Gaining Weight Females Group
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kylielane245 wrote: »Hello! I am also trying to gain weight. I am 5' 3'' - 108.5 lbs. I've been trying to gain weight forever now. I've been eating like 2500 calories a day and still no gain lol. I except for half a pound, which is something for sure. Any advice on good supplements, appetite stimulants, or protein powders (unflavored and not whey)?? Since just eating a ton doesn't seem to be working for me lol. My goal weight for now is 120- may be more eventually but thats my short term goal.
You are probably not eating 2,500 calories. I used to think I am a hard gainer, but when I joined the app I came to realize I was eating 1000+calories but now I am eating 2,200 calories and am gaining 1kg per month. I joined when I was 60kgs now am 65.5kgs in 4months. Log your food correctly.2 -
I am currently just working on my lower body because that’s the area that I need work to begin with. I am aware about over doing I know my limit. In the future I will be adding upper body workouts to arms and abs. For some reason I tend to gain muscle right away on my abs and arms so that’s the reason I’m not in a rush to work on that just yet. Now my legs and butt do take time and dedication so that I will work on first. One day I work out lower body intensely and the next day i still do but not that intense to be more clear. Oh and no equipment also, for now.0
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hernandezg3524 wrote: »I am currently just working on my lower body because that’s the area that I need work to begin with. I am aware about over doing I know my limit. In the future I will be adding upper body workouts to arms and abs. For some reason I tend to gain muscle right away on my abs and arms so that’s the reason I’m not in a rush to work on that just yet. Now my legs and butt do take time and dedication so that I will work on first. One day I work out lower body intensely and the next day i still do but not that intense to be more clear. Oh and no equipment also, for now.
My only recommendation is to follow an established progressive program for best results. Strong Curves has a bodyweight only program or a lower only program (which I'm sure you could modify for bodyweight/bands/dumbbells)1 -
hernandezg3524 wrote: »I am currently just working on my lower body because that’s the area that I need work to begin with. I am aware about over doing I know my limit. In the future I will be adding upper body workouts to arms and abs. For some reason I tend to gain muscle right away on my abs and arms so that’s the reason I’m not in a rush to work on that just yet. Now my legs and butt do take time and dedication so that I will work on first. One day I work out lower body intensely and the next day i still do but not that intense to be more clear. Oh and no equipment also, for now.
You should definitely follow a structured lifting program. Strong Curves also has a body weight/at home plan you can follow. I learned my lesson the hard way by neglecting to train certain muscle groups. For a while I focused too much on my lower half and neglected to train things that I was told women didn’t need to, such as chest, shoulders and back. When I began lifting I tweaked my back doing heavy deadlifts despite the fact that I could perform heavy squats with no issue. Then when I began to focus on strengthening my back I didn’t see any significant progress until working on my shoulders and chest. You really don’t want one muscle taking on too much of the work when performing compound movements, it’ll only set you back in the long run.
Edited to add: training upper body also significantly helps your posture!
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preciousleks wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »hernandezg3524 wrote: »Hi I am also trying to gain weight so I can build muscle. I am 30 yrs old 5’3 132lbs, trying to go up to 140lbs. I just started 7 days ago with higher calories and lower body work outs. I am consuming 2,500 calories per day. I am also drinking shakeology which I take after my work outs to replace lost calories.I am also doing lower body work outs that consist of squats, lunges, and planks Monday-Saturday and rest Sundays. I know the only way to achieve goals is through dedication. So ladies let’s do THIS!!!!
why only lower body? why not your whole body? not to mention to get muscle to grow it needs rest working the same muscle groups every day can lead to over training and can result in injuries
I also do only lower body workouts without any equipment. I want my booty and thighs to be thick. Is it bad?
nothing wrong with wanting a "thick" booty and thighs. but you need to also train upper body to be able to lift those heavy weights which will be what gives you the big booty and thighs(along with a surplus of calories as well).what sardelsa and teabythesea_ said is correct also. you dont want to be weaker on top and then have issues with lifting those weights. you need to strengthen the upper half too.2 -
Thank you ladies for your input I will work on that! 🙂0
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Most of my clothes ain't fitting. I can't believe I bought some in 2018 and they are not fitting too. What should I do? Buy some or wait?0
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Bf and I broke up. Eh wasn’t that into him, as it’s only been a few months, but all good. Probs was intimidated by my increasing size
I don’t really binge on food or drink but I do tend to binge on showers and exercise. Wish me luck not to overdo either. 1 -
Wow! Thanks for starting this group! "Preciousleks," what was your strategy to go from 119 lbs to 138? That's so impressive!
