OMNI - How to gain weight?

According to my doctor I am woefully underweight (104.5lbs - I was quite shocked myself!) I need some quick and easy ways to put on some weight.

However, the catch is that my blood pressure is already much higher than it should be (I'm only eighteen) so artery-clogging foods are a no-no. Also, I have acid reflux, so I am supposed to consume dairy in moderation.

So... what should I eat? I already eat a lot of nuts and cheese, but am not gaining weight, what else could I eat? :(

Thanks :)

I always found trying to lose weight helped put it on LOL.

Seriously though, did he say you were unhealthy at your weight? How tall are you? Any reason to think you aren't just a "late bloomer"?

Protein powder mixed with juice or water would probably be good for you. Check out this link for starters:

http://www.beverlyintl.com/weight-gainer-massmaker.html

I hate you!I hate you!

I drink water and I gain weight.
Do what i did - McDonalds everyday for 3 times a day for 6 months. Other than my pub outings I ate McD's almost everyday during the first few months during college days.

Gained almost 15 lbs.

I drink water and I gain weight.
Do what i did - McDonalds everyday for 3 times a day for 6 months. Other than my pub outings I ate McD's almost everyday during the first few months during college days.

Yeah, that's great for the blood pressure. :)

Yeah, just get some protein and/or some high/calorie and nutrient mass gainer. Just be sure you exercise though. There's no reason you need to go and get fat. If you're that thin, any muscle at all would make you ripped, which may or may not be what you want.

Protein shakes. And lift weights.

Protein and weight lifting. Also, eat about 6 times a day (reasonably sized breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with small snacks in between) to stabilize your metabolism.

Pigging out on McD's is NOT healthy, but you probably knew that already. ;) :)

I find sitting on my ... and eating a lot of crap for days at a time does the trick for me.

Also, I've heard "the munchies" attained from smoking the leaf of a certain illegal plant helps, but I wouldn't know. :rolleyes:

I need some quick and easy ways to put on some weight.

Ask your Doc about the Barry Bonds/Sammy Sosa/Mark McGuire solution.

Oprah might have a diet that can help you, too. :)

At 18 I would be very worried about the acid reflux. This aint good. I would be only slightly concerned about the high blood pressure and probably not worried a bit about the 104 lb unless you are over 6 ft tall.

MisterNice

Just keep breathing. It works for me.

I am also interested in this. I have a very quick metabolism and at the same age as you and 5"9, 125lbs I'm not very pleased. I can only suggest whey based protein drinks which combined with working out will help you with muscle mass. At least I can fit comfortably into Y seats :P As for the acid reflux, that is not good for someone 18. I suggest asking you doctor for a referral to a gastroentorologist (sp).

Dr. Nick: Now there are many options available for dangerously underweighted individuals like yourself. I recommend a slow steady gorging process combined with assal horizontology.
Homer: [pensive] Of course.
Dr. Nick: [points to a chart] You'll want to focus on the neglected food groups such as the whipped group, the congealed group and the chocotastic!
Homer: What can I do to speed the whole thing up, Doctor?
Dr. Nick: Well...be creative. Instead of making sandwiches with bread, use poptarts. Instead of chewing gum, chew bacon!
Bart: You could brush your teeth with milkshakes!
Dr. Nick: Hey, did you go to Hollywood Upstairs Medical College too? And remember, if you're not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it's your window to weight gain. Bye bye, everybody!

I spent years with this problem (as an omnivore until I was 20, as a vegetarian until I was 28, and then as someone who eats a vegetarian plus fish diet) it's only been in the past 4 years or so that my weight shifted into a 'normal' bmi.

Are you vegetarian, sadiqhassan? I only ask to help tailor some suggestions.

I only started gaining weight after I met my current husband. 2 factors contributed to this.

1 - Going to Japan moderately frequently (I'd put on weight every time I visited)

2 - Having my husband visit me in the UK moderately frequently (I'd put on weight every time he visited).

Which means I put on a bit of weight every 3-4 months. Most of it would naturally drop away in the meantime, but not all of it, and that's the tiny part that ended up accumulating.

I'm convinced that the reason this happened was that

1. I loved the food in Japan, was struck by how cheap it was and found myself sampling new food and flavours at every given opportunity. Over one or two weeks this turned into a lot of extra food and snacks.

2. I'd try and make things for my husband that he couldn't easily get in Japan - I had access to an oven then and I'd make lasagne, fruit pies and crumbles, hotpots, casseroles, hefty salads full of potatoes and eggs, Spanish rice dishes. It meant I was eating more than and different food to usual

Don't stop being active. Going to Tokyo and having my then fiance visit are not exactly sedentary experiences. Now I am inactive (I need to be pushed in a wheelchair) my weight has dropped again - sitting around eating and doing nothing doesn't always work;) I'm not particularly bothered about this though.

Try and sneak in a few extra meals into your daily routine, but don't do it punishment style. Try and get genuinely excited by the extra food, buy a cook book that interests you and make it a project to prepare and eat an extra meal every day rather than force yourself to just eat cheese and nuts (although eating extra snacks is obviously a good idea - try carrot, bellpepper or kohlrabi sticks and hummous - easy to eat LOTS of this)

An extra couple of homemade burritos with mashed beans fried in olive oil and loaded with avocado. Fruit crumbles (a generous layer of fruit arranged in a tray and dusted with a topping made from flour fat and sugar). Risottos and Paella style dishes. If you can get a breadmaker, home made bread made with ingredients such as chick peas means that you'll have a constant source of food to snack on that won't ruin your arteries - even if you just commit to eating a thick slice or two with every meal you normally eat those calories will add up (but I'd suggest adding olive oil to the bread rather than butter).

