Thread: Weight Gain Advice Needed. Help a Twig Out!

Here's the down and dirty. I actively try to gain weight and nothing works.

What is the healthiest, most effective way to pack on a few pounds and gain a little extra shape? Anybody have any success stories?

I'm sick of being a stick. Talk to me.

I can recommend this program by Anthony Ellis,

How to gain weight and build muscle mass fast!

And you can download a free tip guide

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.c...5rules_jpc.pdf

You can also read some of his articles at

Anthony Ellis - EzineArticles.com Expert Author

But basically it's lifting heavy weights, grazing on balanced quality calories throughout the day and life style ( sleep and recovery ).

And trust me, you are not going to look like the Incredible Hulk after a few months. That takes years and years and it doesn't happen by accident.

Well, most of us trying to lose weight end up having to keep a food log, accurately measure what we eat, etc. to make sure we are really eating the proper # of calories for weight loss.

Perhaps you should do the same. You may be deluding yourself about how much you eat, just like us chubbies do but in reverse -- you may be overestimating how much you eat.

I know if I suddenly needed to gain weight, I'd eat a giant bowl of frosted flakes with *cream* every night before I went to bed...g.:

hm, you could eat a pint of frozen yogurt before bed like I just did (eeep!)

(climbing back on the diet wagon)

Well, when my friends' toddler had to gain weight the doctor recommended increasing the number of daily meals, as well as spiking her milk with powdered milk or cream. Yum! :)

I used to have the same problem, and the biggest problem was that if I tried to eat more than I normally did, I ended up having really bad stomach aches/discomfort that lasted a long time, and even then, I didn't actually *gain* weight. I was just miserable.

Somehow, as I got older, I just started gaining weight, so unfortunately I don't have any tips from personal experience. I gained about 25 pounds in a year or two after turning 30, but never noticed any real change in my eating/exercise habits.

I will say that I have always preferred protein as a snack, so maybe eating less protein and more carbs would help? They (carbs) never really filled me up, so maybe that would make it easier to eat more. On the other hand, I know that people who are trying to gain muscle for weight lifting usually have protein shakes. So, that seems to indicate that protein is good for weight gain (even if I never experienced that).

I also have a tendency to eat every 2 hours or so, and then, my actual meals (usually just lunch and dinner) are smaller. Even now, I tend to eat about half I get at a restaurant, and have the rest for left-overs (again, due to stomach hurting issues), which I then might eat (part of) later in the evening. That also hasn't changed, but the problem is always that if I eat a big meal, I'm miserable, even if I haven't eaten in awhile, but if I don't have a big meal, I get hungry faster.

Maybe, if money isn't an issue - go out to eat more? I've heard that restaurant food is more fattening... but on the other hand, it's also less healthy in other ways, and although you want to gain weight, you don't want to be unhealthy...

I'm not sure if any of this musing is helpful, but I thought I'd put it out there in case it is.

I used to work with a thin woman who was very into body sculpting, which I think is effectively the girlie version of what HubicRizz suggests above. Targeted bulking up allowed her to add curve in places like her calves and thighs, and reshape her torso to look more curvy. It was all firm muscle though, no wobble.

If you have a similar body shape to other family members, and they soften and fatten up with age, then you can rest assured that you will too.

All the good stuff that some of us have to stay away from for fear of gaining weight. For starters, ice cream, potatoes, pasta, bread, cookies, pastries, and cake.

Now I'm getting hungry, and I can't have any of it.....

I was told by my Dr last summer that I needed to put on weight. She told me to eat 2 containers of Ben and Jerry's a week for a month. I only did it for a couple weeks because I couldn't stand eating that much ice cream. I did gain the 5 pnds she wanted me to though.

I gained about 25 pounds in a year or two after turning 30, but never noticed any real change in my eating/exercise habits.

Hey...me too! And then it happened again after I turned 40!!! ;-)

Increase fat content in your food...avacados, olive oil, peanut butter, nuts..I wouldnt do it with dairy...except for the Dove Bars, daily, oh god...help me...

I had that issue for years (not being able to even maintain a "normal" weight).

The first thing you should do is visit the doc if you havent already. Make sure there is nothing physical thats preventing you from gaining weight.

