It's not easy, but it isn't impossible!
Options
onitap5
Posts: 13
I posted this earlier in the motivational support portion of the forums. It bummed me out that I didn't get any feedback. It dawned on my that most of the people there were looking to lose weight, nobody is going to understand someone wanting to gain it. I then decided to post here. I know I'm not alone in my wish to put weight on and I want to show others that they aren't alone either!
A little background about me: I have a medical condition that prevents my body from absorbing all the nutrients I need in order to be healthy. I have to consume 3,000 calories just to maintain my weight at 83-87 lbs. Ever since I was in highschool I've had this obsession with putting weight on. It got to the point where I would make myself sick from eating too much.It's been really difficult to ignore my lack of body fat when people are constantly pointing out how skinny I am, I've fought depression for so long because of it. My self esteem had been dragging on the floor this past year after I lost even MORE weight due to pneumonia.
In the past month I had barely began to feel better about myself because my appetite was slowly coming back and the numbers on the scale kept growing a bit. I was starting to feel good again! The other day, my boyfriend and I were hanging out with some people we recently befriended. Somehow, the subject of age came up and everyone mentioned theirs (20-26). I mentioned mine (23) and everyone was shocked. One of the guys there even said he thought I was in my mid to late thirties because I looked so old! It was a slap in the face. I never realized how drastic of an effect a lack of body fat can have! I felt this ugly feeling creeping up on me to know how old, sickly, and frail I must look in the eyes of others.I want to continue this weight gain journey for my health but I don't want it to turn into an unhealthy obsession.
We all have our reasons for gaining, whether it be health or aesthetic, it doesn't matter! We're all on this together!
A little background about me: I have a medical condition that prevents my body from absorbing all the nutrients I need in order to be healthy. I have to consume 3,000 calories just to maintain my weight at 83-87 lbs. Ever since I was in highschool I've had this obsession with putting weight on. It got to the point where I would make myself sick from eating too much.It's been really difficult to ignore my lack of body fat when people are constantly pointing out how skinny I am, I've fought depression for so long because of it. My self esteem had been dragging on the floor this past year after I lost even MORE weight due to pneumonia.
In the past month I had barely began to feel better about myself because my appetite was slowly coming back and the numbers on the scale kept growing a bit. I was starting to feel good again! The other day, my boyfriend and I were hanging out with some people we recently befriended. Somehow, the subject of age came up and everyone mentioned theirs (20-26). I mentioned mine (23) and everyone was shocked. One of the guys there even said he thought I was in my mid to late thirties because I looked so old! It was a slap in the face. I never realized how drastic of an effect a lack of body fat can have! I felt this ugly feeling creeping up on me to know how old, sickly, and frail I must look in the eyes of others.I want to continue this weight gain journey for my health but I don't want it to turn into an unhealthy obsession.
We all have our reasons for gaining, whether it be health or aesthetic, it doesn't matter! We're all on this together!
0
Replies
-
eat all the things
lift all the things.
Glad you're scale is starting to go up... are you having a hard time fitting all the food in and what types of foods are you trying to eat? perhaps us bulkers can give you some insight?0 -
Thank you JoRocka! My main problem is a lack of appetite. It's hardly there. Sometimes eating feels like such a chore. I eat lots of chicken, fish, and red meat. I hardly eat processed foods.
Rice, and corn tortillas are basically a staple in my diet.
Lately I've been snacking on apples with peanut butter.
My body itself is hungry, but my mind isn't. I have to force myself to eat, and because of that my meals are pretty small.0 -
I really feel for you, I've also battled skinnyness. For the record I think you look good!
Small meals are good! Just have lots of them.
Maybe eat less boring food? More sushi! More chocolate and fast food! Popcorn!0 -
I think many will, mistakenly, think you're lucky and that their battle to lose weight is tougher but of course it isn't. I find it amazing how often it seems acceptable to say "wow aren't you skinny" and yet you'd be lynched for saying "wow, aren't you fat"...
