Help me gain weight!

[nellyjelly]

This isn't a stealth boast but I am very thin. Been to docs and there is nothing wrong with me other than a low BMI.

I am quite tall and pre kids was a size 10/12 around 9 to 9.5 stone. I didn't gain much weight with DC1 and when she was born she was a voracious feeder and I lost around a stone. Took me about 2 years to get back to a good weight. Then had DC2 and same thing happened. However this time I just can't seem to put the weight back on, it is like my metabolism is screwed up. Though seems to be no health issue.

I am currently 8 stone and take a size 6 to 8. I look scrawny and none of my clothes fit.

I eat quite healthily, my preference is for good food so stuffing myself with chips is a non starter. Plus don't eat meat which probably doesn't help.

Today I had rice krispies and full fat milk for breakfast plus slice of toast and butter, a costa latte, a cheese salad roll and a snickers for lunch and for tea will have risotto or pasta and tomato sauce. I will snack on crisps and biscuits at will. I deny myself nothing and have a sweet tooth so often eat cakes and chocolate.

Am wondering what will help me put on weight healthily. Should I buy protein drinks like body builders? Or should I ask doc to refer me to a dietician?

Any ideas?

My sister was very underweight in her teens

The gp told her to have a slice of cake & glass of milk just before bed

The thing that always makes me put on weight is cheesy pasta meals, chocolate biscuits with my tea break & wine

Thanks. Think I do need to increase calorie intake significantly. I am a bit stressed at work too so stress always makes me lose weight.

The milk and cake idea sounds good. Should actually drink more milk as a quick way of getting calories down me.

I am slim and tiny and only lost weight when my Thyroid overacted, despite my appetitie increasing and changing from savoury to high calorific food.

When normal, I ate 2 large cooked meals a day. But didn't need breakfast.
I eat loads more than you do and I am 5'2. My normal size is 8/10

Thanks. all replies gratefully received. My thyroid is ok. I thought it was that at first.

Does my food intake look too little? I always eat 3 meals a day, never skip breakfast and try and have snacks as and when I remember. Healthy or not. Eg crisps, nuts, fruit, sweets.

My Dr suggested peanut butter on toast as a snack for me, plus things like milk shakes, cheese, nuts etc, occasional cakes.

A dietician referral would be helpful.

Would give you ideas to gain weight without having to eat lots of unhealthy fats etc.

Rather than looking at the things you eat, you need to look at portion size primarily - a portion of rissoto could be anything from 400 cals to 1000 depending on portion and cream/cheese content.

But that said, what you've had today was low in protein and veg/fruit. I'd have nut butter on toast or eggs on toast for breakfast, a quinoa or couscous salad with pulses and avocado (with a good olive oil dressing) for lunch with greek yog and berries for after, then dinner of pasta with veg sauce and tvp/quorn, quiche and salad - that sort of thing with nuts as snacks. Smoothies are a good way of adding calories with nutrition as is sprinkling milled linseed or other seeds into yog or porridge

Thanks some good ideas. I do eat alot of veg usually but think low protein is an issue.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious but make sure everything you have is full fat- butter not margarine, full fat milk, cheese and greek yogurt, etc.

Some ideas for protein-rich snacks: hard boiled egg or scotch eggs, nuts, anything dipped in trusty peanut or almond butter, hummus, full fat cream cheese on toast or on crackers, and if you eat meat, cocktail sausages, ham rolled around cream cheese...

I also love mashed up avocado on toast with generous drizzle of olive oil, v.healthy and calorific.

Along with nut butters and oils, egg and cheese based things are your friend! Quiches, spanish omelettes, big bowls of creamy pasta carbonara...you will put on weight and get loads of protein.

Sorry you said you don't eat meat! Quorn do nice cocktail sausages and you can do homemade scotch eggs with chickpeas

Recipe www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/24/felicity-cloake-veggie-scotch-egg-recipe

Fruit juice is full of calories as are fruit smoothies.

Thanks so much. The scotch eggs sound especially good!

You could try adding extra fat to things. Some people who are trying to lose weight through low carb will put butter in their coffee, coconut oil in their smoothies, etc. If you increase healthy fats as well as carbs that might help?

And also try some relaxation exercises on YouTube or something...if stress makes you lose weight take it as a sign to address your stress.

Thanks. Butter in coffee sounds a bit extreme though!

Cream maybe? .

Butter in coffee to lose weight?!? Sorry for digression op...

watch more telly. do less housework. stop that constant jiggling of your leg.

Ragusa it is about getting your body to run on fat rather than carbs and go into a starvation mode called ketosis but not actually starve, obv...lots of complicated stuff involved which I'm not totally sure about. I guess the low-carb forum will have more.

Muesli for breakfast with a high nut content? Rice krispies can't be giving you much to go on after a nights sleep

I love rice kripsies though! Thanks for nut suggestions. I love nuts.

This week since posting this have tried very hard to increase my calorie intake. I need to be able to eat more. I eat regularly but DH thinks I eat small portions.

So today had rice krispies and full fat milk followed by peanut butter on toast.

For lunch had french bread, cheese and a green salad with avocado.

Just had a snack of nachos, home made with cheese, salsa and sour cream. (Went for a sneaky glass of wine on way home.)

Tonight having mushroom stroganoff with rice, strawberries and cream for puds.

That is better surely?

Save the rice krispies for mixing with good chocolate, raisins and nuts as a treat :)
A decent helping of Muesli - Dorset Cereals do a high nut content one, will give you about 500 calories for breakfast alone.

Perhaps you need to get some exercise and build some muscle to look less scrawny? It will improve your appetite too. Your doctor doesn't actually say that you have a health problem, you just don't like your physical appearance I'd send you my spare 2 stone if I could

One thing to try might be to research a vegetarian diet for an athlete? They will be designed to be high protein, high carb and healthy

You made need more time. It took me until youngest dc was about 5 to fill back out a bit (ie to get from 8 to 9 stone and I'm also tall). I snack on nuts, pour vast amounts of olive oil on everything, and drink a lot of milk. I agree that scrawny is a bad look. I had loads of tests, but there was nothing actually wrong with me. I guess pregnancy changed my metabolism a bit.

I had the same problem. I look so thin in the photos taken when DC were little and no matter what I did I couldn't put the weight back on. I think it is just really hard work looking after little children and burns the fat off. Seven years on, I am now a healthy weight and am actually trying to lose a bit (in search of a flat stomach).

My DS1 is very underweight and I saw a nutritionist for advice. Her advice could be useful to you. She said he should eat three meals and three snacks a day. He is also having one drink of Complan every day. Everything I give him is full fat and I also add fat to just about everything, eg. dressing on salad, cream in porridge, extra butter on baked potatoes, with cheese on top as well. Always include cream, ice cream or custard with pudding.