# Trying to gain weight



## finleysmummy (Jan 27, 2009)

I don't know if there is an area on the forum for this, but my question is about weight. I have recently seen a dietitian who wants me to gain weight ( I am 5'4" and 6st 10lb.) I lost a few pounds over the recent weeks during menses and bad IBS. I struggle to eat fats without difficulty due to IBS and also GERD. Can anybody give me some help on how to gain some weight with this condition?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you have a diet that works for you with your symptoms you can increase portions (or add snacks with the same stuff).If fats bother you try adding just a drop or two of olive oil to rice or whatever you can eat. It doesn't have to be a lot. If you tolerate nuts maybe one or two almonds slivered up with the cooked veggies, etc can over time add quite a few calories.It may be worth counting your calories for a few days to see how many more calories a day you need to eat. If you eat enough to maintain weight then 500 calories more a day should get you adding a pound a week. That sounds like a lot, but if you add 50-100 calories a few times a day you can work up to that.If you tolerate something like Ensure you can add a can of that to 1-2 meals a day (or drink as snacks between meals). Small frequent meals tends to work for both GERD and IBS so you might need to add a couple of mini meals rather than trying to make meals larger as that can set off either one.


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## Patman75 (Mar 9, 2008)

Ditto on Kathleens comments on adding a little oil here and there to get some more extra calories. Stay away from the highly processed veggie oils.Olive oil, coconut oil and flax are great healthy oils. Avacodes are about 200 calories each. Nuts are packed full of calories but you may or may not tolerate them.You can try meal replacement shakes to add extra calories.I have used both of these...There is a rice version of this too.http://www.metagenics.com/products/a-z-pro...al-Medical-Foodhttp://www.imixnaturals.com/Abosrb plus is by far the best tasting.


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

I know how you feel i am only 6stones due to severity of ibs and chronic fatigue syndrome.Can your Dietician not help you with what foods are good for you and to put on a bit of wait.I would think that is part of there job.


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## finleysmummy (Jan 27, 2009)

Thanks guys. I will try those things. Yes my dietitian suggested a couple of ideas such as adding dried milk powder to foods, and eating milky puddings (for calcium too). I wanted to get some ideas from people who are suffering the same on here to see if there is anything that could help me too.


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## Styan Williams (Dec 12, 2009)

finleysmummy said:


> Thanks guys. I will try those things. Yes my dietitian suggested a couple of ideas such as adding dried milk powder to foods, and eating milky puddings (for calcium too). I wanted to get some ideas from people who are suffering the same on here to see if there is anything that could help me too.


Those who are extremely lean tend to have weaker immune systems,making them prone to infections, surgical complications, and slowerrecovery times for illness. They tend to have low muscle mass, andless than ideal hair, teeth, and skin composition. They may havedisruptions in the ability to regulate hormones and protect bonehealth, and women could become unable to menstruate.There are many reasons why people may find it hard to gain weight.Genetics can obviously play a role, but individual personalities andthe environment can be strong factors.Some people are just more physically active, they tend to move aroundmore,burning more calories than they take in. In children, the inabilityto gain weight may signal a conditionknown as "failure to thrive," which means a kid is not growingappropriately for his/her age. This may be caused by an illness, oreating patterns dictated by a parental idiosyncrasy.Being able to eat anything with abandon is also deceiving -- even theskinny need to worry about having too much sugar and fat for goodhealth. Poor diets can lead to ailments such as heart disease,stroke, andcancer.If you want to put on weight, you should work out, to insure that youput on muscle and not fat. Healthy weight gain, just like healthyweight loss, takes time andrequires a conscious effort to apply good habits.Recommended Ways to Gain WeightHave meals with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and theright kinds of fat (such as unsaturated and monounsaturated fats,olive oil, canola oil, pistachios, almonds and walnuts). Heinemannsuggests the following ratio: 60%-70% carbohydrates, 10%-15% protein,and a small amount of fat.Eat foods higher in calories, vitamins, and minerals, as opposed tohigher in fat or sugar.Pack more nutritious calories in each serving. For example, you mayadd grated cooked eggs to mashed potatoes, ground chicken to soups andgravies, cheese in casseroles, eggs, and soups, and nonfat dried milkin soups, shakes, milk, and mashed potatoes.If you get too full too fast, try having more high-calorie foods orslices of foods as opposed to consuming the whole thing (raisinsversus grapes, granola and Grape Nuts versus corn flakes, mango slicesversus the whole mango).Limit drinking beverages to a half-hour before and after a meal.Drink mixed juices (apple/berry, peach/orange/banana as opposed toone juice beverages) for a higher calorie intake.With moderation, you may add in good fat sources to meals such asnuts, avocado, olives, and fatty fish (salmon and mackerel).Snack in between meals. Nuts, dried fruits, and yogurt are goodoptions, but it's also important to find nutritious foods that youwill enjoy.Have a nutritious snack before bedtime, such as a peanut buttersandwich.http://quick-weight-gain.blogspot.com/


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks to kathleen, patman and styan for all the info--very helpful.i've been making milky puddings to eat. i have gerd as well so i sadly i can't eat chocolate pudding (boo hoo) but i love the jello french vanilla pudding. two packets of that, three cups of milk and layer it in a bowl with vanilla wafers.....yum...and yes good for calcium too.


