Just can't gain weight... any suggestions??

Hi,

I am a 25 yr male about 5'10" and i weigh about 115-119lbs.  I have always been thin.  I am looking to gain about 20lbs.  It doesn't matter what i do i just can't gain weight.  I have been counting my calories for a few weeks now, trying to get over 2600 calories a day like they recommend. Most of the days i am able to get over 3000 calories. I had a doctor tell me to eat more carbs to gain weight... didn't work.  I have a grueling job in the summer but in the winter months i used to do nothing but go to school and eat..no working out, no grueling activities, and it didn't matter i was always in that weight range.  I feel healthy but would like to gain some weight.  If anyone has any suggestions i would love to give them a shot. Also i should mention i am lactose intolerant.

THANKS!

Hey! I just wanted to say.. I know how you feel! No matter how much I eat, all I accompish is making myself feel sick! I can eat 3000 calories for two weeks, and only gain half a pound. Then I decide to give myself a break and eat a comfortable 1500 and I drop five freaking pounds!
Have you tried drinking protein drinks? Mix one with some soy/almond milk and a banana and you have a yummy shake! Do you like pasta? You could also try adding a little olive oil to everything you eat - you can't even really taste it. Or how about flax seed? It's like 90 calories for two tablespoons and it's incredibly good for you. There's also of course peanuts that you could munch on - just grab a handful every time you walk into the kitchen. Bread and tortillas also aren't very filling but full of calories. Get a multigrain or treat yourself to some raisin bread. Raisin bread tastes amazing toasted with butter/a bit of olive oil/jam/honey on top!! Of course there's pizza - make your own and instead of cheese try some nutritional yeast? That's decently high in calories. And CEREALS. Oh my gosh - you can get sweet granolas that are crazy high in calories, but taste AMAZING. I like it with just a little water or you could try soy/almond milk. Dried fruits are also very high in calories for the small amount you get. And.. of course.. you can always drink your calories. Have a glass of juice once in awhile or some sweet iced tea. You can make salads high calorie by using an oil (not cream, since you're lactose intolerant) based dressing and top with some croutons. Oh! There are MANY very high calorie yogurts - WHICH should not bother you. The bacteria they use to make yogurt break down the polymer lactose into it's monomers glucose and galactose for you. Do you like avacados? You could munch on those.

=D Good luck! And I just want to say... if that's you in that picture, you still look handsome even though you're at a low weight. :) So there's no reason to be self-concious, just in case you are!

Edit: Oh, rice is pretty high calorie, too. Oh! It's really yummy... boil some rice, then fry it! Take the rice and mix it with soy sauce, diced mushroom (canned or fresh) Mrs. Dash, and garlic powder. OH. MY. GOSH. YUM!
Ground beef is also pretty high in calories - try tacos! Dark chocolate is healthy and high calorie, too.
FRUITS! Pick fruits high in sugar - they make me hungrier right after I eat them, so I can fit in more calories. Things like pineapple and mangos are great. Store-bought granola bars also have the same effect on me. Especially Fiber-One. It contains chicory root - an appetite stimulant.

Lmao second edit: SEEDS! Try sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Still very healthy! Make yourself a trail mix - nuts, seeds, and dried fruit!

Hey, wistful had some great ideas! I'm the same way, it takes 4000 calories for me to gain about .5 lbs a week, if I slip under 2500 I lose.

Definitely get some protein shake mix and you can put it in everything. I even add it to oatmeal or yogurt. I'm lactose intolerant too but yogurt usually sits ok and greek yogurt is especially high in calories and fats. You can also get soy ice creams. Oatmeal is really easy to make really high calorie by cooking it in milk and adding lots of nuts, dried fruit, honey or sugar. I've made 1000 calorie oatmeals! pastas and grains are really good because I've found it's easy to eat about 3-4 servings of pasta and I make an "alfredo" sauce out of tofu thats really good and it's extra protein too!

Like she said, granola can be really high calorie, just eat that instead of cereal. Water? hmm never done that but it sounds weird, use milk for the calories too. I drink juice with every meal instead of water and it's good when you're getting too full. I try and eat every 2 hours and it's easier that way to get more into my day without stuffing myself. Again, avocados, beans are good too, you could make some hearty chili's and put a lot of olive oil in them. Add oil to everything too (olive oil is healthy!)

And I don't know if you work out but lifting weights might help you gain by building muscle. I dated a guy that could never put on weight either, though he was no where near 2600 calories lol, he just was never hungry, but he'd gain weight when he would work out consistently because it woudl make him hungrier.

If all else fails just feel fortunate that you're naturally thin and know that you'll surely appreciate your genetics when you hit middle age!

Hehe, gibbit, I would've suggested milk, but he said he's lactose intolerant. It'd be so easy if he weren't! Think of all the creamy sauces he could have - those are SO energy dense. And milkshakes, too.

wistful, it's ok! it just sounded odd. There are lots of replacements for milk though! I can't drink milk either. In fact I tried last night and had two bowls of oatmeal made with whole milk because I'm at my parents house for the weekend and they don't have soymilk, and I did not have a very good night :\

But soymilk is just as good and I love the vanilla flavored! or chocolate, they're all good. You can also try granola in coconut milk if you're feeling exotic, that has soooo many calories!! And as I said, tofu can be used to replace dairy in many things like lasagna, or cheesecake, and there are tons of soy cheese imitation type products.

I'd also just suggest checking out the high cal foods list and digging around all the forums because I get a lot of ideas from other people on here.

Eat more. The source really doesn't matter as long as you avoid trans fat, high fructose corn syrup and white sugar.

I also agree that you need to eat more if you are looking to gain. If you are at a steady 3000cals without any gains, up it to 3200-3500cals and then check in two weeks time if it made any difference. If not then just increase again, a little at a time. An extra 200 cals a day can be as simple as eating a little extra chunk of chicken at dinner time (or whatever meat source), or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter a day. From my own experience, there isn't really a one thing to eat more of to gain, like the carb suggestion by your doctor. I've found it's an even increase between carb, healthy fats, and protein a day that did the trick for me. I'm also lactose intolerant :) Anyways, good luck.

Thanks for all the suggestions.. looks like i have some eating to do.

If the research is true, if you try to LOSE weight on some diet, you might gain it more quickly.  I read a book by Bob Schwartz, who was a dietician.  When he tried to help people gain weight, he put them on a strict weight loss diet for three days.  They all lost a bit of weight, then put it back on and more in the days to come...

Wish I had your problem... 8)  good luck.

Hey, I just wanted to say I am the same age as you 5'11" and 120lbs I have weighed this +/- 2lbs for last 9 or 10 years.... I completly understand what your saying for some of us its a pain in the neck to gain weight. I have just started counting my calories and figuring out what I should do but if you find something that works leave me a note please. 

Are you able to tolerate supplement drinks, such as Boost Plus?  (It says "lactose-free" on the bottle, so I assume they would be safe).  Each one contains 360 calories, so if you drink 3 per day along with your other meals & snacks, then you will consume over 1,000 extra calories.  I have a very difficult time maintaining my weight & Boost Plus was the only thing that let me get to a normal weight range for my height.  It's a quick way to increase your calories without having to gorge yourself on large amounts of food.  Just a suggestion.