Does anyone know what it would take for me to put on some weight? I eat at least 4 times a day, I've started working out(weights) to try and put on some weight. I'm 29yrs old, 5'8 and 110 and I don't eat junk. Any ideas on what to eat or what supplements to buy would be greatly appreciated.
My food intake on most days consist of
Breakfast: 3 banana pancakes with maple syrup and 1 cup of tea, a plate of fruits (pineapple, grapes, banana, mango)
snack: 1 cheese bagel with cream cheese
lunch: 1 blueberry bagel with cream cheese, about 1 and half cup of brussel sprouts with 1 glass of water
snack: 1 banana
dinner: Soup and tilapia with couscous and 1 martini
I've been keeping food diary and I hope to go over it with a nutritionist
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I agree that your diet seems to be lacking calories. Lots of carbs in there too. Though you are making healthy choices, so it's hard to criticize :)
Try http://www.mypyramid.gov/ to track your intake - it will actually tell you what you need to add to reach your goals.
building muscle can certainly be a good thing, and it will change the number on the scale as muscle weighs more than fat... but given your dimensions, I cannot imagine there is an ounce of fat on you anyway :) And, muscle burns fat faster... so a woman of your dimensions is bound to be very lean... possibly unhealthy lean (by lean i mean body fat percentage) I am 5' 5" and I weigh 135 lbs. I have a generally sound balance of muscle and fat, and I would not consider myself fat by any means... I think I could afford to lose about 7-8 lbs to look really good, but I'm happy being a size 6/7 after having 4 kids :) But when I weighed 117 lbs, I had people barking at me to 'eat a cheeseburger'... I looked sickly I guess...and my MIL actually talked to my husband privately and was concerned I was anorexic. I thought I looked pretty good :)
you can use Ensure to add calories, and should see a gain pretty quickly... I don't think it's a terrible thing, but I think you should work on getting your calories from fresh foods.
I am sure you have a lot of women cursing you for your 'problem' privately :)
I had this "problem" when I was competing in triathlons and also trying to conceive (my normal weight/ht is 130 and 5'10"). Here are some simple things you can do to add some calories. Keep in mind that to gain 1 lb per week you actually have to eat around 500 extra calories per day, which is a lot! You'll probably feel like you're eating all the time. It looks to me like you need to add healthy fats, some calcium, and some vegetables mostly. Also, are any of your pancakes/bagels whole grain? If not, they should be.
1. Add peanut butter. For example, put some on your banana for a snack instead of just a plain banana
2. Add full-fat milk and/or full fat dairy. I really like the Brown Cow whole milk yogurt - good calcium, good calories, probiotics - what's not to like? Have one for dessert after dinner.
3. Don't skimp on the cream cheese (and make sure it's full-fat - tastes better anyway). Or if you're worried about cholesterol consider doing half nut butter (almond, cashew, and tahini are all good ways to add variety instead of getting stuck on peanutbutter) instead.
4. Put some butter on your veggies. Actually, you seem to be a little light on veggies (judging from your list there). You could add a salad (avocado is great in salads, plus a good source of vitamins and healthy fat) and put some nice olive oil dressing on it too.
Deep down, 5'8" and 110 is definitely slim and putting on another 5-10 lbs would probably be good, but if your body is feeling good and you're getting regular menstrual cycles, you're probably doing ok. Working out is great because you'll put on more muscle than fat, but don't overdo it.
Definitely go over your menus with a nutrionist. I don't think you're eating enough healthy items. Bagels have little nutrional value.
I agree with the other posters that said to add peanut butter, full fat dairy, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein to your menu. You could easily add a grilled chicken breast to your lunch. Make your own salad dressing with 1 tblspn olive oil, 2 tblspns red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard and some crushed garlic.
Don't waste your money on protein drinks. Eat a handful of nuts or seeds for a snack along with a piece of string cheese and an apple. I like walnuts and sunflower seeds sprinkled on a salad.
You could try buying some of those 'Ensure' nutritional drinks (they're in the grocery store). My daughter, who is 27 has always been very thin (as was I many moons ago). If she gets the flu, or just gets stressed out for a few days she drops down to next-to-nothing and then has a hard time getting back to a healthy weight. Anyway those work for her - but still eat all your meals as well, and you'll likely put on a little weight.
Of course you should see your Dr. just in case - could be hypo-thyroid or something (very easy to treat).
take care
Dear E C,
The other 2 responses are RIGHT !
GET THE ONES THAT HAVE MORE THAN 300 CALORIES.
With the Ensure you have to drink with all your meals to see weight gain in the very 1st week.
It works for me every time. since I loose weight so easily even when I am not trying.
Maybe talk to a nutritionist ( you can aks your doctor or chiropractor for referals, or thru friends for an independant nutritionist/health consultant.) I personally don't know one, but see fliers like at Whole Fodds, etc.
To me, it doesn't look like you eat enough substantial foods, and not enough in general. Your diet above has alot of carbohydrates and sugars. Very low in fresh fruits and vegetables or whole grains. Very low in good fats too, like avocadoes, good salad dressing, but even cheese is good (which is good calcium and protein.)
Based on the above I would be worried about getting your vitamins and minerals, especially calcium!! Caffeine and alcohol leach minerals, so based on your low intake coupled with daily caffeine and alcohol, I would be concerned about getting and retaining your vits and minerals.
Keep seeking menu planning advice and info on basic nutrition too. Good luck!
What about drinking a supplement like Ensure?
Just taking a cursory glance at your diet, it appears that you are not eating enough calories and some of the things you are eating are not 'nutritionally dense' enough.
You need to include fat in your diet; it's that simple. Many people think fat is evil and that simply is not true. Sure, saturated fat and trans fats are not good, but unsaturated fats are fine. Fat is an essential nutrient is the human diet, meaning that you have to have it for metabolism and other crucial functions to occur. Include more plant-based fats that are unsaturated. Not only will they provide more, much-needed calories in your diet but they can also help lower/regulate blood cholesterol. Many other posters have given great suggestions: fish, nuts, peanut butter, etc. I also agree that instead of turning to food supplements/shakes that you would be better served by eating, well, food!
Caloric intake - most people who want to maintain current weight or increase weight can determine their daily caloric intake by multiplying their weight by 10 then adding 500 calories for activity. Since you are 110 pounds, you should be eating a MINIMUM of 1600 calories per day. Keep eating the fruits and vegetables, but switch the bagel to better sources of whole grains (more calories, more vitamins and minerals, great enzymes, etc.).
It sounds like you have a good start with a fairly healthy diet, you just need to add more nutritionally dense foods to it!
