# Gaining weight...



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Go for walks.. long walks up different terrains. That will be a good start without stressing your body out.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

You need to eat a good balanced diet with meat, bread, and veggies. Then to add to your caloric count, eat ice-cream! It did wonders to help me gain weight. Unfortunately, I did not need to gain weight. 

Seriously, you need to eat more solid, nutritious food even if you have to force yourself. I think you did good to cut out sodas. They only add empty calories. You could get extra protein by eating a couple of eggs for breakfast. You could eat toast or grits with the eggs. Anything that is healthy would be good to eat. And I really would eat the ice cream.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Ice cream, most definetely, especially the ones higher in fat. CostCo's Vanilla ice cream is Very Rich!


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## rexing93 (Dec 6, 2012)

I'll definitely have to take a walk in some of our surrounding parks as the terrain is varied. 
Celeste, I've got the bread down (probably a bit too much), but the good diet is why I need to talk to the nutritionist/dietitian seeing as I'm not used to putting a variety in my diet but I'm really trying to change all that.
And I'll definitely have to get some ice-cream. Sounds kind of good x]

Thank you to all who posted! I really appreciate it


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

I've been turning my lifestyle around for the past year, and while I've been doing it to lose weight, I know lots of people who eat the same sorts of food in an effort to go from underweight to gaining weight, and especially getting healthy. Ice cream is great if you just want to gain weight... but you said you want to get healthy and a bit fit, so maybe you should try getting your fats elsewhere? :wink:

Nut butters are great healthy fats, with protein. Bread is great for you, but not when you're eating white bread of 'whole grain' brand names that come as glorified white breads, breads made with flax and sprouted grains are super healthy and higher in calories (good calories), eggs are wonderful and although it takes some getting used to I'd 100% recommend avocado as a good source of healthy fats and greek yoghurt. Whole grains in your pastas, etc. lots of fruit and vegetables, good healthy meats...

Yes, you'll gain weight if you stuff yourself full of ice cream, but you wont get healthy. I'm not saying to NOT eat ice cream, it's an okay way to up your calories in addition to lots of other healthy fats.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Right. Don't eat ice cream instead of healthy food. Eat it in addition to healthy food.


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## rexing93 (Dec 6, 2012)

I'm entirely aware that I shouldn't eat JUST ice-cream...in all honesty, if ice-cream would do the trick, I wouldn't be tiny. Trust me. 

However, I probably need things high in proteins as I've been overly exhausted lately. Hmph. Nutrients...they're so overrated. x]

But yes, the diet change begins (technically it officially began) tonight. :3


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## RiverBelle (Dec 11, 2012)

A good exercise we did when I first started learning to ride was a stretching for our legs. At first, it's hard to get your heels down so if you start stretching before you start riding you can really help get that taken care of. If there is a fence around you, stand on the lowest bar and rock back on your heels so most of your weight is on your heels. It will stretch those muscles in the back of your legs. Plus, stretching is a good way to start any good workout.  Hope I helped some, lol


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Whole grain pastas, natural peanut butter and bananas are high in calories and very good for you and super easy to incorporate into your daily meals.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

I just want to say that stationary bikes are BRILLIANT for muscle. I've been riding one for the last 3 weeks or so in an attempt to lose weight, doing 1 - 3 miles a day at around 15 mph. I'm losing fat, not weight - I have packed on the muscle so much so that the scales haven't changed, though it's easily to see the changes already. My stomach, arms and legs all ache in the good kind of way. To up the ante, I keep my arms bent, lean over the handlebars a little, and tense my stomach. 

Walking is good too, but you should try power walking as the exaggerated movements of your arms will really help.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Oh poor girl! I (kind of) know what you're going through.
DH & DD are both terribly hard keepers. DD simply WILL NOT gain weight, just keeps getting taller and taller. DH is 6'3 and weighs twenty pounds less than I do and I'm only 5'2... He also has digestive issues due to his terrible diet when younger and genetics.

Sooo... If you were my kid I'd start with:
Prenatal vitamins stat. Have you had your iron levels tested?
You skinnies with your metabolisms need foods that are high in calories, and super rich in omegas. Get to cooking lots of brown/white rice. Rice helps stabilize/slow your digestive system.
Top your foods with beneficial oils like fish and hemp seed oil.
Eat three BIG meals a day. This will help you slow your system.
For added nutrients and to get your vegetables in, purchase one of those food processors (Nutribullet) and be sure to mix in nuts and the healthy oils. This is a yummy way to get your vits and minerals in without having to choke down raw veggies.
Snack on high calorie granola bars, oatmeal, crackers and cheese.

Go to a natural herbalist. There are all kinds of shakes and mixes that will help you add weight, but in a healthy way. You need lots of protein and complex carbs to sustain your fast metabolism. Mix a scoop full in your veggie shakes to make them sweeter.

