In Need Of Healthy Weight Gain

[Lisa]

Hey guys,

Many of you know that I have been gluten free for two years. No problem with that, got it down.

I have recently developed something called Pressure Palsey. In simple terms.. carpel tunnel of the bottom. I have NO butt and as I sit, even for a short time, my legs go to sleep and toes go numb. My legs and arms are very slim. And I have no padding on my butt and on the pads of my feet. (which is one of the symptoms of celiac). End of back ground.

My question is how can I put on weight and remain dairy light and soy light? Every high caloric foods that I can think of is high in lactose. I would love to have a McD's milkshake once a day, but the result don't work out well. (or rather, they work out too well).

Any thoughts?

[2Boys4Me]

I had a few ideas until I read no dairy. What about going to your public health office or dietician and asking for an sheet on how to gain weight in a healthy manner. We got one when Ty was diagnosed, but I do believe most of it was adding skim milk powder to milk and stuff like that. Here are I couple of things I found while surfing. Of course they'll need to be adapted to gluten-free and any other dietary restrictions you have.

________________________

From U. Michigan website:

What can I do to gain weight?

The average person wanting to gain weight should try to eat foods with high calorie content and larger portions of food. Mild exercise can help to increase your appetite and help you add muscle rather than fat.

The following recommendations can be used by anyone wanting to gain or regain weight. It may be necessary, however, to change them to meet your specific needs. Check with your health care provider or dietitian about this.

To start, eat about 500 calories more a day than you have been eating. Some people will need to add up to a 1,000 extra calories. Look at the top section of the Nutrition Facts label of packaged foods to see how many calories are in a serving.

Eat snacks throughout the day.

Choose higher calorie foods often.

Try to always eat larger-than-normal portions at meals. If you have a poor appetite, it may work better to eat smaller, very high calorie meals and to eat more often.

Fat contains more calories than any other food group: 45 calories in just 1 teaspoon. Adding healthy fats, such as plant oils (canola, olive, or peanut oil), soft margarines (look for those with no trans fats), old-fashioned peanut butter (the kind that needs stirring before you eat it), and avocado, is an easy way to add a lot of calories without having to eat a lot more food.

Avoid saturated fats. Although all fats contain the same amount of calories, saturated fats can increase your cholesterol and other harmful blood fats. Foods high in saturated fat include: whole-milk dairy products, chicken skin, bacon, sausage, sour cream, butter, high-fat cuts of meat, and many processed snack foods.

Even though you are eating a high-calorie diet, you should try to keep it healthy by including a lot of unprocessed (unrefined) carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fruits, as well as vegetables and lean protein foods such as skim milk products, skinless poultry, fish, egg whites, beans, and low-fat cuts of pork and beef.

What are some ways to add calories and protein to foods?

Saut

[Lisa]

Linda, thanks for you time to find that information. I really appreciate your efforts, but yes, I agree, it's a little heavy on the dairy.

[~alex~]

I don

[confusedks]

I would say avocado. Add it to as much as you can. Guacamole, slices in salads, anywhere that is appetizing to you. I don't need to gain weight, but I know someone who did and she did it by eating a lot of avocado. It is really reasonably priced at Trader Joe's if that is a concern because sometimes they are really expensive. Also, do you cook with olive oil? If you don't that will help you gain weight. Nuts such as almonds will also help. Sesame seeds also.

Hope this helps!

Kassandra

[confused]

well today i was looking for something for my son since he cant gain weight, well he could ig he would follow his Gluten-free Casein-free diet but that is another story. The only stuff i could find is a carb powder and an egg powder to mix with stuff. the brand was NOW. Im not sure how safe it is or anything but that is the only stuff that i could find that was Gluten-free Casein-free, besides lara bars. If you find anything safe please let me know.

paula

[melmak5]

Nut butters are amazing. (pre-celiac I cut out my spoonful of peanut butter a day and lost a few lbs in a month)

I really like almond butter. Its really good on gluten-free toast drizzled with honey/maple syrup. My favorite is on sliced apples or bananas, even celery.

Olive oil might also help. Drizzle a little atop steamed veggies, salt and pepper. It might only be an extra 50 calories, but its something.

Oven roasted potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt and fresh herbs.

Coconut is really a great source of fat and calories. Coconut sorbet is one of my all time favorites!

I also love its savory in curries. Mmmmm.

You can also use coconut milk in place of cow's milk in rice pudding.

(I have recipes for both somewhere...)

You can also use coconut oil like you would butter to pan-fry.

I have been loosing weight and started carrying around dry roast nuts in my bag and found adding a handful or two as a snack along with coconut has been helpful.