When I was at my thinnest (from age 29-33, I think it was), I looked really really underweight, despite eating copious amounts of food. I couldnt add anymore crap calories to my diet because my blood sugar would crash badly after too much sugar and the like. So I upped my portions of meat with meals (protein rich food still packs a caloric punch, without the blood sugar crashes). I started off each day with a big glass of whole milk, made sure I ate breakfast, and ate protein rich snacks like nuts, yogurt, cheese and the like several times in the afternoon. Eventually, my weight stabilized and I put on a few pounds.

Now (at 36), my weight fluctuates only by about 4lbs and its in the normal range, despite what I choose to eat. . . Go figure ;-)

I can say though, I am not 100% sure that some of my inability to gain weight just wasnt the level of stress I was under at that time though ;-)

Turn 40. That's what did it for me.

But seriously, when I was a twig in my teens through late 20's, I looked nearly anorexic even though I ate like a horse, so I know what you're going through. You want to put on 'healthy' weight, not junk fat from tons of ice cream, potato chips, pastries, etc. Try adding the 'Ensure' shakes to your regular diet, but not as a replacement meal. They're high in calories (one 8-oz serving is 250 calories) but also nutrient dense, so it's healthier than scarfing down junk food.

Back when I could eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, my mother always warned me, "You just wait... it's going to catch up with you one of these days." At the time, I was thinking 'Bring it on already.' But darnit, she was right!,m:: And now I'm trying to lose 16 extra pounds. So be careful what you wish for.

One thing to remember is what kind of weight you want to gain. I think you would be aiming to gain lean muscle mass and not fat mass. So avoid the junk food with the empty calories and eat lean meats, fruit and greens, complex carbs.

When I was actually training many moons ago and I was on a bulking cycle I ate 7 meals a day, lifted god heavy weights and slept 10 hours.

Aaaha!!!....its the sleeping thats to blame. I knew it must something not related to my intake of chocolate!

I think we are about the same build and problem. You replied to my post on costuming for shorties that you were 4'11"?

I'm 5'1" and a size 0. So I can see where you are coming from. Eating more nuts and white bread doesn't help me at all...I love nuts and eat them everyday! I also love chocolate (I work in a chocolate factory), so I know I get a lot of fat in my diet.
I have found that when I was at my "heaviest" I was doing A LOT of cardio, pilates and taking bellydance from a Suhaila-style teacher. I built up a lot of muscle, particularly in my butt thanks to the wonderful glute contractions.
I wouldn't endorse eating more, especially because I don't see why one would eat if one wasn't hungry or already full. I exercised five days a week and ate Poptarts for a snack everyday (in addition to my normal 3 meals) and was about 10 lbs. heavier. Currently I only attend rehearsal twice a week (where I don't really get my heart pumping) and class once a week, so I have lost A LOT of muscle, and thus look "twiggier." I think exercise has a lot to do with it for me, especially because I'm young and my weight stays really consistent unless I drastically change something. And since my appetite doesn't change often, exercise will!

Just like I'd say to someone wanting to loose weight. Take the time to critically evaluate your health/work-out/diet first. Before your outward shape should come your general health and fitness. Are you healthy skinny? Muscle skinny? Body and body skinny? Somewhat weak skinny?...there's all kinds.

See what you can do to get more healthy and work on your muscle shapes etc. You can work on shaping specific muscles but you can't make fat go where you want it to go or melt where you want it to melt...or obey most commands sent via eating and workouts...but muscles are more adaptable to commands.

And for both large and small people. if you ARE in very good health and physical shape...it might also be time to evaluate why you want to make changes in the outward shape...often it's not psychological but sometimes it is and is something that need further investigation.

I find that getting pregnant is by far the most effective way to put on weight quickly and easily.

i have a few friends who medically needed to gain weight. see a dietician and a GP or physiotherapist. my friends were put on a combination of an exercise program (not cardio, but bulking, gaining muscle and hence energy and weight) and some good food advice. just eating more of this or that wont work.

if your weight is not a health risk, and it's just how you're build... what i've seen helps the most: embracing how you look, as long as it's healthy, and adjusting costuming to it. whether its covering up big thighs or small arms, big hips or small hips, small chests or large boobs... or whatever,

(ha, running a troupe is really making me look at women's body shapes and how to make them ALL look fantastic).