I might be the smallest one here lol I'm 105 lbs and looking to get to 130 lbs by this summer. I'm pretty strong and have been consistently strength training for years but my biggest hurdle is being consistent with getting in enough calories. Naturally I only want to eat 1500-1800 calories but know that I have seen weight gain here and there when I have eaten 2500-3,000 calories. The most I've ever weighed was 115 lbs, but as soon as I went back to eating like bird, the weight dropped instantly.
I've tried planning a ton of meals a day but it gets hard to fit in all those meals on days when I'm really busy. So I've gotten my meal plan down to a simple two 1500 calorie meals that I can easily make for.
Meal 1 is: 1500 total cal
a 1200 calorie smoothie with 3 bananas, 1 c blueberries, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 scoop vivolife protein, 4 tbsp coconut cream, 1/2 c almond milk, 5 oz greens
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I'll eat about a cup and a half of cooked steel cut oats.
(This meal takes me all morning to consume and I can just conveniently sip on the smoothie throughout my morning)
Meal 2: (1500 total cal)
Salmon, 1 sweet potato, 1.5 c lentils, 1 c quinoa, olive oil, spices, 4 tbsp hummus, 1 avocado
Meal 3: if I have time, I'll eat something very light in the evening
salad or bowl of veggies ~ 100-200 cal
I am starting to eat this condensed meal plan this week and will keep you all updated on how it goes
My lifting routine just consists of compound movements - mostly supersets - 6 days per week alternating push/pull and hip/quad2 -
strongbraid wrote: »Wow! Thanks for starting this group! "Preciousleks," what was your strategy to go from 119 lbs to 138? That's so impressive!
I might be the smallest one here lol I'm 105 lbs and looking to get to 130 lbs by this summer. I'm pretty strong and have been consistently strength training for years but my biggest hurdle is being consistent with getting in enough calories. Naturally I only want to eat 1500-1800 calories but know that I have seen weight gain here and there when I have eaten 2500-3,000 calories. The most I've ever weighed was 115 lbs, but as soon as I went back to eating like bird, the weight dropped instantly.
I've tried planning a ton of meals a day but it gets hard to fit in all those meals on days when I'm really busy. So I've gotten my meal plan down to a simple two 1500 calorie meals that I can easily make for.
Meal 1 is: 1500 total cal
a 1200 calorie smoothie with 3 bananas, 1 c blueberries, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 scoop vivolife protein, 4 tbsp coconut cream, 1/2 c almond milk, 5 oz greens
+
I'll eat about a cup and a half of cooked steel cut oats.
(This meal takes me all morning to consume and I can just conveniently sip on the smoothie throughout my morning)
Meal 2: (1500 total cal)
Salmon, 1 sweet potato, 1.5 c lentils, 1 c quinoa, olive oil, spices, 4 tbsp hummus, 1 avocado
Meal 3: if I have time, I'll eat something very light in the evening
salad or bowl of veggies ~ 100-200 cal
I am starting to eat this condensed meal plan this week and will keep you all updated on how it goes
My lifting routine just consists of compound movements - mostly supersets - 6 days per week alternating push/pull and hip/quad
I'm 105 too 125-130 would be nice as I'm 5'8 but gi issues are causing malabsorption I think.7 -
So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)0
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jlawrie12345 wrote: »So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)
Exercise won’t make you lose weight as long as you’re eating in a surplus and eating back exercise calories. Weight lifting really doesn’t burn that many calories either, at least not enough to make you lose weight doing a few hours a week without also eating in a deficit.
If you gain weight while doing no resistance training and then focus on building muscle, you’re most likely not going to be happy with the outcome as your gains will be fat and you will have no control over where it goes.
I would not aim for 1 lb a week. I would aim for about .5lb while following a training program to keep fat gains minimal.
