Underweight & need advice

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denahrocks
denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I'm 19 years old, 5 foot even, and usually weigh 95 lbs. I never vary in weight but recently I've gone down to 88 lbs. My typical day is oatmeal with a banana for breakfast (with chia seeds on top). I eat quite a lot of snacks throughout the day, Apple with peanut butter, avocado toast, trail mix, ect. Lunch is usually a turkey and cheese sandwich. And dinner is whatever mom makes. Last night it was chicken Alfredo with broccoli. I also always eat a bowl of cereal before bed. I'm lightly active, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong? My goal is to be 100 lbs and healthy.
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  • denahrocks
    denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
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    Yes, I do everyday to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients. But I don't seem to be getting enough calories @amyrebeccah
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    Maybe make a visit with your primary care physician..?

    Or eat more bacon?
  • tgriffitg54
    tgriffitg54 Posts: 1 Member
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    Your problem is simply the opposite of most on mfp. I have to count calories going in and those being burned. I have knee, back, and shoulder problems from over twenty years in the Army. My activity level is limited to very light. Your activity level needs to be more so you can be "healthy" as you want. Your intake of calories has to exceed the amount of calories you burn everyday, and not just empty calories, or they will be burned off too easily. What you say you eat, sounds as though you listen to the wrong people's advice. Grains have been pushed to the detriment of most people. Excessive intake of grains (cereal, toast) can lead to joint pain and inflammation. It's also been said to reduce fats. This is wrong. The brain's food is the fats in our diet. But, there too, they need to be good fats. Lack of fats in the diet, are also being linked to the rise in Alzheimer's and other brain related deficiencies. "Healthy" can't be looked at as a today or tomorrow thing. It has to be considered in our diet today, for our health 10, 20, 30, and even 40 years in the future.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    All I can suggest is to eat more, obviously. If you feel like you can't eat much more than you already are, then try adding some nuts throughout the day. 1 oz is typically around 160 calories, so it doesnt take many to bump up your calorie intake that way. peanut butter is also good. :)
  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
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    How long have you been trying to gain weight and how long have you been counting calories? (I noticed you just joined today). Just like losing weight doesn't happen overnight, weight gain doesn't happen overnight either.
  • denahrocks
    denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I've been trying to gain weight for about a month, and I've been counting nutrients for the same time period. Haven't noticed a single change. My thought are to add more nutrients into my diet and just push myself to eat more @MichelleLei1
  • denahrocks
    denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
    edited August 2016
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    The grains I mentioned I eat were a small part of my diet. I do love my breads don't get me wrong, but I do also eat a variety of "healthy" fatty foods. Like nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, avocado, ect. I would consider my diet very healthy in the means that I don't eat out much and stick to eating at home. It feels (from what this app says) that I should be consuming 1,700 when I am only able to consume 1,300-1,500. I'm trying to just push myself to eat more if that's the case. @tgriffitg54
  • zebra0121
    zebra0121 Posts: 1 Member
    edited August 2016
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    What's your breakfast, lunch and dinner like?
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    The food you're describing in your post sounds delicious OP. I'm hungry now! :smiley:

    When I wanted to gain a few pounds I kept my meals largely the same, except for little tweaks like using whole milk, adding cheese to pasta/potatoes, sprinking brazil nuts on cereal etc. That helped a bit, but I also added a calorific smoothie/shake to my mid-morning snack (when I personally am hungriest) which topped up my intake by about 400-500 calories and was much easier to fit in than solid food. I made mine with whole milk, protein powder, banana, dates and sometimes yogurt.

    Gradually I think it will feel easier to eat more, just as when we lower our calorie intake at first it feels horrid then starts to become normal.
  • denahrocks
    denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
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    You're completely right, and the smoothie idea sounds great. I make my own acai bowls at home which is frozen fruit with granola on top and that's usually about 500 calories! I'll gradually be able to eat more I think @yesimpson
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
    edited August 2016
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    denahrocks wrote: »
    The grains I mentioned I eat were a small part of my diet. I do love my breads don't get me wrong, but I do also eat a variety of "healthy" fatty foods. Like nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, avocado, ect. I would consider my diet very healthy in the means that I don't eat out much and stick to eating at home. It feels (from what this app says) that I should be consuming 1,700 when I am only able to consume 1,300-1,500. I'm trying to just push myself to eat more if that's the case. @tgriffitg54

    While nutrients are good for health, it wont help you gain. At some point you need to add more calorie dense foods or drinks to hit your calorie goals. The below thread might help that.


