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April 2012 Moms
cVonswoman
member
Anyone have any healthy weight gain tips? Please!
cVonswoman
member
I weighed 117 when I got pregnant. Due to morning sickness, I lost 20lbs. I am having problems gaining weight. I could use any advice on a healthy diet to gain weight. Thanks!
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Re: Anyone have any healthy weight gain tips? Please!
Man I wish I was in your position! Anyway, the best way to gain some weight would be to eat lots of healthy carbs and drink some high calorie protein shakes. If you do try the protein shakes, make sure there isnt a ton of added sugar. Try a place like GNC or a health food store...brands like Muscle Milk are good. For healthy carbs, go with things like veggies, red potatoes and whole wheat pasta but try to keep butter and creamy sauces to only once or twice a week. Make your own red sauce with canned crushed tomatoes and your own spices. You could also saute the veggies in some low salt soy sauce and olive oil and then add the boiled pasta for a minute or two. Stay away from fast food chains though....
Good luck!
Gaining and losing have the same basic principles. If you eat more calories than you're burning in a day you'll gain, if you eat fewer, you'll lose.
To gain weight in a healthy way try to increase the caloric density of the foods you're eating.
If you drink skim milk, switch to 1% or 2%.
If you eat fat free or low fat yogurt or cheese, switch to the real stuff.
Start adding in more healthy fats. Things like nuts and nut butters (get the natural kinds to avoid all the added sugar), avocados, olive oil or coconut oil, and higher fat fish like salmon.
Whole eggs are a really great source of protein, good fats and lots of different nutrients that are vital to your babies development, so they're a great addition. And don't worry about the cholesterol, as the consumption of whole eggs has actually been shown to increase the amount of good cholesterol in you blood.
Don't be afraid of red meat either.
I've got lots of ideas, so feel free to ask for more!
DD #1 passed away in January 2011 at 14 days old due to congenital heart disease
DD#2 lost in January 2012 at 23 weeks due to anhydramnios caused by a placental abruption
well she is down to 97lbs by now so I'd say it would warrant a more intense approach than just "eating healthy and exercising".
In a word: FAT. Fat is about the easiet way to up your calories without feeling uncomfortably full after eating. 2TBL oil or butter adds over 200 calories to any meal, with practically zero added food volume.
A variety of full fat dairy products, meat (not chicken breasts!), whole eggs, and vegetable fats (oils, nuts, seeds, coconut, dark chocolate) will be a good approach. Attempt to add 2-3 tbl of oil, or 1-2 oz nuts/nut butters/seeds to your meals. Stir some honey into a pot of Fage Total (not the reduced fat) for a high energy density snack. Choose steak over chicken, choose dark meat chicken when you are having it.
Liquid might also be a good idea. Drink juices, whole milk etc. Make a smoothie. In fact just adding a single high cal smoothie to your day may be enough!
1 banana + 2TB peanut butter + 1 cup whole milk + half cup of oats + spoonful honey, blend it up and you have 600-700 calories right there.