Good luck with your journey and "battle".0 -
Get a blender and make drinks from ice cream, cream and greek yoghurt, fruit, protein powder, juice, honey, use your imagination.
You're not high fat food phobic are you?0 -
I really feel for you, I've also battled skinnyness. For the record I think you look good!
Small meals are good! Just have lots of them.
Maybe eat less boring food? More sushi! More chocolate and fast food! Popcorn!
Thanks Schpitt!! It just so happens thay sushi is my FAVORITE thing to eat. My wallet hates it of course! Haha. I've contemplated on taking lessons and making my own. You hit the nail right on the head. Boring food. I'm stuck in a rut and I NEED to spice things up. Literally I guess. Lolamandarunning wrote: »I think many will, mistakenly, think you're lucky and that their battle to lose weight is tougher but of course it isn't. I find it amazing how often it seems acceptable to say "wow aren't you skinny" and yet you'd be lynched for saying "wow, aren't you fat"...
Good luck with your journey and "battle".
Thanks amandarunning!
0 -
This depends on your height, but 83-87 pounds is dangerously underweight for almost everyone (unless you're 4'8" or thereabouts). Because of that, getting calories in is more important than just about anything else. Basically, anything that doesn't exacerbate your symptoms should be up for grabs. You say you don't eat a lot of processed foods, but some of those foods, like peanut butter and ice cream, should be your best friends if you like them. You should absolutely continue to eat all the healthy things you're already eating. Fish, rice, tortillas, red meat, etc. But you should also be adding in whatever high-calorie, low-volume foods you like in order to hit your calories.0
-
Thank you JoRocka! My main problem is a lack of appetite. It's hardly there. Sometimes eating feels like such a chore. I eat lots of chicken, fish, and red meat. I hardly eat processed foods.
Rice, and corn tortillas are basically a staple in my diet.
Lately I've been snacking on apples with peanut butter.
My body itself is hungry, but my mind isn't. I have to force myself to eat, and because of that my meals are pretty small.
Definitely shoot for the highest calorie- low desnse thing you can find.
-Eat more processed foods- that have what people call "empty calories".. if you have a hard time eating- don't make it worse by eating foods that make you feel full- and have low calories.
So- for me- insta calories bag of chips and a soda- usually a small bag is like 150 calories- a standard bag you find at eye level at a like- deli bag is 3.5 calories- then it goes up to family size- so at 150 a pop for the standard (not single serving) size- i'ts liek 525 calories (for doritos I know i'ts 150 /serving)
525 calories plus 250 for a soda- boom- 700 calories- and barely full. For a regular person you'll be hungry again in 45 -60 min.
Snickers? GO TO TOWN.
Blender- blend slices of cheese cake in with your ice cream smoothies.
There comes a point where you can't stick with "healthy" options when you are training to gain- calories trump "healthy" foods in gaining- healthy all day long and not hitting calories means no gains.
so go for the gains- you need it. toss everything you know about food and what the media tells you you should be eating out the window.
Go.ham. eat all the things high calorie that don't make you actual sick.
Trust- it's hard to let it go- but you just gotta LET IT GO... grab a snickers and LET IT GO_ LET IT GO!!!0 -
I'll add my voice to the shakes as well. Mass gainers can be your friend as well because drinking calories doesn't illicit the same fullness response as eating. So ice cream floats and shakes can help as well. Just as long as you get your daily requirements you should be fine but make sure your doctor is aware so he or she can advise you on these ideas on context of your situation.0
-
Thank you JoRocka! My main problem is a lack of appetite. It's hardly there. Sometimes eating feels like such a chore. I eat lots of chicken, fish, and red meat. I hardly eat processed foods.
Rice, and corn tortillas are basically a staple in my diet.
Lately I've been snacking on apples with peanut butter.
My body itself is hungry, but my mind isn't. I have to force myself to eat, and because of that my meals are pretty small.
