Can I gain back the weight in muscle?

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fabbielous
fabbielous Posts: 11
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Long story short, I went to the doctor and they told me if I don't get my weight up, I'm going to be hospitalized. I ran every morning and did pilates in the afternoon until my doctor told me I had to stop last week. I wasn't snacking inbetween meals and supposedly my portion sizes were messed up, causing me to lose an excessive amount of weight and muscle mass. I've worked really hard, and I don't want to have to gain all of my weight back in fat. Is it possible for me to gain, say, 10 pounds of pure muscle?

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  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Gaining muscle is difficult for women, but not impossible. But I don't think you can gain 10 only muscle. To gain muscle, you need to eat at a calorie surplus, get adequate protein, and lift heavy weights.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 603 Member
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    I'll just throw this out there... If your doctor is at the point of hospitalizing you based on your weight, I would not be concerned about fat versus muscle. I'd recommend getting specific instructions from your doctor or a registered dietician on an eating plan that will get you back to a healthy weight. Good luck!
  • grimm1974
    grimm1974 Posts: 337 Member
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    It is going to be impossible to gain ONLY muscle. You will gain both muscle and fat. You are going to want to eat at a caloric surplus and, after you get the desired amount of muscle, cut back again and tone. And yeah, you really want to put the weight on if the doctor is telling you to.
  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
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    I'll just throw this out there... If your doctor is at the point of hospitalizing you based on your weight, I would not be concerned about fat versus muscle. I'd recommend getting specific instructions from your doctor or a registered dietician on an eating plan that will get you back to a healthy weight. Good luck!

    This!! You need to ask the doctor if there is a nutritionist that he can set you up with for healthy weight gain.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    I have a feeling there is much more to this story...

    OP please focus on gaining the weight your doctor wants you to gain. Worry about everything else after that.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    I'll just throw this out there... If your doctor is at the point of hospitalizing you based on your weight, I would not be concerned about fat versus muscle. I'd recommend getting specific instructions from your doctor or a registered dietician on an eating plan that will get you back to a healthy weight. Good luck!

    If your body weight is dangerously low, don't worry about fat vs. muscle.
    Focus on eating Nutrient Dense Foods... and your body will figure out what to do with it.
    Also... it may take your body a little while to adjust to new eating habits, it may overcompensate at first. So try not to freak out, while your body is sorting things out.

    Stay the course... keep giving your body nutrition to work with and ask for help when you need it.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    You will not be able to gain pure muscle, there will also be some fat gain. If you are at the point of hospitalisation your body needs more fat anyway.

    And if you are a woman (sorry forgot to check OP) the most you could expect to gain is 1lb per month of muscle while eating at a surplus and following a decent strength training programme. 10lbs of muscle gain can take years for a woman,

    Just focus on eating more and gaining weight.
  • fppalmer
    fppalmer Posts: 24 Member
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    ....... I've worked really hard, and I don't want to have to gain all of my weight back in fat. Is it possible for me to gain, say, 10 pounds of pure muscle?

    yes. how fast? and why do you want to?

    10 pounds of muscle in a year is easy for intermediate athletes. Doable in 9 months, but harder. Not going to happen in 3 months, so a "gain 10 pounds of muscle real quick to make Dr happen" is not really an option.


    Why did you do all that hard work in the first place? So you can have an awesome 1 mile sprint time? So you could be incredibly strong? So you could be a better athlete? Given your Dr's feedback, you very likely could improve all of those things with 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat.

    Did you do all of that to LOOK BETTER? If you are already very lean (suspected given Dr's feedback) then 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat, put on the right way, can likely also make you LOOK MUCH SEXIER / better.

    All that said ... what is your bodyfat %? That can help you monitor your weight gain.

    Good luck!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    If it makes you feel better about gaining, by all means, try gaining muscle as you gain. It won't be all muscle but some of it will if you start lifting heavy and getting enough protein.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    ....... I've worked really hard, and I don't want to have to gain all of my weight back in fat. Is it possible for me to gain, say, 10 pounds of pure muscle?

    yes. how fast? and why do you want to?

    10 pounds of muscle in a year is easy for intermediate athletes. Doable in 9 months, but harder. Not going to happen in 3 months, so a "gain 10 pounds of muscle real quick to make Dr happen" is not really an option.

    Theoretically, except we don't even know what kind of training the OP is doing. I'm guessing cardio only, and would also have to overcome disordered eating to not only eat somewhat normally, but eat at a surplus to gain said muscle.

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