I need to GAIN weight... and I need your help!!! page 4

[Ash877]

I had a lot of the same issues when I started. I had lost 8 lbs eating like crap and never sleeping. When I started this diet, I lost another 2.6 lbs. Over the last month, I have managed to gain 4.6 lbs. My tests came back negative for celiac, diabetes, and thyroid. The doctor is looking at adrenal problems next.

Things that have really helped me recently, sweet potatoes(lots of butter and cinnamon) cooked carrots, broccoli, and spinach. Most raw veggies don't seem to agree with me. The bone broths helped too, but like you I got bored with them, will try it again. I have been eating a lot of pork roast cooked in a crock pot. Lots of fruit. Had to eliminate nuts, as it seems I am allergic to them now. Eating full fat greek yogurt(it has honey in it, but I seem to be fine with it) I also started cooking with coconut oil, and will sometimes eat a spoonful straight.

If I eat anything that isn't primal, my sleep will be shot for the next 24-48 hours.

Since gaining the 4.6 lbs back, I am feeling much more energetic. I have even been going to the gym. Honestly, I feel much better. My stomach isn't growling at me all the time, the bloating seems to be less and less by the day. I haven't been getting the strange pains in my side. If you want to talk, feel free to shoot me a pm, and I can answer any questions if you think I can help.

[Dragonfly]

Get your D3 level tested. If you are deficient it can affect all sorts of things including gut health and hormones.

Read this:Vitamin D Hormone

[Siren]

I had a lot of the same issues when I started. I had lost 8 lbs eating like crap and never sleeping. When I started this diet, I lost another 2.6 lbs. Over the last month, I have managed to gain 4.6 lbs. My tests came back negative for celiac, diabetes, and thyroid. The doctor is looking at adrenal problems next.

Things that have really helped me recently, sweet potatoes(lots of butter and cinnamon) cooked carrots, broccoli, and spinach. Most raw veggies don't seem to agree with me. The bone broths helped too, but like you I got bored with them, will try it again. I have been eating a lot of pork roast cooked in a crock pot. Lots of fruit. Had to eliminate nuts, as it seems I am allergic to them now. Eating full fat greek yogurt(it has honey in it, but I seem to be fine with it) I also started cooking with coconut oil, and will sometimes eat a spoonful straight.

If I eat anything that isn't primal, my sleep will be shot for the next 24-48 hours.

Since gaining the 4.6 lbs back, I am feeling much more energetic. I have even been going to the gym. Honestly, I feel much better. My stomach isn't growling at me all the time, the bloating seems to be less and less by the day. I haven't been getting the strange pains in my side. If you want to talk, feel free to shoot me a pm, and I can answer any questions if you think I can help.

Sweet potatoes have been my staple all through this thing. Lots of butter and cinnamon for me too, and some maple syrup to up the sugar content. I've avoided carrots because they seem to cause me problems unless they're cooked. I'm not eating as much fruit as I probably should; mostly bananas and prunes, occasionally some dried cranberries. I avoid out-of-season fruit since it's likely either greenhouse grown or brought in from far away, so fruit isn't a big part of my repertoire right now. Nuts don't cause me problems (not as far as I can tell, at least), but I do eat them occasionally- mostly almonds or walnuts, but I've been avoiding cashews and pistachios since they're more likely to have mold. I do eat dairy- lots of plain, lactose-free yogurt and Greek yogurt every once in a while. I also drink kefir, eat cheese and butter, and have goat cheese when I can afford it. Right now, I'm eating LOTS of Haagen-Dazs =) I cook with coconut oil often, but don't eat straight coconut or use coconut milk really at all.

Let me know if your doctor finds anything on the adrenal tests. It's my next step after eliminating SIBO, thyroid issues, and hormonal imbalances.

[Siren]

Get your D3 level tested. If you are deficient it can affect all sorts of things including gut health and hormones.

Read this:Vitamin D Hormone

I've been checked for it; my D levels are normal. I supplement and get sun, so I know I'm not deficient, unless some chemical process in my body is keeping me from absorbing it properly...

[Siren]

Those all sound pretty safe. Just make sure you're not getting too much iron, and that the SS cookware is of VERY high quality, since nickel is extremely carcinogenic and can leech into food. Non-stick as in teflon? I would avoid that like the plague..Try to get a healthier, non-stick ceramic version. I'm extremely sensitive to cookware, and have found glass to be the best for me. That's great the only thing you drink is water. Just make sure it isn't RO. Reverse Osmosis attachs to minerals in the body and can contribute to mineral excretion.

Try getting a BHCL that has pepsin and BHCL only. Super Enzymes is good, but you can't take a whole lot of em due to all the other enzymes contained in it. I would also look into a good multi that's soy free, and maybe a Calcium supplement (citrate). Most professionals recommend between 1:1 to 2:1 ratio of Ca:Mg. Ever try Fermented Cod Liver oil & High Vitamin Butter Oil capsules? I became sensitive to Chlorella..I get breathing issues and what not. Could be the iron for me.