I cook DD & DH three meals a day, mix them shakes, they eat from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Looking at them you'd think I wasn't a very good cook! LOL!! I know it's a struggle for you, hugs!!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm also 5'7" and was once 102 lbs. That's pretty skinny. Protein helped me put on healthy weight in the form of muscle. Hopefully you eat meat. That's the quickest way to get there. Also, if you're like me and eating a big meal in one sitting just ain't your thing, those weight gain drinks are great to have on hand, particulary the protein based ones. Boost and Ensure are both good ones. Drink those instead of soda, and you'll be well on your way. 

Glad you're addressing this now while you're young. If you stay too skinny for too long, you might develop brittle bones and have to stop riding in your later years which would suck.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Basically any food you prepare is nutritionally sound if not way over cooked. Very few foods your body needs comes in a box, even instant oatmeal. The oatmeal you cook is better as it hasn't been exposed to the high heat the instant has in the mfg. process.


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## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

First you need to find what your daily caloric intake should be in accordance to your activity level and your current BMI. Try tracking your calories to make sure you are eating enough HEALTHY food. You would be surprised at how much healthy food you can eat  I use MyFitnessPal on my Ipad for my calorie counting. 

Try some of the recipes on the WOmens Health Magazine website. THey have some good recipes as well as articles for gaining muscle mass which is the weight you want to gain. 

Eat fresh foods. The frozen microwavable steam vegetables are amazing for this. They have few preservatives in them and are delicious and fresh since they are frozen within hours of being picked. 

Personal favorite: marinated Hawiian chicken grilled with a slice of grilled pineapple and brown rice= amazing


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## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

rexing93 said:


> *However, I probably need things high in proteins as I've been overly exhausted lately. Hmph. *Nutrients...they're so overrated. x]
> 
> But yes, the diet change begins (technically it officially began) tonight. :3


Have you seen a doctor for a routine check up? The reason I ask is I'm a nurse, and your issues could be related not just to your diet but metabolic issues. I'd suggest that you go see a doc and have some routine bloodwork done. They can also make educated suggestions about how to improve your diet and gain muscle mass safely


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## rexing93 (Dec 6, 2012)

DimSum said:


> Have you seen a doctor for a routine check up? The reason I ask is I'm a nurse, and your issues could be related not just to your diet but metabolic issues. I'd suggest that you go see a doc and have some routine bloodwork done. They can also make educated suggestions about how to improve your diet and gain muscle mass safely


I actually had bloodwork done and they said everything was fine. I've actually found that when I become exhausted it's the day after I eat a lot of sugar-y foods. :S The cookies and what not is the challenging part for me to quit, but it's getting better. XD

So, they still think it's diet and I won't be able to tell whether or not until I force myself to stay (and I mean continue daily) on an exercise and absolutely no junk food regime.

But as said, it's slowly getting there.

And thank you everyone for all the advice! I do appreciate it


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

The only way I can gain weight is thro weight lifting. The routine was any 5 days a week, just couldn't miss two in a row. Three days will do it but I wanted it to be part of how I lived my life. Others things do come along so taking a day off actually gave the muscles a chance to recoup. My warm up was always 15 min on the stationary bike then thirty minutes of weights. This was divided in to 15min for upper strength and 15 for lower. Women often use the excuse to not lift weights by saying they don't want to be built like a man. We don't have enough testosterone for that to happen but it's sure nice to look like a trim and fit woman.


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

Do you know what tests they did? If it were me, I would have wanted a CBC, chem panel and TSH. 

I don't know what your grocery store situation is. I have one in town, and the selection of produce is usually not great. I go get whatever they have that looks like quality produce, then figure out how to cook it. Allrecipes.com lets you search by ingredient. Learning a few basic techniques for cooking vegetables also makes them taste so much better than I remember as a kid, LOL.

You can also get creative at sneaking veggies into your diet. Omelettes (or in my case, egg muffins, because you can bake a big batch and refrigerate for a week and heat and eat as needed) are great for that. Cowboy caviar has veggies and beans. One of my favorite snacks is half an avocado with a little Dorothy Lynch dressing. Cottage cheese with tomatoes and bell peppers. Stuffed mac and cheese is great, too.

As far as getting in shape, I would recommend alternating weight lifting with walking. Resistance training is so important for bone health, especially for women. I would also recommend several short stretching sessions every day. Yoga is good too, particularly for core strength, which really helps when you ride.


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## rexing93 (Dec 6, 2012)

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for posting and giving advice, tips, opinions, etc. I really appreciate it!

I consulted with my doctor and we came to the conclusion that it was merely dietary. My junk food diet just wasn't cutting it. As long as I don't overdo the junk food and sodas I feel energetic and overall better. I am taking a few vitamins as I'm a bit small and have never been one to eat a lot. It's more of a "just in case" kind of thing. I'm also considering going to one of the local gyms to start working out on top of my riding lessons as well as considering yoga (in the house workouts, etc).

Again, thank you for all the comments!


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