Gaining twenty pounds.

mysmileisfading
mysmileisfading Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello. So I guess I'll introduce myself. I'm a nineteen year old female, a vegetarian, and I currently weigh 96 pounds, and I'm 5"6'. I've always been really thin and I've always hated it like you wouldn't even believe. People pick on me about it, too, and yeah, it kind of bothers me. I was recently told by my psychiatrist that I'm "super underweight." I've tried gaining weight before but to no avail. So hopefully I can make it work this time. But I literally feel like there's not enough time in the day for me to consume all the calories necessary for me to gain weight, haha. And it's frustrating. Cause I feel like I've been fighting to eat even when I'm not hungry to the point that I nearly feel sick and then it's still not enough. Anyway, hi.

Replies

  • Rogsman
    Rogsman Posts: 106 Member
    Are you a fan of walnuts and almonds?

    In 5 minutes I could blow my entire diet eating them. Very easy calories and they're portable.

    And hello!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Hey there. I agree with Rogsman. You just need foods that have a lot of calories for the volume. Nuts, nut butters, cheese, etc. Granola is a great way to eat a lot of calories without realizing it.
  • tonynguyen75
    tonynguyen75 Posts: 418 Member
    Hi. Liquid calories will help. Some chocolate milk, some protein shakes (I'm sure there are vegan and vegetarian types). I've heard of a study somewhere that showed that nuts, for some reason, do not contribute to weight gain the way they should. Ie you add X amount of calories from nuts and gain very little.
    But nut nutters should work.
  • mysmileisfading
    mysmileisfading Posts: 5 Member
    Not a fan of walnuts or almonds, no. But cheese is good. I just had a protein shake that was 400 something calories and now I feel sick. :/ Don't know why this happens but it's discouraging.
  • katbirdinpa
    katbirdinpa Posts: 105
    Hi,

    If you are having trouble eating, can you drink, like milkshakes? It's very hard when you dont feel hungry.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Adding to the above^ Try whole milk, ice cream, avocados, full fat dressing, protein shakes/bars, rice, pasta...

    How much and when do you eat? How much cardio do you do? Try just logging what you eat and the exercise that you do for a week without changing anything, then add 100 calories a day each week until you start gaining weight. It's going to be healthier and easier if you do this slowly. If you make yourself sick then your thoughts/feelings about food might become (more?) disordered.
  • anlu37
    anlu37 Posts: 100 Member
    I think just like trying to lose weight, trying to gain weight is a one step at a time thing. your body is not used to so many calories. Track what you eat normally then make a goal to add a little every week. Talk to a doctor or a dietitian. They may have useful advice for you.

    I am a foster mom. Recently, we had a boy with us who had a difficult time gaining weight. We buttered both sides of his toast, and took every opportunity to have him eat high calorie, nutritious food like nuts and avocados. We found a recipe for avocado pudding. It was actually supper delicious, but high in calories. We added cocoa, peanut butter and bananas then sweetened it with honey. We made yummy smoothies with meal replacement drinks, peanut butter and bananas. He would take an hour and a half to finish one because if he drank it too fast, he would get an upset stomach. We would also have him eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before he went to bed. He gained 14 lbs in 2 months.
  • FitCanuckChick
    FitCanuckChick Posts: 240 Member
    Here is a link on tips to increasing cals, many of the tips would be vegetarian friendly too.

    http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/healthy_ways_to_increase_calories_and_protein/

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