Finally decided to set my mind to do this. Anybody else look

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tokki890
tokki890 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Finally decided to set my mind to do this. Anybody else looking to GAIN weight too?

I'm actually a meticulous person so I'm enjoying tracking my calories - in fact, my goal is to GAIN 0.5 to 1 lb/week (in a healthy way).

I've always been skinny my whole life and let's just say I'm sick and tired of people assuming that I'm anorexic or saying how great it is to be slim. I've had it checked out by doctors and I do not have any underlying medical conditions. Let's just say skinny people can have body image issues too.

I'm so skinny that sometimes size 0 petite is still loose on me - it's so hard to buy clothes. And it's unhealthy in the long run to be so underweight.

I've always known that I consume MORE calories than I burn (I wolf down those burgers and steaks, love to drink 2% milk - not trying to gloat here), but never had a concrete number to be sure. These days I'm drinking 1 to 2 bottles of Ensure (plus calories) on top of having my meals.

I know genetics play an issue here (similarly for those find it difficult to lose weight despite many attempts), so I wonder if my base metabolism is higher than average for someone my size.

Also, I want to eat HEALTHY - lower the amount of sodium and fat intake (more reasons why I'm using the calorie tracker). I would like get back to exercising too because I know that I'm not 'fit" at all. I know that best way to strengthen heart muscles is to do cardio, but I don't want to burn too much calories. Need to do strength building exercise too (to gain muscle = weight).

By the way, anyone have any ideas for good and healthy snacks? I'm not a big fan of nuts so that's out. Also, what kind of exercises should I do to build a healthy cardiovascular system?

I hope that I can achieve my goal and to become more active and healthy!

Replies

  • charlottebronte
    charlottebronte Posts: 88
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    Welcome to MFP. We are all about being healthy here--whichever way your calorie count takes you! Good snacks for you: cheese and crackers, half of a turkey sandwich, banana with peanut butter....
  • kgs0201
    kgs0201 Posts: 459 Member
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    Hi! Welcome to MFP! Since gaining weight is not exactly what the majority of people on this site are trying to do, I would suggest doing a "Search" of the forums for any other posts about gaining weight. There is probably a group somewhere on this website dedicated to gaining weight in a healthy way. Good luck on your journey!!
  • kseier
    kseier Posts: 91 Member
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    hey there- you should try a good weight trainnig program. i reccommend chalean extreme- i wanna try that too. it comes with calculations to gain or lose weight. also try lots of flaxseed. have at least 3 tablespoons pure day. or flaxseed oils aupplements... add olive oil to everything you cook. healthy fats! eat high protein meals in big portions. chicken breast and fish...salmon is the best. a LOT of healthy fat in there and tons of protein. try greek yogurt, tons of protein. and 2 % milk cottage cheese. drink 2% milk. eat lots of eggs. have protein shakes. eat like a body builder would :) im jealous! i'd lvoe to be able to eat that way! but i understand it's hard for you, jsut like its hard for those of use that need to lose weight.
  • jinxywinx
    jinxywinx Posts: 38
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    While I cannot relate to this myself, my best friend in high school struggled with the same thing. I think one of the reasons why we were such good friends is because we could really get what the other one was going through on a superficial level.
    She was so self-conscious about being underweight that she would take measures to never show off her body at all. 4 years we hung out almost everday, and I never once saw her in a bathing suit.

    I wish I had some advice to give on how to gain weight in a healthy way, but I do not. I just wanted to let you know that you are so not alone. Good luck with your journey!
  • heatherleigh12
    heatherleigh12 Posts: 26
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    Hi.... just wanted to say that you will find support here weather you want to loose or gain weight this is the place to be.. as far as snacks go fruit and yougort smothies are always good..
  • tokki890
    tokki890 Posts: 3
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    Thank you so much to those who welcomed me and commented on my post. You are all so kind. =)

    My goal is to gain weight, but I'm confused to how to make sure that I gain those weight as muscle and not fat.

    I understand that I need to consume more calories than I burn, but since I want to be healthy I would need to do aerobic exercises (i.e. running/biking) too? However, in order to build muscle I would need to do some weight training?

    I'm afraid that if I might gain those weight as fat if I only focus on doing weight training or would it not be an issue?

    I only know that general rules about exercising and eating - i.e. cardio = burn calories; weight training = build muscle

    p.s. I'm a female so technically it's easier to gain fat than muscle, right?
  • Shizzman
    Shizzman Posts: 527 Member
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    I've been working to drop off a little bit more fat, but I'm getting to the point where I need to start adding weight/muscle. To be frank I'm really looking forward to trying to cause I'm having issues with making sure pants/shorts fit and I hope some more muscle would help.

    I think the biggest thing is making sure to lift aka do strengthen training and make sure to increase dietary intake. You could look into general nutrition info and just up it a bit. Another option would be look into places like body building (meh, probably not what you are looking for), crossfit (likely to be steered towards a palo diet)....it probably depends a lot on what your goal(s) is/are...

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