Male - Wanting to Gain Weight

[uniqueflower]

I'm a 22-year old healthy male.  Throughout my life I've always been very thin.  I'm currently 115 pounds, 5'10", and have a BMI of 16.5.  Everyone thinks I purposely undereat.  So for the last year I've used LiveStrong's MyPlate to count my daily calories.  On average I was eating about 2,500 calories per day with very little excersise.

Over the last 6 months I've increased my calorie intake to about 3,000 calories a day (which it said should increase my weight about 1 pound per week).  I've ony gained about 5 pounds in the last 6 months.  I did this by eating unhealthy, high-calorie, high-fat foods (mostly fast food) and lots of cashews.  I know this isn't the best way to achieve weight gain, but I'm litterally eating till I almost make myself sick.  I eat throughout the day, usually 5 small meals plus snacks (I can't consume large meals).  Also, the little weight I gained was mostly in my stomach, I saw no changes in fat to my arms, legs, and chest.

How can I gain weight so I am in the normal BMI range?  I've tried eating more, eating higher calorie foods, and even drinking Ensure shakes, but nothing seems to work.  I don't think I can physically increase my calorie intake anymore unless I drink those creatin shakes for bodybuilders (which I don't want to do).  Again, I don't care about being muscular, I simply want a normal weight.

Just a note, I went to the doctor a while back on an unrelated note and had a full physical with a blood draw and a GI X-ray for my stomach.  The doctor said I was in good health (I've never had a doctor even mention my unhealthy weight unless I bring it up).

[Renee Radenberg]

You are definitely underweight as you stated and need to consume 3000 calories per day for your age. Have you had your thyroid checked by your MD? It is a simple blood test to see the levels of your thyroid hormones. An overactive thyroid “runs” the body’s metabolism at a higher rate and weight gain becomes an issue. If your thyroid is ok, then you just need to take in more calories for weight gain. You should try weight training. That will help you gain lean muscle mass which does weight more and bulk you up. You can also try yoga exercising which is strengthening your body gently from inside out. As you have been doing, you need to continue to drink either nutrient dense drinks (in addition to eating your meals) such as ensure or make your own milkshakes - soy yogurt, soy milk, and frozen fruit blended; or milk, ice cream, and frozen fruit blended for extra calories, protein and nutrients to help increase your weight. Brush your teeth so you do not get cavities as you stated. Thank you for your question.

[uniqueflower]

just checking back to see if you have any suggestions?  I've been reading your previous posts about eating a Heart Healthy diet.

I forgot to mention that over the last 6 months I've been drinking an 800-calorie frozen custard shake a day to add calories.  Well, I just got back from the dentist and I have 6 cavities (never had them before, brush twice a day)!  I guess I'll have to shop drinking those shakes.  Everytime I try something that is high calorie it comes back to bite me in the butt!  lol

I've been reading about your suggestion about taking medication to stimulate hunger.  Do they have any over-the-counter versions of this?

Thanks again Renee!