new and need help gaining weight

Hi everyone! I'm currently 109.6 pounds, and as a short term goal I would love to be 116, with a long term goal being 120 pounds. I'm drinking ensure plus to help me get to where I need to be but would love some suggestions about meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that will help me gain the extra weight. thank you!!
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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    my diary is open feel to browse it, I am bulking on about 3100 calories..

    I would say that bagels, full fat cream cheese, eggs, bacon, steak, pork ,rice, pasta, bread, ice cream, pizza, beer/wine, full fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cookies, etc are your friends….
  • joshuajguyer
    joshuajguyer Posts: 21 Member
    edited January 2015
    Focus on building lean muscle mass to gain the additional 6 - 10 lbs you seek. That way, you'll both look and feel great.
  • Agree with Josh, keep in mind that with any mass gaining diet, some fat gains are expected.. that being said, you can minimize how much by doing a few things differently...

    Carbs are your friends- but watch where you're getting them from.. whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, Brown rice and oats are great sources.
    You need to be consuming around 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fats (almonds, avocado, healthy fats). Of your daily diet.. my fitness pal app does a good job of breaking it down for you.

    Avoid eating high ammouts of carbs before bed, you need higher protein for your muscles to grow over night, but carbs tend to go to fat storages.. a whey protein shake will do well before bed, one scoop usually has around 20-25g of protein and very few carbs..

    Remember to time your meals and watch your portions, it is really easy to over eat.. the nutritional facts on everything you buy is a great way to find out.. get to know them well and understand it.

    that's my two cents.. I've been gaining weight and so far that's what's working for me.. I am also at the gym 6 days a week because there's no point to the diet if you're not exercising, it will just turn to fat!!

    REMEMBER!! 1-2 LBS A WEEK TO GAIN IS HEALTHY.. once you start gaining more .. usually means you're gaining unwanted fat!

    one book I highly recommend is "power eating" 4th edition by Susan kleiner..
  • ndj1979 wrote: »
    my diary is open feel to browse it, I am bulking on about 3100 calories..

    I would say that bagels, full fat cream cheese, eggs, bacon, steak, pork ,rice, pasta, bread, ice cream, pizza, beer/wine, full fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cookies, etc are your friends….

    Could this be for me too?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Klundy0941: take the advice of ndj1979 if your goal is to more closely resemble a well worn bean bag chair. While soft and comfortable and great to nap on, they may not be the most desirable metaphor when considering a favorable presentation of your new physique. Focus on building lean muscle mass to gain the additional 6 - 10 lbs you seek. That way, you'll both look and feel great, and can avoid dieting down to lose the unwanted fat stores that will accumulate should you follow ndj1979's sage advice.

    hmmm I have been eating that way and I look nothing like a "bean bag"..

    and your advice to OP is what…? Because your post has zero helpful advice…and I would be curious what the alternate to my suggestion is? Eat clean?????
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Cavenicula wrote: »
    Agree with Josh, keep in mind that with any mass gaining diet, some fat gains are expected.. that being said, you can minimize how much by doing a few things differently...

    Carbs are your friends- but watch where you're getting them from.. whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, Brown rice and oats are great sources.
    You need to be consuming around 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fats (almonds, avocado, healthy fats). Of your daily diet.. my fitness pal app does a good job of breaking it down for you.

    Avoid eating high ammouts of carbs before bed, you need higher protein for your muscles to grow over night, but carbs tend to go to fat storages.. a whey protein shake will do well before bed, one scoop usually has around 20-25g of protein and very few carbs..

    Remember to time your meals and watch your portions, it is really easy to over eat.. the nutritional facts on everything you buy is a great way to find out.. get to know them well and understand it.

    that's my two cents.. I've been gaining weight and so far that's what's working for me.. I am also at the gym 6 days a week because there's no point to the diet if you're not exercising, it will just turn to fat!!

    REMEMBER!! 1-2 LBS A WEEK TO GAIN IS HEALTHY.. once you start gaining more .. usually means you're gaining unwanted fat!

    one book I highly recommend is "power eating" 4th edition by Susan kleiner..

    OP - ignore this bro science.

