Anyone else on here trying to gain weight? Topic

Dietician 09/26/17 replied to Ancachris
Hi Ancachris- Congrats on your goal of healthy weight gain and smart food choices. I like these calorically dense snacks:
1. hummus and crackers with deli meat. Simply take a whole wheat cracker and spread hummus (I like pine nut) on each cracker and top with a small slice of deli chicken. Make 4-5 of these for a snack
2. Slivered and toasted almonds (1 oz) on top of vanilla greek yogurt
3. The ol' peanut butter on an apple
4. granola and cow or almond milk. Cereal never gets old
5. Smoothie in the middle of the day- Try 1 scoop of protein powder + greens + 1/2 banana + 1/2 c frozen berries + whole milk. Blend up and enjoy!
Hope these help. Let me know if you have any other questions. Joanna (Dietician)

Ancachris 09/26/17
Thank you Joanna. I’ll keep these in mind!

Dietician 10/09/17 replied to Ancachris
Hi Ancachris- How are the healthy and calorie dense snacks going for you? Joanna

A.Cosby 10/19/17
I have always been about 15 to 20lbs underweight all my adolescent and adult life. Thanks to having IBS and gastritis, and a severe allergy to Monosodium Glutamate and Soy. In my family we're generally thin well into our 30's and 40's thanks to high metabolism. (not fun when you get sick and what you're loosing is muscle mass [OUCH] trust me).

MND has helped me gain weight. I have never weighed more than 89lbs for more than a day (outside of being pregnant with my kids) Thanks to this app and helping me track how many calories I need to eat vs. what I was normally eating I have now weighed 92lbs for almost a WEEK! I fluctuate between 90.2 and 92.6! Thank you guys so much!

Dietician 10/19/17 replied to A.Cosby
Hello A.T. Cosby- Thank you for sharing the feedback. Gaining weight and maintaining weight can be very difficult as you have attested. Glad MND provides you with a helpful tool. Hang in there! Joanna (Dietician)

KeeleySpencer 11/23/17
I’m trying to gain weight as well. I’ve always been skinny, but a few years ago I had surgery and during the couple of weeks I spent in hospital recovering, I didn’t eat, I don’t know why, I just couldn’t bring myself to eat, and although it didn’t last long ever since that surgery, I’ve been underweight, and a few months ago, I had a check up with my doctor and got a blood test done and found out I was extremely deficient in iron and protein. I am sick of being weak and skinny and I’m going to do something about it. Sorry for the novel.

Dietician 11/23/17 replied to KeeleySpencer
Hello KeeleySpencer-
Weight gain can be a challenge! Here are a few tips to get you going with first and foremost gaining some weight back and then getting your energy and health back!
I would make sure you are eating 6 times a day. Thus, try to eat something every 2.5 hours. Even if you don’t feel like eating, making these small frequent meals a priority is critical to regaining your wt.
Have you been tracking your intake and re configuring your weight gain plan on MND? Simply go to the PLAN tab and enter in your weight gain goal and date you wish to accomplish this goal. Then the app will give you a daily calorie/protein budget to get you there.
-It is important to eat protein at every meal. I am assuming you eat meat and are not a vegetarian? I have included some articles on protein. You may consider drinking a protein drink 30min-1 hour before bed. This can help with weight gain (I have included an article on protein drinks). I like to make my own:
1 c 2% milk + 1 scoop of whey protein powder + ½ C frozen berries + 1 T peanut butter + ½ banana and blend until smooth. It is filling, but not too much before bed.
Protein articles:
https://www.mynetdiary.com/healthy-proteins-on-a-budget-healthy-eating-is.html
Consider whey protein for weight regain: https://www.mynetdiary.com/the-skinny-on-protein-powders-on-tuesday-we.html

-As for your question about iron: Are you taking an iron supplement in addition to eating iron rich foods? I would suggest talking with your doctor about what supplement they would suggest. Typically I’d suggest 325 mg ferrous sulfate. Your doctor will be able to give you the dosage, as I am not certain what your iron lab values are at this time so I would hate to suggest too much or too little.
Here are 2 articles that go into healthy foods which are rich in iron. I like the suggestion of cooking in a caste iron skillet.
Articles on Iron:
https://www.mynetdiary.com/2-ways-to-boost-your-iron-intake-without-supplements.html
Food sources of heme and non heme iron: https://www.mynetdiary.com/are-you-getting-enough-iron-how-ironic-that-one.html
-Finally, if you haven’t already- take a few minutes to read the tips others have shared on the forum about how they have regained weight! There are some really good suggestions. Let us know if you have any other questions. Best, Joanna (Dietician)

HollyRDN 11/28/17
I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and I started stimulants a couple of months ago, which has been great for treating my ADHD, but terrible for weight maintenance. My appetite has evaporated and I'm already borderline underweight (literally, bmi has been just below or just over 18.5 for decades).

I've been trying all the things I used to recommend to my cancer patients -- small frequent meals, trying to eat a little past fullness, etc. But the basic steps haven't been enough to stop my weight from dropping, so I've had to bring in the advice we used for patients with cachexia and I'm finally seeing some upward movement.

So here's my advice for anyone in the same boat:

- Set timers with alarms for your snacks and meals. With ADHD you already forget to do things, if you're not hungry you're going to forget to eat. Set your phone or smartwatch ring or buzz at you when it's time to eat something.

- Track your weight daily so you notice if things start slipping, and as a daily reminder to try to keep up your intake. And track your meals -- if it doesn't stop you from eating due to the hassle -- to help recognize where the gaps are in your diet.

- Eat past fullness at your mealtimes as Dietician recommends in this thread, but if even that isn't enough:

- Include an oral supplement (something like boost or ensure, or a smoothie that includes fat and protein if you have the time) and have it immediately AFTER your meal. Eat a full meal of real food, as much as you can, and then have your oral supplement. You can always drink more calories than you can eat, so it's a good way to get a few more in, as long as you don't drink them before or during your meal, which will ruin your appetite for real food. Also, be sure it's not just fruit and sugar, but also includes fat and protein. I'm having mine after dinner and occasionally after breakfast.

Also, high five to Dietician who has some excellent advice here!

Dietician 11/28/17 replied to HollyRDN
Hi HollyRDN- Sorry to hear of your struggles to gain weight. It can be very hard and especially frustrating when our bodies do not respond as we'd like them to. Thanks for the high five and a big high five back at you! I really like your idea of a liquid supplement RIGHT after a meal.
Take Care, Joanna (Dietician)

Beawise 06/29/18
Hello iv been trying to gain weight for a couple years now I see the doctor 3 times a week and ever think I have done iv lost weight is there any think I can do

Anyone else on here trying to gain weight?