Trying to gain weight sucks
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kaykay6676 wrote: »I can definitely drink some chocolate milk. I love chocolate milk. I just didn't know i could actually drink so much if it. But now that I know that I think I'm gonna go buy a gallon right. Haha! Thank you
One of the biggest problems with people trying to gain weight is self limitations. But the reality is, you will never gain weight without adequate energy. When people finally hit that point and realize it, it makes it so much easier to meet their goal.
And this isn't to suggest all unhealthy foods, but if you need a few treats to help you get in an energy surplus, then by all means.3 -
OP I have never needed to or wanted to gain weight, so I can not say from personal experience. But once the doctors have ruled out any medical issues (and please do urge them to rule everything out if you are sure something is wrong), once you consistently are eating at a surplus (and eat back your exercise calories, especially if your doing cardio), keep adding calories. What might be happening is your metabolism might be adjusting to what you are eating. Also if you are doing much strength training, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you need to be eating.
Don't be too concerned about "eating healthy calories", especially if you are underweight. Main priority should be gaining weight so you are a healthy weight. If you are super concerned about "healthy calories", enjoy high fat, high carb foods. Realize you will be full. Eat avocados, nut butters, dark chocolate, coconut oil or butter on veggies and rice, dried fruit, trail mix.
Fats do increase satiety though, so if you are feeling too full, cut back on fats, and increase quick digesting carbs and protein (whey protein, egg whites, white bread, bananas, mangoes, fruit smoothies, white rice, pasta). Seems counterintuitive because fats have more calories per gram, but fats take longer to digest, so might make you feel too full.3 -
Thank youuu!!! (:0
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reachingforarainbow wrote: »OP I have never needed to or wanted to gain weight, so I can not say from personal experience. But once the doctors have ruled out any medical issues (and please do urge them to rule everything out if you are sure something is wrong), once you consistently are eating at a surplus (and eat back your exercise calories, especially if your doing cardio), keep adding calories. What might be happening is your metabolism might be adjusting to what you are eating. Also if you are doing much strength training, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you need to be eating.
Don't be too concerned about "eating healthy calories", especially if you are underweight. Main priority should be gaining weight so you are a healthy weight. If you are super concerned about "healthy calories", enjoy high fat, high carb foods. Realize you will be full. Eat avocados, nut butters, dark chocolate, coconut oil or butter on veggies and rice, dried fruit, trail mix.
Fats do increase satiety though, so if you are feeling too full, cut back on fats, and increase quick digesting carbs and protein (whey protein, egg whites, white bread, bananas, mangoes, fruit smoothies, white rice, pasta). Seems counterintuitive because fats have more calories per gram, but fats take longer to digest, so might make you feel too full.
The bold is not always true. Many of us are more satiated from carbs than fats. Personally, I can eat tons of fat and never feel full. In fact, I have in the past eaten whole blocks of cheese. But potatoes, they can be tough.3 -
reachingforarainbow wrote: »OP I have never needed to or wanted to gain weight, so I can not say from personal experience. But once the doctors have ruled out any medical issues (and please do urge them to rule everything out if you are sure something is wrong), once you consistently are eating at a surplus (and eat back your exercise calories, especially if your doing cardio), keep adding calories. What might be happening is your metabolism might be adjusting to what you are eating. Also if you are doing much strength training, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you need to be eating.
Don't be too concerned about "eating healthy calories", especially if you are underweight. Main priority should be gaining weight so you are a healthy weight. If you are super concerned about "healthy calories", enjoy high fat, high carb foods. Realize you will be full. Eat avocados, nut butters, dark chocolate, coconut oil or butter on veggies and rice, dried fruit, trail mix.
Fats do increase satiety though, so if you are feeling too full, cut back on fats, and increase quick digesting carbs and protein (whey protein, egg whites, white bread, bananas, mangoes, fruit smoothies, white rice, pasta). Seems counterintuitive because fats have more calories per gram, but fats take longer to digest, so might make you feel too full.
The bold is not always true. Many of us are more satiated from carbs than fats. Personally, I can eat tons of fat and never feel full. In fact, I have in the past eaten whole blocks of cheese. But potatoes, they can be tough.