Definitely shoot for the highest calorie- low desnse thing you can find.
-Eat more processed foods- that have what people call "empty calories".. if you have a hard time eating- don't make it worse by eating foods that make you feel full- and have low calories.
So- for me- insta calories bag of chips and a soda- usually a small bag is like 150 calories- a standard bag you find at eye level at a like- deli bag is 3.5 calories- then it goes up to family size- so at 150 a pop for the standard (not single serving) size- i'ts liek 525 calories (for doritos I know i'ts 150 /serving)
525 calories plus 250 for a soda- boom- 700 calories- and barely full. For a regular person you'll be hungry again in 45 -60 min.
Snickers? GO TO TOWN.
Blender- blend slices of cheese cake in with your ice cream smoothies.
There comes a point where you can't stick with "healthy" options when you are training to gain- calories trump "healthy" foods in gaining- healthy all day long and not hitting calories means no gains.
so go for the gains- you need it. toss everything you know about food and what the media tells you you should be eating out the window.
Go.ham. eat all the things high calorie that don't make you actual sick.
Trust- it's hard to let it go- but you just gotta LET IT GO... grab a snickers and LET IT GO_ LET IT GO!!!
You're right, I had been going through this all wrong. I had it stuck in my mind that the empty calories were no good however I never realized how HARD it was to gain just by eating "clean". I guess at this point it's not in my best interest to be picky about where the calories are coming from.Wheelhouse15 wrote: »I'll add my voice to the shakes as well. Mass gainers can be your friend as well because drinking calories doesn't illicit the same fullness response as eating. So ice cream floats and shakes can help as well. Just as long as you get your daily requirements you should be fine but make sure your doctor is aware so he or she can advise you on these ideas on context of your situation.
I bought this calorie dense shake powder called "Naturade Weight Gain" it's supposed to add 1500 calories with a 16 oz. shake if it's mixed with whole milk.
It's not really a protein shake I think, just calorie dense.0 -
I guess at this point it's not in my best interest to be picky about where the calories are coming from.
nailed it.0 -
So good to see someone going through what I am. Regardless of how much I eat or what it is I can't push over 40kgs.0
-
Thank you JoRocka! My main problem is a lack of appetite. It's hardly there. Sometimes eating feels like such a chore. I eat lots of chicken, fish, and red meat. I hardly eat processed foods.
Rice, and corn tortillas are basically a staple in my diet.
Lately I've been snacking on apples with peanut butter.
My body itself is hungry, but my mind isn't. I have to force myself to eat, and because of that my meals are pretty small.
Definitely shoot for the highest calorie- low desnse thing you can find.
-Eat more processed foods- that have what people call "empty calories".. if you have a hard time eating- don't make it worse by eating foods that make you feel full- and have low calories.
So- for me- insta calories bag of chips and a soda- usually a small bag is like 150 calories- a standard bag you find at eye level at a like- deli bag is 3.5 calories- then it goes up to family size- so at 150 a pop for the standard (not single serving) size- i'ts liek 525 calories (for doritos I know i'ts 150 /serving)
525 calories plus 250 for a soda- boom- 700 calories- and barely full. For a regular person you'll be hungry again in 45 -60 min.
Snickers? GO TO TOWN.
Blender- blend slices of cheese cake in with your ice cream smoothies.
There comes a point where you can't stick with "healthy" options when you are training to gain- calories trump "healthy" foods in gaining- healthy all day long and not hitting calories means no gains.
so go for the gains- you need it. toss everything you know about food and what the media tells you you should be eating out the window.
Go.ham. eat all the things high calorie that don't make you actual sick.
Trust- it's hard to let it go- but you just gotta LET IT GO... grab a snickers and LET IT GO_ LET IT GO!!!
this…ice cream, bagels, chips, candy bars, rice, pasta, etc are your friends….
given that you already have a medical condition that makes gaining hard, you need to forget about eating "clean" and just go all in with high calorie foods...
