Will Ensure help me gain healthy weight?

notmuchreally · March 2014

I am a bit underweight (around 10+ pounds under weight, 92~ pounds at 5'2"). I've only just begun research and there's several things I can add to food I am already eating, as well as additional food. I just thought it would be easier to take Ensure for now just to get things moving. There is regular Ensure which is 250 calories and plus or boost with 350 I believe. I decided on the 250 one to start. I figured perhaps it would be good to add slowly for my body and mind in particular.
I do eat 3 meals a day and snack in between but after working out I'm still only around 1200-1300 calories a day. So I figured I'd squeeze these in, one a day and continue adding to what I normally eat a bit.

I just worry about being all flabby. To be honest I've never been toned. I worry about how much muscle I've lost. Since I've never been a toned gal (I only use a stationary bike up to now) will it even make a difference? I know muscle weighs more than fat. So this is what I mean by healthy weight, I really don't have a desire to turn to junk food. But these seem to have a lot of sugar (23 grams) and carbs (40 grams). The fat content seems low, I think it was 6 or 9 grams.

I know I should keep working out to a minimum but have read that doing strength exercises would be good in addition to gaining weight. I only did 3 sets of 15 crunches and my stomach kills 3 days later. Just makes me feel like I've withered away. And I did some weights with my arms and they hurt. I only used my bike today because I was sedentary today and just feel lousy. Feel heavy in my chest, tired. That's what made me go out and get the ensures. I thought the nutrients in it would be good too.

doodlecakes_07 · March 2014

There are a lot of whole foods you can add in to get higher calories. Avocado, nuts, olive oil, dried fruit.... I think you should reach for those first before adding in shakes.

It sounds like you're feeling worn down from being underfed. So I'd suggest start eating more, maybe add in a high calorie smoothie (made with nut butters, bananas, full fat greek yogurt) or two. As your body starts to get the nutrients it needs, you'll most likely start feeling better.

Exercising is good, there's no need to stop, just adjust what you're doing. I really would start adding in strength training. Maybe you could be so sore because it's hard for your body to recover?

likitisplit · March 2014

It really sounds like you are on the right track.

I agree - food is a better option, but if your doctor thinks that Ensure is a good option, it's worth trying out. For me, eating cashews or frying eggs in butter trumps a drink any day of the week, but we're all different and have different needs

The reason why you are so sore is because you are just starting out. Start at a level you can do and move up, giving yourself rest days for recovery. While I, personally, find full body exercises (like planks or pushups) to be much more effective at providing a strong core, if you continue to do the ab exercises you will be able to crank out those sets every day without any lingering pain by the end of the month. Like one internet meme says "Today's challenge is tomorrow's warmup."

MrGonzo05 · March 2014

It's hard to build muscle. It takes consistency and progressive overload. You will quickly stop gaining new muscle from calisthenics. The progressive overload element is missing. Look into a novice program where you can progress, and that doesn't involve a silly fluff and pump workload that will bury you for minimal benefit. If you have access to a weight room, do stronglifts.

heybales · March 2014

Don't waste money on Ensure brand name when there is competition around now, look sideways on the shelf, probably a generic Ensure actually made by one of the competitors with the generic name.

It can be great for emergencies, but try to plan as best you can eating a good variety of whole foods and plenty of protein from different sources.

matt6050 · March 2014

I would say go for a supplement (Ensure or some generic brand; doesn't really matter which) only if the volume of your daily intake is making it difficult to eat all of it. At one point in a previous weight restoration I had to do, I was having up to 3 supplements a day to make sure my caloric needs were met with the activity level I kept!

If you feel that volume isn't an issue, then go with the more whole foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes/nuts, ect... Sounds like you are on the right track though!

Ulwaz · March 2014

Ensure would work since its full of vitamins you need but in the longterm you may gain weight and then lose it again when you stop taking them

I would just try and add healthy/calorie dense foods (milk, bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, dried fruit, nuts, olive oil, yoghurt, eggs, fish, chicken, red meat, cheese) Also adding some exercise too is always healthy for your body, just slowly boost your calories up until you start gaining, goodluck!

Elliehmltn · March 2014

Ensure, Boost, and similar supplement shakes are essentially milk with flavoring vegetable oil, and vitamins/minerals added. You can accomplish the same thing for less money by drinking chocolate milk and taking a vitamin pill. There's nothing magical about the "nutritional" shakes.

MityMax96 · March 2014

Eat your calories when you can vs. drinking them.

