Weight Gain support group.

[loosebones]

I know this may sound daft but it seems that some of us on here are trying to gain weight whilst others are trying to lose it. So, in order to balance it out, I propose this thread.

I need to gain at least half a stone to be a healthy weight.

[hannah]

Go for it LB.
And no, it isn't a daft thread. I had to gain half a stone last year cos I got too skinny. Now I still have to watch my weight in the patches when I feel sick to make sure I don't get that low again. And with people around me trying to loose weight it always feels strange to be trying to do the opposite - and funnily enough comments about 'How lucky I am to be slim' don't help.

Let us know how you go. remember to eat nutritious stuff too - I have found snacking on nuts and raisins really good as they aren't too sugary (too much sugar makes me feel wierd), have lots of goodness, and mean that even if I can't eat a full meal I can still maintain my body's balance.

It will take time to do, but stick at it

[poppy]

great idea loosebones. i'm trying to put weight on but aren't being very successful, last time i weighed myself i'd actually lost weight

[sarahh]

Hi Loosebones great idea and definatly not a daft one at all. As you know I am trying to put on weight aswell. I need to gain 1st to be atleast on my way to a healthy weight.

The dietitician when I saw her on wednesday said I can eat what I want and plenty of it. Which for me is easier said then done.

I thought this might help those of us trying to put on some weight aswell. I was given some nutrious drinks and things to try and was asked to decide which I liked best and to let my dietitican know and she would ask my gp to put them on prescriptions I decided Skandishakes were the best. The flavours they do are strawberry, vanilla, banana, chocolate and toffee I think is the other one.

I have Strawberry and Vanilla you mix them with milk whichever depending on whether lactose tolerent or not. I have mine with Lactofree milk and they contain 500 calories.

I have to aim to have atleast 2 everyday which isn't always easy.

I am going to start weighing myself everyweek.

Goodluck to you Loosebones and Poppy my lovlies. I know we can do this.

Sarah x

[Blaadyblah]

I've achieved my goal of nine stone and couldn't be happier. I know I'd have to lose a lot to be below my eight stone panic weight. I just wish I could say I knew how I'd done it - I suspect steak, cake and lager to be major contributors myself.

[vixenmeister]

Thank you for this thread LB. Over the past 8 years I have managed to gain 2.5 stone but am still below my recomended weight.
I have found that buildup has been useful. Even slimfast is good if you have both on top of your normal food intake. Both are yucky but you can improve the taste by adding icecream and turning into a milk shake. Also things like cereal bars / nuts are good to carry around.

I think if you can combine extra calories with sensible / bearable excersice you are at less risk of putting on just fat. It is important to put on muscle as well.

Also some of the more sensible BMI calculators take into account age as well as build so can give a more accurate idea of how much weight you need to gain. heres a good one.
I have found that has my weight has increased some of the pain has reduced as my joints don't dig in to things like matresses so much. It is also less painful when you bruise yourself.

Good luck to everyone.

Vix

[cocol]

Good Idea!

Now I'm fine but I have had to gain weight in the past, I had to drink something like Sarahh said... some high nutritious mix (chocolate flavour, of course ) with milk (full fat) in the mornings, I think it was called complan.

I also found that exercising made me hungrier and with muscle build up I managed to gain weight to just above underweight.

Oh, snacking is a good idea (but not junk food )

Good luck guys!

[sarahh]

Hi All I weighted myself yesturday and I weight 7stone 2lbs. I haven't put on any at all since I saw the dietitician.

Sarah x

[vixenmeister]

Hi Sarah - don't be disheartened.
It takes time to put weight on and it's not that long since you saw the dieticain. Also you seem to be in a lot of pain at the moment and that really doesn't help.
I always loose weight when everything hurts.

Vix x

[Shadowlady]

Hey hey

I'm trying to gain weight too, good idea for a thread LB!

Sarah, I struggle to maintain weight when in pain too. It just takes your appetite away hey hon? All I can say is keep on trying my love, and you'll get there in the end.

It can take aaaages to put on weight.

I'm 5'7" and am currently 9 stone (BMI 19.5 - normal) aiming for nine and a half, I've put on half a stone since just before Christmas, but ... as soon as I don't think about it, I tend to lose weight again. I'm trying to build muscle to stabilise my weight, and make it harder to lose it again.

At age 21 I was 12 and a half (BMI 27.5 - overweight), at 25 I was 7 and a half stone (BMI 17.5 - underweight) and utterly skeletal, worryingly ill looking and totally blow away in the windable. It dropped so much, so easily that I scared myself. I was intentionally losing weight to begin with, but my HMS kicked in and I was soon stuffing my face to try and maintain my weight and failing. When I got depressed as well as in pain I didn't care so much anymore and it just plumetted. Can't word how hard it was, living on my own, in so much pain, to stop losing weight and start putting it back on again.

I find proper meals make me gain weight a lot better than trying to eat more snacks, and actually, I'm far far better off with a low fat diet, too much fat makes my belly play up and me feel not-so-good (luckily, cus it wouldn't be fun to be skinny and chubby!), so I have to try and eat loads of carbs and protein. Nutrients are really important too, and making sure you get your nutrients can also help boost appetite as well as make you feel healthier - as can getting plenty of exercise.

