how can i gain weight!

Question
hi
i am a 33 year old female. i have had 3 children with my youngest being 8 years old.
i am very happily married and have been for 9 years.
i have a medical condition called fibromyalgia diagnosed last January.

since the birth of my youngest child i have been unable to gain weight. i was prior to becoming pregnant with her 9 stones 6 pounds. i am 5 foot 6 tall and have broad shoulders.

since having my daughter i struggle to get above 8 stone 6. i currently weight just 7 stone 2 pounds despite eating plenty.
i have had tests at the doctors which show no problems.
i have tried eating a high carb diet, a low carb diet, high protein low protein, etc etc.
i eat many good foods and saw no difference so i tried unhealthy foods like chips, cakes, pies no difference noted.
i bought a wii fit and measure myself monthly and every month is the same. my weight has either dropped or stayed the same.
exercise is difficult for me due to my illness but as a mum of three under 12 and a foster carer to babies under 1 i get plenty of exercise!

can you suggest anything to help me gain weight. i was told that peanut butter and yogurt are excellent for gaining weight so will happily munch my way through a jar of pb every day nothing is working.
i am so fed up of random strangers asking me if i have an eating disorder please help!

Answer
Rebecca-

your not going to like it as there is no easy answer. If you have been checked and have no thyroid issue then you simply need to eat more calories plain and simple. You are not eating more than you are expending in a day. most people I have seen in your case when asked to log food are not actually eating as much calories wise as they feel they are.

I would have you steer clear of green leafy veggies and things like such and go for very dense food. Fatty meats, eggs, whole milk and dairy products, nuts, butter, oils, dense easily digested carbohydrates like white rice, white potato, white bread, starches, lots of fats and eat eat more than you think you can.

I would have you weight train but it would be very very brief and high intensity. no more than 20-30 minutes three times a week heavy and hard. I know you have the fibromyalgia diagnosed but they have shown that if you suck it up, train and get stronger weight training will help and builds self confidence as well.

just remember keep it brief, you dont gain weight by working more. the more you work and move the more you have to eat to keep up with that work, Weight is gained at rest and with calories not from doing more. hit it hard and short then rest and eat even harder.

For more info you should join our free discussion forum, you will get lots of great advice and discussion there www.teamstaley.com start a training log. We can help with training, diet and then give advice on supplementation.

Phil
www.staleytraining.com

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