I don't trust anything grain-like myself, so I can't say anything about the bread. I also don't eat sugar, but I'm not sure how I would respond to it anymore, so I can't advise on that either. I just avoid both of em, strictly.

I have naturally high iron levels. While pregnant with my daughter, I had a blood clot in my uterus caused by excessive iron (they throw iron pills at every pregnant woman in America without testing if their levels are already high). I was put on 12 days bedrest to avoid the risk of miscarriage. I make sure all my supplements are low-iron, and keep my iron-rich foods to a minimum. I can't avoid the Teflon; it's on 90% of my mom's cookware. Ceramic is too expensive for me (got over $3K in medical bills from this!). I think our water filter is RO, but I can ask; I'm not completely sure.

I take the Super Enzymes because I suspected my pancreas was to blame for a lot of this back when it first started. Now I just take them to make the digestive process easier on all my organs. Without them, I get crampy to no end and even more backed up (sorry for TMI). I think I'm good on my calcium intake, and I balance it with a Mag supplement (Natural Calm) before bedtime. My doc is having my Mag levels checked anyway. I take a fish oil supplement, but it's not cod liver oil (I don't know; it's the one Mark sells), but I've never heard of Butter Oil capsules. What do they do? I already eat a lot of butter; are the capsules just more concentrated?

I would avoid bread as well, usually, but since I'm really more concerned with putting on weight than with "exercising my Primal principles," I'm not concerning myself with it right now. Same goes for sugar; I put it in my coffee, eat it in ice cream, and get lots from dried fruit, not to mention the high carb load I get from sweet potatoes, squash, and the occasional bowl of white rice. I'm hoping that it'll do exactly what it's supposed to: raise my blood sugar levels so that insulin starts storing it as fat.

[magicmerl]

What about cooking lots of foods in fat/cream? That will increase your total calories and help you put on weight?

[Siren]

What about cooking lots of foods in fat/cream? That will increase your total calories and help you put on weight?

I already do. Everything I eat is either cooked in butter or coconut oil, mixed with butter (like sweet potatoes), doused in olive oil (like salads), or has lots of fat in it already (like bacon). Eating well over my caloric limit isn't going to put body fat on me, not eating Primally, at least. I need the sugar surge to speed up the process- for now. I can slow it down when I get closer to my goal weight (which is 105, btw)...

[Siren]

So I've made a decision: I skimmed through "The Perfect Health Diet" at the bookstore yesterday, and spent many, many hours last night and today studying up, flipping through forums, and doing a bunch of research. I'm going to be starting the diet next week, on a more official basis, at least. I've been eating sweet potatoes regularly, even daily, for months now, but I've yet to touch white rice or regular potatoes. I'm also going to be adding more fermented foods (kimchi, anyone?), homemade bone broth & chicken stock, and seaweed to my repertoire. I've also got to convince myself to start eating eggs again; for the longest time I believed they were causing me gut issues. I know differently now, but I still don't want to assault my system with egg protein right away. I'll also be introducing the starches very slowly, say a 1/4 cup of rice the first day, and a small, baked red potato the next. I'll judge my body's reaction and go from there. I'm really hoping to gain weight on this "diet," because going LC or even somewhat LC are only keeping the body fat off. I estimate that I'm at 12% right now, and with very little muscle mass (I estimate less than 40 pounds of me is actual muscle; my skin literally hangs off me now) the LAST thing I need to worry about is gaining body fat. Has anyone here tried this to GAIN weight? How did it go? How did you look/ feel/ perform? I'm hoping to start CrossFit once I get back into health, so any feedback is appreciated...

[Timthetaco]

I'm 6', and at my low point I weighed 150 pounds, and I still had fat on me. Today I'm 181 pounds, and I didn't put on any of that weight eating clean. The best way to put on weight is to eat to great excess on a mixed diet, including wheat and processed food (that's how people get fat in the first place, right?). I put on some muscle mass in the process, so I don't feel it hurt my body composition any.

If the PHD doesn't work for you, I recommend eating the junkiest shit you can find as often as you can. Who knows, it might even make you feel good. It did me. In fact, nothing I'm eating right now makes me feel better than bread. This is a fucked up world I'm living in.

[Zach]

I'm 6', and at my low point I weighed 150 pounds, and I still had fat on me. Today I'm 181 pounds, and I didn't put on any of that weight eating clean. The best way to put on weight is to eat to great excess on a mixed diet, including wheat and processed food (that's how people get fat in the first place, right?). I put on some muscle mass in the process, so I don't feel it hurt my body composition any.

If the PHD doesn't work for you, I recommend eating the junkiest shit you can find as often as you can. Who knows, it might even make you feel good. It did me. In fact, nothing I'm eating right now makes me feel better than bread. This is a fucked up world I'm living in.

Its not just you.