My friend needs help gaining weight

Original_Beauty
Original_Beauty Posts: 180 Member
edited January 2015 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I have a friend a close friend who is having trouble gaining weight. She had always been petite, she is a little over 5'2" and used to weigh 50 kilos (110lbs) Her weight has been slowly dropping, her weight is now 44kilos (97lbs) She has tried tracking her food and on average eats 2000/22000 calories (she has upped her calories to 2500) and her weight is still dropping. She loves food, trust me this girl can eat!!! No she does not have an eating disorder. The doctors can not work out while she is losing weight. She wants to get back to her starting weight, but she feels lost. I hate seeing her upset over this. Any ideas?

Replies

  • TaraPara22
    TaraPara22 Posts: 17 Member
    I'M NOT PROFESSIONAL
    But how about instead of counting the calories, have 5 meals a day, and make the portions bigger. She doesn't have to eat junk food, but just making her portions bigger than normal and drinking more juice and stuff like that?
    That's what I'd do.
  • KingRat79
    KingRat79 Posts: 125 Member
    She could eat more calorie dense foods.

    Peanut butter is a good example 100g of peanut butter is about 600 calories. if she adds a a big spoonfull of peanut butter in to a smoothie it soon adds up the calories
  • Original_Beauty
    Original_Beauty Posts: 180 Member
    She has tried things like that here is a sample of her day, today:

    Breakfast:
    1 piece of toast with peanut butter
    1 small bowl of cornflakes
    1 tub of yogurt
    1 glass of juice

    Morning tea:
    1 banana and peanut butter smoothie

    Lunch:
    Chicken, cheese salad roll
    1 glass of milk
    1 Apple

    Snack:
    1 cup of nuts

    Dinner:
    Steak, green vegetables with garlic butter

    Dessert:
    1 chocolate muffin
    1 hot chocolate

    She told me she is completely full eating like this.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    I expect she is aware of this, but when my father was ill and had massive weight loss, the doctors recommended that he try to increase his carbs, protein and and fat intake: he was encouraged to eat more pasta, potatoes, cheese, and puddings or shakes made with with cream and high fat milk powder. This all looks very balanced to me, but not high in carbs?

    It is good she is talking to her doctors: I assume they have checked oxygen levels in her blood? In my father's case the weight loss was a side effect of a pulmonary disorder.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    What is her activity level like - both day to day and exercise?
  • KingRat79
    KingRat79 Posts: 125 Member
    ultimately, she is going to have to eat more, however she does it, if she is going to gain weight she is going to have to eat more calories.

    I notice in her meals there are no carb dense foods, in her dinner she eats stake and green veg. green veg is low in calories, she could add more carb dense foods which tend to be high in calories(potatoes, rice, pasta).

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Given her stats, if she is still losing weight then she is either not eating 2500 cals (overestimating) or she needs to go back to her doctor.

    How much exercise does she do?

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