Have you thought of grated cheese on a baked potato? Lol2 -
Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »reachingforarainbow wrote: »OP I have never needed to or wanted to gain weight, so I can not say from personal experience. But once the doctors have ruled out any medical issues (and please do urge them to rule everything out if you are sure something is wrong), once you consistently are eating at a surplus (and eat back your exercise calories, especially if your doing cardio), keep adding calories. What might be happening is your metabolism might be adjusting to what you are eating. Also if you are doing much strength training, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you need to be eating.
Don't be too concerned about "eating healthy calories", especially if you are underweight. Main priority should be gaining weight so you are a healthy weight. If you are super concerned about "healthy calories", enjoy high fat, high carb foods. Realize you will be full. Eat avocados, nut butters, dark chocolate, coconut oil or butter on veggies and rice, dried fruit, trail mix.
Fats do increase satiety though, so if you are feeling too full, cut back on fats, and increase quick digesting carbs and protein (whey protein, egg whites, white bread, bananas, mangoes, fruit smoothies, white rice, pasta). Seems counterintuitive because fats have more calories per gram, but fats take longer to digest, so might make you feel too full.
The bold is not always true. Many of us are more satiated from carbs than fats. Personally, I can eat tons of fat and never feel full. In fact, I have in the past eaten whole blocks of cheese. But potatoes, they can be tough.
Have you thought of grated cheese on a baked potato? Lol
I don't know if I can fit it with all my bacon.
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Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »reachingforarainbow wrote: »OP I have never needed to or wanted to gain weight, so I can not say from personal experience. But once the doctors have ruled out any medical issues (and please do urge them to rule everything out if you are sure something is wrong), once you consistently are eating at a surplus (and eat back your exercise calories, especially if your doing cardio), keep adding calories. What might be happening is your metabolism might be adjusting to what you are eating. Also if you are doing much strength training, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you need to be eating.
Don't be too concerned about "eating healthy calories", especially if you are underweight. Main priority should be gaining weight so you are a healthy weight. If you are super concerned about "healthy calories", enjoy high fat, high carb foods. Realize you will be full. Eat avocados, nut butters, dark chocolate, coconut oil or butter on veggies and rice, dried fruit, trail mix.
Fats do increase satiety though, so if you are feeling too full, cut back on fats, and increase quick digesting carbs and protein (whey protein, egg whites, white bread, bananas, mangoes, fruit smoothies, white rice, pasta). Seems counterintuitive because fats have more calories per gram, but fats take longer to digest, so might make you feel too full.
The bold is not always true. Many of us are more satiated from carbs than fats. Personally, I can eat tons of fat and never feel full. In fact, I have in the past eaten whole blocks of cheese. But potatoes, they can be tough.
Have you thought of grated cheese on a baked potato? Lol
I don't know if I can fit it with all my bacon.
With green onions and you have a meal! Yum!
http://www.theyummylife.com/baked_potato_bar
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^OoOo... that looks good!1
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As a person with very similar struggles, I understand that you're frustrated. I don't agree with all that is said here, for example my weight was steady until I had a load of stessors hit me all at once & my metabolism basically went nuts as a result, but there are some great pointers. I have a load of food sensitivities & intolerances that make getting the appropriate proportions incredibly difficult, but my calories are far beyond what I should need to eat in order to gain weight that I once had.
Here's what's helped me, maybe it can help you also:
- Use MyFitnessPal religiously with your goal to gain 1 lb per week. Log throughout the day so you know where you're at as you go & if/when you need to add more.
- Watch your nutrients & your macros (there's a tab under nutrients) Make sure you're hitting those (healthy) fats, carbs, & protein #s EVERY day. This is likely where (if you're eating the calories you should) you need to make adjustments. I can't have gluten, soy, corn, dairy, & more ... so I struggle to hit my carbs & fats each day, but a lot of people struggle with proteins. It's something I have to actively plan & watch each day, but the app has made a ton of difference.
- If you're continuing to lose weight that you don't want to & want to exercise, a) don't overdue cardio, b) any calories you burn should be added to the number of calories you eat in a day at least until you get where you need to be.
- Lastly, be patient with yourself & your body. In my experience, I dropped weight super fast but it took way longer to gain any back. Heck, I added 200 calories a day because I plateaued & dropped 4 pounds that week & was furious, but as my body adjusted to the change I began seeing results. And know that it's hard for others to understand your struggle if they've never with it themselves or watched someone struggle firsthand, but you're not alone.