    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
  • ivylfc
    ivylfc Posts: 1 Member
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    similar to your case, i m 152cm and weight at 84lb 2 months ago. i m also trying to gain weight and start to increase my protein intake everyday. i usually have eggs for my breakfast.e.g. 2 boiled eggs (one with egg york removed) or egg sandwich. for my lunch or dinner, i eat rice and chicken breasts or pork. during breakfast and lunch time i try to have a banana. and during tea break i have a avocado.
    at the same time i start to do some weight training with a personal trainer. about twice a week. i also do yoga in between my training. after exercise i have some light snack such as a small chicken/salmon sandwich. now i have gained 4 lbs after 2 months.
  • denahrocks
    denahrocks Posts: 7 Member
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    I think eggs are a good choice to a diet because of their protein and fat. I'll switch up my normal real fast and try to add those in more often. Also weight training will help with muscle mass which might work for me as well. But I'm not sure how much I can take considering how small I am @ivylfc
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    denahrocks wrote: »
    I think eggs are a good choice to a diet because of their protein and fat. I'll switch up my normal real fast and try to add those in more often. Also weight training will help with muscle mass which might work for me as well. But I'm not sure how much I can take considering how small I am @ivylfc

    Two eggs are only roughly 140-160 calories. If you can't add more calories, than you wont add weight. Weight training will add muscle if you can give it adequate nutrition (calorie surprlus) and adequate stimuli (progressive resistance).
  • jbradyho
    jbradyho Posts: 11 Member
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    @denahrocks

    You should add me. I'm going through the same thing. I currently weigh 102lbs (up 5lbs from when I started this whole weight gaining process a month ago). I am also lifting weights and trying to build muscle as part of my weight gain. I've rarely been over 100lbs my entire life and I am a 31yr female. Ensures and exercise have definitely helped me take in more calories (my goal is 2400-2600 per day). I'm now regularly doing 100 squats a day and adding 5-10lbs of weights each week to my workout. I also do arm exercises with weights but skip any cardio since I will lose weight super quick with it.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    denahrocks wrote: »
    The grains I mentioned I eat were a small part of my diet. I do love my breads don't get me wrong, but I do also eat a variety of "healthy" fatty foods. Like nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, avocado, ect. I would consider my diet very healthy in the means that I don't eat out much and stick to eating at home. It feels (from what this app says) that I should be consuming 1,700 when I am only able to consume 1,300-1,500. I'm trying to just push myself to eat more if that's the case. @tgriffitg54

    You're not eating very much. 1300-1500? Many of us eat that little to lose.

    Eat more. And if you aren't able to gain, talk to your doctor. Add a scoop of peanut butter after your cereal, add a half an avocado to whatever your mom is making for dinner. Add some dark chocolate. Add some ice cream. Eat more calories.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
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    Eat more. Up your daily calories by 100, log for 1 to 2 weeks and see if you have any positive changes. If not (or not enough), add another 100 calories.

    Keep adding until you see steady weight gain (0.5lbs per week is good for your size). Slow and steady = long term and permanent results
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Eat pizza? Profit!
  • PoundChaser2
    PoundChaser2 Posts: 241 Member
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    You want to gain muscle not fat, keep that in mind when choosing your foods I would limit my processed foods.
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
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    Runngurl43 wrote: »
    You want to gain muscle not fat, keep that in mind when choosing your foods I would limit my processed foods.

    Processed food will have zero impact on the ratio of muscle to fat gain when compared to "clean" foods.
    OP, you are not consuming enough calories to gain. See psulemon's link above for good resources on increasing calorie intake.

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