weight gain

Question
Hi Sarah,
I am having a lot of trouble trying to gain weight. I am 5 foot 5 tall and weigh 7 stone 6 pounds.
i eat anything i want and do not put a single pound on. instead if i skip a meal through being busy etc i lose weight very easily.
i was 8 stone 6 a month ago and despite eating well and often i cannot regain the weight.
could you please advise on what to eat to safely gain weight without eating junk. my gp told me to eat crisps and chips and burgers but as i have IBS that is not a good idea!
any advice you can give would be most welcome. thankyou

Answer
In the past, it was commonly recommended to increase calories by eating more fried foods, butter, full-fat dairy products, fast food, etc.  While you still hear those recommendations sometimes (as you have experienced!), the more popular recommendations are to increase calories in ways that will contribute to overall health.  You can try increasing intake by eating 3 meals and 3 snacks or 6 "mini-meals" each day.  Dried fruit is a concentrated form of calories.  Other foods that can contribute to weight gain are nuts and seeds, olives/olive oil, avocado, hemp seeds/oil, flax seeds/oil, trail mix, granola bars, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, and cheese.  Dip everything you can in peanut butter, hummus, honey, olive oil, salad dressing, yogurt, etc.  You can add dried milk powder when cooking casseroles or anything creamy to add calories and not change the flavor of the food much.  Choosing beverages with calories, such as milk and juice, instead of water may be beneficial.  If all else fails, you can drink instant breakfast drinks (such as Carnation Instant Breakfast), weight loss drinks (such as SlimFast), smoothies, or protein shakes between meals for extra calories.  

I hope that gives you some ideas.  If you feel you are really making an effort to eat constantly and consume a lot of high calorie foods but are still not gaining weight, you may need to talk to your doctor.  Sometimes weight loss is one of the first symptoms of a more serious condition.

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