Artemisia

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

if your weight is not a health risk, and it's just how you're build... what i've seen helps the most: embracing how you look, as long as it's healthy, and adjusting costuming to it. whether its covering up big thighs or small arms, big hips or small hips, small chests or large boobs... or whatever,

(applaud)

I was surprised when I saw this thread, Satin, because you usually talk about your body in such positive terms. Do you want to gain weight for health reasons?

ok, can i say something? i know we dancers have um, interesting views of our own body image (guilty as charge, i'm pretty bad that way too :p, but on the opposite end, i tend to gain), but i just saw your pics, satin, in the swap meet....

you're a buff lil chica! nothing stick about it.......you look healthy and fab....many of us would KILL to be that fit!.....and on the flip side, ladies who are built more curvey, or tall, some of us would like a bit of THAT too....... :D

for my own self, i'm trying to maintain a balance, and i guess potentially negative self image can keep me honest and focused, as long as i don't go overboard, and not SAY anything about it (that makes it seem like fishing for compliments, i'd rather have an unsolicited assessment).......but i think we need to see the GREAT that we have and really highlight that.......

if you truly need to gain for health reasons, most people that i know that have needed to gain simply add more protein (HEALTHILY) to their diet to build solidly, be it animal or plant protein, if animal, keeping it lean, maintaining a muscle building regimen, and keeping up on the veg/fruits, and NOT forget healthy carbs for energy.....carbs aren't the enemy, it's just as a nation we eat TOO MANY of them and don't burn off the sugars they break down to quickly enuf.............

yeah, as ozma said, embrace your thinness/thickness/flatness/boobness, add ____ness here..........but if you MUST do something, be balanced, and alot of the advice given here is excellent!.....i LOVE bhuz

Originally Posted by Samirah-NH

Back when I could eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, my mother always warned me, "You just wait... it's going to catch up with you one of these days." At the time, I was thinking 'Bring it on already.' But darnit, she was right!,m:: And now I'm trying to lose 16 extra pounds. So be careful what you wish for.

Yep, if you can be patient, aging will take care of putting on a few pounds! I was quite willowy up until my early 30's. Now as I rapidly approach 39, I'm rather, well, I have what Aziza would call "voluptua". A little bit of a buddha belly. And I love it.

First off, you guys give the best advice, whether it's in the form of concrete answers to the question at hand or challenging me to think about why I'm asking the question in the first place.

My reasoning is strictly aesthetic and, yes, though I dread saying it, probably faintly tinged by the psychological. I'm prepping for my upcoming photoshoot (that's another thing - thanks to everyone who steered me in the direction of a studio photog. Surida pointed me in the direction of a real gem!) and I really would love to look healthy, strong, womanly and like a million bucks. The photographer I'm working with was very vocal in his preference to shoot women who don't look like early 90's heroin-chic. Though this did trip a wire or two in my body dysmorphic prone brain for a minute or two, I have been trying to pack on a few pounds for months prior to this. Weight training has been doing wonders, though I am ultimately afraid of looking like the chick from Terminator.

People always tell me I look better when I have a little more meat on my bones, so to speak; unfortunately, they always say that during rare phases where I'm living on Krispy Kreme and greasy Italian food and not watching out for my health! I, too, like having a little bit more of a shapely physique, but also don't have a death wish. I'd like an athletic but slightly curvier shape, which I think is totally attainable by healthy means. Whether you're trying to gain or lose a few pounds, you can't cheap out and do it the unhealthy way!

Stardancer, the same thing happened to me several years ago. Why are doctors so dumb sometimes? My parents made me see a doctor because I became a vegan, got down to 85 lbs, and was starting to get really sick. The doctor took one look at me, scoffed that I look "anorexic," and ordered me to drink milkshakes. Couldn't offer any help on gaining weight safely, through weight training or eating more protein or whatever.

Yeah, in the end, it really is all about working with what you've got and not beating yourself up over the things that you can't control. Putting on 5 lbs is totally doable. As for the rest? I'd either have to waste my time praying to the growth spurt gods, or otherwise go under the knife - the former is impractical and the latter scares the living sh*t out of me.

The final battle, in the end, is to balance the sometimes overwhelming aesthetic demands of our profession with a healthy sense of self and nurturing, safe lifestyle habits that support vitality from within. Two seemingly contradictory elements, yet there's got to be a solution and I'm working very hard to find it. (And I'll write the book when I do.)

Thanks again for the good advice, guys. I think when I hit the deli today, I'll be sure to opt for the turkey with gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and cheese on a wedge. ..l;,

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Here's the down and dirty. I actively try to gain weight and nothing works.

