Cardio and Weight gain

I have been told by a doctor to gain weight. I am sort of addicted to exercise at the moment. If I had to give it up I would freak. So can one do cardio and still gain weight. I am eating 2,500 calories most days and thinking of bumping it up to 2,700 and something since that is what this site recommended for weight gain. 

Yes you can still do cardio and gain but you would have to eat a HELL of a lot.  How much do you weigh atm if you don't mind me asking?  If you have a bmi below 17.5 I think you should really try and cut down or ideally stop altogether in order to reinstore your health completely.

I used to be an exercise addict too so I know how hard it is to hear this.  The way you've used the word 'addicted' suggests this is a disorder/problem rather than something you do out of enjoyment.  Just try and level it down a bit - I have been doing pilates and yoga throughout my gaining and have totally swapped cardio for this - it burns less calories and works better on your core strength and abs etc plus i bet you'll find it just as elivating!

Seriously, if your doctor is telling you to gain, the process will be a lot quicker of you leave the cardio for a little bit - just think, most people don't even bother with formal cardio exercise unless they want to lose weight.  If it is something you genuinely do out of enjoyment and not a compulsion in any form, just keep in mind that the sooner you have gained weight, the sooner you will be able to exercise again.

good luck xx

My bmi is 18.1 at the moment. I'm 5'3 and 102 pounds and trying to get to least 115 since that what the height weight chart suggest is the min healthy weight for someone my height. 

I actually don't have a problem with upping the calories if I can keep the exercise up. 

What did your doctor recommend regarding exercise?

He didn't say one way or the other. 

But he knows that you are doing it, and how much?

   Hey Guy's

What most people wouldn't give to have your problem. I don't think I would cut the cardio completely but cut it in half. Its to hard on your body to stop and start like that. Cut it in half and SLOWLY increase your calories till you see some weight gain. CC will make that easy for you to do. As you know its all a matter of consuming more than you burn. Be gentle on your self and just do things gradualy and naturally. No abrupt change's.

It is totally possible to gain weight doing cardio. You just have to cut back on the amount that you are doing. To maintain proper cardiovascular fitness, you only have to do 90-120 minutes per week of cardio. Anything over that will eventually lead to weight loss through muscle loss.

Has anyone ever told you about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)? It mixes fast intervals going as hard as you can (10-30 secs) with recovery intervals at a slower pace (40-60 secs). Switch back and forth between fast/slow for 15-20 minutes, and finish with a 5 minute cool down. The reason this is great to use in conjunction with weight training is because HIIT spares muscle and attacks bodyfat. Hence being able to gain more weight from muscle. You only have to do it 2-3 times per week on non lifting days. If you are going to do traditional steady state cardio after lifting, cut it back to 20-30 minutes a session.

Doing cardio IS how I gained weight. 

I was only doing 20 minutes (in 10 minute sets), this is what a personal trainer recommended to me, he said it's important to do cardio for lung and heart health, but it can be counter productive if you're trying to gain -as it can strip away fat and muscle.

So I started doing a little bit, as well as weight lifting, it was the cardio that made me so damn hungry and actually able to east more than 3000 calories a day.

Eventually I hit a plateau and it wasn't enough to make me ravenously hungry any more, but I managed to gain 10 kilos before this. So I've upped cardio time, and now I'm crazy hungry again, hopefully I'll be able to gain the last 5 kilos I want.

I should also say here that I previously hadn't done much exercise for about 4 years before I started, all I did was walk to uni, so it might not work if your body is used to doing lots of exercise.

I'm gaining weight right now and I was told to avoid cardio. It burns far too many calories. If you plan on eating alot, alot, alot though, it shouldn't be a problem. But you would have to A LOT.