44kgs - Weight Gain Meal Plan and Exercise - Advice

101020

Hi,

I am looking for help here;

Currently my weight is 44kgs (Female & 5ft 5") and I am skinny looking especially on my arms, shoulders, bum and legs. I lost weight at the beginning of the year and I am trying to put on some in the last 10 weeks but it is impossible.

My current diet the last 4 weeks is healthy and includes lots of snacks, but I only have put on 1kg.

Has someone ever been like this before ? If so, what plan did you use ? What progress should I expect ?
Do anyone have a meal plan ?
I have been advised to do small wieight by the gym - is this helpful ?

Thanks in advance

seamus

I can't really help here, but I know the questions that are going to be asked:

Male or Female?
Your current height

g'em

101020 wrote: »

My current diet the last 4 weeks is healthy and includes lots of snacks, but I only have put on 1kg.

What, exactly, are you eating?

corkcomp

what (if any) exercise are you doing? 1KG in 4 weeks is probably not bad .. you dont want to add too much body fat and other nasties lke stretch marks etc.

What was your weight before you lost weight earlier in the year?

If your not doing any resistance exercise you may not be able to add weight to specific areas!!

101020

Breakfast
Cereal
Fruit
Tea

Snack - Fruit / Cereal Bar / Nuts...etc

Lunch
Chicken Roll
Curry & Rice
Usually sandwiches and water

Snack again

Dinner
Chicken / Beef / Fish
veg & potoato
Stir-fry

Snack - Peanut butter sandwich

EileenG

Your current diet looks very low in protein, and protein is the building block of the human body. Try adding an egg or two to your breakfast, or at least one of the higher protein yogurts. Cottage cheese is a good snack too, also nuts.

You could try replacing one or more of your snacks with a protein shake. Make a smoothie with some whey powder, frozen banana and milk.

What is chicken roll? That curry and rice, is it homemade, out of a tin, from a takeaway?

hunnymonster

you also need to look at quantities. At 44kgs you're only 1.5 kgs away from meeting the weight component of an anorexia nervosa diagnosis (not saying this is what's happening but you're very close to 85% of expected minimum weight). If you can't face more food, consider something like fortisips (you can get them in chemists)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortisip
They have the advantage of being nutritionally balanced and not too filling.

101020

WOW

Didnt think it was like that for anorexia. To answer the questions:

What (if any) exercise are you doing?
None, I was advised by my gym instructor to start a weights plan to help put on musle and to start on a protien shake plan.
What was your weight before you lost weight earlier in the year?
It was 53kgs
What is chicken roll? That curry and rice, is it homemade, out of a tin, from a takeaway?
Roll - Chicken / Lettuce / Colsew / Cheese / Corn
Curry is home made.


So my questions are:
1. Should I do the weights programme ?
2. Is protien shakes the right thing to take ?
3. What is the right weight progress that I should see ?

Thanks

corkcomp

101020 wrote: »

WOW

Didnt think it was like that for anorexia. To answer the questions:

What (if any) exercise are you doing?
None, I was advised by my gym instructor to start a weights plan to help put on musle and to start on a protien shake plan.
What was your weight before you lost weight earlier in the year?
It was 53kgs
What is chicken roll? That curry and rice, is it homemade, out of a tin, from a takeaway?
Roll - Chicken / Lettuce / Colsew / Cheese / Corn
Curry is home made.


So my questions are:
1. Should I do the weights programme ?
2. Is protien shakes the right thing to take ?
3. What is the right weight progress that I should see ?

Thanks

yes you should defo start a resistance program, in combination with increased calorie intake (from healthy whole food sources where possible)

possibly, but chicken, tuna and pulses etc would also give you good protein ..

you will get different opinions on this ... Considering you list very close to 2 stone earlier in the year, it would help if we knew the circumstances of this, obviously medical advice isnt allowed on here but if you were already at such a low weight and then lost some more it could be a bad sign ...

neuro-praxis

Ok. I am not a nutritionist but if I was in your position, this is what I would do.

Find out how many calories your body burns each day at rest. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You can do this by registering a free account with, say, http://www.fitday.com. Then, add 500 calories to this number for each day. If you can consume that many calories each day, you should gain 1lb a week.

Now. Eating that many calories does not have to mean eating tonnes and tonnes of food. It just means regularly eating very high calorie foods, and having a generous portion of them.

