Need Tips to Gain Weight

Personally, I'm way overweight so I don't have this issue, but our little daughter does. She's always been small (5 lbs. 14 oz. at birth) and is still small (26 lbs. at age 3). We've had many extra weight-check appointments, met with a nutritionist and had every test run - it's just who she is. We have always had to add fats to her diet: extra cheese, butter, oils, whole milk, etc. But what has helped the most are her PediaSure "shakes" we give her every day.

There are many other options for adults and one that I found (but haven't tried with her yet) is called BeneCalorie. You can find it at many online retailers, but here is one of them:
http://www.cwimedical.com/benecalorie.html
You add it to your food or drink and it adds 330 calories and 7 grams of protein. The supplement was made for cancer patients and people who cannot gain weight. It's a great way to add extra protein and calories without gorging yourself or resulting to junk food. You could start with one a day, and if that's not enough then add one at each meal. I know it's hard to take care of yourself when you're busy with taking care of everyone else and you might not be getting all the calories you need for a hectic life. I hope this helps. Without a healthy mama, no one else gets taken care of. :-)

1 mom found this helpful

With regards to your dental needs, if you live in the Seattle area, contact the University of Washington's School of Dentistry. They take patients in for their students to work on. Work is closely supervised, the care has always been excellent. If you have alot of work that needs to be done, this could be your answer. I wish I had your problem of weight loss!!! If only we could share our extra pounds!!
Try incrasing your caloric intake with Ensure. It's a liquid meal supplement that folks who have a hard time maintaining weight and keeping nourishment down consume. There are 3 or 4 flavors. It would be easily consumed during a 15 minute break. But if you're working 5 hours you should be getting a 30 minute meal break in addition to the 1 10-15 minute break. It's Washington State law. If your teeth or gums are infected, you may need an antibiotic before you'll get any better. Go see your family dr and he can give you something for any infection you might have. Try to get at least 6-8 hrs of sleep each night. If you don't get real rest, you'll continue to burn up your reserves. Take good care of yourself. Your kids are counting on you to be there for them.

Maybe try on your breaks almonds also go to the grocery store buy energy bars.. like zone bars.. I know there are some that are higher calorie and protein.. can't think of the name now.. also you could buy the shakes in the can that are like a meal.. I think one of the brands is ensure.. for while you are at work..
best of luck,
L.

i have an issue keeping my weight up as well... i found this site that i like though. it's a calorie counter and it counts both intake and out put. www.thedailyplate.com

As moms, we tend to take care of everyone else first and put things off for ourselves. You say you have bad teeth and I'm guessing that you mean you need some serious dental work which can be expensive. I'd encourage you to pursue a way to get your teeth fixed for the sake of your long term health. In many cities, there are clinics that will charge you according to your ability to pay, private dentists who will take a few patients at little or no cost, or schools who need patients for their classes. Even a community college with a dental hygiene program needs practice patients and can get you connected to a dentist who will work with you and your finances.

It's worth the effort. Your kids will benefit from your being healthy, and you will look and feel better, too.

Hey T. - You have a lot of choices to try in the answers you've received so far. I don't have personal experience with this (other than having Hyperthyroid during my first pregnancy, where I was prescribed a milkshake a day!) but I read a lot about nutrition and try to cook from scratch for my family. I would only warn you to try to be aware of what you're putting in your body. I agree that you'll just have to get into the habit of eating quite often - just be careful that you don't use "junk" foods to gain weight or you'll end up in very poor health, even if you're still skinny. No use feeling bad when you look good and have a lot to take care of!

Most people should have fat make up 30 percent of their diet, but I would recommend yours be more like 45 percent. The fats that will be good for you come from almonds, avocados, flaxseed oil (put it on salad and always keep it cold - you don't cook with it), eggs, and salmon among other things. You should also stay away from white, processed grains and load up on heavy breads and pastas, seed-grains like quinoa are also complete proteins and you can either use them like rice or as a hot cereal with brown sugar. Bonus: they are cheap in the bulk section of the grocery store!