Exercise.

Lesa_Sass · March 2014

You will not gain weight until you are eating more than you burn no matter what you are eating/drinking.

If Ensure is a way that you can wrap your head around consuming more calories, by all means, do it.

I suffer from body dismorphia as well. I get what you are going through. Please feel free to reach out to talk to me if you ever need support. Trust me when I say, as hard as it is to wrap our mind around because all we see is what we wanna do next to make our bodies better, we look way better when we are not severely under weight.

I would wait until you gain a few pounds before starting exercise. If you decide to go the weight lifting route, you should drink a very high calorie protein shake.

Good luck, dont forget, I am here if you need me.

L

Galatea_Stone · March 2014

Eat your calories when you can vs. drinking them.

Exercise.

This. Eat and lift weights.

trijoe · March 2014

I personally wouldn't think very highly of a doctor who told me a great way to eat was a vitamin fortified milk shake. Sorry.

likitisplit · March 2014

I have had doctors suggest them as a short term solution when weight gain is an issue.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · March 2014

OP, my first question is if you are recovering from an ED? If so, I think that you are on the right track.

I do agree that eating actual food is the best option, nutritious and calorically dense food. However, I would rather that you get those extra calories through a supplement rather than not get them at all. Have you considered making your own shakes like another poster mentioned? That might be a good option for you as well

And I do also agree that a solid lifting program is the way to go in terms of activity. However...I also believe that if you are recovering from an ED that it is important to get your nutrition and intake nailed down and then go from there.

You got this! :flowerforyou:

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · March 2014

I personally wouldn't think very highly of a doctor who told me a great way to eat was a vitamin fortified milk shake. Sorry.

This is completely dependent on the individual. For a totally healthy person perhaps, but there are many that suffer from illness and ED that can benefit from those types of supplements.

Bounce4 · March 2014

One of my kids is very underweight and we were told to add carnation instant breakfast to his milk in the morning and afternoon. We were told it would not fill him up like the shakes because the goal is to eat more of the right foods. Talk to your doctor and/or a nutritionist. Gaining weight is just as hard as losing it I've discovered. His energy is low but then - he's very underweight.

MelissaPhippsFeagins · March 2014

When I was recovering from an ED, my doctor told me to take a multivitamin and have a milkshake everyday whether I wanted it or not in addition to my regular meals and snacks until I got up to 150lbs. Ensure accomplishes the same thing, although you'd need two/day for the calories in a shake from my college cafeteria. I did as I was told and put on a pound a week using the milkshake method. I don't recall being flabby at 150. I'm a little flabby at 153 now, but I've also had 4 kids so I don't expect to have a perfect body.

BTW, you know what I almost never want now and haven't for 20 years? A milkshake. It took close to six months of one a day to get to my goal. I was tired of them and I'm just now kind of getting over that.

drew06 · March 2014

Eat some more fats in the form of nuts/grassfed butter/olive oil/ avocado and bump up your protein intake to roughly .8-1g of bodyweight.

I also highly recommend strength training, at least a couple of times a week incorporating squats/deadlifts/presses/pull ups. You might start to lose some weight at first, but eventually you should start to gain some muscle and burn fat.

Oh and make sure not to increase calories too quickly, allow some time for your metabolism to catch up to the new caloric intake.

jmv7117 · March 2014

I am a bit underweight (around 10+ pounds under weight, 92~ pounds at 5'2"). I've only just begun research and there's several things I can add to food I am already eating, as well as additional food. I just thought it would be easier to take Ensure for now just to get things moving. There is regular Ensure which is 250 calories and plus or boost with 350 I believe. I decided on the 250 one to start. I figured perhaps it would be good to add slowly for my body and mind in particular.
I do eat 3 meals a day and snack in between but after working out I'm still only around 1200-1300 calories a day. So I figured I'd squeeze these in, one a day and continue adding to what I normally eat a bit.

I just worry about being all flabby. To be honest I've never been toned. I worry about how much muscle I've lost. Since I've never been a toned gal (I only use a stationary bike up to now) will it even make a difference? I know muscle weighs more than fat. So this is what I mean by healthy weight, I really don't have a desire to turn to junk food. But these seem to have a lot of sugar (23 grams) and carbs (40 grams). The fat content seems low, I think it was 6 or 9 grams.

