Any tips for weight gain as a busy student?

aksagoo123
aksagoo123 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 13 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Peanut butter

    And bulk buy cheap carbs like rice and pasta
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Eat more calorie dense foods.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    Try adding oils - olive oil if you can afford it - to things like pasta. Jacket potatoes with loads of butter. Tinned tuna in oil is cheap and has lots of protein.
    If you don't have the time or opportunity for big meals could you manage smaller,more frequent snacks/meals?
    In the UK you can get frozen avocado pieces- cheaper but I have no idea what they're like! And peanut butter is cheap,plus whole fat milk.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Ice cream.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Starchy carbs are cheap and calorie dense - are you over-restricting your food choices?

    Don't eat "diet", "low cal", "low fat", "low sugar" foods - eat the normal (non-diet) alternatives.

    Snacks - snack between meals, you don't have to stick to just trying to eat 3 meals a day.
  • brizzlar
    brizzlar Posts: 86 Member
    aksagoo123 wrote: »
    I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
    1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
    2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
    Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

    Oats - I'm in Australia - in our supermarkets you can get a 1kg (1.5 pounds) bag of oats for around $2-$3 which is roughly $1.5 to $1.75USD.

    They are healthy (for the heart and blood sugar levels) and excellent for weight gain.
  • brizzlar
    brizzlar Posts: 86 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    brizzlar wrote: »
    aksagoo123 wrote: »
    I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
    1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
    2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
    Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

    Oats - I'm in Australia - in our supermarkets you can get a 1kg (1.5 pounds) bag of oats for around $2-$3 which is roughly $1.5 to $1.75USD.

    They are healthy (for the heart and blood sugar levels) and excellent for weight gain.

    This is the third thread that you've suggested oats. Are you sponsored by a cereal company??

    Hahaha no I'm just keen to get people eating healthy and I've experienced first hand how good they are for gains I've gone from 80.5kg to 87kg in about 3 months.
  • Li6erty
    Li6erty Posts: 23 Member
    "Gone from 80.5 - 87kg in ~3 months". I'd like to gain a similar amount in a similar amount of time. Please post your diet etc.

  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    Two or three generous amounts of Almonds.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    aksagoo123 wrote: »
    I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
    1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
    2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
    Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

    Do you have any Latino grocery stores in your area? They often sell tomatoes, avocados, and other produce at lower prices. I can get avocados for $1 each at these stores. Another option is to look at the food in Walmart. It's often a lot less expensive, too.

    Do you need community service activities on your resume? Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food bank. People give them so much produce they often can't handle it all and will give some to the volunteers to take home.

  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    brizzlar wrote: »
    aksagoo123 wrote: »
    I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
    1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
    2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
    Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

    Oats - I'm in Australia - in our supermarkets you can get a 1kg (1.5 pounds) bag of oats for around $2-$3 which is roughly $1.5 to $1.75USD.

    They are healthy (for the heart and blood sugar levels) and excellent for weight gain.

    Good tip, but I'm eating oats for weight loss! I guess they must beat donuts and raisin bread slathered with butter.
  • VeganRaptor
    VeganRaptor Posts: 164 Member
    Definitely peanut butter! And I agree that oats are a great choice too- just make sure you have a decent amount of them. And load them up with PB.

    Having a decent amount of carbs is a pretty good way to get in the calories, plus they're easy to pack and take with you (PB + jam sandwiches etc) :smile:
  • SamMarriottPT
    SamMarriottPT Posts: 33 Member
    Although I dont usually recommend this, I believe Supplements are your best way forward. For someone with a busy lifestyle, weight-gainer supplements are quick, easy and effective. They'll also be pretty cost effective too so I'd suggest looking into weight-gain supplements. I'd personally go with MyProtein products as I've used them for years!
  • Pot8540
    Pot8540 Posts: 17 Member
    This is weird but I'm in the same boat. I have gotten a lot more protein and calories into my diet by using vanilla whey protein powder as coffee creamer. I drink about three cups of English breakfast or chai tea a day and can get a bunch more protein powder in if I do it that way.

    I also make a huge batch of "protein krispy treats" as a quick breakfast. All you need is cereal, granola, or oats, peanut butter, and protein powder. Simply coat the bottom of a pan in protein powder, microwave your peanut butter and mix it with any cereal, sprinkle more protein powder on top (The powder serves as flour to make the peanut butter less sticky), let cool, and that's it.

    All that I'm still stalking this thread because I am always under food goals even with these tricks.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    aksagoo123 wrote: »
    I'm 5ft5, 95lbs and I really want to get up to a more healthy weight but I really feel like I'm struggling here. My two main problems are:
    1) I sometimes find I don’t really get a chance to eat 3 meals a day. I find it hard to work meals into my day
    2) I'm a student so I'm not really going to be able to get more high fat healthy foods like avocados and such. I budget about $50 for groceries a week.
    Does anyone have any tips or advice for these problems?

    Change your perspective?

    You can fit 3 meals in ...actually easier as a student you have set times and *kitten*... seems like your lazy and don't want to meal prep. Drives me nuts when students are all like "I go to school full time life is so hard" I work full time and am senior management AND am in university and am married and I have time to workout ... so like *kitten* man this new generation drives me nuts.

    Increase your budget for your food, if you're American foods actually cheaper for you then it is for me. $50 can get you allot...

    Peanut butter
    tuna
    nuts
    pasta ...
    rice...
  • McToadie
    McToadie Posts: 1 Member
    Instead of trying for 3 meals a day, try aimimg to eat every 3-4 hours. Hang on! Actually, several small "meals" throughout the day is considered by many nutritionists to be healthier: you can maintain a steadier blood sugar level and keep your brain and body fueled throughout the day. And "meal" in this context doesn't mean a sit-down meal! It means any combination of protein, fat, and carbs. It might be a handful of almonds+a piece of fruit+a handful of higher fiber, non-sugary breakfast cereal (if you like that) or whole grain crackers with at least 3grams of fiber per serving. The key is to take in "nutritious calories" on a regular basis throughout each day.. I set alarms on my smartphone to remind me it's time to eat! Don't know if you eat breakfast. If you don't, that is something you should change! Breakfast is very important! The many "meals" a day just requires some preparation. You can make up a couple of these little meals and carry them with you in ziplock bags. Other student-friendly ideas, especially for protein, are hard-boiled eggs, chicken breast, & natural peanut butter. While you can buy most of these items in delis, to save money and to know exactly what you're consuming, try setting aside a time slot once a week to prepare "walk-around" food for the coming week. You can roast small chicken breasts and make up some baggies tomgrab on your way out the door. Good luck.
  • sgrathwol
    sgrathwol Posts: 26 Member
    oats beans rice all very cheap, eggs, also buy condiments in bulk
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