You might want to invest in seeing a nutritionist, or just head to the library/internet and spend some time researching.
Blessings on your health!
js

Is there any way you can snack on stuff at your desk like protein bars, muffins, dried fruit, etc? I used to be a healthy weight no matter what I ate. Now, two months after my 2nd child and tandem nursing and fear of being low energy and undernourished like w/first baby, I eat all the time and high calorie foods. I've also noticed that now that I sleep less again (generally a sleep-a-holic when possible) I easily gain weight with all the more eating hours I'm awake. Bottom line to gain weight? Eat a LOT (think coneheads, massive quantities) and eat constantly -- I never knew what a LOT was really like until now. Lots of dairy fats, pastas, omelettes, ice cream, pastries, as well as healthy fats like avocados and olive oils will help too. Be sure to get your veggies in those pastas and omelettes so that weight gain does not translate into poor nutrition.

On the other hand, now that I think of it, if you want to gain weight, look great, and not get into unhealthy eating habits you could exercise a lot. I was a cross-country runner and I can tell you that if you get really into shape you will gain weight and it will be in the form of muscle mass. Your appetite will also increase to meet your higher calorie requirements. Think Madonna biceps -- lean, healthy, robust and fit looking -- the look that everyone wants! But you have to get into fairly intense exercise - not just 20 minute walks 3 times a week -- to really build muscle mass. Good luck!

Drink alot on Ensure. That is what we would give our elderly patients when they were losing weight and needed to gain some.
It has tons of vitamins so it is a healthy way to gain, instead of eating boxes of twinkies or something..lol.
Good Luck,
K.

I would strongly suggest being tested for celiac disease. Celiac is an intolerance to gluten/wheat. It is just a blood test. People with celiac disease have all kinds of different symptoms, but weight loss is one of them. I would strongly recommend it.

Ive always found it a little disturbing that there are a zillion shows, books, products, companies etc etc for folks who need to lose weight but us "skinnys" (naturally thin people with no medical problems) dont have any immediate resources to help us gain weight, well those of us who want to. Most folks just tell you to "eat more." We do eat more and sometimes that just doesnt help. Currently I am 5'8" and I weigh 130 pounds, which sounds good to most but I am still thin-looking. In highschool I was around 105 and just wished I could get to 115, then 125, and now I am 35 with two kids and at 130lbs, Im still not completely satisfied ,but what woman is completely satisfied with their bodies?

On a different note, I do remember in my early 20's I started drinking ensure 3 times a day (1080 xtra cals a day) and gained 13 pounds in about 6 weeks! The downside is that it makes you feel full longer; and it's a real struggle to get it down sometimes because it is so thick. I had to also keep in mind to eat my food first then drink the ensure or else if I just drank the ensure I wouldnt want to eat. Ive tried other weight gain poweders-which all seemed to have a grity taste and you had to drink a billion ounces to get those 1000 calories per shake that they advertised and they were really expensive and didnt taste well or you had to add other items like icecream $$, bananas$$, peanutbutter$$, honey$$, cookies$$--get my drift? Who has that kind of money in this economy?

Maybe weight lifting would help you bulk up or help you achieve a "bigger" look? But with three active kids I could imagine you must have a busy schedule as it is.

Im planning on gaining another 10 pounds and starting my ensure weight gain 'diet' Feb 1st. So ill let you know how things go. Oh also, I only drink the ensure ice cold and really fast because it does have a yucky aftertaste, but goes down smooth. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Have you had your thyroid checked? There are two types of conditions - one that makes you going weight and the other makes you lose weight.

Hi T.,

My daughter had to gain weight when she was little and the doctor suggested putting cream cheese in her scrambled eggs - boy are they ever good and a good way to put a little fat into a good for you product. She is still on whole milk and drinks a glass with every meal. She is still a bean pole, however with her growth she is staying steady in her weight. Interestingly, I eat a lot of the same foods that she does - except whole milk - and as long as I exercise I don't put weight on. So it works out well for all of us.

Positively,
M.

Wow, I feel like I could have written this! Well, almost :-) I'm only 5'2 and on average weigh around 100-105. Also, nothing is wrong medically with me either. My goal this year is to gain weight so I'll be keeping up with what replies you get ;-) I've always had a high metabolism so I've always been able to eat whatever I wanted. Maybe someone will have a good idea what will actually help put on weight, not just maintain it :-)
The big thing that caught my eye in your post is you said you have bad teeth. I'm only 25 and already need a top denture due to no insurance growing up (I can count on one hand how many times I went to the dentist growing up). I had dental insurance about a year ago and found out it would cost me over $7,000 to get my teeth fixed. With insurance! I recently got in touch with the dental program at OHSU and without insurance my dental work is only going to be around $4,000 spaced out over a year. I definetely recommend you checking them out. I drive 1 1/2 - 2 hours just to get to them but it's completely worth it to me! They don't charge for the first visit (which is when I got my quote). If you would like the number and address let me know, I'll reply asap with it.