Sweet potatoes are another calorie-dense food.

[melmak5]

Flax seed or fish oil might help. I know some people who add a tablespoon or two to morning smoothies.

The key is the banana, it helps with texture and masking some of the oil's taste.

You can use sorbet instead of ice cream or yogurt, but you don't need to. Just add extra juice or fruit. I think berries, especially blue berries also help with the flavor. (Trader Joe's has relatively inexpensive frozen fruits or you can clean, cut and freeze your own.)

High-fat fish, like salmon, blue fish, tuna are good sources of calories.

I had a friend who made a vegan chili and added crushed up cashews to it to thicken it. (similar to using corn chips to thicken a chili)

You can chop up a handful and add them to sauces, or even whole into stir fries.

[Karen B.]

Non-dairy, non-soy calorie dense foods I have to limit (since I have the opposite problem) are avocado, nut butters, shellfish, oily fish, breaded foods fried in healthy fats, black olive tapenade (like pesto with black olives), gluten-free baked goods like cupcakes, muffins, homemade waffles, gluten-free breads with nuts added.

[Laurad-]

Do you have a Jamba Juice near you? They have an "all fruit" variety of smoothie that has no dairy and a whole lot of calories. (Watch out for the free boosts that they put in them, though, as most of them contain oat bran. I always get the protein boost because I know it's safe, but that might be made of soy.)

[dally099]

Do you have a Jamba Juice near you? They have an "all fruit" variety of smoothie that has no dairy and a whole lot of calories. (Watch out for the free boosts that they put in them, though, as most of them contain oat bran. I always get the protein boost because I know it's safe, but that might be made of soy.)

hi, this is just a thought but i lift heavier weights now than i used to as it helps keep some weight on me and muscle is good to have, maybe you want to talk with some one about an excersise program that will add some mucsle for you, just a thought, not to mention just making your meals bigger and eating more frequently. good luck!

[darkangel]

Healthy oils - Udo's, fish, olive and flax, peanut butter, nut butters, avacado are all excellent non-dairy suggestions for your diet. I would also recommend a protein supplement and/or meal replacement powder mixed with water or juice. A whey protein isolate, soy or egg white protein are lactose-free.

I would also highly encourage you to start a regular weight training program, if you're not already doing so. A good strength training program, coupled with good sources of protein and healthy fats, will help you gain lean muscle mass and is key to healthy weight gain.

I went from around 90 pounds at my sickest to a personal best of 119. No one asks me if I'm anorexic any more. Squats and lunges will build up your glutes and reduce your discomfort while sitting.

[Lisa]

Healthy oils - Udo's, fish, olive and flax, peanut butter, nut butters, avacado are all excellent non-dairy suggestions for your diet. I would also recommend a protein supplement and/or meal replacement powder mixed with water or juice. A whey protein isolate, soy or egg white protein are lactose-free.

I would also highly encourage you to start a regular weight training program, if you're not already doing so. A good strength training program, coupled with good sources of protein and healthy fats, will help you gain lean muscle mass and is key to healthy weight gain.

I went from around 90 pounds at my sickest to a personal best of 119. No one asks me if I'm anorexic any more. Squats and lunges will build up your glutes and reduce your discomfort while sitting.

All wonderful suggestions. Okay, I have to get motivated to build up the muscles. I am 5'8" and weigh 130, so not abnormal. But the bulk of my weight is around my middle. At 52, with a family history of heart disease, not good.

Eat more, almonds and avacados and get my butt out of the house and excercize.

Thank you, all that have responded. I have to get busy and get to work. Thanks for the push...

[Guest thatchickali]

JUICE! All day long, drink tons of juice! I am studying to be a dietician and I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease last week, so I saw a dietician Monday, and she said for weight gain and a sensitive stomach drink juice as much as I tolerate all day long. The body runs on glucose which can be found in juice, and I have been drinking it all day for about 3 days and feel very much more energy and stopped losing weight, still trying to gain it. Best of luck. White grape, apple, and white cranberry are recommended. I started with "White Grape Peach"

[darkangel]

I'd be careful with juice - particularly if you have any blood sugar issues. That's a concentrated load of sugar with no fiber, like you get when eating a whole piece of fruit, to slow down the digestion and avoid insulin spikes.

[corinne]

Concentrated sugars and in particular high fructose can cause diarrhea; too much juice is a common cause of "toddler diarrhea".

I'm working to gain weight (5' 9 and 115 pounds), but I have colitis so it's hard to keep the weight on.

I too find that eating lots of healthy fats - nut butters, avocados and olive oil help.