How can I gain weight?
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Guest
It sounds like Ensure has been helpful to many. That is great but remember that losing weight or gaining weight is half caused by emotions. If you focus on the cause (anxiety, depression, etc), the weight gain will follow or be much easier to achieve. Lucinda's program is definitely the first route to go to overcome the anxiety, fears,etc. Building your self- esteem and feeling in control of your life is the key to gaining weight. Positive self-talk tapes are a great way to build your self-confidence. This is mentioned in the Positive/ Negative thinking Lesson in Lucinda's Prog. www.wholefoodfarmacy.com has whole foods that are rich in nutrients, minerals and vitamins and tasty, that might help you to gain weight. Nuts are nutritional and high in calories. Remember that Ensure includes many artificial things so you don't want to rely on it.
Hi everyone..I have totally changed my diet since starting the program and in the process lost alot of weight I didn't really need to lose. I am not willing to eat the things that make me feel bad just to gain some weight back so today I saw my dr. and asked him some things I could do to put some weight back on. He told me the main thing was protein, but that if I would drink carnation instant breakfast, vanilla because of the caffeine in chocolate, with a meal everyday that I would easily put on 5 lbs. He said that I did need to take into consideration that it did have other artificial things in it. Good luck to you all and best wishes.
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Guest
I was hesitating to answer this, as most of you may already know I'm pretty into healthy living.
I wouldn't advocate taking supplemental drinks such as ensure, or eating a lot of fats to try to get your weight up.
What I'd suggest is bulking up on as much plant food as you'd care to eat. Tons and tons of fresh fruits, veggies, salads. You can eat nuts/seeds as well. These will give you solid nutrition and help bulk you up properly.
Weight training is essential. Also getting plenty of sleep.
Believe it or not, we build muscles in our sleep. Our bodies repair in our sleep. Sleep is super, super important, don't take it for granted.
One more thing, we are SUPPOSED to be thin, to a point. America has an obesity epidemic, the media has tried to brainwash people into thinking that just because the average women's dress size is a 12, that this is normal. It is not.
Fat babies are not "normal"...Fleshy relatives are not "normal" they are average and usually sick. So if you are looking around at some of your friends and relatives who might have some "flesh" across their bones, it doesn't mean you need to look like them.
Some people believe that if you don't have something to grab, then you are underweight. This is a far cry from an anorexic person. A healthy weight is not having a layer of fat. So you may be perfectly normal.
I grew up really thin and being 6'0 it was quite noticeable. Now that I'm in my 40's I have put on extra weight. I can tell you that I was way more comfortable at that "skinny" size than I am now.
If you feel good, you are probably fine. I don't know that you should really worry unless you are showing signs of an eating disorder, protruding bones, bad breath, etc. which I don't think you are.
Remember to eat good food for your nutrients. Your body will process it much better and utilize it, since fresh fruits and vegetables are the #1 source of nutrients and canned drinks and supplements are second hand and many times never used by the body but secreted out.
Think of what kind of food you want to build your body up on. Kind of like what kind of gas and oil you put in your car, the best, correct? So your body will thank you for building it up on pure, fresh plant foods.
I wouldn't advocate taking supplemental drinks such as ensure, or eating a lot of fats to try to get your weight up.
What I'd suggest is bulking up on as much plant food as you'd care to eat. Tons and tons of fresh fruits, veggies, salads. You can eat nuts/seeds as well. These will give you solid nutrition and help bulk you up properly.
Weight training is essential. Also getting plenty of sleep.
Believe it or not, we build muscles in our sleep. Our bodies repair in our sleep. Sleep is super, super important, don't take it for granted.
One more thing, we are SUPPOSED to be thin, to a point. America has an obesity epidemic, the media has tried to brainwash people into thinking that just because the average women's dress size is a 12, that this is normal. It is not.
Fat babies are not "normal"...Fleshy relatives are not "normal" they are average and usually sick. So if you are looking around at some of your friends and relatives who might have some "flesh" across their bones, it doesn't mean you need to look like them.
