I need to GAIN weight... and I need your help!!! page 5

[Ash877]

The only way I was able to put on some weight was to eat primally. When I was eating sugar and carbs, it would just make me lose more weight. I have recently been cutting out dairy entirely. I ate a small amount of cheese and immediately got a runny nose. Whenever I eat dairy, I seem to get congested(butter is fine) I also am no longer backed up(I believe it is the dairy that caused this for me)

I eat fruit freely(probably 6-8 servings a day some days) lots of veggies, and tons of meat and eggs.

My weight issues were one of the big reasons I switched to eating this way. I would eat carbs(sugar and pasta) and would feel like I had just chugged 4 red bulls. I would get hyper, and then I would crash hard. I ate some sweets on Christmas, and I crashed hard. Everyone thought I was sick. I eventually went home and slept for 2 hours, and when I woke up I ate an orange, an avocado, and some nuts, and felt much better. It took me 2 days to recover from that fully.

I'm certainly not afraid to eat sugar or wheat due to weight gain, it just makes my life horrid if I do. I don't sleep well, I get big highs and lows. Since dumping both and also dairy, I sleep much better. My mood swings also are much better, and I finally have the energy and strength to work out, which is huge. Before I sometimes just felt like a zombie dragging around, one hour to the next, just trying to get by.

I can't do nuts, as it seems I am allergic to all of them now, but if I weren't, I would probably try and pack a lot of them in. They are very high in calories.

[Siren]

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.

If I wasn't so adamant about not eating gluten (last time I went on a bread bender, I ended up in the ER a couple days later), I'd be heading to the nearest In-n-Out for lunch today! Hahaha... I have been eating ice cream, gluten-free bread & cookies, and as much fat as I can cram down my maw. I also put real sugar in my coffee along with flavored creamer (which is made with evaporated cane juice). I sometimes eat flavored yogurt (more cane juice + the fruit that's in it), but as far as "junk" that's the best I can do without diving into a bag of Flamin Hot Cheetos with a Cherry Pepsi chaser. I wish I knew without a doubt that I could do it temporarily and not suffer the consequences of pain and intestinal damage, but sadly, that’s not the case. Also, while I am concerned with my current state of health, I’m also concerned with my long-term health, and no amount of weight loss is going to make me go back to the SAD diet. This is why I’m so hopeful that the PHD will work; it’s essentially the way I was eating before going Primal, only gluten-free and no fast food or soda (my diet prior to wasn’t really all that bad, actually). Fingers crossed though…

[Zelli88]

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.

Yea, then it may have something to do with the iron levels. High iron can antagonize many other nutrients, including zinc, copper, Vitamin C, manganese..It just causes a huge imbalance. Try giving blood a lot or looking into bloodletting (with a doctor, of course). Iron is very hard for the body to eliminate. I get some issues when I cook with carbon steel, and I think it has to deal with the iron content in it. I grew up with well water, which I believe was relatively high in iron. You need to somehow avoid TEFLON as much as possible. Their are healthy ceramic non-stick cookware that is inexpensive and are much healthier than Teflon. Look into em.

The High vitamin butter oil capsules are highly concentrated, and the main purpose of them is their Vitamin K2 content, which most people lack. Same with Fermented Cod Liver oil. The fermentation retains the integrity of the oils and produces Vit K2 as well. Plus, the Vit A and D are naturally occurring and are not damaged by heat, as in traditional cod liver oil processes. Look into it, as well maybe getting some extra BHCL acid in there as well.

I believe, from experience, nutrients are far more important than consuming a crap ton of calories in gaining weight. Most people who can't gain weight can't absorb nutrients in their guts. This is why Celiac disease people are generally thin and "wasted" looking. It's all about absorbing your food, and if you eat foods that may compromise that, it may take you A LOT longer to heal and re nourish your body.

[Ash877]

Yea, then it may have something to do with the iron levels. High iron can antagonize many other nutrients, including zinc, copper, Vitamin C, manganese..It just causes a huge imbalance. Try giving blood a lot or looking into bloodletting (with a doctor, of course). Iron is very hard for the body to eliminate. I get some issues when I cook with carbon steel, and I think it has to deal with the iron content in it. I grew up with well water, which I believe was relatively high in iron. You need to somehow avoid TEFLON as much as possible. Their are healthy ceramic non-stick cookware that is inexpensive and are much healthier than Teflon. Look into em.

