Need help gaining weight

[The_Awesome_User]

I have been trying to gain weight for a long time now but it is really hard! Im a really picky eater so i usually end up having to eat the same meal twice every day when I try to gain. I dont really like anything we have at the house and when I go to resteruants I pretty much only get hamburgers with just ketchup and mustard or chicken fingers with fries. I think I could probay learn to like more things at restaurants if I expiremented but I'm not sure. At home the only wholesome things I can eat right now are plain chicken, potatoes, egg whites, turkey bacon, pancakes, waffles, egg noodles, rice, pees, pears, pickles, and maybe salmon. I can eat more things like apples and peanut butter and jelly but I can't eat a lot of it. I like cereal but I can only drink milk if it's chocolate. And I don't think Chuck Norris is strong because he eats lots of lucky charms. For snacks I like chips, pretzels, chex mix, micro wave popcorn, extra sharp shredded cheese, and Quaker bars. That may seem like a lot but this is EVERYTHING I can eat in meals at home. The meals get very repetitive and make me dislike food even more. We can't have famly dinners because i usually end up having to eat a seperate meal. Most people laugh and say just eat things but when I try to force myself to eat when I don't feel like it it has no flavor and makes me feel sick. Plus i have just been proscribed adderall for my adhd and while it is really helpful during school it kills my apitight for most of the day. I have only been on it for one day but I'm a bit worried it will stunt my growth. I'm and 6'1 and weigh 130 lbs. I'm fifteen years old. How can I eat more? What are some ways to expand my food pallet? How do I make myself eat when I feel like I cant? Does anyone here have expirence with trying to gain while on medication that suppresses your apititte?

 

[drop bear]

Most people I know cut not gain but nobody likes the food when they are trying to cut weight. They do it because that is the result they want.

We could hunt down a weight gain meal plan for you but nobody can make it easy. And nobody can spoon feed you.

 

[drop bear]

Otherwise protein drinks come in chocolate.

 

[Tgace]

How old are you?

I weighed in at 139 to 150 lbs till my late 20's. In my 30's I was at a steady 175. I'm now at about 190 in my late 40's (fairly lean). Sometimes you just have to wait.

 

[Andrew Green]

I'm and 6'1 and weigh 130 lbs. I'm fifteen years old. How can I eat more? What are some ways to expand my food pallet? How do I make myself eat when I feel like I cant? Does anyone here have expirence with trying to gain while on medication that suppresses your apititte?

You aren't really going to develop a taste for things if you avoid them. Eat more, eat cleaner (burgers, fries and chicken fingers are not the right way...), lift heavy and maybe add some protein shakes.

Your body learns pretty quick and gets used to certain habits. Teach it that eating healthier and more variety will make it feel better and you'll end up craving good food instead of junk food.

Also don't try new things when you are not really hungry, sometimes that helps.

 

[jks9199]

6-1 and 130 isn't skinny... It's pretty damn skeletal. However, there's a pretty good chance at your age, your body has just dumped everything into getting tall, and you can start putting some mass on those bones. You need to eat -- good food, with plenty of protein and calcium. Add some basic strength training to convert that fuel into muscle...

 

[The_Awesome_User]

I'll try some of these things. It's just difficult since I only feel like eating twice a day and I'm in a family still so Sometimes I need to make do with the food we have. Maybe if I learn how to cook it will be easier.

 

[kuniggety]

You really need to eat more than twice a day. At 15 and being active your metabolism is through the roof. Even if you're eatting 1000+ calories each meal, it's not enough because you're only eatting twice. You should be eating minimum 3 times a day, if not four or five. There is nothing wrong with eating whole eggs instead of egg whites when you're not watching your weight. I would actually recommend you eat regular instead of egg whites. For a quick extra meal, get some chocolate protein powder, add some milk, banana, and peanut butter and you'll have something high caloric, high protein, and taste good.

 

[punisher73]

Bulking up is hardwork...period. There isn't an easy way to do it.

First thing, get a food journal or use a free app for your phone/ipad/computer like fitnesspal. Track everything you eat and do and see what your baseline calorie count is. Next you HAVE to eat more than your base level of calories otherwise you are burning more calories then taking in and you will not put on healthy weight.

I'm assuming that by "adding weight" you mean muscle, so get on a program that involves heavy lifting (relative to your starting point) and large muscle movements. Something like Rippetoes' Starting Strength, for example, focuses on the basic lifts and low sets/reps to get stronger. Your workout should be mostly lifts like squats/deadlifts/bench press/shoulder press etc.

If you can swing it, try getting a "weight gainer" shake that has alot of calories and protein in it to supplement your diet if you can't eat.

