Stress keeps the weight off

Kellikat80
Kellikat80 Posts: 593 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building

Trying to gain weight. I'm 5'1" 100 lbs and I rarely go above 103 lbs. Stressful situations have caused lack of hunger, then causes lack of energy to work out. Anytime I gain, I'm so glad. But if stress pops up in my life, it's back down almost immediately. What do you do to induce hunger or motivation during stress?

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Replies

  • baileyrrobinson11
    baileyrrobinson11 Posts: 17 Member

    through my journey to well being, I have had to come to the conclusion that food is not necessarily for enjoyment. food is fuel, that is how you must think of it. if you are tired, eat something nutritious.

    i am very active, I work out a couple times a day (wrestling, jiu jitsu, and lifting) and I have struggled with large calorie deficits (I'm talking like 2-3 thousand calories) which is a problem because I'm trying to maintain but I have found eating an early (like 5am) and large breakfast brings my calories up, I am hungry come lunch time, and I get to watch the sunrise😋 it was hard the first week or so, but now I feal amazing physically and my deficits are very low.

    Hope this helps:)

    Xo,

    Red🎸🔥

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 2,138 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10944415/stress-keeps-the-weight-off

    I used to struggle with this too. Finding high calorie foods you enjoy can definitely help. Also, make eating a priority. Plan and schedule meals like you would an appointment. I'm guessing you don't tend to get hungry very often... if that's true, and you're trying to gain weight, you can't really just eat when you're hungry (if you did, you'd gain weight easily). So you have to eat even if you're not hungry.

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,916 Member

    Peanut butter! I had flu recently and just couldn’t eat. I knew I wouldn’t keep a protein shake down but I managed to get some protein bars in and I basically mainlined peanut butter. It kept the calories to an acceptable deficit for c10 days (rather than a ridiculous one) and I’m now focusing on eating at just over maintenance to get back up.
    I can graze on nuts and they are high in calories - just watch the salted varieties if you’re careful with salt intake, and I also try to get full fat yoghurt etc.

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 2,157 Member
    edited August 6
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48715712#Comment_48715712

    I thought this was funny. Bugenhagen showing his bulking tip with peanut butter. 600 calories in under a minute LOL.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeNR6ReJtH0&t=170s
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,916 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48716610#Comment_48716610

    Sadly that won’t load at the moment for some reason but yep - freaky how many calories can be consumed in peanut butter!!

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 2,157 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48716681#Comment_48716681

    He is scarfing down pb on Nature Valley Crunchy Oats granola bars and having trouble speaking, lol. But he's getting a lot of calories fast.

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,916 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48716754#Comment_48716754

    🤣That sounds like the most difficult combo to chew and swallow! Used to have a friend who fed her toddler rice cakes with dry peanut butter - kept the little one quiet for ages as she tried to chew.

  • elothen
    elothen Posts: 159 Member

    The trick is, you need to disassociate eating from hunger or desire. You're stressed out. To deal with that stress effectively your body needs fuel. Period. So develop a schedule for eating and follow it. Doesn't matter if you feel like it, just do it. Watch some videos of Actors talking about bulking up for some movie. They ALL (even Hugh Jackman) say that eating is just a chore. They get sooo tired of eating chicken and broccoli but it's literally their job to eat and get big. Some people have to eat 6,000+ calories per day to achieve their goals. Be glad you're not up against that, decide how much fuel YOUR body needs, and commit to providing it as if it's your job.

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 2,138 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48769302#Comment_48769302

    I wouldn't personally recommend dissociating eating from hunger.... I've done that over the years to the point that I don't really get hunger or fullness cues anymore... hunger is really more of "I want to pass out, so I better eat something", and fullness is more "I'll probably throw up if I shove more into my mouth". Neither is good. The key to gaining weight is understanding calorie density... eating more calorie dense foods will help you gain weight without having to stuff yourself to the point of discomfort.

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