Do y'all get a lot of comments from folk? I do . Well, not quite so much now I've put more weight on, but the Shadymans mum still tries to feed me up as well as him, he seriously needs to put weight on (I try to feed him up but the silly boy keeps skipping breakfast and lunch He will start eating more. He will ), whereas I'm officially 'normal' weight now even though I don't look it. People are always surprised by how much I weigh. Lucky when I was overweight, more like annoying now. Shadymother-out-law's a nurse, so should be good at guessing weight, and she guessed mine at 7 1/2? Full stone and a half out!

BMI Calculator link, I tried the other linked one, thanks Vix, but it kept saying error on page?

I may try and put even more weight on in time, for my height, even 11 stone is classed as a 'normal' BMI. I do want a whole heap more muscle than I currently have so that'll take me up more. I'm sure that'll help me feel so much fitter and stronger than I do. Nine and a half is my goal for the time being though! These things take time to do properly, and it's SO not about just pigging out on fatty food and getting fat!

Good luck and good eating everyone!
S

[Kitty]

I'm trying to put weight on but after being told I can't eat wheat/gluten as well as being lactose intolerant it's proving difficult, especially with IBS kicking in every now and again.

I'm 18 years old and my BMI is about 15.

Any tips would be great.

[poppy]

weighed myself earlier. still losing weight down to 7 stone now

[Eloise]

Hi all,

Just like to say this is a really good idea for a thread, and it is a well needed support that alot of people don't realise.

Shadowlady - I have done the opposite to you. I am 5'7'' and at 18 I was less than 8 stone and very underweight and needed to put weight on. In my early 20's I was still less than 9 stone and still needed to put weight on. Currently I am now 12st and gone to the other extreme and need to try and lose some. (so I use the other thread mainly).

I have no idea how I did it - other than I think it was greatly related to the anxiety and depression I had - and now that has solved I can eat with no problem. I used to stop eating totally - just have a few biscuits a day to kill the hunger pangs and acid.

One of the things I used to do was make up an angel delight with full fat milk at the milk-shake proportions (I think 2 pints and a packet) and drink that every evening. (as well as trying to eat 3 or 4 meals - however small) Be careful reading packets. I am sure the "low fat" angel delight used to have more calories than the normal so I used that!

Good luck to all of you. Try not to stress about it (I know it is hard) but I used to find the more I stressed the harder it was. Also, try not to weigh yourself anymore frequently than once a week as the daily variations in weight can do your head in. Mostly it is the same advice as for losing, and I remember when I was gaining that I had a housemate who was trying to lose weight and we would try to lose/gain the same so as to keep the balance in the house the same. She was using slimming world - and I did sort of as well - by making sure I always had the "healthy option" etc everyday.

I am pretty sure it takes longer to gain weight than lose it - even though every overweight person will tell you the opposite - but I have been on both ends - and trying to eat and gain weight when you feel nausous and stressed is much much harder than the self-control to not eat when you are overweight (which is what I am doing atm - and I have no self control when in pain!)

Hope you don't mind a "fatty" giving her views - Good luck all of you!

[loosebones]

Thanks for gatecrashing Eloise - good advice.

Poppy, have you tried the build up shakes they do? Just eating chocolate will not help as you need other food for the vitamins, minerals and essential fats you need. I understand that chocolate is wonderful but try to eat other stuff on top of it.

Kitty, it's difficult not being able to eat gluten, wheat and lactose. I was struggling with that until I found the free from ranges in Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco and also health food shops. The down side is that it costs more but I guess that in the long run if it helps your health, it's worth it.

I have had a good few months for food and think I have put on a few pounds, however today I have woken up with the same difficulties as I had months ago where I cannot swallow due to trapped wind and reflux. Will have to work on that again.

I have found that grazing through the day and lots of small meals has helped more than being faced by large plates of food 3 times a day.

Good luck everyone.

[hannah]

poppy. I second LBs advice - you have to eat stuff that isn't chocolate - if you don't have the nutrients you can't actually absorb stuff properly too, which won't help. However, this can be really tough. Have you tried having, for example, a bowl of mixed nuts and raisins within arms reach when watching a film/TV/on the internet? or carrot sticks? or chicken strips with dips? Then you can eat them without 'thinking' about it or having to eat a certain amount at one time.

Well done for making progress LB, I hope you manage to get the other under control. Have you tried over-the-counter stuff? like gaviscon? - obviously you should check with the pharmacisist whether they fit with your current meds though.

I'm going through a 'struggling to eat' patch and if I loose much more weight I am going to have to really do something, but at the moment I am just trying to make sure I eat 3 meals a day, and if they are small to snack on 'equivalent foods' up to the same quantity I would have had. (i.e. if I can only eat a half sized dinner, then I will try to snack on maybe a carrot, then a small portion of meat, then some carbs. so I eat the same amount but over a longer period). Earlier today it took me 2 tries 30 mins apart to eat a packet of crisps

One meal I struggle with is breakfast. Does anyone have a suggestion for what to have for breakfast? I'm not lactose intolerant but I haven't been able to face the thought of cereal with milk, or yoghurt. And I'm struggling a bit with toast too. And I must eat breakfast every day without fail - my personal policy. Any suggestions?

Hannah