I don't have a medical condition but if i tried to bulk on chicken, rice, and vegetables it would be impossible….0 -
elliemareegeary wrote: »So good to see someone going through what I am. Regardless of how much I eat or what it is I can't push over 40kgs.
I'm telling you, theres a lot of us out there but not everyone takes the problem as serious as if we were overweight. But I feel you!
@ndj1979 I guess when you put it like that, it does sound pretty bland. I'm Hispanic though so a lot of my meals are fried and made with lard lol.
I just want to make sure I do something different this time around to make it work. I had in mind that it was best to gain weight (fat) and THEN tone and get fit. Would it be best to lift and get toned as a gain? I do want some body fat... never in my life have I ever had any. My chest has always been flat, my butt however has always had a shape, as I used to do bjj and boxing.
0 -
I came here to lose weight. Like so many others, I would have ignorantly thought you don't know how good you have it. While I was on my journey to lose weight I met a wonderful woman at my gym who was trying to gain. I thought she had an amazing body and was envious that I'm not a naturally small woman. As I got to know her I realized she put in a TON more work to gain weight than I did to lose. We all have our battles and sometimes we just don't understand what others are going through.
@JoRocka gave you lots of really great advice. I hope to see you achieve your goals and learn to love your body along the way. Everyone deserves to be happy and I strongly believe that true happiness comes from within.0 -
I've been in a constant battle to gain weight as well! I can really relate to you! I have struggled with feeling depressed about my weight and if I complain about most people look at me like I'm stupid. But it is extremely irritating when people are constantly pointing out how skinny I am. I also understand how you feel when you say it feels like a chore to eat! That's another thing most people don't understand! I struggle to get 2000 calories in. What has been helping me are actually drinks called Ensure Plus, they are little bottles and easy to drink and it has about 350 calories per bottle. I also make peanut butter, banana, vanilla ice cream, and whole milk smoothies. If you can drink a lot of whole milk as well that does help. For me since it's difficult to eat a lot I try to get my calories through liquids, I find it a bit easier that way. Good luck on your journey! I wish you the best!0
-
elliemareegeary wrote: »So good to see someone going through what I am. Regardless of how much I eat or what it is I can't push over 40kgs.
I'm telling you, theres a lot of us out there but not everyone takes the problem as serious as if we were overweight. But I feel you!
@ndj1979 I guess when you put it like that, it does sound pretty bland. I'm Hispanic though so a lot of my meals are fried and made with lard lol.
I just want to make sure I do something different this time around to make it work. I had in mind that it was best to gain weight (fat) and THEN tone and get fit. Would it be best to lift and get toned as a gain? I do want some body fat... never in my life have I ever had any. My chest has always been flat, my butt however has always had a shape, as I used to do bjj and boxing.
eat more and lift more ..
I would suggest getting on a structured lifting program like 5x5 or stronglifts...
like jo roca says...lift all the things, eat all the things...
0 -
Yes @krazy_lynn101!! It's annoying and sometimes I just want to go into isolation. I used to drink Boost/Ensure plus but they. both got expensive QUICK. There is this Boost product called "Boost VHC" (very high calorie) that boasts 560+ calories per 8 oz. drink or something like that. I've only been able to find it on Amazon and it's $46 +sp. for a 24 pack. I haven't tried it though.
Thank you for the well wishes, you too!!0 -
Yes @krazy_lynn101!! It's annoying and sometimes I just want to go into isolation. I used to drink Boost/Ensure plus but they. both got expensive QUICK. There is this Boost product called "Boost VHC" (very high calorie) that boasts 560+ calories per 8 oz. drink or something like that. I've only been able to find it on Amazon and it's $46 +sp. for a 24 pack. I haven't tried it though.
Thank you for the well wishes, you too!!
Might want to try a meal replacement mix like MetRX. It's cheaper and will work just as well.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.4K Fitness and Exercise
- 404 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 987 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions