how to GAIN weight?

[forever_always]

Maybe this is a silly question, but does anyone have any tips for gaining weight? I’m 5’4" and weigh 115, but I would like to get up to 120-125 and stay there because i feel that i am just a bit too tiny. I eat ALOT. Three big meals a day, plus snacks, but nothing seems to ever work!!

Thanks!

 

[whatevergirl]

*Hi forever;

If you are eating healthy, exercising, etc…this could be your body’s way of telling you that you’re at your ‘best weight’ for you. Also, if your ‘‘BMI’’ is in the right percentage, then it could be that your body is at its ideal weight. If you definitely want to gain 10 lbs, lift weights…you will gain muscle, and thus weight. *

 

[Altesse]

Go to the doctor and have your thyroid checked in addition to regular check-up.

Pizza several times a week for a while worked for me

I have now lost 30 so far. Too bad I can’t send it to you.

 

[SophieG]

I’m similar to you–I’m 5’4" and 110. I don’t feel too skinny, but I do wish they’d let me donate blood.

Do you work out? Since you (presumably) don’t have that much extra body fat, doing things like lifting weights or running will build muscle and make you heavier.

 

[puzzleannie]

just look at food, smell or, or walk by it, that always works for me.

seriously exercise is just as important for gaining weight, the right kind which is muscle weight, as it is for losing, so work on strenght training and some cardio. Make every bite count, nutritious and delicious, and make sure you don’t eat anything you are allergic to or sensitive to. You can add calories in the way of fats and sugars that the rest of us cannot have, so don’t be afraid to add a pat of butter or dollop of whipped cream, or gravy and salad dressing. Make your snacks both calorie dense but also nutrient dense, like nuts and fruit.

like the W girls says, if you are eating right and not foregoing whole food groups unnecessarily, it may be that you are already at your optimal weight.

 

[forever_always]

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut! I do exercise regularly, but I mostly just run and do situps/pushups… maybe lifting weights will help me gain a bit of muscle weight

 

[Truly_Beloved]

What kinds of things do you eat?

I eat a lot of fat, meat, fish, dairy, nuts, eggs, veggies, and fruits, and I have a difficult time getting up to/maintaining my own personal ideal of 100lbs., and I’m 5’2". I say “personal ideal” because no one has ever told me that 95-98 is unhealthy for me, and I otherwise feel fine, I just have this random psychological hang-up about being below 100.

As soon as I add a bunch of pasta, bread, potatoes, and other carbs back into my diet, the weight is easier for me to gain/keep on.

You didn’t ask , but I think 115lbs., on a 5’4" frame is quite reasonable. Has anyone told you that you should gain weight? Or is your issue like mine, and you just like to be in a “higher” range than what your body seems to do naturally?

 

[forever_always]

What kinds of things do you eat?

That is like my Mom! She is 5’2" and weighs about 95!

I eat a lot of fat, meat, fish, dairy, nuts, eggs, veggies, and fruits, and I have a difficult time getting up to/maintaining my own personal ideal of 100lbs., and I’m 5’2". I say “personal ideal” because no one has ever told me that 95-98 is unhealthy for me, and I otherwise feel fine, I just have this random psychological hang-up about being below 100.

As soon as I add a bunch of pasta, bread, potatoes, and other carbs back into my diet, the weight is easier for me to gain/keep on.

You didn’t ask , but I think 115lbs., on a 5’4" frame is quite reasonable. Has anyone told you that you should gain weight? Or is your issue like mine, and you just like to be in a “higher” range than what your body seems to do naturally?

To be completely honest, I work full time and go to school in the evenings, so I eat alot of fast food When i bring lunches to work, it is usually pasta or sandwhiches. My snacks at work are usually sunchips, cheese-its, crackers, yogurt, things that are easy to bring.

Why thank you!! I have been told since i was little that I was too skinny! Alot of close friends will compliment that I look great, while other friends will say i look like skin and bones!!! I gained five pounds over the last year, but I don’t think its very noticeable…

 

[Tosk]

Estimate how many calories you need in a day and then go over by 500 to gain 1 pound a week. You can use livestrong.com/ to track how much you are eating and keep up with your calories. If you aren’t gaining weight it is more than likely because you aren’t eating enough. You should also lift weights if you can to help build muscle.

 

[st_lucy]

To be completely honest, I work full time and go to school in the evenings, so I eat alot of fast food When i bring lunches to work, it is usually pasta or sandwhiches. My snacks at work are usually sunchips, cheese-its, crackers, yogurt, things that are easy to bring.

Why thank you!! I have been told since i was little that I was too skinny! Alot of close friends will compliment that I look great, while other friends will say i look like skin and bones!!! I gained five pounds over the last year, but I don’t think its very noticeable…

How old are you. I had this problem when I was young (16-23). I would eat everything because just wanted to be a “normal” weight. Now I am on the other side. I would suggest you count your calories and eat right, so that you know when to stop eating too much, mother nature is kind of funny in that way.

 

[SophieG]

other friends will say i look like skin and bones!!!

People say this to me too. I ignore them. I’ve always been skinny, and my doctor says I am fine. If you are going to change your weight, do it for yourself, not for other people.

 

[garyr]

Maybe this is a silly question, but does anyone have any tips for gaining weight? I’m 5’4" and weigh 115, but I would like to get up to 120-125 and stay there because i feel that i am just a bit too tiny. I eat ALOT. Three big meals a day, plus snacks, but nothing seems to ever work!!
Thanks!

Put a 5-lb ankle weight on each leg and BAM! you’ll be at 125! Problem Solved!

Seriously, though, eat more protein and exercise with weights to add MUSCLE weight,
in fact keep ankle and/or wrist weights on during normal activities as well . …

Do you smoke? Use caffeine? Quitting either/both might help too.

 

[Emily2009]

I’m little, too, 5’6’’, and 117lbs. Actually, I’ve recently gained the last 12 lbs, or, so (apparently a really good thing), since going to college.

If you’re stressed out, lessening stress will probably help you gain weight.

Otherwise, as long as you eat healthy and take care of yourself, try not to worry about the “skin and bones” comments that you (and I) hear all too often.

 

[forever_always]

How old are you. I had this problem when I was young (16-23). I would eat everything because just wanted to be a “normal” weight. Now I am on the other side. I would suggest you count your calories and eat right, so that you know when to stop eating too much, mother nature is kind of funny in that way.

I am 21 years old.

 

[forever_always]

I’m little, too, 5’6’’, and 117lbs. Actually, I’ve recently gained the last 12 lbs, or, so (apparently a really good thing), since going to college.

If you’re stressed out, lessening stress will probably help you gain weight.

Otherwise, as long as you eat healthy and take care of yourself, try not to worry about the “skin and bones” comments that you (and I) hear all too often.

Lol, i gained my last ten pounds since i started college xD And it’s hard to eliminate stress while attending nursing school

I’m sorry you have to deal with the skin and bones comments, but you have a nice outlook on it

 

[forever_always]

Put a 5-lb ankle weight on each leg and BAM! you’ll be at 125! Problem Solved!

Seriously, though, eat more protein and exercise with weights to add MUSCLE weight,
in fact keep ankle and/or wrist weights on during normal activities as well . …

Do you smoke? Use caffeine? Quitting either/both might help too.

Haha that made me laugh

I smoke on rare occassion, so not enough for it to effect me. And darn that caffiene… I drink alot of that…

 

[flyingfish]

Maybe this is a silly question, but does anyone have any tips for gaining weight? I’m 5’4" and weigh 115, but I would like to get up to 120-125 and stay there because i feel that i am just a bit too tiny. I eat ALOT. Three big meals a day, plus snacks, but nothing seems to ever work!!

Thanks!

I am guessing you want to gain muscle and not fat? If so look up some techniques athletes use to build muscle.

On the other hand since you’re only 115, you could probably use some pure fat I recommend going to the ice cream isle and the bakery. You’re just not eating enough if you’re not gaining weight. Instead of 3 meals eat 5, if it just won’t fit eat calorie dense foods (doesn’t have to be junk either, things like nuts have tons of calories).

 

[purplesunshine]

I’m 5"4’ (so almost nearly 5"5’ it drives me crazy).
I go between 118-122.

Actually, ignore what people say about eating alot of fast food and stuff. Its HORRIBLE for your body…and besides being naturally thin, it could be causing you to be malnourished. Being malnourished is actually a huge problem in america beucase we are on diets of junk food. My theory is also that in some people the fat just swishes all the food out without anything being absorbed.

Get a rice cooker and make friends with it. Pack your lunch every day. You can make rice & lentils, rice& beans, chicken rice, beef rice, spanish rice, cheese rice, “lasagna” rice (use tomato sauce, its not as bad as it sounds). Eat plenty of fruit. If you’re in the north, eat apples, the south, oranges. (the fresher the fruit the more vitamans it has). Most people in the world eat rice on a daily basis…only in developed countries have we ridded it from our diet.

Eat plenty of oatmeal, mint, honey, garlic, onions, mustard, dark chocolate, blueberries and nuts (NOT together!!!).

 

[Zelie_Louis]

Please discuss an inability to gain weight with a medical professional. Advice which may pertain to a medical issue is not permitted on CAF.