The High vitamin butter oil capsules are highly concentrated, and the main purpose of them is their Vitamin K2 content, which most people lack. Same with Fermented Cod Liver oil. The fermentation retains the integrity of the oils and produces Vit K2 as well. Plus, the Vit A and D are naturally occurring and are not damaged by heat, as in traditional cod liver oil processes. Look into it, as well maybe getting some extra BHCL acid in there as well.

I believe, from experience, nutrients are far more important than consuming a crap ton of calories in gaining weight. Most people who can't gain weight can't absorb nutrients in their guts. This is why Celiac disease people are generally thin and "wasted" looking. It's all about absorbing your food, and if you eat foods that may compromise that, it may take you A LOT longer to heal and re nourish your body.

I strongly agree with this. I can gain a little if I were to eat a lot of icecream, but my body feels like hell, and unless I am eating it every day, the weight doesn't stay. It just seems to bloat me and cause water retention.

I came to this diet to feel better. Whatever the scale says doesn't really matter. I just want the energy and strength to live life again. The longer I eat better food, the better I feel. Just one day of eating crap will make me feel like crap for 1-2 days. It's just not worth it to me. My body feels better every week. I am able to work out again, and I feel more like my old self.

Try not to stress about what the scale says. Just put good food into your body. Sleep a lot, and keep stress levels down. Your body will heal itself given the right food. Just give it time.

[Jergemy]

That's all I can do...

[Siren]

I strongly agree with this. I can gain a little if I were to eat a lot of icecream, but my body feels like hell, and unless I am eating it every day, the weight doesn't stay. It just seems to bloat me and cause water retention.

I came to this diet to feel better. Whatever the scale says doesn't really matter. I just want the energy and strength to live life again. The longer I eat better food, the better I feel. Just one day of eating crap will make me feel like crap for 1-2 days. It's just not worth it to me. My body feels better every week. I am able to work out again, and I feel more like my old self.

Try not to stress about what the scale says. Just put good food into your body. Sleep a lot, and keep stress levels down. Your body will heal itself given the right food. Just give it time.

Of course the goal is to eat WELL, not just a lot. But at the moment, eating fully Primal won't help me regain the weight I've lost, either in body fat or in muscle. I'm less concerned with the scale than how I look and feel, but I both look and feel like crap. The scale is actually a motivator; if I gain 2 pounds, I'm elated. When my pants are a little tighter, I feel like I've acheived a small victory. But eating fully Primal hasn't done that for me; ice cream has. I'm trying the Perfect Heath Diet (which is bascially Primal with potatoes & rice) to see if the extra starch and fat will help. So far, I feel pretty good, though I haven't yet noticed any difference in the mirror. What's important is that I'm FEELING better so far, which is way more important than whether I've actually gained weight. I think I just function better on a higher carb diet. I still avoid gluten, legumes, soy, and corn as well as vegetable oils, though I'm far less afraid of sugar and starch than I used to be.

[qqemokitty]

If I wasn't so adamant about not eating gluten (last time I went on a bread bender, I ended up in the ER a couple days later), I'd be heading to the nearest In-n-Out for lunch today!

Well, for what's worth you can eat totally gluten free @ In n Out, I do it all the time!

Double Double Protein Style (wrapped in lettuce), mustard fried, extra grilled onions, pickles. It's messy as hell but SO delicious. Their fries are made in peanut oil and the dressing has sugar in it, but I try not to sweat the little things in this case. :P You could always not eat the dressing.

[Siren]

Well, for what's worth you can eat totally gluten free @ In n Out, I do it all the time!

Double Double Protein Style (wrapped in lettuce), mustard fried, extra grilled onions, pickles. It's messy as hell but SO delicious. Their fries are made in peanut oil and the dressing has sugar in it, but I try not to sweat the little things in this case. :P You could always not eat the dressing.

Believe me, I know ALL about the Protein Style! =) It's hard to walk in there and NOT eat fries or get a shake, though. I just try to avoid the place altogether. But... I dunno... maybe I should pay it a visit... ? Hahaha =)

[252dlp]

Siren, you might want to look up gastroparesis or talk to your doctor about it to see if it sounds like what you have. I have it, and I get the terrible pain after eating. In the beginning I lost a lot of weight really fast. Once I learned what I had I was able to eat more. Now I need to lose weight, which is why I'm here, lol.