Is gaining 10lbs in 3-4 months possible?

Hello, I am a female 5’2 weighing 116. I have never weighed this low but because of stress I lost weight and very skinny. I would like to gain 10lbs and start to excersise and lift weights. I will be a beginner on the weights.
Any advice?

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    It's possible, I would aim for around 0.5lbs per week or 2lbs gain per month. I wouldn't aim for much more than that (you could probably get away with 2.5lbs per month if you are starting off really lean and don't mind a bit of extra fluff). The issue with gaining too fast is your body can only build so much muscle, especially as a female, so you will be more likely to gain more fat than you would if you went slower. Also make sure you follow a proper balanced lifting program, you can find a list here depending on what you have access to there are also bodyweight and dumbbell programs in there too. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Also make sure you get enough protein, 0.8-1g per lb bodyweight
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    ^Yep... From a health and wellness standpoint, using resistance training to add some muscle (even if it's a small portion) will not only help improve your aesthetic but it should help mitigate any negative impacts from gaining just fat. Also, generally if you lost a lot of weight quickly from stress, there is a good point that a portion of that was muscle.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    +2 on what Sardelsa & Lemon said - Look up Starting Strength , Strong Curves & Grey Skull LP and follow one of these programs for a few months. Keep your protien intake up , eat your veggies, and you will make good progress.