Some people believe that if you don't have something to grab, then you are underweight. This is a far cry from an anorexic person. A healthy weight is not having a layer of fat. So you may be perfectly normal.
I grew up really thin and being 6'0 it was quite noticeable. Now that I'm in my 40's I have put on extra weight. I can tell you that I was way more comfortable at that "skinny" size than I am now.
If you feel good, you are probably fine. I don't know that you should really worry unless you are showing signs of an eating disorder, protruding bones, bad breath, etc. which I don't think you are.
Remember to eat good food for your nutrients. Your body will process it much better and utilize it, since fresh fruits and vegetables are the #1 source of nutrients and canned drinks and supplements are second hand and many times never used by the body but secreted out.
Think of what kind of food you want to build your body up on. Kind of like what kind of gas and oil you put in your car, the best, correct? So your body will thank you for building it up on pure, fresh plant foods.
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Guest
Yeesh, there's only 5 mg of caffeine in the Carnation chocolate drink. That's not enough for me to worry about. I do love those though. Very tasty compared to Ensure which I think is kinda gross.
Shifrah, much of what you said is the exact opposite of what my dietitian told me. Fresh fruits and veggies are good but not in overly high quantities because they are filling to people with small appetites and don't provide enough calories. Many of my fruits and veggies were replaced with juice which I found less filling. The thing is, people who are underweight usually don't eat a whole lot and if most of the meal came from fruits and veggies, it'll only get to about 3-4 hundred calories a day. I can't live on that, let alone gain. Weight training was out but exercise wasn't. Exercise can stimulate the appetite but I had to take it easy. I needed to nourish the body before I could work it out. And your body is supposed to have some fat, not none. You can't live on zero fat. Anorexia almost never occurs after your 40s so if someone is older than that, it can't be an eating disorder. I'm just saying, this is what the dietitian told me and she really knows best because when I followed her advice, I did get closer to my goal weight. The link I provided for SparkPeople was the next best thing to a nagging dietitian for me. It made me stay aware of how how few calories I was actually eating ~ not poor calories, just not enough ~ so it was no wonder I couldn't gain. And ooooh, to be a size 12 dress? HA! I don't even fit in a size 2.
Shifrah, much of what you said is the exact opposite of what my dietitian told me. Fresh fruits and veggies are good but not in overly high quantities because they are filling to people with small appetites and don't provide enough calories. Many of my fruits and veggies were replaced with juice which I found less filling. The thing is, people who are underweight usually don't eat a whole lot and if most of the meal came from fruits and veggies, it'll only get to about 3-4 hundred calories a day. I can't live on that, let alone gain. Weight training was out but exercise wasn't. Exercise can stimulate the appetite but I had to take it easy. I needed to nourish the body before I could work it out. And your body is supposed to have some fat, not none. You can't live on zero fat. Anorexia almost never occurs after your 40s so if someone is older than that, it can't be an eating disorder. I'm just saying, this is what the dietitian told me and she really knows best because when I followed her advice, I did get closer to my goal weight. The link I provided for SparkPeople was the next best thing to a nagging dietitian for me. It made me stay aware of how how few calories I was actually eating ~ not poor calories, just not enough ~ so it was no wonder I couldn't gain. And ooooh, to be a size 12 dress? HA! I don't even fit in a size 2.
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Guest
Craw you are correct in that dietitians don't follow or believe in a fresh food diet. They are usually trained via government standards, USDA requirements and so on.
With my high cholesterol, I was told by a dietitian to continue to eat meat and use vegetable oils. Meat having cholesterol and oils being pure fats, raise cholesterol levels, doesn't lower them. I lowered my cholesterol 100 points taking my health into my own hands and out of the dietitian's.
Nutritional info on Carnation Instant Breakfast, chocolate malt powder:
INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, NONFAT MILK, MALTED MILK (CONTAINS WHEAT FLOUR AND MALTED BARLEY EXTRACTS), MALTODEXTRIN, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, AND LESS THAN 2% OF DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, NIACINAMIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE (IRON), ZINC OXIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (PANTOTHENIC ACID), COPPER GLUCONATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN MONONITRATE, PHYLLOQUINONE (VITAMIN K), BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.
