Trying to Gain

sherrymccall

Hey guys! I recently went to my doctor and found out that my body fat percentage is too low for me to be able to conceive children. My husband and I aren't trying at the moment but will likely be trying next year around this time. So my question is how do I gain back some body fat without doing it in an unhealthy way? I still want to workout because I enjoy it. I love to run and I love being muscular but I don't want this to affect my future. Any advice would be awesome!

TavistockToad

Do you knw how many cals you maintain your weight on? I would start slow and increase your cals by 100, making sure it is with healthy stuff.

Adding 250cals per day should give you around a half pound gain per week.

sherrymccall

:]

sherrymccall

The doctor said I need to be eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day and eating back my exercise calories. I have been eating between 1200 and 1500 on a normal day and not eating back all my calories.

now_or_never12

Make sure you set your weekly goal to gain however much you want each week.

You will have quite a few calories to work with so fill them with healthy foods. Eat full fat items, not low fat. Eat a lot of beans, nuts, olive oil, etc to help you gain what you need to gain.

If you like to workout dial it down a bit or just consume more calories ontop of what the site says (you add in your exercise and therefore eat more).

sherrymccall

Make sure you set your weekly goal to gain however much you want each week.

You will have quite a few calories to work with so fill them with healthy foods. Eat full fat items, not low fat. Eat a lot of beans, nuts, olive oil, etc to help you gain what you need to gain.

If you like to workout dial it down a bit or just consume more calories ontop of what the site says (you add in your exercise and therefore eat more).

I know this is probably a stupid question but there isn't any way to gain the weight without making my stomach bulge out again is there?

Chief_Rocka

People don't order a lot of milkshakes in the winter, so you can usually find BOGO deals

now_or_never12

Make sure you set your weekly goal to gain however much you want each week.

You will have quite a few calories to work with so fill them with healthy foods. Eat full fat items, not low fat. Eat a lot of beans, nuts, olive oil, etc to help you gain what you need to gain.

If you like to workout dial it down a bit or just consume more calories ontop of what the site says (you add in your exercise and therefore eat more).

I know this is probably a stupid question but there isn't any way to gain the weight without making my stomach bulge out again is there?

If you do it properly your stomach won't bulge out unless you are eating something that is causing you to bloat. 1200-1500 and not eating back exercise calories is what you would eat to try and lose weight.

Set the site up to gain and go from there. Eat healthy but more food and eat your exercise calories back. Don't eat low fat foods... eat full fat and eat a lot of healthy fats like nuts and olive oil and such.

You obviously will be bigger than you are now however you would be healthier. If your doctor wants you to gain weight so you can concieve you need to look at the big picture. Don't look at weight gain as getting bigger... you need to look at it as you are doing something healhty to start a family. Being underweight doesn't always make for a healthy pregnancy.

Chief_Rocka

The doctor said I need to be eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day and eating back my exercise calories. I have been eating between 1200 and 1500 on a normal day and not eating back all my calories.

The doctor told you what you need to do and how to do it, so what exactly is your question?

likemeinvisible

Eggs are the best, they contain everything. 6-8 a day.

sherrymccall

Make sure you set your weekly goal to gain however much you want each week.

You will have quite a few calories to work with so fill them with healthy foods. Eat full fat items, not low fat. Eat a lot of beans, nuts, olive oil, etc to help you gain what you need to gain.

If you like to workout dial it down a bit or just consume more calories ontop of what the site says (you add in your exercise and therefore eat more).

I know this is probably a stupid question but there isn't any way to gain the weight without making my stomach bulge out again is there?

If you do it properly your stomach won't bulge out unless you are eating something that is causing you to bloat. 1200-1500 and not eating back exercise calories is what you would eat to try and lose weight.

Set the site up to gain and go from there. Eat healthy but more food and eat your exercise calories back. Don't eat low fat foods... eat full fat and eat a lot of healthy fats like nuts and olive oil and such.

You obviously will be bigger than you are now however you would be healthier. If your doctor wants you to gain weight so you can concieve you need to look at the big picture. Don't look at weight gain as getting bigger... you need to look at it as you are doing something healhty to start a family. Being underweight doesn't always make for a healthy pregnancy.

I guess that was my only question. I know it's gonna be a struggle to get into the mindset of gaining weight after losing so much. I guess the gaining thing is what scares me. I'm afraid that once I start to gain weight it's all gonna come back and I know it's stupid to think that but I can't help it.