You’ve identified the issue here, you don’t eat enough. Focus on calorie dense foods such as nuts, but butters, full fat dairy, fattier cuts of meat, avocados, etc. and maybe even some liquid calories in the form of protein shakes if necessary.
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jlawrie12345 wrote: »So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)
I would say to gradually increase your caloric intake. Gaining 1lb might be too much for you since you are struggling with a low appetite. Try to set your goal for 0.5 lb/week for weight gain and if you are consistent with the calories it says to eat you will gain. This means in one month you will put on 2 lb. For example, if you are trying to put on 10 lb, you would reach your goal in 5 months! Take a rest from exercising since you are having trouble eating and once you go a week with consistently eating calories to achieve a 0.5 lb of weight then start easing yourself back into the exercises. I have some more tips for some ways to get in your calories if you need them just let me know if you want them.0 -
I’m sure some of you suffer the same problem but how do you get past ‘gaining’ when job were previously ‘fat’ (or thought you were)? I know this is a mental block but I could use some motivation when I see the numbers jumping up. I’m also dreading the cut 😭0
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I’m sure some of you suffer the same problem but how do you get past ‘gaining’ when job were previously ‘fat’ (or thought you were)? I know this is a mental block but I could use some motivation when I see the numbers jumping up. I’m also dreading the cut 😭
This sticky with links might be helpful
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069962/the-former-fat-boy-girl-syndrome/p11 -
jlawrie12345 wrote: »So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)
Did you see my earlier post? I'll paste it below and hope this helps you
Here are some meal suggestions that have helped me be consistent with eating enough. I've tried planning a ton of meals a day but it gets hard to fit in all those meals on days when I'm really busy. So I've gotten my meal plan down to only 2 meals per day that are 1500 calorie each. These are well balanced, nutrient dense and calorically dense.
Meal 1: 1500 total cal
a 1200 calorie smoothie with 3 bananas, 1 c blueberries, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 scoop vivolife protein, 4 tbsp coconut cream, 1/2 c almond milk, 5 oz greens
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300 calories of oatmeal: (I boiled 1/2 cup of steel cut oats and they expanded to about a cup and a half.)
(This meal takes me all morning to consume and I can just conveniently sip on the smoothie throughout my morning)
Meal 2: (1500 total cal)
A Salmon fillet, 1 sweet potato (sauteed or baked), 1.5 cups of cooked lentils, 1 cup of cooked quinoa, 2 tbsp olive oil, spices, 4 tbsp hummus, 1 avocado
Meal 3: if I have time or feel hungry later, I'll eat something very light in the evening
salad or bowl of veggies ~ 100-200 cal
I have been eating this way for about 5 days and am already 3 lbs heavier !!
Start weight lifting or doing strength exercises so you can build muscle at the same time which will contribute to your weight gain. Avoid cardio for now and just strength train. If you don't do any strength training or exercises, you'll just gain mostly body fat and it won't be as much weight either since fat weighs less than muscle. My lifting routine just consists of compound movements - mostly supersets - 6 days per week alternating push/pull and hip/quad exercises.0 -
strongbraid wrote: »jlawrie12345 wrote: »So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)
Did you see my earlier post? I'll paste it below and hope this helps you
Here are some meal suggestions that have helped me be consistent with eating enough. I've tried planning a ton of meals a day but it gets hard to fit in all those meals on days when I'm really busy. So I've gotten my meal plan down to only 2 meals per day that are 1500 calorie each. These are well balanced, nutrient dense and calorically dense.
Meal 1: 1500 total cal
a 1200 calorie smoothie with 3 bananas, 1 c blueberries, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 scoop vivolife protein, 4 tbsp coconut cream, 1/2 c almond milk, 5 oz greens
+
300 calories of oatmeal: (I boiled 1/2 cup of steel cut oats and they expanded to about a cup and a half.)
(This meal takes me all morning to consume and I can just conveniently sip on the smoothie throughout my morning)
Meal 2: (1500 total cal)
A Salmon fillet, 1 sweet potato (sauteed or baked), 1.5 cups of cooked lentils, 1 cup of cooked quinoa, 2 tbsp olive oil, spices, 4 tbsp hummus, 1 avocado
Meal 3: if I have time or feel hungry later, I'll eat something very light in the evening
salad or bowl of veggies ~ 100-200 cal
I have been eating this way for about 5 days and am already 3 lbs heavier !!
