Gaining weight is so hard

kynsie2

That meal was just last nights meal, but pretty typical.
The day before breakfast and lunch was the same but dinner was grilled chicken, (extra virgin olive oil), baked potato (loaded with butter, my vice) and roasted broccoli with garlic.
I did have some strawberry shortcake smothered in whipped creme.
I don't eat hamburger unless it's grilled because it really upsets my stomach along with causing a bit of stomach pain. I can't tolerate the grease.
I'm going to try adding a milkshake every night and add some kind of fruit.
Avocados, nasty nasty taste. lol
Thanks everyone

JoRocka

I managed to get up to 365lbs just by accident!! I guess I'm just gifted.

completely unhelpful.

Purposeful gaining of weight and muscle is difficult. It's significantly more difficult than losing weight.
======================================================================================


OP- find foods you eat- and eat more of them. Any high calorie- "empty" foods- (these foods usually are labelled 'junk') are great options.

peanut butter, ice cream- milk- chips- pasta.
nuts- butter and oil to everything- bacon- eggs- milk- reeses- peanut butter and jelly- cheesecake in your smoothies.


My question about the burger upsetting your stomach- have you been eating a low fat diet mostly? Because often times that's what happens- people eat a low fat diet- go for one burger- get sick and swear off burgers because they are unhealthy- and the reality is their gut just adjusted to a low fat diet and the extra fat threw the balance out. If that's the case- you can rebalence by adding more fat in slowly.

kynsie2

Thanks
Yes, we cut most fats out.
The hamburger we do buy is the leanest kind we can get. If we cook it out on the grill or it doesn't bother me as much.
For people who are trying to lose weight people say "just don't eat as much"
And for gaining they say "Eat more"
As everyone here knows, it's not usually that easy.

JoRocka

So... outside limiting medical conditions- any reason why you are on low fat?

and if there aren't any limiting issues- start ramping the fats back up.

You need fats- low fat is the worst thing to happen to this country and trying to gain weight on low fat is a chore.

dieselbyte

So... outside limiting medical conditions- any reason why you are on low fat?

and if there aren't any limiting issues- start ramping the fats back up.

You need fats- low fat is the worst thing to happen to this country and trying to gain weight on low fat is a chore.

^This.

Cut out most dietary fat? Why? You need it.

And yes it is that easy.

^And this.
Dietary fat is essential for hormonal balance and and a whole host of health reasons. Weight gain will be considered healthy if you have a healthy lifestyle - weight & cardiovascular training, along with other choices. Staying away from certain foods doesn't make you healthy. The fact of cutting out an entire essential macronutrient group is considered unhealthy. Eat all the foodz.

_lyndseybrooke_

How to gain weight:
1. Don't eat salmon, beets, and water for dinner

This. And....ew.

KCNutritionCoach

Why is it that you would like to gain weight? Your BMI is in the healthy range (very low end, but still acceptable). I suspect that the smoking kept your metabolism high in a very unhealthy way. Congratuations on quiting smoking, that's the best thing that you can do for your health. Unless you have current health problems I would accept your weight. Some people are just made to a little thinner. If you start losing weight, I would start adding healthy fats to everything such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc. But, if it is purely for asthetic reasons I wouldn't worry too much about it. I have the same BMI as you and I am healthy and don't look too skinny.

xDawnsgrace

granola, whole eggs, bagels, 100% fruit juice, pasta, oatmeal, yogurt, olive or coconut oil, nut butters/nuts, full-fat dressings, whole wheat bread, avocado/guacamole, bananas, dark meat, nutritional shakes(such as ensure, boost, ect), protein bars, ice cream, donuts, sweetened condensed milk(say in coffee and such), beans, potatoes, sausage, chocolate, mangoes, coconut milk, whole milk, trail mix, greek yogurt(not fat free), edamame, sunflower seeds..

most of these things are healthy while being calorie-dense. You shouldn't shy away from fat too much, as fat is essential in every diet. Dietary fat is healthy, and you want to gain weight! Adding just a tablespoon of oil to a meal would add 120 calories to your day.

Myhaloslipped

Avocados, nuts, peanut butter, pesto, olive oil, sesame oil...these are all things that you can add to whatever you want to increase your calories. One of my best girlfriends from high school has always had this problem. She is just naturally and effortlessly thin even after having 2 children.

jimmmer

Gaining weight isn't hard. You just eat more (or more calorie dense foods).

Gaining quality weight (i.e. lbm) is the trick. That requires hard work, dedication and consistency in your training paired with adequate calories.

But your problem is just not eating enough and having a list of taboo items...

rodduz

Gaining weight is so hard and frustrating. Add to it that I get zero sympathy from any one and always the same comments, "Eat more" or "I wish I had your problem"
I'm 55, 5'2" and weigh 98 pds. I have never weighed over 110 except when I was pregnant and then I got up to 128.
I quit smoking finally 5 weeks ago, and even that hasn't helped.
I do have an ulcer and GERD so that makes it harder. But we have completely changed our diet in the house, so a lot of foods are out.
We don't eat any foods that come out of a box or a can. No fried foods ever. No hot dogs, hamburger or for the majority, no pork.
So my problem is to even get 1,700 calories a day and I want to have at least 2,000.
Example:Breakfast was a bowl of cheerios, small banana, 8 oz of Kefir
lunch: Peanut butter sandwich with strawberry jam and a bottle of ensure
supper last night, grilled salmon with garlic, 2 servings of beets and a glass of water with a fresh lemon squeezed into it.
Sometimes I will have some strawberries before bed or a splurge of a ice creme bar.
We also walk 20 mins a day.
How and what do I eat that is healthy and yet gain weight?
So very frustrated.

