Gaining weight while on the dole

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Is it even possible? Because my BMI used to tell me that I was on the verge of being underweight, but since then it seems to have slipped a bit further so that I am actually underweight.

In short, I need some seriously cheap ways of gaining weight, otherwise it seems likely I'll encounter some serious health problems if I continue to lose weight.

[Ele'ill]

Peanut butter, oatmeal, pasta, lentils, brown rice, black beans. Cheap in bulk, healthy, nutrient dense. Fruits and veggies for in-between meals. Go to a thrift store and get mason jars so that you can cook a bunch up ahead of time and store them so you don't end up skipping meals because you don't feel like cooking. Try to eat small meals throughout the day and one or two meals extra, even if they're small, will add enough calories to increase weight.

[TC]

I think you can actually be substantially underweight without any health problems (just as you can be substantially overweight without any health problems) - but if you want to gain weight for aesthetic reasons...flapjacks and instant noodles contain like, 500+ calories and cost 35-75 pence.

[Quail]

If I remember rightly, you have a reasonably small frame so being underweight might not be that unhealthy for you. However, if you do want to gain a bit of weight, I think that mari3l's suggestion of peanut butter is good because it's healthy as well as being fairly cheap and tasty. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are awesome. You could try visiting your local health food shop and picking up some nuts and seeds to snack on during the day too, because they're high calorie without being unhealthy and you can eat them kind of mindlessly while you sit at the computer. I'm not sure about the cost of things like protein shakes, but they could possibly help as well.

[nuisance]

Eat lots of carbs. You can get alot for cheap too....and liver- like 60p a packet.

[Nehru]

What's your height?

Some people are naturally small, so it may appear that they're underweight when in reality they're not. But like the poster above said, carbs are the surefire way of gaining weight. No doubt, one can gain weight (or lose them if one cuts down) in weeks.

[Sasha]

tip i learned from hiv positive friends (who needed to watch their weight to the extereme); fresh fruit + juice + wholefat icecream in the blender, a lot cheaper than massshakes etc and you can drink litre's of the stuff without feeling full.
combine with some weed smoking and you'll be tubby in no time :lol:

[Niccolò Rossi]

Is it even possible? Because my BMI used to tell me that I was on the verge of being underweight, but since then it seems to have slipped a bit further so that I am actually underweight.

In short, I need some seriously cheap ways of gaining weight, otherwise it seems likely I'll encounter some serious health problems if I continue to lose weight.

Gaining weight because the BMI tells you to is a bad reason. The BMI is not only completely fucking useless, it is wrong and following the prescriptions that follow from it are potentially harmful in my opinion.

Gaining weight for aesthetic purposes, for athletic purposes or for health purposes (and yes, being underweight can be an issue and it might be for you, NoXion, but I wouldn't base that assessment off your BMI) are all perfectly legitimate reasons.

I don't want to come across as a nazi with this point, but having goals and a proper understanding to both justify them and achieve them is vital.

Now, how do we gain weight?

Weight gain and loss is actually a very simple formula.
If you want to gain weight, consume more energy than you expend - your body will store excess energy as fat, muscle, glycogen, bone, etc. etc.
If you want to loose weight, consume less energy than you expend - your body will source energy by metabolising body fat, muscle, glycogen, etc.

To make this more tangible we need to introduce the calorie. A calorie is a unit of energy. The energy from the food we eat aswell as the energy required by the body to perform basic metabolic functions, daily activity/excercise etc. can be expressed in calories (or more correctly, kilocalories, which in the world of nutrition are commonly referred to simply as calories).

So to gain weight you need to establish a caloric surplus.

Now this stuff you probably already know, given your interest in science, so I won't bore you any more with it.

How do we go about establishing a caloric surplus in reality?

If we want to be scientific about this, we simply need to calculate an estimate for our daily caloric needs, calculate the surplus required and then make nutritional and lifestyle choices to meet these numbers.

Good guidelines are given by Jamie Hale in his book 'Knowledge and Nonsense: The Science of Nutrition and Excercise':

- Weight maintence = 13-17 calories/pound of bodyweight/day
- Weight loss = 8-12 calories/pound of bodyweight/day
- Weight gain = 18-22 calories/pound of bodyweight/day

Please note, these guidelines are calculated with athletes in mind and thus incorporate caloric expenditure from excercise in the calculation. Excercise, regardless of body weight or body composition goals, is something everyone should do - "Like it or not, we remain the possessors of potentially strong muscle, bone, sinew, and nerve, and these hard-won commodities demand our attention. They were too long in the making to just be ignored, and we do so at our peril."