Start weight lifting or doing strength exercises so you can build muscle at the same time which will contribute to your weight gain. Avoid cardio for now and just strength train. If you don't do any strength training or exercises, you'll just gain mostly body fat and it won't be as much weight either since fat weighs less than muscle. My lifting routine just consists of compound movements - mostly supersets - 6 days per week alternating push/pull and hip/quad exercises.
While these are good ways to get in some extra calories pretty effortlessly, keep in mind that if you want to keep fat gains at a minimum when strength training you shouldn't aim for any more than .25-.5lb of weight gain a week (optimally these gains will be about half muscle and fat). It's also important to remember that the average beginner women can gain about 1-2 lbs of muscle a month if training and eating appropriately and intermediate women's gains are reduced to about .5-1lb a month or less. Additionally you should be following a structured lifting program which most often has you training 3-4 days a week. Remember rest is important and overtraining doesn't mean that you'll gain more muscle, in fact it can hurt your gains.3 -
I just wanted to say hello, and tell you I am on this boat. I have never had much of a weight problem. But after trying to treat Candida, I lost about 25lbs... So, I am trying to reach my calories eating healthy, it's not easy, and at the same time trying to include strength training into my schedule. I am 49. My height is 5.2 (I think) and weight is 92.23
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jlawrie12345 wrote: »So... help needed. 5’8 8stone no chance of putting on muscle because any exercise I do immediately makes me loose weight. Can’t seem to get enough calories/protein in a day. Desperately need to gain weight and then will think about bulking in muscle. Meal suggestions? Says on here to gain 1lb per week I should be eating 2600 c a day 😱 struggle to do 1500! No appetite. (Had all tests aswell, thyroid fine etc just don’t eat enough!)
@jlawrie12345
I was where you were at 6 months ago and still going. It's definitely hard but possible! Things I've learned from here that I feel worked:
1. Start early!! Get a snack in or something right when you get up.
2. Don't wait till your stomach tells you to eat. Set times.
3. You can go the 5-6 smaller meals route
4. Something that's recently helped me is to set a goal each time you eat. I try to eat about 400-500 calories every 2-3 hours. If I focus on those small goals through out the day instead of the entire picture (day) it's not as overwhelming.
5. I would suggest since you're only able to eat 1500 right now, gradually increase it up to 2600. Or even only do .5 lb gain which I believe would be 2350. So maybe the first week do 1500/day, following week do 1750/day, next 2000/day, etc. Or whatever your speed for stretching out that stomach. Jumping to 2350 right away is tough, so no shame!
If you wanna work out to at least get your blood going you can do something as little as those 30 day challenges (squats, push ups, sit ups), like the one going right now on mfp. Or find some 10 min videos on YouTube. It won't burn too many calories and you'll feel like you're at least doing something. For me I know I gotta work out to keep up my appetite but do remember you gotta eat back the burned calories! Just an idea if you wanna work out.
A few high calorie snack ideas:
Protein bars
1/4 cup of almonds, (any nut is fine really)
Apples and peanut butter
Anything with peanut butter
Whole / multi grain bread dipped in olive oil
Olive oil is a great cooking add on.
Dried fruit (no added sugar cuz I'm a health freak lol)
Jerky...
Snacking while you work is nice too cuz you're not so focused on what you're eating.
Anyways, I hope that helped!! It's definitely a journey so don't be too hard on yourself. Feel free to add me if you want a friend in the same boat. Good luck!!