I know I should keep working out to a minimum but have read that doing strength exercises would be good in addition to gaining weight. I only did 3 sets of 15 crunches and my stomach kills 3 days later. Just makes me feel like I've withered away. And I did some weights with my arms and they hurt. I only used my bike today because I was sedentary today and just feel lousy. Feel heavy in my chest, tired. That's what made me go out and get the ensures. I thought the nutrients in it would be good too.

An alternative to Ensure is homemade smoothies. These can be fortified with protein powder, Greek yogurt, nuts, nut butters, fruits and vegetables. You can even add supplements like fish oil to your smoothies. The best part is you can make any combination you want and they taste good! I made a coconut raspberry smoothie for breakfast this morning that came in at 322 cal but 38 g protein. Essentially, this is a meal replacement. Homemade smoothies are considerably less expensive than Ensure too.

notmuchreally · March 2014

Thank you for the tips!! Fortunately I got the Ensure on sale. By the time I finish them I'd like to have figured out another kind of Shake. I do find it easy and helpful but only just started.

heybales · March 2014

Thank you for the tips!! Fortunately I got the Ensure on sale. By the time I finish them I'd like to have figured out another kind of Shake. I do find it easy and helpful but only just started.

I love using them and similar, whatever's cheaper but about equal, as replacement for chocolate milk after a hard cardio workout, and I've got another tomorrow planned.
I figure for slight increase in price, why not get all the extra vitamins and minerals. Tad extra can't hurt at that point.

Sharon_C · March 2014

I personally wouldn't think very highly of a doctor who told me a great way to eat was a vitamin fortified milk shake. Sorry.

I disagree. There are lots of reasons to drink them. My husband was in a coma for 9 days and in the hospital for 25 days. Doctors encouraged him to drink the shakes for the added vitamins and to gain the 20 pounds he lost while in a coma.

Once he was on the right track and gaining weight he went off them.

magurski · March 2014

My personal opinion (and I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum from you, so take it as you will) is that it's better to eat real foods than something that you end up paying someone for in order to get some "advantage". This goes for both weight gain and weight loss. In either case, if someone is touting a benefit, their actual goal isn't to help you, it's to keep you paying them. If you want to gain weight, look into natural foods like nuts, oils, etc. If you want to lose weight, cut the foods that lead to gains like pasta, breads, etc. Any program that promotes buying foods from them has zero incentive to allow you to reach your goal. Figure out your macros (carbs, protein, fat), and find whole, natural foods that meet them. 70ish pounds down, without any quick fixes or "official" weight loss plans have basically proven that to me. Hopefully, you can find the same.

MissJay75 · March 2014

I just worry about being all flabby. To be honest I've never been toned. I worry about how much muscle I've lost. Since I've never been a toned gal (I only use a stationary bike up to now) will it even make a difference? I know muscle weighs more than fat. So this is what I mean by healthy weight, I really don't have a desire to turn to junk food. But these seem to have a lot of sugar (23 grams) and carbs (40 grams). The fat content seems low, I think it was 6 or 9 grams..

I'm not sure I understand your questions. If you are hoping the ensure will provide nutritious calories which will fuel your body so you can workout better, which will give you a more toned body, then yes - a fine choice

If you are hoping that the weight you gain from ensure will be toned and not flabby, then no it won't make any difference what you eat. Extra calories alone will be gained as fat.

likitisplit · March 2014

My personal opinion (and I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum from you, so take it as you will) is that it's better to eat real foods than something that you end up paying someone for in order to get some "advantage". This goes for both weight gain and weight loss. In either case, if someone is touting a benefit, their actual goal isn't to help you, it's to keep you paying them. If you want to gain weight, look into natural foods like nuts, oils, etc. If you want to lose weight, cut the foods that lead to gains like pasta, breads, etc. Any program that promotes buying foods from them has zero incentive to allow you to reach your goal. Figure out your macros (carbs, protein, fat), and find whole, natural foods that meet them. 70ish pounds down, without any quick fixes or "official" weight loss plans have basically proven that to me. Hopefully, you can find the same.

I mean, yes and no. I get not paying somebody for "diet food" because part of the process is learning how to eat sustainably for the long term.

But I also pay for a cleaning service. I get that their goal is to make money, but it's still an essential convenience for me since my kids are still small. I need a little boost to meet some minimum requirements right now.

Sometimes paying for conveniences are just that...I mean, you can make your own peanut butter too, but who does?

Not that I'm arguing that this is or should be a long term solution. The OP makes it sound like her goal is to eat more food - and that is what I would recommend from my layperson's point of view.

Will Ensure help me gain healthy weight?

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