No wonder if that's all you're eating. What you expect people to say, of course they're going to say eat more. You have nothing out of a box? Last time I checked I'm pretty sure Cheerios came in a box!

Your relationship with food is completely wrong if you ask me.

Eat more!

Have more cheerios, have more peanut butter sandwiches. Eat handfuls of nuts! Have full fat milk with instant oats and whey protein in the shake and a spoonful of olive oil. Then come and tell me you can't put weight on.

CCKoepp

I totally understand your problem. I'm 5'4", weigh 96 pounds and I'm trying to get my weight back up to the 115 it was at before I developed food allergies.

"Eat more!" and "I wish I had your problem" are not helpful. I eat like a big pig, thanks, but that doesn't seem to help much. I recently figured out (with the help of calorie counting software on my iPad) that my calorie count ranged from 600-2000 per day. O.o I'm eating the wrong things, apparently.

I tell those who "wish they had my problem" that they can voluntarily go on my diet restrictions ... and as soon as they see 'em, that puts an end to that.

A pal pointed me in the direction of "fat bombs" ... combinations of coconut oil, peanut butter, fruit, and/or nuts. High calories in a small bit of stuff. I also found that monster-sized smoothies (like frozen blueberries, orange juice, coconut flakes, nuts ... swirlied around in a blender until it's goop ... amounts to about 32-40 fluid ounces) help a bunch with getting the calorie count up. Now, if I could eat those every day...

Back to the drawing board!

Lib_B

echo what others are saying - add some healthy fats - i.e. avocado. If you can do nuts (although with ulcers, perhaps not) great way to get extra cals. Sweet potatoes or heck white potatoes. Maybe a baked potato with dinner with some sour cream & full fat butter? if i were trying to gain weight, i'd probably bring back in all the white food i eliminated. pasta salad as a side. just add a little on at each meal. maybe have a boiled egg as a snack? lots of ways to get those cals in. i managed for a lot of years and i ballooned up. eating at chipotle once a week wouldn't hurt either. rice, beans, chicken, sour cream. you'll pack it on. worked for me.

rodduz

I totally understand your problem. I'm 5'4", weigh 96 pounds and I'm trying to get my weight back up to the 115 it was at before I developed food allergies.

"Eat more!" and "I wish I had your problem" are not helpful. I eat like a big pig, thanks, but that doesn't seem to help much. I recently figured out (with the help of calorie counting software on my iPad) that my calorie count ranged from 600-2000 per day. O.o I'm eating the wrong things, apparently.

I tell those who "wish they had my problem" that they can voluntarily go on my diet restrictions ... and as soon as they see 'em, that puts an end to that.

A pal pointed me in the direction of "fat bombs" ... combinations of coconut oil, peanut butter, fruit, and/or nuts. High calories in a small bit of stuff. I also found that monster-sized smoothies (like frozen blueberries, orange juice, coconut flakes, nuts ... swirlied around in a blender until it's goop ... amounts to about 32-40 fluid ounces) help a bunch with getting the calorie count up. Now, if I could eat those every day...

Back to the drawing board!

Just done some quick calculations and you should be eating a minimum of 1500 calories per day to be gaining weight. I bet if you opened up your diary you are not eating that much, therefore how do you expect to gain weight?

JoeCampbell85

You need fats- low fat is the worst thing to happen to this country and trying to gain weight on low fat is a chore.

This could not be any more true. The low-fat fad has not done anything to help the American diet. Protein, Carbs (shhhh paleos ), and fats all serve a vital role. Even saturated fats such as stearic acid have their roles to play. Please, please, don't cut out fats because they sound bad.

CCKoepp

Rodduz:

Yes, I started tracking calories/day on my iPad ... and that's when I discovered my current menu ranged 600-2000 cal/day. I was much surprised that the day that was 600 calories was a day on which I ate a whole /bunch/ of stuff... just none of it had much for calories. I'm rebuilding menus today to get closer to 1800/day consistently. Hard to do with the allergies I'm working around, but I can do this!

jimmmer

Rodduz:

Yes, I started tracking calories/day on my iPad ... and that's when I discovered my current menu ranged 600-2000 cal/day. I was much surprised that the day that was 600 calories was a day on which I ate a whole /bunch/ of stuff... just none of it had much for calories. I'm rebuilding menus today to get closer to 1800/day consistently. Hard to do with the allergies I'm working around, but I can do this!

^this is the right attitude.

Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity. It's been a tough day...

0somuchbetter0

That meal was just last nights meal, but pretty typical.
The day before breakfast and lunch was the same but dinner was grilled chicken, (extra virgin olive oil), baked potato (loaded with butter, my vice) and roasted broccoli with garlic.
I did have some strawberry shortcake smothered in whipped creme.
I don't eat hamburger unless it's grilled because it really upsets my stomach along with causing a bit of stomach pain. I can't tolerate the grease.
I'm going to try adding a milkshake every night and add some kind of fruit.
Avocados, nasty nasty taste. lol
Thanks everyone

Too bad you don't like avocados -- I love them! Have you ever tried with lots of salt?