So much trouble gaining, Why?

Meg_78
Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is a bit crazy, but does anyone know if there is a medical reason why a person can't gain weight?

I'm 5'4"/100lbs

First week on MFP (still leaning the ropes) eating around 1500-1600. Aiming to maintain weight at that point, set my self on lightly active, lost 3 lbs in a week. (I had no idea about calories at this point, and found this amount restrictive to say the least!)

Week 2,3,4, eating 2200ish, aiming to gain 1 lb a week, set my self to active (to increase my cals). Just made it back to 100lbs

This week, wk 5 set back to gain 1/2 lb a week (a test of sorts) and looks like I will be down at least 1/2 a lb (unless I gain it back in 2 days)

WTF?
My TDEE is 1905, or 2077, 2113, take you pick LOL
MY BMI according to MFP is 17.2 (under I know!!)
I eat back all my exercise cals
I rarely go 100 cals below my net, I'm usually very close to or over.
I eat fairly clean, a little chocolate but that's about it.
I usually eat at least 80gms, but more often 90-100gms or more of protein a day.
I drink A LOT of milk (1.5%, over half a liter some days) and eats A LOT of dairy.
I weight train 2 times a week, and do circuit training 2 times a week.

NOTE don't tell me to eat a burger!! I'm not aiming to get fat, I know I need some fat, but I'm trying to add a healthy weight and muscle gain!!

My diary is open (half in Swedish, but open) Where am I going wrong?

Is it simply that I just need to eat more? Where the heck is that food going?

Thanks
Meg

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Yes, the simple answer is to eat more. Eat about 10-20% over your TDEE and lift heavy things a few times a week
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    Are you doing any strength training?
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    Try to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and snack on a a few fresh green beans or something when you can.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I have to set MFP to "very active" to get it close to my actual TDEE. It estimates pretty low. Keep adding 200 calories until you start gaining at the rate you want.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    Burgers add calories not fat and it's calories you need if your not gaining. You just have to eat more food in general, if you don't like burgers, drink more milk etc.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    Are you doing any strength training?
    Yes, I stated 4 times a week.
    I have to set MFP to "very active" to get it close to my actual TDEE. It estimates pretty low. Keep adding 200 calories until you start gaining at the rate you want.

    Thank you. I will change that, I have considered that before too. (when I upped it from lightly active to active) The thing is I wouldn't actually call my self very active physically, guess my body thinks otherwise.
    Burgers add calories not fat and it's calories you need if your not gaining. You just have to eat more food in general, if you don't like burgers, drink more milk etc.

    No I do like a burger, I just didn't want all the "just eat a "insert fatty food here" jokes. (and I eat/drink tons of milk and dairy)

    Guess it just needs to be more of everything.
    Its just surprising. I feel like all I do is eat.
    I eat something every 2 hrs about 18 hrs a day.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Burgers add calories not fat and it's calories you need if your not gaining. You just have to eat more food in general, if you don't like burgers, drink more milk etc.

    This! The type of foods you eat make very little difference to whether it's fat or muscle. If you're not getting enough protein, it can be hard to build muscle, but it sounds like you're getting enough. :smile:

    You basically need more calories. Obviously it's good to choose healthy or clean foods as they likely have more nutrients etc and you should be keeping your macros (fat/carbs/protein) fairly balanced, but it doesn't make much difference to general weight gain.
    Last year I was trying to gain, I started off on 2600 net, I gained for a while, after about a month I stopped gaining and stayed the same, so I upped it to 2800 net and had no problems on that. Trial and error basically.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    Are you doing any strength training?
    Yes, I stated 4 times a week.
    I have to set MFP to "very active" to get it close to my actual TDEE. It estimates pretty low. Keep adding 200 calories until you start gaining at the rate you want.

    Thank you. I will change that, I have considered that before too. (when I upped it from lightly active to active) The thing is I wouldn't actually call my self very active physically, guess my body thinks otherwise.
    Burgers add calories not fat and it's calories you need if your not gaining. You just have to eat more food in general, if you don't like burgers, drink more milk etc.

