new member trying to gain 33 pounds

hi, just found this place on about.com. my goal isnt to lose weight, its to GAIN weight. Hopefully, I can find suggestions on helping me reach my goal of 30 pounds by mid summer this year. Will be hard though. Everything is so centered around the weight loss goal. Everyone forgets about those of us skinny folks who are trying to put on a few pounds.

Well, get depressed, eat late at night, don't exercise, eat only breads and cake and ice cream and fast food like the dollar menu at Mc Donalds, maybe if your husband or boyfriend or what ever cheats on you, you lose your job or your daughter who is only 23 and lives with you has her third kid....... will help you to gain weight.

 

Sorry to seem so harsh but being under weight is not an epidemic in America today.

Well I certainly would not take maruiz's advice. You want to gain weight the "healthy" way by consuming more calories than you burn. However, you want to choose calories that come from whole foods and good fats. Think: nuts, peanut butter, avocado, whey protein (good in smoothies), bananas, whole wheat pasta, salmon or other fatty fish etc. It is just as unfortunate for someone to have a problem gaining weight as it is for someone to lose. The journey can be just as daunting, difficult, and self defeating. Good luck!

maruiz all those reasons you gave would come back to a person who is weak willed.... 

But anyhow ya dont listen to her put it on slowly, and hit weights for exercises... at least thats what id do, then when you are a good weight youll also be all nice and toned up instead of thin and well not tone.

definitely weak. and that was not ADVICE, that was weakness!

What the heck are you saying? If you can't post something constructive, just don't post in my topic....

Hi slash,

I think maybe taking the same approach all of us are taking who want to lose weight might be a good one.  Use the tools on the site to figure out what your "maintenence" intake would be calorie-wise, and add 500 cals a day to that, preferably from "healthy" foods not full of chemicals or overly processed. 

Depending on what you like, that might mean using more olive oil, dairy, or full fat salad dressings.  Or, it might mean adding cheese or avocados or nuts as was already suggested.  Or, you might just increase portion sizes of whatever it is you're already eating.

Good luck!  I sort of wish I had your problem because I can gain weight without any thought at all, but I'll bet you feel like I do about your challenge of gaining weight.  You probably can lose it or stay "thin" with little effort at all.  Everyone's different, but we can all help each other!  :D

Good luck!

Hi Slash!  Welcome to CC! 

Congratulations on wanting to be healthy. 

Can you tell us a little more about yourself?  (Height, Weight, Gender, Age)

Have you already calculated how many calories you will need to maintain?  In order to gain weight, you will need to consume more calories over your maintenance calories. 

Do you know how many calories you are currently consuming?

Remember, Calorie Count Plus's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management.  We welcome everybody here.  Those looking for weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain. 

Original Post by undertherainbow:

Hi Slash! Welcome to CC!

Congratulations on wanting to be healthy.

Can you tell us a little more about yourself? (Height, Weight, Gender, Age)

Have you already calculated how many calories you will need to maintain? In order to gain weight, you will need to consume more calories over your maintenance calories.

Do you know how many calories you are currently consuming?

Remember, Calorie Count Plus's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. We welcome everybody here. Those looking for weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain.

 

I'm 5'11, 137 pounds, Male, 20 years old.

 

Before I started "dieting", I was getting maybe 2000 calories a day. Now, I've been forcing myself for the past week to eat at the very minimum 3,000 calories a day. Most of the days, I can manage up to 4000 calories before I feel like exploding. So far, I haven't gained a single ounce. I'm still 137.7 lbs on my scale =[. I work at a fast paced restaurant which requires me to move quickly for a good part of the shift. So, I may burn a lot of calories while working...But, still. I've pretty much doubled the amount of calorie intake and don't seem to be gaining anything. Maybe I'll have better with this next week.

 

Hi Slash, I too am new, and trying to gain weight. I am 5'4" and 101 - I lost weight over the summer and fall and haven't been able to regain it. It is very difficult to get support to gain weight - many people have scorned me in various ways for being concerned about weight loss and being underweight, even in offhand ways, like saying "I wish I had your problem!" (like it's not a real problem, or they think I am bragging!). Even sites like this are limited in helping: for example, food suggestions keep giving me low-fat suggestions (eg: switch from whole to skim milk). Many people do not realize the health risks of being underweight.

My challenge is taking in enough healthy calories, as so far it seems I only get enough by eating hhigher-fat foods like cheese. So I'm compromising by focusing first on getting up to the intake levels I need, and second balancing out nutritionally. I figure, at this point, it's more important to get calories (I don't eat fast food or junk snacks). If I lose any more weight I am afraid I am going to end up in the hospital!

What I find most helpful is making a diet plan: a daily checklist to remind me to eat, and help me eat balanced foods. And eating more often, rather than trying to fill up at mealtimes: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Using nutrition bars and drinks help too, not to replace meals, but supplement them.

I too want to be fit, I am used to being physically active, but right now I am keeping it to a minimum until my body "learns" to gain again.

BTW, I am not suffering an ED, just had some health issues and depression.

Good luck! Don't get discouraged. Ignore the scorners. Keep posting, we skinnies-who-don't-want-to-be REALLY need to stick together.