What is the healthiest, most effective way to pack on a few pounds and gain a little extra shape? Anybody have any success stories?

I'm sick of being a stick. Talk to me.

I wish I had your problem.

I'm the opposite ..cr.: .

Azeeza

You want to gain the right kind of weight.

Firstly, I recommend that you talk to a nutritionist. When I was underweight in college, that's what I did. If you cannot afford one, here's what mine told me.

I needed to up the protein and calories in a healthy manner. I don't like eating excessively and feel like crap afterwards, so she suggested protein shakes. You can buy them. They taste nasty as anything, but they worked. I used Boost and Ensure. They are also a reminder to me not to lose that much weight ever again (it was stress related weight loss). You can create your own. Basically, since I didn't want to eat my calories, I did liquid intake in addition to normal food I would eat.

A nutritionist is the best answer! Eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's every day will only up your bad cholesterol, as will any suggestion of just scarfing down bad foods with loads of fat. It's not as simple as that if you want to still be healthy! You could induce diabetes or heart disease if ate crappy foods to gain the weight you want, but a nutritionist and/or trainer can steer you in the right direction!

Thanks Summer Sahar. I'm glad you and several others understand that I'm NOT looking to get early-onset diabetes in the name of womanly curves. I'd love to pick a personal trainer's brain one of these days!

It really does chafe at me when people tell me to go eat a double cheeseburger, as if that's in the best interest of my long-term health and not their smug attitude. ,r:;

Eating cheese or any dairy, even goat cheese, is the way to go. If I could stop eating cheese/dairy I'd lose about 20 pounds, but I'm a bit addicted. I tried not eating it for a while and I did lose weight, so I assume if you eat it you'll gain. Be careful though! Too much of anything is, well, too much of anything. The nutritionist will know better; I just know that this (and formerly alcohol consumption) was what packed it on me.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Thanks Summer Sahar. I'm glad you and several others understand that I'm NOT looking to get early-onset diabetes in the name of womanly curves. I'd love to pick a personal trainer's brain one of these days!

If you're serious about wanting to work on this long term, think about budgeting for a trainer or nutritionist. It's a different sort of investment than a photographer...but if keeping weight on is an issue, if you've dropping down to a weight that made you sick is in your past, if body issues have been part of your past or present (I I have no clue if they are) and if you are using phrases like body dysmorphic prone brain...it might be a mighty good investment.

You're absolutely right, Ozma. I think that would be an amazing investment for my health and a great way to repent to my body for all the bad stuff and negativity I put it through over the years. (Prior to this year, I was a vegetarian for 9 years. Also, at the risk of public disclosure, some unpleasant body image issues in the fairly distant past that led to me losing an unhealthy amount of weight). I've come a long, long way, but just want to be healthy in the long run.

Gonna start checking into some of my local options.

Originally Posted by firefly5

I find that getting pregnant is by far the most effective way to put on weight quickly and easily.

..l;, ..l;, ..l;,

I've heard that one too.

I found going on the pill and turning 30 helped a lot... I never used to have T&A, but I do now...

Seriously, though, Lisa...I'm not going to go on about the ways to gain weight b/c I think you're getting plenty of thoughts there, but I do want to say...I think I do understand very much what you're saying, and I can empathize...on multiple levels, I suspect. But...that said...it breaks my heart just a little. I suspect from what you've said that you (like many of us women) have a history of struggling to love yourself and--by extension--the body you're in--at times wanting it smaller/thinner, now critiquing yourself for not being larger/juicier. I'm not going to tell you time and gravity will take care of it all (though...well...they'll probably do something...) but one thing's for certain: our bodies, like ourselves, DO change over time, and our bodies are our own unique, beautiful vessels to enjoy. There is not a "perfect" way to be. You're beautiful as you are now...you'd be beautiful larger or heavier or thinner or older too, but you're beautiful now. My great wish for you is that you can love the body you have, rather than some idea of the body you don't, and then adjust and love yourself and your body as you change and go forward in life. :-) It's hard to get past those old emotional injuries and the body-image damage we suffer as young girls and women, but if you can, I think it makes for a happier person (and an even better dancer!)

Ok...getting off the soap box now...hope that wasn't too weird...big hugs....

weight gainer protein shakes seem to work for a lot of people. You can get them from GNC or similar stores. (sorry if someone has already mentioned that.)