Hello Everyone,

My name is Jeff and this is my first post. I am 39 yrs old and was diagnosed last feb (08). I have been struggling with weight gain my whole life and was hoping that once i was diagnosed i would start to put on some weight. I am 5'9" and have weighed about 125-130 for about the last 15 years of my life. let me say that as bad as it might sound i hate being skinny. I have seen so many people struggle with trying to loose weight and the same emotional struggle exists for some like me that want to "fill out". Im tired of people telling me that i should be thankful i dont have to be strugglig with excessive weight. For all the reasons they want to loose weight...i want to gain!! I have tried everything i can from personal trainers to nutritionists with no luck..i would only gain a pound or two but not the 15-20 lbs i would like to. I have heard many say that once your body starts to heal from a gluten free diet that most people begin to gain weight. I have been on the diet for over a year with nooooooo luck! currently weight 127 lbs and am getting discouraged. Does anyone have any suggestion to GAIN SOME WEIGHT? Please dont just suggest eat more because at this point if i take time to eat any more than i am i will have to quit my job. I am constantly eating.

Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Hyperthyroidism cranks up your metabolism to a very fast pace... which obviously makes it difficult to gain weight (I'm assuming you've tried the really calorie-dense foods like coconut, avocado, and nuts). The bad thing is that it can also put a strain on your heart and cause osteoporosis... so definitely worth checking out.

Hi Jeff, I am writing under my wife's account. She asked me to see if I could share some weight gaining tips with you. I am 49, 6' and 175lbs, I have a small frame. If I don't exercise I would drop to about 160-165# in the matter of a month or two. I was always the skinny guy in High School and joined the Navy at 6' 143# at 19. After boot camp (8 Weeks) I was 165# and then attempted many times to get above this. The most I ever got to was 172# when I was 21, then I again settled in the 155-160 range. Finally in my early 40's I started to gain some muscle. What got me to finally gain some muscle was working with heavy weights - I mean heavy, you have to challenge your muscles more than the normal person. You don't want to hear that you have to eat, but you do. I added about 1000 calories a day through 2 protein shakes and healthier snacks. You have to eat at least a gram of protein for every lbm of weight you have if you ever want to put on muscle. Some people will say 1.5 grams per lbm. I started a benching program over 1.5 years. When I started I could do 165# once. By the time I was done my max was 259#, hi weight low reps. I don't lift heavy weights anymore, such as benching, but continue with pull ups, dips and pushups, I also started a cardio-kickboxing class. I am not sure what the personal trainer was doing with you, but the key is heavy weights with low reps. I have stayed at about 170-175# for the last 1.5 years, but will drop to the low end if I cut out the protein shakes. I only do one 55g shake a day now to maintain. You will start to epand you waist, but you have to to gain the muscle. Once at your goal, cut back to lose the little belly, and 90% of the muscle will stay. My wife says you will be able to find gluten-free protein powder.

If you are like me you will find that you will excel in exercises that the big guys in the gym can't match. My favorite is the pull up. Every summer, for the last 5 years, I go to the NYS Fair to the Marine booth and win a TShirt for doing 20 no-cheat pullups. I love to see the faces of the Marines and the teenagers that can't get that many as the old guy schools them. I would suggest you start with pull ups. Because you are light you will find you will be able to do more than most guys and your strength will increase fast. Once you can do 3 sets of 10, with whatever rest you need in between sets, go get a weight belt and start adding weight. As I have said I haven't done weights in a bit, but last year I could do one with 90# on the weight belt, ask the big guys in the gym to try a proportional weight addition, they can't do it. To me this is functional strength that you use every day, as opposed to some of the isolated muscle exercises. Don't get me wrong, I liked straight bar curls, dumbell curls and hammer curls (these were the best for getting a defined bicep) - add the bicep workout after you pullups eventually. The other exercises you want to do are dips, same sets and number as pullups. Do benching and dips the same day, big muscles first. If you work alone learn how to use the Smith Machine for benching and add dumbell benching too. Go buy one of those $100 dollar pullup stands, forget the lat-pulldown machine or the pull up assist machines. Put it in your house and just do a few sets at odd times throughout your day. Keep challenging your muscles. At first don't over train, but don't think you can't work the odd pullup set in every day, just don't do 3 sets every day, keep the 3 sets for you back and bicep day. If you can't do a pull up, jump up and hold yourself up, then slowly lower yourself for a set of 2-3, keep this up and soon you'll be doing 3-10's, then shoot for 1 set of 20. Another great exercise is he weighted squat. If you haven't squatted before start slow, get your form down, then start to add weight. My body type responds to compound exercises, and the squat is the best, as far as weights go - better than benching even.

I might have overloaded you with info, but now at 49 I am glad I was that skinny guy. I avoided injuries in my youth due to football etc, I am on no medications (thank God), and I look better than most people my age and my wife says I look better than most 20 year olds - gotta keep the wife happy. If you have any questions I will be happy to send you my Email address or recommend some web sites. You really don't need to buy any books, but they do help motivate you from time to time. Go to YouTube for motivation on the pullups and such - there are some amazing dudes there. Let me know how you do.

Hope this helps, Frank

Two words: empty calories. Although I have to say that this is not the healthiest way to gain weight.

You basically just need to take in more energy than you use.