Yeah, I hear you. I tried today looking for weight gain shakes at wal-mart and couldn't find as single thing to help gain weight. There were at least 2 aisles full weight loss drinks/shakes and pills.

 I think my best bet is just trying to get the most calorie-dense  foods possible. Problem is, I hate potatoes, all forms of pasta and stuff like that so its really hard. Right now I'm just trying to eat a lot of red meat to get easy calories. Not the best way to go but at this point any weight gain could only serve to motivate me.

it doesn't have to be solely red meat, just eat meat!

i have to say that i'm guilty of LOVING packaged dinner meals, like bertolli and contessa's jambalaya. but here's what i recommend:

 

for breakfast: some people are carb-sensitive, peaking quickly in insulin and left feeling crabby and tired. i'm not very good at eating breakfast early, but late morning i like to eat eggs with spinach and 2 pieces of shredded turkey lunchmeat. it's a great source of energy. try 3 eggs with a cup of spinach and two shredded pieces of turkey lunchmeat, don't add salt, there's enough sodium in the turkey to carry flavouring, and it does nothing to add muscle mass, which is what i assume you're trying to do (me too, but i'm trying to tone....replacing some post-baby belly and toning, you bet). add an english muffin, bowl of cereal, something carb rich (you seem to have a high metabolism....this won't hurt you then). drink whole milk and watch out for juices and sodas, because sugar won't help much. oj is good.

 

lunch: i turned big daddy on to fantastic sandwiches...i usually use sara lee lunchmeat, but if you're trying to bulk up, try grilling a chicken breast, add fresh spinach and tomato, cheese if you want, light mayo and deli mustard, oat or wheat bread, and chow down. it's good and has what you need.

 

snack on nuts. totally protein. totally good for adding mass. try those blue diamond wasabi almonds and throw in some dried cranberries.

 

workout. lift. slowly build. only work a certain area of your body every other day, they say. i think that mainly applies to lifting, because you can run every day if you want. you want to give your muscles a break because every time you workout you make tiny tears in muscle fibers, and they need a full day to recover and rebuild, that's where patience and time and protein play into your favour, otherwise you're going to hurt yourself, because those tiny tears WILL become big muscle tears, and that will take forever to recover from. (don't push yourself too hard! i'm recovering from tendonitis and a stress fracture in my foot from not listening to my body, and it sucks not being able to run).

 

eat big, eat meat, nuts, protein! don't forget your fruits and veggies! eat carbs and protein early, but make sure there's more protein in your evening meal, after working out, than in your breakfast or lunch. your cells don't process carbs as well when they're taken in later in the day, it's part of your body's natural circadian rhythm :)

 

this was entirely too long but i hope it's useful, and i was saddened to read the bitter posts among your first responses, don't take it to heart though, she obviously didn't understand who was saying it and why (jealous attack from assuming you were a skinny teenage girl or something, whatever).

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

:)

 

ps-whey protein shakes.  make em 1000 calories if you can, morning or midday.  work out a few hours later.  the CC guide rep was on point with that tip!

How can I make a protein shake 1000 calories? The one I have is only 170 calories per scoop. What would you recommend mixing in with it?

Hi Slash,

 

I am new here, but have you seen a doctor? Maybe had your blood sugar tested?  I find it hard to believe that you consume all those calories and have not gained.  Perhaps there is a medical reason.  I would definitely get checked out.

Original Post by xxxslashxxx:

Yeah, I hear you. I tried today looking for weight gain shakes at wal-mart and couldn't find as single thing to help gain weight. There were at least 2 aisles full weight loss drinks/shakes and pills.

 I think my best bet is just trying to get the most calorie-dense  foods possible. Problem is, I hate potatoes, all forms of pasta and stuff like that so its really hard. Right now I'm just trying to eat a lot of red meat to get easy calories. Not the best way to go but at this point any weight gain could only serve to motivate me.

 

Someone might have suggested this but I drink Ensure Plus.  My doctor recommended it.  I use to drink it back when I was in my early 20's.  I was like 128 lbs, and 5'7".  I'm trying to gain as well.  My doctor also suggested I gain muscle also (I believe someone already suggested that as well.)

Original Post by cnjjeanmard:

"Hi Slash,

 

I am new here, but have you seen a doctor? Maybe had your blood sugar tested? I find it hard to believe that you consume all those calories and have not gained. Perhaps there is a medical reason. I would definitely get checked out."

 

I thought it was strange as well. I actually dropped down 5 ounces, though I'm not sure how accurate my scale is so it could just be in the margin of error. I'm gonna give it another week or 2 and see. I can't really afford a doctors appointment right now. Don't have insurance and going to school + crappy job = bankrupt fast.

 

she said it above me, i think:  protein powder (or whey), milk, bananas, yogurt, ice cream, honestly?, almost anything which equals fruit + sweet/creamy/thick/dairy.

 

make sure you're getting 7 & 1/2 hours of sleep at night as well!! men need at least 7.5, women need at least 7.  your body needs that time to rebuild and repair itself after you workout, that's a key element to getting beefy :)