    Unless you are high performance athlete meal timing and nutrient timer is not necessary.

    if you want to gain weight you need to eat MORE food, period.

    and yes, you need a heavy lifting program with progressive overload built into it.

  • This content has been removed.
  • thank you everyone for your help! still a little confused about what to eat/not eat before bedtime and what's healthy in terms of weight gain per week.
  • nerr7
    nerr7 Posts: 13 Member
    klundy0941 wrote: »
    thank you everyone for your help! still a little confused about what to eat/not eat before bedtime and what's healthy in terms of weight gain per week.

    To be honest, it really doesn't matter what you eat before bed! whatever works for you!

    Firstly- the theory that carbs before bed will make you gain fat is total *kitten* :)
    - If you are doing weight training and trying to gain muscle mass I would recommend sources of casein protein. you can buy casein protein powder or greek yoghurt, cottage cheese/ dairy products are great sources of casein. Casein protein is a slow digesting protein, which means if keeps your body and muscles fed while you sleep and you remain anabolic (rather than catabolic where the body begins to break down and feed off tissue/muscle)
    -i would also recommend complex carbs such as oats, cereals, banana rather than simple carbs. or you could have a combination.. its usually not a great idea to go to bed with a tummy full of sugar :)
  • nerr7
    nerr7 Posts: 13 Member
    also eating some healthy fats before bed is a good idea- as fats slow digestion and keep you fuller and your muscles fed longer.
    - some sources might be nuts and nut butters, oils, etc
  • @nerr7‌ when you say complex carbs such as cereal, are cheerios a good example? I want a cereal that can keep me full. At night I tend to switch between stauffers animal crackers or graham frackers with peanut butter. how do those stack up?
  • nerr7
    nerr7 Posts: 13 Member
    cheerios are ok, they are a wholegrain option which is good- that generally means they will be more of a complex carb. other examples are weetbix, muesli (fruit free varieties), bran, shredded wheat etc
    - yeah crackers with peanut butter are a good idea too! :)
  • This content has been removed.
  • Listen I'm just looking for suggestions. At the end of the day I'm going to eat what I like to eat. There's nothing wrong with me asking others for help or suggestions on different things.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    edited January 2015
    Team BeanBag Body reporting for duty sir!

    20150110_152041_zpsiha1pvvw.jpg

    I eat all those things while bulking...And even while cutting so... Um. I'm gonna have to go ahead and say eat all those things.
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    edited January 2015
    I suggest reading this thread, it's very helpful for what your goals are:

    Bulking Beginner's Guide
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    my diary is open feel to browse it, I am bulking on about 3100 calories..

    I would say that bagels, full fat cream cheese, eggs, bacon, steak, pork ,rice, pasta, bread, ice cream, pizza, beer/wine, full fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cookies, etc are your friends….

    Could this be for me too?

    Anyone who wants to gain needs to eat at a surplus. How you get there is pretty much up to you. Just eat a reasonable balanced base diet to get your micros, fibre, servings of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats etc. then you can fill up the rest with whatever you like since you've met all your requirements and anything else is just energy.

    So if you want to eat a completely "clean" diet (whatever that might be) you can or you can eat a wider variety of foods and still not need to feel guilty. Just as long as you can make it to a caloric surplus and lift regularly you will put on some decent muscle. The lower the surplus the cleaner the bulk (i.e. more muscle and less fat per pound gained) but also the longer it will take to gain weight.

  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Team BeanBag Body reporting for duty sir!

    20150110_152041_zpsiha1pvvw.jpg

    I eat all those things while bulking...And even while cutting so... Um. I'm gonna have to go ahead and say eat all those things.

    My bean bag chair never looked that good!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    klundy0941 wrote: »
    @nerr7‌ when you say complex carbs such as cereal, are cheerios a good example? I want a cereal that can keep me full. At night I tend to switch between stauffers animal crackers or graham frackers with peanut butter. how do those stack up?

