

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

itsthehumidity wrote: »

Ah the struggle of the hardgainer, how I envy it.

Choose foods and drinks that are energy dense (rich in calories). Whole milk, peanut butter, avocado, etc. Cook with lots of olive oil. You can eat tons of calories without very much volume of food.

She is not a hard gainer if she barely can make 2000 calories.... I maintain on over 2000 if I ate what she was eating I'd lose. She is severely underweight because of her habits. Plain and simple she is not eating enough.

All you need to do is eat 2500+ calories and you will gain.

This is a generalization as well. I'm 5'4" and gain on 2000 pretty easily.

MichelleLea122

OP, I really do think you should see a doctor or a dietitian again. Not eating all day and getting nauseated at the thought of large amounts of food is not normal. I'm actually surprised you haven't suffered any severe healthy effects from being so underweight and malnourished for such a long period of time.

For now I suggest upping your calories slowly and not to make any drastic changes to your diet. You don't want to end up suffering from refeeding syndrome. Your body has gotten used to eating so little calories for such a long period of time that it's understandable that you can't stomach that much. Aim for calorically dense foods (olive oil, nut butters, bananas, whole milk, etc.) Liquid calories are a great idea, but I think 3 protein shakes a day is a bit excessive, especially if your body isn't used to processing large amounts of protein and dairy. I think the trick to getting in enough calories when you can't stomach large meals is to be eating all the time. If you start eating the moment you wake up and continue eating a small snack/meal every couple of hours, you can easily get in a decent amount of calories without feeling excessively full.

emoran1223

itsthehumidity wrote: »

Ah the struggle of the hardgainer, how I envy it.

Choose foods and drinks that are energy dense (rich in calories). Whole milk, peanut butter, avocado, etc. Cook with lots of olive oil. You can eat tons of calories without very much volume of food.

The same for people trying to loose weight, the struggle is real. Thanks for the help

emoran1223

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

itsthehumidity wrote: »

Ah the struggle of the hardgainer, how I envy it.

Choose foods and drinks that are energy dense (rich in calories). Whole milk, peanut butter, avocado, etc. Cook with lots of olive oil. You can eat tons of calories without very much volume of food.

She is not a hard gainer if she barely can make 2000 calories.... I maintain on over 2000 if I ate what she was eating I'd lose. She is severely underweight because of her habits. Plain and simple she is not eating enough.

All you need to do is eat 2500+ calories and you will gain.

I'm trying but like you said I haven't been eating like I should've. I am trying but it is hard to stimulate my appetite.

emoran1223

MichelleLei1 wrote: »

OP, I really do think you should see a doctor or a dietitian again. Not eating all day and getting nauseated at the thought of large amounts of food is not normal. I'm actually surprised you haven't suffered any severe healthy effects from being so underweight and malnourished for such a long period of time.

For now I suggest upping your calories slowly and not to make any drastic changes to your diet. You don't want to end up suffering from refeeding syndrome. Your body has gotten used to eating so little calories for such a long period of time that it's understandable that you can't stomach that much. Aim for calorically dense foods (olive oil, nut butters, bananas, whole milk, etc.) Liquid calories are a great idea, but I think 3 protein shakes a day is a bit excessive, especially if your body isn't used to processing large amounts of protein and dairy. I think the trick to getting in enough calories when you can't stomach large meals is to be eating all the time. If you start eating the moment you wake up and continue eating a small snack/meal every couple of hours, you can easily get in a decent amount of calories without feeling excessively full.

I'm have seen several doctors and even when I was pregnant and they all said I was fine. Even though I know I am underweight I am sick of being so thin.

miss2skinny

emoran1223 wrote: »

Yes, I am 5'4 and I do not exercise but I am very active. I have been drink weight gain powder and eas whey protein powder to help and consuming around 2100 calories a day including the shakes. I find it difficult just to do this because I get to full I feel like I am going to vomit. Thanks for the imput.

emoran1223 wrote: »

MichelleLei1 wrote: »

OP, I really do think you should see a doctor or a dietitian again. Not eating all day and getting nauseated at the thought of large amounts of food is not normal. I'm actually surprised you haven't suffered any severe healthy effects from being so underweight and malnourished for such a long period of time.

For now I suggest upping your calories slowly and not to make any drastic changes to your diet. You don't want to end up suffering from refeeding syndrome. Your body has gotten used to eating so little calories for such a long period of time that it's understandable that you can't stomach that much. Aim for calorically dense foods (olive oil, nut butters, bananas, whole milk, etc.) Liquid calories are a great idea, but I think 3 protein shakes a day is a bit excessive, especially if your body isn't used to processing large amounts of protein and dairy. I think the trick to getting in enough calories when you can't stomach large meals is to be eating all the time. If you start eating the moment you wake up and continue eating a small snack/meal every couple of hours, you can easily get in a decent amount of calories without feeling excessively full.

I'm have seen several doctors and even when I was pregnant and they all said I was fine. Even though I know I am underweight I am sick of being so thin.

OP, I'm usually around 88 pounds. I was diagnosed with Crohns and lost weight. Before Crohns, I was around 105 so still very small but I had some meat on me and even some curves. I remember a few years before being diagnosed struggling with my appetite a lot. I never knew why or thought much of it because I was naturally small and never was a "big eater".

Well only when I started having unbearable pain and weight loss did I go to the doctor. Even then, it took over a year to get a diagnosis because they brushed me off. Finally I got a CT scan and was confirmed I had crohns. I now am convinced I had it way longer than before the stomach pain began. I think my lack of appetite and lack of interest in food was when it first began. Even now when I'm doing well pain wise (knock on wood), my biggest daily struggle is appetite and nausea.

I'm sorry for the long post and I'm not saying you have crohns. I'm just wondering if the doctors did any real tests on you?

satchelmcqueen

vit B will help with your appetite. iirc . i took to much of it for a while and couldnt understand why i couldnt get full. i ate all day sometimes lol.

emoran1223

I gained 2.8lbs this week

mimzlo

emoran1223 wrote: »

I gained 2.8lbs this week

Congratulations! I have the same issues as you do.

psuLemon

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1

I would look into incorporating some of the foods in the thread above. At this point, you just need a bunch of high calorie foods. Fats, such as butters, nuts and full fat dairy (even drinking) can make things easier.

princessterrie16

Hey. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 21 years old, 5'4 and 94 pounds, I've never been more than 98 pounds besides when I was pregnant with my daughter and I was only a maximum of 117 during that pregnancy. I would ideally like to get to about 120-130 but just like you I have a hard time taking in the calories I need.

Well last night after an all nighter of research until 7am this morning, I came across a bunch of YouTube videos on this product called Apetamin. It basically slows your metabolism while increasing your appetite and your bodies ability to store fat. A lot of the girls who take that easily ingest 2500-3000 calories a day because they are now so hungry. I just ordered some and it should be here tomorrow so that will be the new start of my weight gain journey.

I'm not sure how to work this app yet I just downloaded it literally 10 minutes ago but if you can add people as friends I'll add you and we can keep in touch about this.