I am too skinny! How can I gain weight fast? Plz HELP!

Hey guys,

So I am 18, 5'11" and around 120-125 lbs. depending on the day.  I am aware I am quite underweight so please don't tell me "OMG!!! your underweight". 

 no, I do not have an eating disorder, I eat more than enough.  One thing this site did teach me was that even eating fatty foods constantly doesn't always help you gain weight.  The thing is I have been told I just have a really crazy metabolism rate (i can drop or gain 5 lbs. in a day!). and my dad was really skinny until about 19 and then he fattened up too.  I am just getting worried because I have grown up but not out yet and I am already 18.

 Does anybody have any help on what can help me to gain weight fast?  Are there any good vitamin supplements or pills out there that are SAFE and actually give me everything i need? Do you guys have any tips on what kind of foods to eat, etc?  I wouldn't say I eat very balanced or healthy and I eat out quite a bit but I usually thought that wouldn't really affect somebody like me who would burn it off easily.

 I do not go to the gym and have stopped playing soccer a year ago (my only form of real exercise).  I know I should exercise more and I am going to start lifting weights and going to the gym now I have more time off work.  But will lifting weights actually help me gain weight or just build some muscle?  Muscle is good but I am actually looking to just even gain 20-25 lbs. of fat so I am of average BMI for my age and height you know?

 Sorry for the long post but I really just needed to see if anybody has been in my shoes or knows of what can help me gain weight fast.  I really appreciate anybody's reply, even if it seems obvious.  Thanks so much!

I know this posting was back in Jan, but if you are still needing advice, i can tell you that none of those weight gainers that you buy at gnc work! I have tried everything and nothing has worked...from protein...to shakes.

My dr did recommend that i try this powder stuff that was made for health patients who need to gain weight like cancer pateins that adds about 600 calories to anything you mix it with, like ice cream, drinks, etc. i will let you know how that works. i also have been working out and all it does it build muscles no weight!

Hey takyira2!  Even though it was posted in January it doesn't mean I'm not still taking advice.  I have bought a weight gainer but haven't tried it yet as I am first trying to stick to a strict HEALTHY diet and maintain a calorie intake of 2500 calories a day (3000 if I am active).  It claims to give me 10 lbs. in 10 days which I too think is a bit of a tall tale, but I still think it will add weight because it is giving me 1010 calories a serving.

So if I work out (which it says I should do if I'm taking it), and maintain an intake of 2500-3000 calories, AND take the weightgainer (QuickMass its called), then I am sure I will start to gain weight.  That's around 4000 calories a day and combined with working out there is no excuse for my body not to gain weight.

That being said, I am finding it very hard to find time in my schedule to consistently work out and also maintain 2500 EVERY SINGLE day.  Some days I can do it, other days I don't have time to or I forget to.  I guess I just need to focus more, which is what I plan to do. Thanks for the advice though, and let me know how your weight gaining powder from your doctor works.

I will tell you first off I am an old lady, 7,362 years old is what I tel all the kids I volunteer for. I have a 12 year old son. We bought our house two weeks before he was born. I have a group of boys that used to be 8, when I first moved it. I would pay them a nickle for each present they would wrap for my children. ( I Hate to wrap.) I have watched them go through stages. 12- 15 when they knew everything. 15-18 experimenting with life, cars, girls, other teenage things. Especially skate boards. I was always afraid some of the skinner boys would break something because they were so frail looking. Guess what, they did not. Now that they are in their twenties, not only do they not wrap for a nickel anymore, they are well built men. My son is one of the skinny boys, but not the skinniest in his group. I imagine one day he too will be a well built man. We all want something right now. Your body will do what you want it to as long as you are treating it right. With girls it seems to be different, but boys it seems to be , do some kind of exercise, and eat when you are hungry. As healthy as you can. Do not try to force your body to do something it does not want to. IF you have seen a Dr. and there is not a reason for you to be thin, then just have patients. You will get there and I bet, with your personality you have shown on here, you will be a practically perfect man!

Hope this helps!

C8

c8yleeca,

To be honest, I've kind of always thought that.  I really am actually not too concerned about it.  I guess it's just the odd comments from people that start to get to you sometimes like "man you're thin" or something.  It makes me think "hmmm, maybe I should be helping my body out by eating more or finding some supplements".