Some suggestions:

1. Nut butters. These are very nutritious and very high in calories. You can put them on bread or in ice cream or in smoothies, or use them as a dip with carrot or celery sticks.
2. Nuts, on their own, make a calorific snack between meals, or added to stir fries and curries.
3. Cream. Cream based sauces for your pasta, and adding cream to your soups and mashed potatoes, will add lots of calories to your food.
4. Butter and mayo. These fats are very high in calories. Make sure you add a good dollop of dressing to your salads and plenty of butter on your potatoes and bread.
5. Oils. Buy a variety - peanut, sesame, olive, and use it in your cooking. Italian cooking in particular uses a lot of olive oil, which is very high in calories, and good for you too.
6. Cheese. Cheese is extremely high in calories. Having plenty of cheese on your sandwiches, pizzas, lasagnes etc. should certainly help up your weight.
7. Full fat milk and yoghurt. While not particularly high in calories, a good pint of full fat milk a day (a glass with breakfast and a glass with dinner) will add some calories to your intake.

Now, don't go eating loads of chocolate and cake. Eat the above, along with plenty of meat, fish, eggs, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables. I'd advise 3 meals a day and 3 snacks.

I can't advise you on a weights programme, because my understanding is that using weights burns a lot of calories at rest. Talk to a trainer about that one.

Vegeta

OP no one has really stated this plainly but your goal should be to gain muscle.

There is no point in needlessly gaining fat (ok at your weight a bit of fat wont hurt) Gaining weight is easy just eat everything you see and as often as possible. It wont be healthy weight gain though

To gain muscle you will have to keep a decent diet with higher portions of protein than you currently seem to eat and you will have to lift weights.

To be honest I would advise going to a reputable personal trainer (there's a few who post on the fitness forum) they would make sure you were doing the correct exercise and could advise you on nutrition.

To answer your questions:
1: To gain healthy useful weight you should most definitely do a weights program. Thing is you're next question will be, what weights program will I follow and a proper personal trainer will be able outline one for you. The guy working in the gym wont cut it here, spend the money on a professional

2. You shouldn't take protein shakes if you can get enough protein from whole foods. While eating protein has other advantages than helping build muscle, its important to remember that you wont magically gain muscle/weight from drinking them. It takes a great diet in combination with a great exercise plan to make a difference

3. Its hard to say how much weight you could gain. 1-2lb a week is decent progress but its different for everyone and really depends on just how scientific and dedicated your approach is.

Quick question for you, do you enjoy food, do you look forward to your next meal? Do you like cooking?

101020

Ok, I will be honest with you.

I am the boyfriend and I was looking for advice on what she was doing to put on weight. However she has not done anything to help her increase weight in the last 8 weeks.

Can anyone please advise or recommend a path that she should go ? This wieght loss has been happening over the last 4/5 months and at this stage over the last 10 weeks I have tried my utmost to help her put on weight but no joy.

So whats next ?
- Would you recommend that she should see anyone (a professional) about this ? But who?
- Should she see a dietician ? (She has already, but she has not really adhere to their advice.
- How do you say it to her about this ? I think its time to be more blunt and her family and friends are all worried about her.

Thanks

corkcomp

101020 wrote: »

Ok, I will be honest with you.

I am the boyfriend and I was looking for advice on what she was doing to put on weight. However she has not done anything to help her increase weight in the last 8 weeks.

Can anyone please advise or recommend a path that she should go ? This wieght loss has been happening over the last 4/5 months and at this stage over the last 10 weeks I have tried my utmost to help her put on weight but no joy.

So whats next ?
- Would you recommend that she should see anyone (a professional) about this ? But who?
- Should she see a dietician ? (She has already, but she has not really adhere to their advice.
- How do you say it to her about this ? I think its time to be more blunt and her family and friends are all worried about her.

Thanks

OK, that puts a whole different perspective on things... We cant give medical advice on here but the answer is a definate yes to your first Q above under whats next ...
Also, she should stop doing whatever it is that is causing the weight loss - at least aim to maintain weight even if it doesnt increase immediately ..

TBH from what you describe above she does NOT have any desire to gain weight and thats where the problem lies! Hope everything goes okay ...

El_Dangeroso

I second that you should try and get her to see a doctor.

Eating disorders aside, sudden weight loss can be a symptom of very serious health problems.