Calculating your necessary food intake to match these requirements can be done using a service such as Fitday or CalorieKing. Go the websites, and search the food databases. They will give you readouts for all the macronutrients and calories contained in any given food. Knowing where to begin in terms of constructing a diet around a given calorie count can be very very very difficult. I can testify to this.

Luckily, being this scientific is unnecessary. The simpler solution is not to keep a log of your food and calculate the calories, but simply to eat more. Incorporating energy dense foods into your diet will make this easier. Fats are the most energy dense macronutrient, hence olive oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, etc.), nuts, coconut and avocadoes are all very energy dense and a cook source of quality calories from fat. Energy dense carb sources might include potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, rice and pasta. Energy dense protein sources might include beef (any variety of cuts), fatty fish, whole eggs and full-cream milk. Do what you can with your budget. Some of these options are cheaper and more advisable than others, so I have bolded them. Have a look for yourself and see what works.

Commonly recommended sneaky ways of adding extra cals to your day including eating peanut butter sandwiches inbetween meals, drinking anywhere from a cup to half a litre of milk to each meal (GOMAD - gallon of milk a day is a old, tired and true method of weight gain in strength training and bodybuilding circles. Note I have tried this. It is effective, but not great for your innards or your out-ards for that matter...)

Keep a track of your weight and appearance. Keeping a log is vital for tracking progress. I can not stress this enough.

Weight yourself once per week on the same day every week, naked, before breakfast, after taking a piss and a shit. Write it down. A goal of 500g every week is fairly sensible and won't result in your inflating too quickly. If your gaining in excess of a kilo a week, it's likely overwhelming coming from fat. Synthesising muscle is a slow process and there is only so much we can speed it up.

Taking photos of yourself in your underwear every month is a good way to track physique progression. Remember to keep them consistant if you use them, take them in the same light, in the same room, at the same time of day, etc.

Anyway, alot of content. It's late here and I'm off to bed.

Nic.

[ChrisK]

Grab some weights. Lift for size (3x3, 5x5, 3x8, or 20-rep squats) and drink a gallon of milk a day. It will work. Protein powder with the milk. Also BCAA-G.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Grab some weights. Lift for size (3x3, 5x5, 3x8, or 20-rep squats) and drink a gallon of milk a day. It will work. Protein powder with the milk. Also BCAA-G.

I suppose this is something we haven't asked NoXion - do you have access to a gym? Obviously joining a commercil gym when you're on the dole is going to be very difficult, and I'm not in a position to advise it. However, if you are at university, you may be able to access the uni gym for free or at reduced cost. Lifting will help greatly in your endeveour.

I'm dubious about the recommendation of BCAA-G though. A google search confirms that BCAA-'G' is just BCAA (Branch chain amino acids - leucine, iso-leucine and valine, for those not familiar) with glutamine added. I don't see what relevance BCAA has in NoXions case, let alone BCAA with glutamine added. To be honest, BCAA has very little use or applicability for most athletes including strength athletes.

Nic.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Oops, I suppose it would have been helpful to post my weight and height. Here it is:

Height: 6'2", 187cm

Weight: 10.25 stone, 143lb, 65kg

I'll also note that I've never found it particularly easy to gain weight in the first place, but even then I'm pretty sure I've been better.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Oops, I suppose it would have been helpful to post my weight and height. Here it is:

Height: 6'2", 187cm

Weight: 10.25 stone, 143lb, 65kg

I'll also note that I've never found it particularly easy to gain weight in the first place, but even then I'm pretty sure I've been better.

I was probably not much different around 3 years ago, at that kinda weight/height. I was up to 75kg at the beginning of last year. I now weigh over 93kg and will probably hit close to 100kg in the next few months.

Give some of the advice a shot and see how you go.

Good luck!

Nic.

[ChrisK]

I suppose this is something we haven't asked NoXion - do you have access to a gym? Obviously joining a commercil gym when you're on the dole is going to be very difficult, and I'm not in a position to advise it. However, if you are at university, you may be able to access the uni gym for free or at reduced cost. Lifting will help greatly in your endeveour.