Honestly I thank you very much for your words of wisdom.  They gave me more confidence in who I am.  I also realized I might not always be looking at myself from my point of view, but also from what I think others think, which is a bad habit to get into.

While I don't mean to offend or be prejudiced, I have to say that if you are as old as you say you are then I am extremely impressed!  Not everyone your age (or my grandparents and maybe even my mother) could find this website, sign up, understand how an online forum works, and reply to people's posts!  Good for you for keeping up with technology!  Thanks again for the kind words.

Well , I might have exgerate a little bit with my age. Well... lets just say I exaggerated. I am glad you heard what I was trying to say. I hope to one day hear that it all worked out fine for you, and you are a happy healthy man!

hey mdrake123,

I was in pretty much the same situation as you, a couple months ago, I was 18, about 5'10, and only weighed in at about 125 pounds. Recently, I started eating breakfast consistently (every weekday), and within a few days, i had gained 5 pounds and STAYED at that weight! So, I decided to add a bit more to my breakfast menu, and then within 2 weeks of the first day I started eating breakfast, believe it or not, I had gained over 10 pounds. So now, everyday, I eat about the same amount of breakfast, and I am able to maintain my weight at around 140 pounds. (It took only around 2-3 weeks or so to gain 15 pounds!). I think I read somewhere that if you maintain your current eating habits, your weight will of course stay the same, but if you purposely eat a bit more everyday consistently, you will of course, gain weight. Something like that...

Anyway, I am now a LOT more happier with my weight at 140, but I'm looking to up it to maybe 150 or so and keep it there.. so I'm gonna try adding maybe a 4th meal between lunch and dinner or something like that =) Anyway, I dunno if you regularly eat breakfast or not, but like me, you can start from there! (Instead of trying different minerals or w/e there is out there). Add a bit onto your daily meals consistently, and see if it works out for you! Oh btw, I was stuck at 125 for YEARS.. soo you can imagine my surprise a few days into eating breakfast, when I suddenly jumped up in weight haha.. anyway, Good Luck! Hope I helped somehow!

 

Hey g2nok,

Thanks for the tips! Althought that may sound rather simple, I was shocked at how similar you are with me. I NEVER eat breakfast. If I do its something very light as I usually am always in such a hurry for work or something. I guess I should eat breakfast, a BIG breakfast and stick with it. Thanks for the information.

Also, are you a guy? Because I think this would apply differently if you were a girl. But thanks again for the advice and I will start making it a daily routine. Another question though: were you working out or not?

 

Thanks again for the information and I'll let you know how it turns out!

Yup, I'm a guy. And No, I WASNT working out. I just continued my normal, daily routine of life. And just like you, I used to NEVER eat breakfast, and on the rare occasion that I did, it would just be a quick bowl of cereal or something... but now I eat really filling breakfasts :P (which in turn makes me feel STARVED if I miss breakfast, since my body is used to the extra intake now haha)

again, Good Luck!

oh btw, in case you were wondering, I just calculated that I currently eat about 1141 calories for breakfast. So thats around 5700 more calories that I eat per week compared to what I used to eat.. 0!

Hm.  I guess that's where it all adds up eh? 5700 more calories!  Damn.  I gotta start eating breakfast.

But with me I KNOW there are days when I won't eat breakfast, like on the weekends if I go out theres no way I get up in time for breakfast, I just go straight to lunch.

I picked up this QuickMass powder that basically as like 50% your daily intake of almost everything you need (carbs, protein, minerals, vitamins), and each serving contains a 1010 calories so I guess I could just make a shake of that with lunch to catch up if I miss breakfast right?

i guess so! haha.. but like i said before, i only eat breakfast on weekdays, cause i wake up after lunch during the weekends lol.. it hasnt really affected me sooo you should be fine

So...... have you gained any weight? How is life? Just want to keep in touch!

 

C8

im sure im a little late but i saw the comment that kate posted about eating to many calories is unsafe this is very untrue. To prove it i was in the United states marine core and in basic training we were requried to eat an MRE (meal-ready-to-eat) they contained over 6 thousand calories. i was in the marine core 4 years and i am still healthy. were did u get ur info from kate???