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Hello, I'm 5'1, weigh 93 lbs. and want to gain 100 lbs by November.  I know it's only 7 lbs but I set that goal to make it realistic for me. I've struggled all my life to gain weight. Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks very much.

 

Sandra

There's a very good thread at the top of this board on the ideal high-calorie, low-bulk foods to choose for weight-gain.   Aim for about 2500 cals a day initially, using as many of those foods as possible, and use the CC food log to plan ahead and/or record what you eat.   (Usually people who are underweight eat rather less than they think when they come to write it down.)   Muscle strengthening exercises are a good way to convert the extra energy into muscle bulk.  2lbs a month isn't a bad objective.

Best of luck!

Welcome! I'm glad you found us!!!

I wish I had some advice to offer but I have the opposite problem. I have a friend whom has always been overly slender though so I understand it's a struggle of it's own kind.

I just wanted to welcome you and wish you luck!!!

Hi, I am the same as you and have the same goal. I am 5'1 90 lbs. and have been trying to get to 100 lbs. I have also been skinny all my life and a hardgainer. I wouldn't say I am underweight though, I just personally want to be a little bigger to fit clothes better and look like i have more meat on my bones. Exercising to gain muscle is probably the best option for myself.....I jst have to get my butt in gear. I did do it once but it was hard to maintain. Once I slacked on exercing eventually the muscle went down along with the weight i had from it. So it is a constant life time commitment to the exercing for maintaining muscle weight.

Hi!

Gaining weight can be tricky for people who generally struggle with it or with fast metabolisms, but it can be done! As a general target for gaining, get your calories up to 2500 and then go up from there. It looks like a lot but this IS a doable number - I have had to eat 3000 to 4000 calories regularly in weight gain and haven't done it with gainer suppliments or anything like that.

For some general advice:

1. High calorie, low density foods. These are foods that are as the name says - high in calories but low in bulk. These are not only vital in the sense that they can still easily be broken down by a stomach trying to mend itself but also because they add calories without adding bulk. Examples of these would be whole fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, avocado, oils like olive oil and canola (rapeseed) oil as two examples, oily fish, dried fruit and dense fruit like bananas as just a handful of examples. There are two threads stickied at the top of this forum: Support Recipes - while aimed more at recovering disordered eaters these may still help you - and The Official High-Cal Food List.
   
2. Eat your meals spaced out over the day - aim for about five to six total. Breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner, or switching one of those snacks for an evening snack would be an example. This may make it easier on your stomach and mean you're not cramming calories in at three meals. If it is easier for you, devise a meal plan routine by yourself or with a nutritionist and stick with it.
   
3. This is an important one: do not weigh or measure yourself for two weeks when upping your calories. Why? Because our body will hold to a large amount of water initially. This water shows up on the scale, but is not a true indication of weight gain and will flush out after two weeks.
   
4. If you eat a steady 2500, and then find you are maintaining or even losing weight, you will need to increase. Do not think about this just yet - just get to 2500 first.

Do not worry about nutrition at this point. You will probably have a higher intake of everything compared to others - and really, comparing yourself to anyone else at all isn't the way to go. The only thing I personally think is worth watching when upping calories is salt and trans fat, but as for numbers of other nutrients and food groups? Don't worry about it. Aim for carbs, proteins, fruit or veg, healthy fats and dairy in all your meals over the day, get enough fibre, and take a full multivitamin as a buffer, and you'll be fine.

You may want to weight lift and do resistance exercise during your gaining, as it helps build healthy muscle in a surplus, but be aware: cardiovascular exercising is completely counter-productive during gaining unless you are willing to eat back everything you burn. And as with any exercise, if your doctor, nutritionist or another professional tells you not to exercise at all, not even weights or yoga/pilates, then listen to them.

If you have any further questions please ask! Good luck!

 - Ellie.

I just wanted to THANK everyone for the help and welcome.  Let's do this.  Your support gives me more motivation. yeah! :)