Feel free to message me if you want any other pointers. Best wishes!2 -
Don't know if these will actually work but I found these
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They will work for weight gain if they put you in a caloric surplus....1
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I dunno. 2100 calories is a 250 surplus for me. Super easy to eat. I gain immediately.1
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I've been having issues keeping on weight lately too. Usually I used to use MFP just for a few days to get a baseline idea for daily calorie intake and that was it, but I decided if I'm really going to gain weight I have to keep track every single day. I also *think* I'm eating a lot and sometimes people will comment on how much i eat but it's just perception. When you're a hard-gainer, you end up compensating for high calorie days by not eating a whole lot the following day. Or you eat a lot at one meal and then don't eat much the rest of the day. Because our bodies are trying to maintain a certain balance we have to be more vigilant about calorie intake. I also go through this thing where my stomach feels like it shrinks, so eating more is almost painful sometimes. Drinking your calories helps in those situations: whole milk, smoothies, slim fast type drinks in between meals, etc. Also try to eat something every 2 hours. Don't get discouraged if you don't meet your calories goals, just make sure you try harder the next day, and don't give up!2
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The easiest way to gain weight would be through liquid form because it's easier to eat/drink I guess, but watch how much sugar is in the fruit because although it's natural it will spike blood sugar and can leave to a sugar crash afterwards. In general just try to add an extra 15-20% of calories and exercise with the excess will ensure the weight gained is "good weight". I'm going through the same process and have just started and have been really shocked at how little I really eat because I was over estimating my meal sizes and calories I consumed daily but it becomes easier. Also unlike weight loss it's more satisfying to reach a high goal than it is to avoid reaching the lower goal. When you're gaining weight surpassing the goal calories is fine and good but to reach it in the first place can also be a struggle. Keep going it's healthy xx1
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@knotlucy
- 2 scoops Gifted nutrition protein powder (220 )
- 1/2 Dry rolled oats ( 305 )
- 1 med banana ( 110 )
- 2 cups whole milk ( 293 )
- 1 tbsp peanut better ( 95 )
= 1,203 calories, fat 29.9 g, carbs 111.6 g,
Protein 85.2 g
Gonna start drinking one of these a day4 -
kaykay6676 wrote: »@knotlucy
- 2 scoops Gifted nutrition protein powder (220 )
- 1/2 Dry rolled oats ( 305 )
- 1 med banana ( 110 )
- 2 cups whole milk ( 293 )
- 1 tbsp peanut better ( 95 )
= 1,203 calories, fat 29.9 g, carbs 111.6 g,
Protein 85.2 g
Gonna start drinking one of these a day
I have this come out to 72g of protein.
Is that half a cup of oats? To get your 305 calories I had to log 80g (I don't use cups, I'm in the UK they're a foreign concept, well, for anything but especially for solids). Anyway, that's a lot of oats, I'm not sure there's enough liquid for you to not be trying to drink sludge. Very very filling sludge.0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »kaykay6676 wrote: »@knotlucy
- 2 scoops Gifted nutrition protein powder (220 )
- 1/2 Dry rolled oats ( 305 )
- 1 med banana ( 110 )
- 2 cups whole milk ( 293 )
- 1 tbsp peanut better ( 95 )
= 1,203 calories, fat 29.9 g, carbs 111.6 g,
Protein 85.2 g
Gonna start drinking one of these a day
I have this come out to 72g of protein.
Is that half a cup of oats? To get your 305 calories I had to log 80g (I don't use cups, I'm in the UK they're a foreign concept, well, for anything but especially for solids). Anyway, that's a lot of oats, I'm not sure there's enough liquid for you to not be trying to drink sludge. Very very filling sludge.
I'd be more inclined to double/triple the PB.... Much tastier than oats and less sludge factor...7 -
I think one cup is 250 grams? Not sure though- the concept of cups for solids completely baffles me. But half a cup of oats isn't 305 calories.
2 cups of milk is about one pint?0 -
Ps I make porridge with 45 grams of oats and find even that is filling1
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comptonelizabeth wrote: »I think one cup is 250 grams? Not sure though- the concept of cups for solids completely baffles me. But half a cup of oats isn't 305 calories.
2 cups of milk is about one pint?
1 cup is 250 mL, which isn't comparable to grams for most foods. Google says 1 cup oats is 90g...that's likely inaccurate too!
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