    No I do like a burger, I just didn't want all the "just eat a "insert fatty food here" jokes. (and I eat/drink tons of milk and dairy)

    Guess it just needs to be more of everything.
    Its just surprising. I feel like all I do is eat.
    I eat something every 2 hrs about 18 hrs a day.
    Ok, then try and consume more calorie dense foods. I like full fat yogurt, cheese, use 2 % milk add mayo to sandwiches, eat some nuts, dried fruit etc.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Yeah, just likely need to eat more. Google an article called, "Massive Eating" by Dr. John Berardi.
  • anuyorker
    anuyorker Posts: 96 Member
    There is only one reason why people don't gain weight. Simply because they aren't eating above their maintenance. Either your TDEE estimates are completely off or you are miscalculating how much you're eating. I know it's annoying to hear people say, "Just eat more.", but in reality, that's actually all you have to do. Your TDEE is much higher than you think.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    There are plenty of high calorie foods that are not "junk". Whole eggs (I was up to 4 a day, cooked in olive oil), cheese, salad dressing (I found a yummy blue cheese made with canola oil that was 160 calories a serving, some day I'd have 2 servings of salad and dressing), Whole milk in protein shakes, Red meat. etc.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    There are a number of reasons why you might not gain weight. Eating more is not always the answer. Have you seen a doctor? You could have problems absorbing calories. I know a 4 yo boy that consumes over 3000 calories per day but is still so small he carries a "Falure to Thrive" diagnosis because his body simply doesn't absorb most of what he eats. Sometimes food trials and diet modifications are necessary to find the right diet for your body.

    I'm not trying to scare you. There are other less dire medical conditions that could inhibit weight gain. Or you could simply be eating too few calories. But an appt with your physician might be a good idea.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    There is only one reason why people don't gain weight. Simply because they aren't eating above their maintenance. Either your TDEE estimates are completely off or you are miscalculating how much you're eating. I know it's annoying to hear people say, "Just eat more.", but in reality, that's actually all you have to do. Your TDEE is much higher than you think.

    In a perfect world, this would be true.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    Thanks guys. I'm going to finish the week up at this calorie level (weigh in Friday morn - I'm interested to see what it does to be honest) then up it on Friday. Guess I need to bring on the fats a bit more too.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    There are a number of reasons why you might not gain weight. Eating more is not always the answer. Have you seen a doctor? You could have problems absorbing calories. I know a 4 yo boy that consumes over 3000 calories per day but is still so small he carries a "Falure to Thrive" diagnosis because his body simply doesn't absorb most of what he eats. Sometimes food trials and diet modifications are necessary to find the right diet for your body.

    I'm not trying to scare you. There are other less dire medical conditions that could inhibit weight gain. Or you could simply be eating too few calories. But an appt with your physician might be a good idea.

    Thanks for this, it doesn't scare me, but that's why I was curious, it seems obscene that a 100lb person can eat 2000 cals a day and not gain.....People have trouble losing due to medical problems (thyroid, hormonal etc) so that's why I wondered if there was something medical that inhibited weight gain. I will have a check up I think. I was born prem and have been underweight my entire life.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    You can actually be hyperthyroid (overactive instead of underactive) and have trouble gaining weight but that is often accompanied by a variety of other symptoms, as are malabsorption problems. In general, if you are otherwise healthy (normal skin, shiny hair, lips not cracked and bleeding, etc) those would be rare.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    You can actually be hyperthyroid (overactive instead of underactive) and have trouble gaining weight but that is often accompanied by a variety of other symptoms, as are malabsorption problems. In general, if you are otherwise healthy (normal skin, shiny hair, lips not cracked and bleeding, etc) those would be rare.

    Thanks for that, no, apart from the weight I seem healthy, sleep fine, and TMI but I have always been regular with periods too at any weight (which may be odd) no trouble ever conceiving (which would indicate if I was severely underweight or malnourished I assume), healthy hair and skin.I just feel like my body s in hyper drive consuming so much.
  • JayBeeGo
    JayBeeGo Posts: 33 Member
    I'm 134 lb and it's taken me four weeks to put on 2 lb.
    I've had to average 2447 calories per day to achieve that - around 40% above my TDEE of 1720 per MFP.
    I'm twice your age and quite inactive which may or may not be relevant.

    I've come to the conclusion that if you eat 'good healthy' food, putting weight on isn't as easy as I assumed.
    As suggested you may simply have to eat even more than you expected or prefer.

    You're not alone - Good luck and persevere.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    If I wanted to gain weight I think I would gorge myself on fruit and nut mix. Well, not just that, lots of protein too of course.

    You do need to look for energy dense foods which don't fill you up too quickly - it's very difficult to eat more than you're used to.

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