Calories with skim milk: 220
This is mainly sugar, dairy milk and chocolate. Is that what the dietitian suggests building up on?
You can make a fruit smoothie in the blender with 2 large ripe bananas, 1 cup of fresh OJ and a cup of peaches, getting about 350 calories and none of the refined sugar, plus tons of fiber, Carnation Instant Breakfast has zero fiber.
All I'm saying is, in reply to the OP asking for help, what do you want to build your weight on? If you are happy with your dietitian, all the best to you. I'm just giving a response to someone looking for help, is all.
With my high cholesterol, I was told by a dietitian to continue to eat meat and use vegetable oils. Meat having cholesterol and oils being pure fats, raise cholesterol levels, doesn't lower them. I lowered my cholesterol 100 points taking my health into my own hands and out of the dietitian's.
Nutritional info on Carnation Instant Breakfast, chocolate malt powder:
INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, NONFAT MILK, MALTED MILK (CONTAINS WHEAT FLOUR AND MALTED BARLEY EXTRACTS), MALTODEXTRIN, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, AND LESS THAN 2% OF DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CARRAGEENAN, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, NIACINAMIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE (IRON), ZINC OXIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (PANTOTHENIC ACID), COPPER GLUCONATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN MONONITRATE, PHYLLOQUINONE (VITAMIN K), BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.
Calories with skim milk: 220
This is mainly sugar, dairy milk and chocolate. Is that what the dietitian suggests building up on?
You can make a fruit smoothie in the blender with 2 large ripe bananas, 1 cup of fresh OJ and a cup of peaches, getting about 350 calories and none of the refined sugar, plus tons of fiber, Carnation Instant Breakfast has zero fiber.
All I'm saying is, in reply to the OP asking for help, what do you want to build your weight on? If you are happy with your dietitian, all the best to you. I'm just giving a response to someone looking for help, is all.
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Guest
Ladies,
Interesting discussion. Remember, everything in moderation. Thus, for some people Ensure or Carnation maybe a good beginning point but then start learning about nutrition. Many dietitians are not knowledgeable about whole and healthy food versus artificial foods. I went to an herbalist who helped me learn about what foods I needed to help me overcome my IBS. There is no quick cure! A body has to heal and rebuild no matter what health issues one has and that takes knowledge and time. I started taking classes on line from Nature Sunshine and I subscribe to Alternative Health Newsletters. I found Dr. did not know how to help other than give me meds. When I got more fiber into my diet, I started keeping food in me and thus, I felt better about myself and I gained weight. What you eat is only half of the picture!!! Work on your emotional health as well. Positive self-talk EVERYDAY is an important element to gaining weight, setting goals and getting positive reinforcement. Better you feel about yourself, your appetite will increase. The key is to be informed and learn as you try to solve your issues.
Interesting discussion. Remember, everything in moderation. Thus, for some people Ensure or Carnation maybe a good beginning point but then start learning about nutrition. Many dietitians are not knowledgeable about whole and healthy food versus artificial foods. I went to an herbalist who helped me learn about what foods I needed to help me overcome my IBS. There is no quick cure! A body has to heal and rebuild no matter what health issues one has and that takes knowledge and time. I started taking classes on line from Nature Sunshine and I subscribe to Alternative Health Newsletters. I found Dr. did not know how to help other than give me meds. When I got more fiber into my diet, I started keeping food in me and thus, I felt better about myself and I gained weight. What you eat is only half of the picture!!! Work on your emotional health as well. Positive self-talk EVERYDAY is an important element to gaining weight, setting goals and getting positive reinforcement. Better you feel about yourself, your appetite will increase. The key is to be informed and learn as you try to solve your issues.
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Guest
I just found my book about food that you might want to read. It explains what the Western diet is doing to us health wise and many more interesting facts about food that might help you. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen. He also wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma. I have not read this book but have been told that it is excellent as well.