Quite recently I spent just over a year living with my father who takes medication for angina and blood pressure. I prepared the food during this time. I'm mentioning it because his blood pressure was monitored throughout. Even though I regularly fry my meals and don't skimp on the olive oil his blood pressure (which he already had under control) didn't rise during this time.

Best of luck to you sadiqhussain, I understand very well that you have your work cut out for you. This task isn't easy and can be quite expensive.

I have had the same problem, but I have hyperthyroidism and my metabolism is super charged. I drank lots of boost protein shakes, ate tons of ice cream and banana's. I am not a big eater to begin with so it has been hard for me.

The thyroid medicine has slowed down my metabolism, so I have cut back on the calorie laden foods. Just take in more calories than you are going to expend. It's that simple. You can stay away from lots of sodium because of your high blood pressure.

Buy a calorie book. You can see exactly the amount of fat and calories in whatever food you will be eating. You wn't believe all the choices you will have without interfering with your blood pressure.

Good luck with this. I know what you are going through. You can have fun with this.

Have you considered Mexican horse 'roids? You can probably get 'em in TJ. Canseco and McGwire hit over a thousand bombs between 'em this way.

When my blood work came back showing a high T3 level my doctor had it repeat ed and it came back high once again. The endocrinologist said he didnt feel any problem and I didnt have any symptoms of hyperthyroid. Perhaps you can ask your doctor to do a full set of bloodtests including T3 and free-T3. (LOL, if your wondering how I am 18 and so up to date on the terminology: my mom is a nurse)

My weight has been between 123 and 125 pounds ever since I'm a teenager, now I'm 28. I used to worry about it, but not any more. My younger brother (2 years younger) is the same weight, our mom is kind of short and plump but our dad is quite tall and solid frame. I eat often but not a lot at a time, that's just the way I am. Maybe you were meant to be very thin, I kind of got used to it.

Since you will be leaving home in a couple of months to live on campus, I am pretty sure your diet will change. Just ensure that you don't have any medical problem before you get down to NYC and then check with a nutritionist to have a good meal plan.
Lifting weights will also help in building some muscles:) .

Thanks for the replies - I'm 5'9 and not vegeterian - I eat lots of fish but not so much meat.

I went to the gastroenterologist who simply said to avoid dairy; my doctor said I can have it in moderation since I have been drinking two glasses of milk every day since I was very young.

Cheers

Protein shakes. And lift weights.

Whether it's via shakes or anything else, protein plus weight lifting means lots of muscle weight gain, especially if you're male. Perhaps your school has a rec facility with staffers who can teach you the proper form and technique for weight work.

I second everyone else's suggestion of exercise + protein. That is how you gain muscle tissue, which is the kind of weight you want.

Start with moderate excercise though! You sound like you might be a little out of shape (no offense meant) so you need to be careful to not strain your ligaments too much when you first start out. You can do real damage if you're not careful. I would suggest joining a gym with personal trainers on staff, and then paying for 3-5 sessions to get you going.

Also, eat american beef. The cheap kind, not the organic grocery kind. It's so loaded with growth hormones that you'll be growing in no time.

Good luck!

:) ^

..........Also, eat american beef. The cheap kind, not the organic grocery kind. It's so loaded with growth hormones that you'll be growing in no time. Good luck! :) ^

This is what Barry Bonds eats and strongly recommends for rapid muscle growth.

MisterNice

Just hang out with me ;)

And if living with jfe does do it, come live with us in Sacramento. The eating habits in our home are well-proven to help add weight.

Sometimes Celiac disease causes a person to be unable to gain weight because the nutrients aren't absorbed. Symptoms of Celiac are varied and various and, many times, there are no symptoms at all except for the lack of weight gain and/or anemia. There is a blood test to diagnose it although the gold standard for diagnosis is a small intestine biopsy if the labs don't diagnose it. It's a curable disease merely by staying away from gluten.

Bobette

I hate you!I hate you!

I drink water and I gain weight.
Do what i did - McDonalds everyday for 3 times a day for 6 months. Other than my pub outings I ate McD's almost everyday during the first few months during college days.

Gained almost 15 lbs.See Super Size Me. The dude was having organs start to shut down at 20 days. He gained 30 lbs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight_Gain_4000

You weigh 105 lbs? Ever considered becoming a coxswain?

http://www.nyu.edu/athletics/clubs/crew/coxswains.html

You can weigh up to around 125 before you get too big to do that. And you'd have access to whatever athletic facilities the team has access to.

There's nothing wrong with consulting a personal trainer either; they can get you set on a weight lifting routine and make sure you use proper technique, etc.

I'm currently 5' 9" and 95 lbs... My doctor says that, of course, it is no secret that I am thin, but I have always been this way, and there doesn't seem to be any particular reason why I should focus on gaining weight.

May I ask if there is a reason why your doctor suddenly suggests you gain weight quickly?

Too bad they didn't do transplants. I have LOTS to donate!