    Oatmeal or multi-grain cereal like Red River is usually my choice if I want something that satisfies me for a long time. I just don't find most commercial brands to have enough fibre to keep me feeling full for very long, if at all.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Klundy0941: take the advice of ndj1979 if your goal is to more closely resemble a well worn bean bag chair. While soft and comfortable and great to nap on, they may not be the most desirable metaphor when considering a favorable presentation of your new physique. Focus on building lean muscle mass to gain the additional 6 - 10 lbs you seek. That way, you'll both look and feel great, and can avoid dieting down to lose the unwanted fat stores that will accumulate should you follow ndj1979's sage advice.


    You are making a huge assumption here - maybe you should check with the OP as to her goal re gaining.

    Also....rude.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Cavenicula wrote: »
    Agree with Josh, keep in mind that with any mass gaining diet, some fat gains are expected.. that being said, you can minimize how much by doing a few things differently...

    Carbs are your friends- but watch where you're getting them from.. whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, Brown rice and oats are great sources.
    You need to be consuming around 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fats (almonds, avocado, healthy fats). Of your daily diet.. my fitness pal app does a good job of breaking it down for you.

    Avoid eating high ammouts of carbs before bed, you need higher protein for your muscles to grow over night, but carbs tend to go to fat storages.. a whey protein shake will do well before bed, one scoop usually has around 20-25g of protein and very few carbs..

    Remember to time your meals and watch your portions, it is really easy to over eat.. the nutritional facts on everything you buy is a great way to find out.. get to know them well and understand it.

    that's my two cents.. I've been gaining weight and so far that's what's working for me.. I am also at the gym 6 days a week because there's no point to the diet if you're not exercising, it will just turn to fat!!

    REMEMBER!! 1-2 LBS A WEEK TO GAIN IS HEALTHY.. once you start gaining more .. usually means you're gaining unwanted fat!

    one book I highly recommend is "power eating" 4th edition by Susan kleiner..

    OP ignore all this.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    edited January 2015
    OP - are you looking to gain muscle or just gain some additional body fat for health reasons, or both?

    Do you currently lift weights and if so, how long have you been doing so, and what type of program are you on?

    Also, if you do not mind saying, how tall are you?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Team BeanBag Body reporting for duty sir!

    20150110_152041_zpsiha1pvvw.jpg

    I eat all those things while bulking...And even while cutting so... Um. I'm gonna have to go ahead and say eat all those things.

    I will join that team any day of the week …oh wait, I guess i am the captain of that team according to the other poster….
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Team BeanBag Body reporting for duty sir!

    20150110_152041_zpsiha1pvvw.jpg

    I eat all those things while bulking...And even while cutting so... Um. I'm gonna have to go ahead and say eat all those things.

    I will join that team any day of the week …oh wait, I guess i am the captain of that team according to the other poster….
    We're going to start a club TeamBeanBagBody. We can sell overrated products for free. Because well- why not. :p
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Team Beanbag - I'm in :smiley:
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    *does team beanbag pose* this may or may not have involved some flexing and sitting down to play some video games.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Team BeanBag Body reporting for duty sir!

    20150110_152041_zpsiha1pvvw.jpg

    I eat all those things while bulking...And even while cutting so... Um. I'm gonna have to go ahead and say eat all those things.

    I will join that team any day of the week …oh wait, I guess i am the captain of that team according to the other poster….
    We're going to start a club TeamBeanBagBody. We can sell overrated products for free. Because well- why not. :p

    lol I read as TeamBangBody….whoops…I guess we know where my mind is today…
    but yea I am in for TeamBeanBagBody or TeamBangBody …

  • @Sarauk2sf‌ I'm interested in mostly gaining weight for health reasons but I would like some definition to my body while gaining weight. I don't lift weights, I do a mixture of pilates and yoga. I'm 5'5 too by the way.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    *does team beanbag pose* this may or may not have involved some flexing and sitting down to play some video games.

    Yes- games- marathon binges of netflix and pizza and beer.

    Convert to the dark side of TeamBeanBagBody
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    klundy0941 wrote: »
    @Sarauk2sf‌ I'm interested in mostly gaining weight for health reasons but I would like some definition to my body while gaining weight. I don't lift weights, I do a mixture of pilates and yoga. I'm 5'5 too by the way.


    welp. you need to do some resistance training along with all your stretching.