CoffeeNBooze

The doctor said I need to be eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day and eating back my exercise calories. I have been eating between 1200 and 1500 on a normal day and not eating back all my calories.

The doctor told you what you need to do and how to do it, so what exactly is your question?

she asked how she does that in a healthy way

drmerc

Eggs are the best, they contain everything. 6-8 a day.

your *kitten* is going to stink

sherrymccall

The doctor said I need to be eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day and eating back my exercise calories. I have been eating between 1200 and 1500 on a normal day and not eating back all my calories.

The doctor told you what you need to do and how to do it, so what exactly is your question?

she asked how she does that in a healthy way

Thank you, Tia. I don't want to gain a bunch of weight back at one time and be unhealthy again.

Chief_Rocka

The doctor said I need to be eating between 1800 and 2000 calories a day and eating back my exercise calories. I have been eating between 1200 and 1500 on a normal day and not eating back all my calories.

The doctor told you what you need to do and how to do it, so what exactly is your question?

she asked how she does that in a healthy way

Thank you, Tia. I don't want to gain a bunch of weight back at one time and be unhealthy again.

The doctor already answers this question, eat 2k cals a day + exercise cals.

You're afraid to gain weight, but the doctor said you need to.

sherrymccall

I understand that and you're right. I am scared to gain because I worked so hard to lose.

Alex_is_Hawks

I understand that and you're right. I am scared to gain because I worked so hard to lose.

here lets spin this a different way and maybe this will help....

ask yourself this...

are you more scared to gain than you are to never have kids.

because you have to do one, to have the other...where is your passion, your priority?

if you want kids (and it sounds like you do) then you will find a way to do this....

i highly recommend taking a deep breath, and just doing it.

sherrymccall

I understand that and you're right. I am scared to gain because I worked so hard to lose.

here lets spin this a different way and maybe this will help....

ask yourself this...

are you more scared to gain than you are to never have kids.

because you have to do one, to have the other...where is your passion, your priority?

if you want kids (and it sounds like you do) then you will find a way to do this....

i highly recommend taking a deep breath, and just doing it.

that's what i'm going to have to do then. and when i tell myself this it sounds great. I'm just going to have to push past the fear and do it. My doctor wants me to weigh between 105 and 116 and I know that isn't fat in my head. Thanks for being nice about this and trying to put it in a different perspective.

dtf88

Did the doctor give you a bodyfat level that is healthy to get pregnant? Either way, you will need to put on bodyfat according to the doctor, so my guess is you want to minimize this amount. You should try to gain weight slowly and reduce your cardio. If you are a runner or endurance and cardio is most of your training, then you will need to eat the calories back that you burn to put you at a surplus for the day. Try to get about your bodyweight in protein, about 0.25-0.35 BW in fats, and increase your carbs to a point where you are gaining weight slowly.

On the other hand, IMO your life and family are more important than your physique. I think you should focus on having the kid for now and doing what you need to do, and then afterwards, you will be able to get back your physique.

sherrymccall

Did the doctor give you a bodyfat level that is healthy to get pregnant? Either way, you will need to put on bodyfat according to the doctor, so my guess is you want to minimize this amount. You should try to gain weight slowly and reduce your cardio. If you are a runner or endurance and cardio is most of your training, then you will need to eat the calories back that you burn to put you at a surplus for the day. Try to get about your bodyweight in protein, about 0.25-0.35 BW in fats, and increase your carbs to a point where you are gaining weight slowly.

On the other hand, IMO your life and family are more important than your physique. I think you should focus on having the kid for now and doing what you need to do, and then afterwards, you will be able to get back your physique.

I love to run. I am definitely a runner! And a family is most important to me. I will try what your saying. I am at about 13 percent body fat right now and all he said was that was too low. I guess I should call him and ask him what I should be aiming for.

cmcollins001

Make sure you set your weekly goal to gain however much you want each week.

You will have quite a few calories to work with so fill them with healthy foods. Eat full fat items, not low fat. Eat a lot of beans, nuts, olive oil, etc to help you gain what you need to gain.

If you like to workout dial it down a bit or just consume more calories ontop of what the site says (you add in your exercise and therefore eat more).

I know this is probably a stupid question but there isn't any way to gain the weight without making my stomach bulge out again is there?

You know that getting pregnant will make your stomach bulge out, right?