Gaining weight

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Leijing
Leijing Posts: 21 Member
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I'm a nursing student in my early 20s and I've always been small. Not just skinny but downright tiny. I'm 5' tall and, last I checked, 98 lbs. I'm sick and tired of people telling me how "wonderful" it must be to be so skinny! I have to shop in the children's department for clothes and my patients at the hospital are always warning me: "honey, go get someone else. Don't hurt yourself!" To make matters worse, I lose my appetite when I get stressed, and the last 6 months have been very stressful...

I've been supplementing my diet with protein shakes (specifically 2 Tbsp Herbalife Thermojects + 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup + 6 oz whole milk), and I have been trying to exercise more to gain muscle. According to the standards in my textbooks, I need to gain fat as well. Anyone have any tips?

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  • christinezittel
    christinezittel Posts: 11 Member
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    Hi Leijing,
    I know how you feel. It's really hard gaining weight and eating healthy. Exercise is great but you may find yourself losing more. That doesn't mean stop exercising! Exercise will really help to reduce the stress, plus, exercise will increase your appetite. I'm sure you're pretty busy being a nursing student so try to keep healthy snacks with you all the time. I always try to keep a bag of almonds and fruit with me. I've tried the protein shakes but for me it wasn't enough. My trainer put me on Amplified Mass XXX. My tip is to keep eating healthy and stay active. Listen to your body and eat often but don't fill up on junk food just to gain weight. I wish you luck on your nursing degree.
  • chrislozeau
    chrislozeau Posts: 2
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    Drink lots of milk.
    Count your calories, make sure you're consuming more.
    Just eat more.
    Sign up to the gym, stick to a routine. Get a gym buddy.
  • KaraAlste
    KaraAlste Posts: 168 Member
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    Trying to Gain weight sucks! It takes it's own toll. If it adds more stress, I suggest fake it till you make it. Purchase some clothes that will accentuate any curves you have or wear light colors. Be confident w/yourself and it will rub off on others. Everyone is being judged 24/7 anyway hun. Glad you reached out for support!! I like you just for being you.
  • iamasarahlouise
    iamasarahlouise Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm 5' tall and, last I checked, 98 lbs. I'm sick and tired of people telling me how "wonderful" it must be to be so skinny! I have to shop in the children's department for clothes...

    I can relate to this - 5'1 and 40.4kg (89 lbs) last time I checked. I don't mind shopping in the kids section a lot of the time - the clothes are cheaper and I don't have to take up pants - but because I suffer from anxiety, there are times where my weight drops to unhealthy levels.

    I've been wanting to gain weight for YEARS, but never really focussed on how to actually achieve it. I'm now working towards my goal weight of 50kg (110 lbs), but my main priority is to pull my eating habits into line... My sugar and sodium levels are ridiculous, and fibre is non-existent. Also, exercise, but once I've stabilised with the anxiety (in the middle of a flare-up).

    I guess this is a little intro too. ^^' *waves*
  • ChaoticCanine
    ChaoticCanine Posts: 2 Member
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    I completely know how you feel with the "oh, it must be so nice.." comments. I am interning at a social service agency. Do they really have any idea how hard it is to find professional looking clothes among all the bejeweled Justin Beiber and Hello Kitty outfits? I have a hard time finding clothes in the kids section that are long enough for me but small everywhere else. I am 5' 6" and weigh 100 pounds.
  • AlwaysCelestial
    AlwaysCelestial Posts: 2
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    I'm 4'11" and weigh 98lbs last I checked. I totally relate to everything you wrote. I thought I was the only person on this site trying to GAIN weight. I'm glad I found this group. Know you are not alone! Feel free to add me as a friend as we go on this journey to healthier lives together!
  • Tabrean
    Tabrean Posts: 12 Member
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    I hear you! I have always been skinny. I am barely 5'5" and my weight tends to hover around 110 lbs, maybe 115 over the summer when I tend to gain weight. I weigh the same now as I did 20+ years ago in high school. I still fit into shorts I still have from back then. People ask me how I stay so thin and I just say "genetics". I don't do anything. I eat 2000+ calories a day, full fatted, real sugar, etc. This is just how my body is. I lose weight at the drop of a hat, and it's takes forever to put back on. I hate shopping, especially for pants. Everything is way too big, and there aren't appropriate work clothes in the kids' section. I order girls' size 16 slim school uniform khakis from Land's End to have work pants. :( That is the best solution I have found. They custom hem the big girl sizes so they are not too short...or too long...don't get me ranting about how regular adult pant lengths have gotten longer while my legs have not.

    I was very briefly 120+ lbs or so for about 6 months last year after I bloated up from some hormonal whackiness and it stayed. I could fit into adult pants, and I had some boob. I had to buy new shorts. Then of course, winter came and I got the flu where I hardly ate and sweated gallons. That was the end of that. It is s good thing I packed my girl pants away just in case. *sigh*

    I started tracking calories and what types of foods I am eating to make sure I am getting enough in since a lot 10 lbs this winter. I'd like to get back up to 120+ and keep it on. So glad to have found other people who are in the same boat and get it.

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