T.,
One thing you might consider is that your body has trouble absorbing the nutrients that you are consuming. This is a very common problem and leads to a lot of illnesses because of nutrient deficiencies. You can eat all you want and take all the vitamins that you want but if your body is not absorbing it then it is not doing you any good.
I use and help others use a two nutritional food products that have a 98% absorption rate. They are called Classic & Innergize. They are simple to use and very effective with a money back guarantee. You won't find them on a store shelf, they are marketed through independent business owners who work with you to make sure you attain the results you are looking for. If you would like to learn more, I would be happy to send you some information.

Best wishes,
N.

Milkshakes pack a lot of calories. You could also try switching to whole milk and full fat/calorie everything - extra butter/dressing on your food. These are the things I used to get my grandmother to gain weight when she was very thin/frail. I wish I had that problem:)

You can actually buy weight gain powder at a place like GNC. I don't have this problem, but I was in there getting protein the other day (another good investment) and a man was in there asking what his underweight daughter could take since she wants so badly to make the basketball team but can't keep her weight up no matter what she tries. They had four or five different weight gain powders, usually for ppl bulking up, but had serving suggestions for just getting weight up and keeping it stable. Maybe head someplace like that and see what they have? Also the South Beach Diet is a good one. It's not to loose weight, but for weight maintenance. Perhaps your doctor can help you with a diet that is maintainable once you gain the weight. Best of luck!

I can help you get a medifast product that helps people either lose or gain weight, whichever they need. It ws developed by a doctor and used for years by doctors, and now is opened up so health advisors can sell it. I am a certified health advisor. I know one lady who was losing 5# a week and the medifast helped her gain. If you want more imformation, please email me at ____@____.com

I had a roommate with your problem. Her doctor told her to snack on olives and eat avocado whenever she could so she would put guacamole on things all the time. Olives are quite portable and an easy snack to eat. I like the black ones. The flavor is milder than the green ones. Also, add cheese to things -- sometimes a little sprinkle of grated cheese adds a spark of flavor to any hot dish. Drink hot chocolate -- has lots of calories in it.

Hi T.,

I can relate! I also have a fast metabolism, and while I haven't lost weight in a while, I do need to eat well to keep it on. I would suggest eating almonds, avocado, low-fat cheeses or peanut butter with crackers for snacks and high protein foods like chicken and tuna salad on whole wheat bread for a more involved snack. Nuts and avocados are packed with 'good' fats, and take a while to digest and metabolize.The key is to try to eat small amounts all day long and even in the evenings.
Its best to combine your sweet snacks (even apples and other naturally sweet foods) with some protein, to slow the digestion and metabolism of the sugar, which will give you more energy for longer, prevent the inevitable (although sometimes imperceptible) post-sugar crash, and prevent your body from breaking down stored fats and proteins for fuel.
If you like smoothies (i'm a big fan, since you can add tasty stuff and take it with you on the run), i would suggest a fruit, yogurt, soy/milk, spinach (can't taste it at all-i promise!), raw oat combo for a energy rich snack. Add soft tofu, protein powder or quinoa flakes* for a extra protein boost that will make this more like a meal.
Hope this helps! good luck, and try to remind yourself that you are beautiful daily- people pick up on self image more than we realize:)
*quinoa is a 'super grain', with very high protein, and other good stuff. I buy the flakes at Whole foods in the bulk dept. Its very affordable and much cheaper than protein powder. You can also add it to hot cereal for a basically tasteless nutritional boost.
E.

Hi T.-

Well I saw your posting the other day but didnt reply. Just now i was doing some research on yogurt and i found thise website showing all the "healthy foods" you can eat to acheive weight gain. Good Luck!! :)

http://www.how-to-gain-weight.net/food-to-gain-weight.html

K.

I can empathize. I had a hard time gaining weight for years but it never got to be a serious problem. My Mother-in-law's doctor advised her to drink a bottle of Ensure or Boost three times a day. She was under a hundred pounds and is gaining. Since you have such a short break this could help you some. Each bottle is 250 calories and has vitamins and minerals. It costs a bit but Wal-Mart has the best price and it has been worth the cost to see her health improve.

Hoping for a better future.