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Guest
I'm sorry if anyone thought my dietitian ever said anything about Carnation Instant Breakfast. She didn't and I never said she did. (please reread what I wrote) All I said was that it was tasty and I didn't mind the small amount of caffeine. READ.
Good God! That's TWO servings (at least). People with a smaller appetite will see that and that's what I was getting at. I make a smoothie with 1/2 banana, a smidge of honey, 1/2 c. pineapple juice, and 1/2 c. plain yogurt. THAT's one serving, and a filling one at that. That's a whole meal. Oy. Unless you're in the position, you just don't get it.You can make a fruit smoothie in the blender with 2 large ripe bananas, 1 cup of fresh OJ and a cup of peaches, getting about 350 calories and none of the refined sugar, plus tons of fiber, Carnation Instant Breakfast has zero fiber.
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Guest
Susan I too have found a direct correlation between diet and IBS. With some anxiety thrown in.
One of the things I did use with some success is taking probiotics. I wish I can remember the name of it, I know it was a dairy free type of acidophilus. I would know it if I saw the package in the store, sorry I know that doesn't help. I try to come back to this thread or PM you if you'd like when I do find out, since I need to replenish my supply.
LOL Craw you are right I guess I don't get it!
After I work out I drink a full quart of all fruit smoothie. I drink it in a giant glass stein - it looks like a big beer mug!
I can see now that you are grossly under-eating calories. I hope you can work up to one banana at least, I know some fellow raw foodists who are slim, eating 20-30 bananas post-work out.
Like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/newcombutt
My only guess is that you might not be doing much physical activity, or at least enough to need to fuel yourself, because 350 calories for a meal is tiny, whether you are eating cooked or fresh food! That's only 1050 calories a day. I guess if you aren't working out though, you'd be maintaining a fairly low weight.
P.S. I didn't know if your dietitian told you to drink the Carnation drink, which is why I did ask in my last post:
One of the things I did use with some success is taking probiotics. I wish I can remember the name of it, I know it was a dairy free type of acidophilus. I would know it if I saw the package in the store, sorry I know that doesn't help. I try to come back to this thread or PM you if you'd like when I do find out, since I need to replenish my supply.
LOL Craw you are right I guess I don't get it!
After I work out I drink a full quart of all fruit smoothie. I drink it in a giant glass stein - it looks like a big beer mug!
I can see now that you are grossly under-eating calories. I hope you can work up to one banana at least, I know some fellow raw foodists who are slim, eating 20-30 bananas post-work out.
Like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/newcombutt
My only guess is that you might not be doing much physical activity, or at least enough to need to fuel yourself, because 350 calories for a meal is tiny, whether you are eating cooked or fresh food! That's only 1050 calories a day. I guess if you aren't working out though, you'd be maintaining a fairly low weight.
P.S. I didn't know if your dietitian told you to drink the Carnation drink, which is why I did ask in my last post:
Take care.Is that what the dietitian suggests building up on?
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Guest
Shifrah,
Thanks for the advice about probiotics. I have been taking them for over 5 yrs along with food enzymes. I overcame my anxiety with the help of Lucinda's prog. and positive self-talk CD's.
An over looked way to gain weight is to be sure one gets enough solid sleep. I think it was mentioned that our body repairs and heals during the night. We have a biological clock that functions best if we sleep from 9:30pm (10 the latest) to 5 or 6am. And you want a deep sleep so you don't remember your dreams. Without the proper sleep we wear our bodies down and don't utilize the food, nutrients, minerals well. Just a thought.
Thanks for the advice about probiotics. I have been taking them for over 5 yrs along with food enzymes. I overcame my anxiety with the help of Lucinda's prog. and positive self-talk CD's.
An over looked way to gain weight is to be sure one gets enough solid sleep. I think it was mentioned that our body repairs and heals during the night. We have a biological clock that functions best if we sleep from 9:30pm (10 the latest) to 5 or 6am. And you want a deep sleep so you don't remember your dreams. Without the proper sleep we wear our bodies down and don't utilize the food, nutrients, minerals well. Just a thought.