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Hey, I‘ve successfully gained the weight I needed to gain and am now struggling with maintaining it, would like to join the group 2
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well, satisfied with my weight is kind of exaggerated, i had to gain it against my will, so that’s why it’s hard for me to maintain it now, but i don’t want to lose all of my progress, so i’m at least trying to do it 🙈
and i theoretically know, that it would be healthy for me to gain even more, so i‘m seriously considering that now, but i don‘t really know if i‘m ready for that yet
and you will make progress too, at least you WANT to gain the weight, that are good conditions to start your journey and i‘m sure you‘ll make it 👍🏻💪🏻3 -
While I don't necessarily like seeing the number on the scale going up, I do like feeling stronger in the gym. I hit 120 on my bench press today and squatted 170. Deadlifts tomorrow...8
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well, satisfied with my weight is kind of exaggerated, i had to gain it against my will, so that’s why it’s hard for me to maintain it now, but i don’t want to lose all of my progress, so i’m at least trying to do it 🙈
and i theoretically know, that it would be healthy for me to gain even more, so i‘m seriously considering that now, but i don‘t really know if i‘m ready for that yet
and you will make progress too, at least you WANT to gain the weight, that are good conditions to start your journey and i‘m sure you‘ll make it 👍🏻💪🏻
I have already gained 3.5kgs in the last 4months and I currently weight 65.5kgs which is good considering that I was 54ks in 2015. My current goal is 68kgs and am 5'8 tall. Hope to reach there before this year ends. I have been inconsistent in December and this January because of sickness but I will be back to my best soon. Good luck0 -
wow, you already made lots of progress, so be proud of that while working on the next few steps 👍🏻😊0
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Hey everyone, I’m new to this app. I am a female that is 25 years old and I struggle with gaining weight. I fluctuate from 130 to 135. My goal weight is 140. I also struggle with eating a lot of calories , but I’m doing my best. My question is can I still go to the gym and lift weights. I would lift higher weights at a lower rep. I just don’t want to lose the weight that I have gained but idk how else to gain more weight . Any suggestions anyone ??0
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grimanis93 wrote: »Hey everyone, I’m new to this app. I am a female that is 25 years old and I struggle with gaining weight. I fluctuate from 130 to 135. My goal weight is 140. I also struggle with eating a lot of calories , but I’m doing my best. My question is can I still go to the gym and lift weights. I would lift higher weights at a lower rep. I just don’t want to lose the weight that I have gained but idk how else to gain more weight . Any suggestions anyone ??
Lifting is a great idea while you gain so some of the weight you gain will be muscle and your body composition and health will be better as a result. Rather than focus on reps, I highly recommend you focus on an established program focused on your goals.
Lifting typically doesn't burn an insane amount of calories so you should be able to keep up with the intake. Liquid calories like juice, milk, smoothies can help.4 -
Grr I lost 2 lbs so now 103 at 5'8. I am eating and get 1650 calories through my Jejunostomy (j) tube every day so no idea what's going on.7
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singingflutelady wrote: »Grr I lost 2 lbs so now 103 at 5'8. I am eating and get 1650 calories through my Jejunostomy (j) tube every day so no idea what's going on.singingflutelady wrote: »Grr I lost 2 lbs so now 103 at 5'8. I am eating and get 1650 calories through my Jejunostomy (j) tube every day so no idea what's going on.
Are you in the hospital at this point? I'm surprised you're not getting IV nutrients, not only a tube, but of course I don't know your medical issue. It sounds miserable.
I don't even know what's wrong with me, but I'm still losing and am afraid I won't get a diagnosis. I'm hoping to get an abdominal scan soon, and have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in a month. My hopes aren't high. I've had pain, nausea and bloating for over 20 years, and all I ended up with was powerful antinausea pills to take almost daily. Pain doesn't count to doctors, only the most obvious symptoms. Now that the problem (Crohn's?) has continued up to the stomach or higher, and I've been unable to eat much for almost two months, something will have to be done.
Meanwhile, most of my hard earned muscle and aerobic capacity have gone, and will be very hard to get back (48 year old female, formerly quite fit). I've gone from a healthy 129 lbs before Thanksgiving to 110 and still losing (at 5'4"). I'm only able to do some upper body work, at pathetic weights, my lower back exercises, and some walking to maintain a bit of health. I'm able to get a bit of protein powder in applesauce, and can eat a hard boiled egg and protein/banana/soy milk smoothie at times. I've tried hard, but 30 grams protein and under 800 calories is typical. This is SO discouraging (plus winter in Maine is rough). My sister has Crohn's and is really skinny. I just want this to stop, and go back to fighting inner thigh fat through leg definition and getting strong, toned shoulders. (I have a thing for well defined shoulders.)
I feel bad whining when others are worse, but I really sympathize, and Mfp doesn't have a lot for those needing to gain for health. Groups about it never seem active.3
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