I'm dubious about the recommendation of BCAA-G though. A google search confirms that BCAA-'G' is just BCAA (Branch chain amino acids - leucine, iso-leucine and valine, for those not familiar) with glutamine added. I don't see what relevance BCAA has in NoXions case, let alone BCAA with glutamine added. To be honest, BCAA has very little use or applicability for most athletes including strength athletes.

Nic.

Sure, not for athletes. But from what I understand BCAA is quite useful for weight gain in beginners. Glutamine is also quite useful also, but tends to get absorbed by the intestinal tract if it is not attached to BCAA.

[Niccolò Rossi]

But from what I understand BCAA is quite useful for weight gain in beginners.

I can't see why this would be the case.

Nic.

[Alexandar]

Hi,
Some effective ways to gain weight.
Do eat eggs related food, baked potatoes and protein shakes to gain weight.

[Aurora]

Oops, I suppose it would have been helpful to post my weight and height. Here it is:

Height: 6'2", 187cm

Weight: 10.25 stone, 143lb, 65kg

I'll also note that I've never found it particularly easy to gain weight in the first place, but even then I'm pretty sure I've been better.

Hmm im like the exact same height and weight and i also find it really difecult to gain weight. I know it's only been a couple of weeks but have you made any progress?

[Niccolò Rossi]

Hmm im like the exact same height and weight and i also find it really difecult to gain weight. I know it's only been a couple of weeks but have you made any progress?

For some perspective. I now weight over 96kg, naked and on an empty stomach. The last post I made in this thread is when I was just over 93kg. In the space of 6 weeks I gained 3kg. And that's to an already relatively large body weight. A smaller starting bodyweight would require a smaller amount of calories to result in the same 3kg weight gain.

NB: 3kg over 6 weeks is probably as fast as I would ever recommend someone (who is in good health) to gain weight. Even at this rate a significant portion is going to be fat. I am living proof. Haha

Nic.

[xub3rn00dlex]

For some perspective. I now weight over 96kg, naked and on an empty stomach. The last post I made in this thread is when I was just over 93kg. In the space of 6 weeks I gained 3kg. And that's to an already relatively large body weight. A smaller starting bodyweight would require a smaller amount of calories to result in the same 3kg weight gain.

NB: 3kg over 6 weeks is probably as fast as I would ever recommend someone (who is in good health) to gain weight. Even at this rate a significant portion is going to be fat. I am living proof. Haha

Nic.

If you are looking to gain even more weight, simply calculate your maintenance calories, and increase them by 300 or more. I'd recommend using a weight gainer, because the calculations will only grant you a static calorie count, while really you should be worrying about how dynamic your calories are ( if you're constantly up and about working, I do construction, so my calories are dynamic all day )

[Niccolò Rossi]

If you are looking to gain even more weight, simply calculate your maintenance calories, and increase them by 300 or more. I'd recommend using a weight gainer, because the calculations will only grant you a static calorie count, while really you should be worrying about how dynamic your calories are ( if you're constantly up and about working, I do construction, so my calories are dynamic all day )

Thanks for the advice dude. You are pretty spot on. See my above posts.

I've never used a 'weight gainer'. Probably never will. I seem to get the job done pretty well without one.

Nic.

[xub3rn00dlex]

Thanks for the advice dude. You are pretty spot on. See my above posts.

I've never used a 'weight gainer'. Probably never will. I seem to get the job done pretty well without one.

Nic.

I missed that post of yours, sorry. But that pretty much sums it up completely lol. Good job man, nothing more I can add to that. I understand your choice not to use a weight gainer, as it's not for everyone.

I weigh currently 94kg, and am up 2.7kg from last week. I understand that 3kg over 6 weeks is a great goal, but if you're powerlifting, it may not be as fast as you need the progress to be.

[Niccolò Rossi]

I weigh currently 94kg, and am up 2.7kg from last week. I understand that 3kg over 6 weeks is a great goal, but if you're powerlifting, it may not be as fast as you need the progress to be.

Well at 6'1'', if I wanted to really be competitive I'd need to be in the 120's. To be honest with you though, I really don't have any potential for being a real contender in national competition, whether it be now or in 10 years time. I find it challenging and enjoyable on an individual level and that's all I really want. Even at my current weight gain rate, my bodyweight is increasing faster relative to my lifts. So I'm in no hurry.

Nic.

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[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Chocolate milk! :D

[Jolia]

Here are really nice and most informative post. I have also read some articles and found these are really helpful. I would like thanks to you that you share this post here with us. According to me you should eat well and also sleep well to gain weight. But don't forget to take exercise.