 

[Argus]

I have been trying to gain weight for a long time now but it is really hard! Im a really picky eater so i usually end up having to eat the same meal twice every day when I try to gain. I dont really like anything we have at the house and when I go to resteruants I pretty much only get hamburgers with just ketchup and mustard or chicken fingers with fries. I think I could probay learn to like more things at restaurants if I expiremented but I'm not sure. At home the only wholesome things I can eat right now are plain chicken, potatoes, egg whites, turkey bacon, pancakes, waffles, egg noodles, rice, pees, pears, pickles, and maybe salmon. I can eat more things like apples and peanut butter and jelly but I can't eat a lot of it. I like cereal but I can only drink milk if it's chocolate. And I don't think Chuck Norris is strong because he eats lots of lucky charms. For snacks I like chips, pretzels, chex mix, micro wave popcorn, extra sharp shredded cheese, and Quaker bars. That may seem like a lot but this is EVERYTHING I can eat in meals at home. The meals get very repetitive and make me dislike food even more. We can't have famly dinners because i usually end up having to eat a seperate meal. Most people laugh and say just eat things but when I try to force myself to eat when I don't feel like it it has no flavor and makes me feel sick. Plus i have just been proscribed adderall for my adhd and while it is really helpful during school it kills my apitight for most of the day. I have only been on it for one day but I'm a bit worried it will stunt my growth. I'm and 6'1 and weigh 130 lbs. I'm fifteen years old. How can I eat more? What are some ways to expand my food pallet? How do I make myself eat when I feel like I cant? Does anyone here have expirence with trying to gain while on medication that suppresses your apititte?

I realize this is a bit of a late response, but...

Taste is largely a learned (or unlearned) thing. If you're a picky eater, you will, by default, not learn to like anything more than what you choose to.

Consider this: why is it that everyone in, say, India, or Indonesia enjoy spicy food, while most people in America, Europe, or, say, Japan, don't? Because either they're accustomed to it, or they're not accustomed to it. If you eat a lot of spicy food, you'll develop a taste for it. If you don't, you won't. It's that simple. It has nothing to do with genetics, or anything else.

As another example, I used to always drink my coffee with milk and sugar, and wouldn't have it any other way. Gradually, I found that I liked my coffee better without milk, and only sugar. And now, I prefer it black and without any sugar, unless it's just really bad coffee. Why? Because I learned to actually enjoy the taste of coffee itself, whereas before, I wasn't entirely keen on it and opted to "cover it up" with milk and sugar, because those ingredients were more familiar to me than plain, black coffee.

You can learn to like anything if you just get it out of your head that you "don't like" certain things. It's not that you don't like them. It's just that you aren't used to eating them. Just make the decision to eat something whether you think you like it or not, and not just once, but continuously. It may take weeks, or even months to develop a taste for certain things. But in the end, you'll be happy that you did, because it will allow you to experience and appreciate more of what the world has to offer -- not to mention enabling you to consume a healthier range of nutrients.

 

[teetsao]

At 15 and your height it may be hard. As always, the only way to gain weight is to eat more than you need. If you smoke. QUIT. You will be lucky to gain 10 lbs if you smoke. Other than that you may have to wait a couple of years buddy.

 

[teetsao]

Oh sorry, I just saw you were on a drug. Im thinking conerta or dextro. Makes it twice as hard.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I'm and 6'1 and weigh 130 lbs. I'm fifteen years old. How can I eat more? What are some ways to expand my food pallet? How do I make myself eat when I feel like I cant? Does anyone here have expirence with trying to gain while on medication that suppresses your apititte?

I have bad news for your. Don't expect to gain weight anytime soon. You are only 15 years old so you still have some growing to do before your body start. Trying to gain weight at this stage will be a waste of time. The best thing you can do is just focus on being stronger so that you don't balloon when your body stops burning calories like a wild fire. I wanted to gain weight and muscle when I was your age and no matter how hard I could try I could. Then I turned 30 and the weight and muscle was easy to gain. Now that I'm 40 I wish I was closer to 150 instead of being at 200. I guess I'll get that wish when I turn 70 and being to turn into an old man. lol.

 

[meeshbenson]

protein shakes helped me a lot on gaining weight

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I have been trying to gain weight for a long time now but it is really hard!

Don't try to gain weight. Your body is the weight it is for a reason. Over time, your body may change; or it may not.

Strength training is a different topic. You do not necessarily have to bulk up in order to become stronger. You may find that you put on weight when you add muscle, but even if it doesn't impress the girls at the beach, you'll still be stronger.

Do not give in to public standards of attractiveness based on size or muscularity, and don't be fooled into thinking thin or wiry people (or fat people for that matter) cannot defend themselves. Over time, I believe most of us are better off working with what we are, rather than trying to be something our genetics didn't give us.

 

[OldGhost]

I know your pain as a kid I was also rail thin, I tried the garbage Joe W, weight gain powered crap. I even added peanut butter, or ice cream to the all ready 2400 calorie drink mix. Only thing it ever did was make me feel like I had a brick in my stomach for about an hour. I worked out tried to eat as much as a I could and honestly nothing worked except hitting 30. I was a size 27 waist and about 140lbs when I met my wife at 22 years old and now she teases me about being a size 33/34 and 175. It will happen but unfortunately probably not till North of 30.

 

[Ironbear24]

Are you trying to gain muscle or fat? Eat lots of protein, around 150 grams a day. Lift weights, I was around your weight and now I am 206. I need to lose fat now lol. I found that I prefer the way I look now though than I did before.

 

[Ironbear24]

I know your pain as a kid I was also rail thin, I tried the garbage Joe W, weight gain powered crap. I even added peanut butter, or ice cream to the all ready 2400 calorie drink mix. Only thing it ever did was make me feel like I had a brick in my stomach for about an hour. I worked out tried to eat as much as a I could and honestly nothing worked except hitting 30. I was a size 27 waist and about 140lbs when I met my wife at 22 years old and now she teases me about being a size 33/34 and 175. It will happen but unfortunately probably not till North of 30.

It sounds like you and the OPs body type was ectomorph. Very hard to gain weight or muscle but the benefit is you rarely lut on body fat.