Healthy Weight Gain

I'm 25 years old, 5 feet tall, and 80 pounds. I am wondering if you have advice to help me gain weight? What foods should I eat? How many calories?

Christen

Answers:

Healthy Weight Gain

In all honesty, I think a doctor is needed to give you a healthy diet to follow. If you are 5ft and only weigh 80 lbs you really do need to see a doctor to stay healthy. Good luck. (06/16/2008)

By

Healthy Weight Gain

Pasta is good. Take it from an Italian. You have starch, meat, and veggies with the sauce. Try to look online for diets to gain weight, healthy weight.
Good luck.

I wish I were you "80 lbs" with 50 pounds more. That would be perfect for me.
I need to "lose" 60 pounds and wish I could give some to you.

Good luck, Christen. (06/16/2008)

By Penny Stoehr

Healthy Weight Gain

I think the most important thing will be to eat a well balanced, healthy diet. I don't think it would be wise to eat fatty foods or junk food just to gain weight. Pastas and other complex carbs might help. Maybe you need to supplement your regular diet with such things as smoothies and shakes made with fruits, juices, milk, and yogurt. Probably ice cream shakes wouldn't be too bad occasionally.

I don't claim to be a dietitian, but I do know how to gain weight. Good luck.
(06/16/2008)

By Emma Reed

Healthy Weight Gain

I see someone else has suggested drinking Ensure and that's what I was going to suggest, that or Boost. Both are complete nutrition with lots of added calories. My son drinks a pediatric form daily because his medication for hyperactivity messes with his appetite. There is also a brand at Wal-Mart called Equate and it is cheaper.

I'm 5 feet 1 inch and weighed 90 lbs almost 32 yrs ago when I got married. At that time I thought I looked great and felt great, too. I never thought I could be fat, but alas that slowly happened over the years so be careful what you wish for.

Good luck. (06/16/2008)

By Debbie Dzurilla

Healthy Weight Gain

If you are active, you should have 1600 calories per day. If not so active, 1200.

Chocolate Boost tastes yummy. I had to drink it for awhile when I was on a liquid diet.
I would suggest looking up mypyramid.gov. They will tell you a lot.
Good luck from a lady who could stand to lose 2 or 3 of you (meaning 2 or 3 times 80 lbs, I'm on my way though, lost 30 lbs). (06/17/2008)

By Sandee

Healthy Weight Gain

My brother fought a weight issue for years with sports. Very active and high metabolism rate made it hard to gain or maintain a good weight. Finally, one doctor put Jim on a great diet of his usual fruit and vegetables with one addition. He was to drink a milk shake at every meal, 3 times a day everyday. Real ice cream and whole milk. He was already eating meat four times a day, but burning the protein up with sports. It worked for him. Good luck and as a woman you need the calcium. (06/18/2008)

By crystal wolfe

Healthy Weight Gain

I gained only a single pound a year and now I am age 64 and overweight by thirty pounds, which goes up and down depending upon the amount of yogurt or cheap food, and bread I eat. My point is to consider that you, too, might gain from the fast food industry, processed foods you buy, overeating when under stress from life, and so, I'd be very cautious in trying to gain weight.

I'd be inclined to just add padding to myself where necessary and let my body do it's normal reaction to our poor choices of foods grown and sold today, but being careful not to consume too much milk fat, the hardest fat to dispose of. Nor to become addicted to sugars, often found even in supplements designed to add weight.

Consider lifting light weights, with proper instruction, for healthy muscle, instead of eating for "any" kind of weight gain. Our bodies do change as we mature and age, hormones get affected by chemicals in foods we eat, like it or not.

Remember that we exercise mostly to lose weight, but that we lift weights mostly to gain muscle and need to focus on the right size weight to lift for the particular area you are focusing on, need to improve.

Warning: watch your neck ligaments, which can get really ugly on women who work out. Do not over-focus on your body, but rather on good health habits all-round. Drink lots of water to keep hydrated and keep your electrolytes in balance.

God bless and help you with your decision and give you wisdom. (06/18/2008)

By LYNDA

Healthy Weight Gain

I agree with the guest post. If you worry about your weight you should see your doctor. They will tell you how to go about increasing your weight healthily and discuss when to eat for the best results, this can make a huge difference to your results. (11/29/2009)

By Spencer