Quick ways of gaining weight

[tryingtohelp82]

Posting for traffic in chat as desperate

My sister is very underweight currently, 5 1/2 stone. This is through grief and an unexplained illness that is being investigated. The dr has advised her to try all methods of gaining weight quickly, like complan shakes. But that's all he suggested. I was just wondering if anyone who has gone through gaining weight quickly has any tips? maybe through illness, anorexia recovery, bodybuilding etc
She doesn't want to eat pizzas and unlimited junk as she just won't be able to
But wondered if there was something like "blend eggs and avocado"
Thankyou 🙏🏼

Look up body building diets and use the type of foods they eat but in moderation - good fats (oily fish, nuts, avocado), lean protein (white meat and fish), whole grain carbs, sweet potatoes, add protein powder to things like porridge, full fat milk and yogurts. Little things like a full fat salad dressing or one made with olive oil and lemon juice or mustard, or grated cheese on top of pasta all adds calories easily without adding bulk to portions.

Eg.
Breakfast: porridge made with full fat milk, protein powder, a sliced banana, some pumpkin seeds and a teaspoon of honey or avocado and poached eggs on wholemeal toast
lunch: baked sweet potato with tuna and grated cheese, and a salad with dressing
dinner: chicken & pesto pasta with green veg on the side or steak & homemade wedges with veg

Has she been eating in that time? If she's lost a lot of weight and not been eating, she could be at risk of refeeding syndrome if it's not carefully manned with regular blood tests.

I found frequent smoothies with avocado and banana (also peanut butter and milk in some too) helpful when I got underweight during illness. Also things like iced fingers/fruit loaf for snacks werent as sickly as very sweet cake etc. I really didn't have an appetite and felt/was being sick which dropped my weight.

I wasn't as dangerously low as your sister though.

Has she still been eating something during this time?
If not I don't know much about it but referring syndrome - could it be an issue?

Peanut butter with sliced banana on toast.
Cheesy mashed potato
rice pudding.
Milkshakes
Full fat yoghurts.
Eating little and often.

Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate or latte made with their Velvetiser. Each cup is around 350 cals made with full cream milk, and there are quite a few different flavours. See here: https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/shop/collections/products/hot-chocolate/

Total shot in the dark and this may be being investigated but does the GP know about haemochromatosis, some don't.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/haemochromatosis/#:~:text=Haemochromatosis%20is%20an%20inherited%20condition,%2C%20joints%2C%20pancreas%20and%20heart.

Nuts are really good for you. Easy to add a few to breakfast, cashew work well in stir frys and a handful of nuts aren't too heavy and can provide extra energy.

Have three meals a day and a mid morning and afternoon snack, and if she can manage something mid evening.

I used to weight train at the gym and on a typical day would have

Porridge with full fat milk, almonds and berries for breakfast
A protein bar mid morning
Peanut butter sandwich on brown bread, 2 hard boiled eggs and a banana for lunch
Protein shake made with full fat milk in the afternoon
Chicken or salmon with rice and plenty of veggies for dinner

Lots of calorie dense foods but nothing too processed. Drinking milk based drinks throughout the day will help with weight gain.

https://www.malnutritiontaskforce.org.uk/eating-well-tips-everybody/what-can-we-do

This is quite a good resource aimed at everyone.
Look at information on food fortification. That's a way of piling in more nutrition into the food you already eat.

Eat nuts as a bedtime snack - handfuls of cashew nuts and Brazil nuts with raisins. I suggest this as I often gain weight if I go a bit wild on the nuts in the evenings, and I have to keep an eye on my intake.

I meant refeeding syndrome above.

Great resource ghostbusters thanks

Calorie dense foods would be things like peanut butter, tahini avocado, cheese. Use nut oils and olive oil to cook. Full fat everything obviously. cream in coffee. Milkshakes or those fancy starbucks coffees (it can be easier to drink calories than eat them).

You can (and people do) use myfitnesspal to set a calorie goal to gain weight. It could be really helpful to keep track and have a calorie goal to reach every day. This also helps understand which foods are calorie dense and which are not.

Thankyou so much for taking time to reply everyone ♥️

So she's always hated eating, gets bored of chewing and just never been into food. But was always around 8 stone as she drinks a lot of milky coffee. Basically lived her life on coffee and always had energy, it worked for her.
Then simultaneously lost her husband and found some lumps but dr says could be stress response, but she's getting urgent scans done. The weight loss is rapid and she doesn't really have any fat left to give, she's a skeleton. In meantime dr wants her to try and put weight on. It could be grief or something else going on making it come off.

lots of good advice here already but echoing what others have said about small but calorie dense food, little and often. Full fat milk-based drinks, nuts, oils, avocados, butter, and high calorie treats in moderation like biscuits, chocolate. Fingers crossed she is ok

Thankyou! Good ideas, I've noticed I put weight on really quickly if I start having loads of full fat milk for cold drinks and hot chocolates etc

You can add butter and oil to dishes to add on calories. It won't change the taste much but will make a difference

At the moment she just needs to put in weight so needs eat food she likes even if that's chocolate and cake etc

Omelettes with extra butter cream and cheese

Baked potato with lots butter and cheese and beans

Hot chocolate with cream

Mashed potatoes with extra butter

Streak ? Fish ? Fish fingers ?

Pancakes with bananas or berries

She may have an eating disorder, her relationship with food doesn't sound as though it's been great and with this recent trauma she may well have descended into anorexia.

Have a look at the beat website

When I was trying to gain weight due to unexplained weight loss making me underweight, I used to make hot chocolates of half whole milk and half double cream. My appetite is small so having something to drink that is calorie dense is a great way to get the cals you need without feeling weighed down and bloated. As a pp said, adding butter to everything helps too. Wishing your sister all the best.

Fab idea thankyou 🙏🏼 I've used double cream in drinks before and I could feel my butt getting bigger..

Thanks I think you're right, I'll have a look.

Peanut butter