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## finleysmummy (Jan 27, 2009)

Thank you Styan, some good info there. It is very true that many factors influence our weight; I do struggle mentally to eat large amounts due to the viscious cycle of my symptoms. Annie - I was advised to eat things such as chocolate by my dietitian, but easier said than done when you suffer with acid isn't it?! It has a mind of its own. The milky puddings are a good way to go at least for the important calcium.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

finleysmum--yes it is harder to gain weight when gerd limits what you can eat. so many of the the foods i like are off limits now. the puddings i can handle because i make them with low fat (1/2%) milk. and yes like kathleen suggested, eating more frequent smaller meals works a whole lot better for me than two or three larger ones. and i add a little bit of olive oil to some of the food in each meal. it took some experimenting to find out how much i could tolerate and how much was too much.


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

I'm not sure if you are in the US or whether this is available where you are, but Nestle has a product called BENECALORIE that looks like it packs a lot of calories into a small quantity.http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/genera...T1=BENECAL+24CU


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## riddick (Dec 30, 2008)

Trying to gain weight has also been an issue for me as well. My dietician has prescribed me scandishake (600cals when made with whole milk) and fortisips (300cals three times per day) and calogen on top of that lot.I was in hospital 3 weeks ago weighing just 55kg (i'm 5"9).......i now weigh nearly 64kg!I also tend to eat small high protein meals several times per day......rice pudding, chicken and fish not to mention plenty of veg.


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## 123kev123 (Dec 4, 2009)

Hi,I have the same problem too, I want to gain back all the 10% body mass that I have lost over the pass 4months when my IBS symptoms were horrendous. I just don't eat when I have diarreah or constipation due to fear I suppose. It's really comforting to know that people have managed to gain back their weight.I can't eat milk products as my IBS is triggered my milk products, do you guys have any suggestions on what food I should take?


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

I was underweight my entire life into my thirties. Once I restricted carbohydrates and ate mostly meat, I gained weight, mostly in the form of muscle, and conquered most of my diarrhea problems.


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## Note (May 28, 2009)

I found lowering my carb intake and increasing my protein (meat) also helped me to gain some weight. Also, if you don't already do this, join a gym and work out. The extra muscle will add at least 5 lbs to your weight and the exercise can help with virtually any and all of life's challenges. You don't have to become a workout nut, but just 2 to 3 times a week and you will see and experience a noticeable difference to your weight within a short period of time.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

Note said:


> I found lowering my carb intake and increasing my protein (meat) also helped me to gain some weight. Also, if you don't already do this, join a gym and work out. The extra muscle will add at least 5 lbs to your weight and the exercise can help with virtually any and all of life's challenges. You don't have to become a workout nut, but just 2 to 3 times a week and you will see and experience a noticeable difference to your weight within a short period of time.


See Doug McGuff's book Body By Science. You can workout once every 7 days, or even 10 days, for about 10-15 minutes. I used to go to the gym daily. No more.


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## PeaLea (Sep 16, 2009)

123kev123 said:


> Hi,I have the same problem too, I want to gain back all the 10% body mass that I have lost over the pass 4months when my IBS symptoms were horrendous. I just don't eat when I have diarreah or constipation due to fear I suppose. It's really comforting to know that people have managed to gain back their weight.I can't eat milk products as my IBS is triggered my milk products, do you guys have any suggestions on what food I should take?


nope no milk for me either! i just try n eat alot of pasta!! i used to do sports n exercise in college and was well into fitness always been underweight too but maintained my weight, although ive been unwell recently im slowly going back to my normal self im just finding it hard...hit the pasta dude and meat! im loving cereal with lacto free milk too atm...just eat what u can life it all trial n error


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## 123kev123 (Dec 4, 2009)

thanks.. but isn't pasta made with cheese which comes from milk? I'm not too sure...


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The pasta usually doesn't have cheese unless it is a filled pasta and there is cheese in something like a ravioli (can be meat rather than cheese) or you add the cheese to the sauce or on the top at the end.The dried pasta all by itself usually does not have cheese as one of the ingredients. They will say on the package if you are worried.


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## 123kev123 (Dec 4, 2009)

thanks! I'm trying to fit in as much food as i can into my stomach when i have an appetite =D


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## PeaLea (Sep 16, 2009)

i do the same Kev..but i think overload can make u feel worse sometimes..i find a little n often n snacking helps..u may not gain much weight but u will maintain!!


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