Too Underweight-Unusual dilemma

[AD]

This may sound strange for this message board, but I have a problem of being underweight. I am a 19-year old 5'3" male and weigh only 70 pounds. I have a lot of bloating and digestive problems (nothing deadly or severe), and I am looking for any tips you can offer to help me gain weight.

Liquid supplements are OUT! I can't stand milky tasting things. I have found glucose polymers to be of benefit, but need something more. Besides, I get nauseated with too many liquids in place of solid food. I really like peanut butter and nuts, and I can stand a dab of butter now and then in baked goods, but I can't find any other convenient, affordable, heart-healthy fat sources or high calorie foods that I like. There are no health food stores nearby either.

Would it perhaps cause heart problems if I ate things like french fries, doughnuts, hamburgers, butter, ice cream or saturated and trans-fatty foods? At my weight, I know I need fat and calories, but I don't know how these things would affect my circulatory system. I would prefer something plain (strong, spicy and pungent flavors bother me), something easily and commonly available and something my digestive system can handle.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[makedah]

70 lbs sounds pretty serious, AD. That combined with digestion issues is even worse. My advice is that you put off trying things you hear on bulletin boards (although many of the posters here are quite knowledgeable) and see a doctor for a full work-up.

[schuh]

I'm with makedah, AD. While I'm sympathetic to your situation, I would hesitate to give any advice as it sounds like you need to see either a doctor or a nutritionist or both. In fact, your descriptions sound a lot like a family member who has ulcerative colitis. It's serious but usually controllable -- but it does require a doctor's care. I'm not saying that's what you have, but your symptoms and your weight suggest that you need more than a list of healthy, high-calorie foods.

[erinyyc]

AD..Take it from someone who almost waited too long to visit the Dr. for a health matter. Please make an appt.
Erin

[beccathebaker]

I am in the same boat as I am a 24 year old recovering from uterine cancer with lots of side effects from the radiation to my intestines which makes weight gain very tough. Have you visited a nutritionist? Along with seeing your doctor, a nutritionist can help you get a solid food plan. It could be that like me you are malabsorbing fat and need to be on special supplemental foods. I too tried the high fat stuff to try to gain (Ben and Jerry's, godiva, lots of peanut butter) and ended up actually l osing because the fat was too much for my system to handle. I am now maintaining by eating a very high carb diet and some protein and this feels best to my body.
There is a great bulletin board on ivillage called "Putting it on" where all of the members are working to gain and we give each other lots of support (and recipes!) Join us anytime.
Good luck, I know that it's such a struggle-especially because sometimes people think nothing of insulting a thin person. Come visit the putting it on board-you can do this!!
-Becca

[LGBurns]

Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of concerned BB'ers asking you to see a doctor and dietician soon. Your symptoms definitely sound like something that should be checked out by professionals. Please let us know how you are doing.

[AD]

I have been and am seeing doctors and dieticians. As of now, I have nothing serious, just an unusually low weight. I never lost any; I just didn't gain weight when I was growing. I have had all the tests with no problems other than a nervous stomach and spastic colon. I have been advised to gain weight though in order to avoid possible future problems. Doctors really cannot do much for me.

[emilycat]

Foods that are nutritious, but high in calories and low in volume would be my suggestion -- things like avocado, coconut, regular yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, granola, stuff like that.

I would steer away from the junk food, simply because it's just not good for your body. But olive oil, fatty fish like halibut and salmon, and eggs would also be great sources of good fats and calories.


[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 04-21-2001).]

[mlou]

GUACAMOLE!!!!!I have read that if a person makes no other changes than to eat one avacado a day-they would gain 90lbs. in one year. Avacados are also VERY healthy source of fat http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[AD]

Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate the input. I just mentioned ice cream as an example. I don't like it, but I wanted to elaborate on my question about saturated fats. Thanks anyway for the ideas!

About olive oil-I heard that taking 2 tbsp. each day all at once can improve my specific symptoms. I don't think I could take it "straight." Garlic and onions makes me gag-any good ideas how to handle the olive oil?

I do live north of Plano in McKinney, and I cannot visit Whole Foods often. For one thing, the traffic there is worse than it is anywhere else, making the trip twice as long and expensive. Also, their products are very undependable. Whenever I find something good, it gets discontinued or replaced. Nothing at that store stays around permanently. I do use their barley malt for baking and enjoy the Chocolove candy bars and flour tortillas made with oat bran.

[CheerLiz]

AD --

I don't know about olive oil, but I know that flaxseed oil is available in capsules. All oils have the same caloric content, so maybe that would work for you. The benefit of flaxseed oil is that it is higher in omega 3's, 6's and 9's -- there's a great article on the omega fatty acids in this week's "Newsweek" magazine on page 60. Research has shown that omega 3's help build and maintain brain tissue, prevent heart disease and modify depression.

Anyway, you might want to try the capsules. I take 4 capsules every morning with no ill effects. Good luck!

[chefbec]

AD, have you been checked for Celiac? If you have an intolerance to gluten, this could keep your body from absorbing the nutrients and therefore no weight gain. If you haven't been tested, it's a simple blood test. If you're positive, you'd need a gluten-free diet, which is quite limiting, but if that's it, your problem would be resolved.

[woodsl]

AD,

You said you don't like milky tasting things, but you mentioned ice cream. If you like ice cream, you might try making malts with a lower fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. When my father was ill and very thin, at his doctor's suggestion, we made him malts everyday to try and keep the weight on. We bought an actual malt blender, but I would think a regular blender would work fine. We used Carnation's malt powder, added vanilla ice cream and a little milk. I think I also made him a peanut butter malt once by adding some peanut butter.

I notice you live in North Texas. I know that's a big area, but if you are close to Plano or Dallas, it might we worth your while to visit a Whole Foods Market. In case you don't know, Whole Foods Markets are grocery stores/health food stores. I would suggest you visit on a weekday during the day to get the most assistance from the employees. It's pretty busy in there on weekends.