Brief Answer:
Welcome to HCM. I have reviewed your concern

Detailed Answer:
I can most happily give you ideas on how to gain weight. However, I am concerned with why you are losing weight when you say you are eating normally to fill and are regularly losing two pounds or so per week. At some point in the near future if this continues, you might want to check in with your doctor for a general check-up including a test for an overactive thyroid.

Gaining weight is not as simple as doing the opposite of what we tell people to do to lose weight. It is a dynamic state always in a state of flux. But, I am going to outline a series of things you can do to put on weight. The emphasis is to put on muscle weight, not fat weight.
1. Six meals per day, double your portion sizes from what you eat now
2. Add 1 tbl. virgin olive oil, 1bl. flaxseed oil oil to diet in form of salad dressings, cooking, pasta salads, baking. This is in addition to your usual healthy fats.
3. Add 1/2 avocodo per day ( as you can afford or find) in your salad with a dressing made with oil from the olive oil or such. Do you do your own herbs for the dressings?
4. Since you don't want to gain body fat, incorporate some sort of muscle toning/training exercise (not cardio as you don't want to burn up what we are increasing). Must keep toned and take care not to gain fat, but to gain muscle
5. Starchy foods when combined with fat help with weight gain (sweet potato with a little margarine)
6. Eat something high in carbohydrate just before you go to bed, like milk and toast/cereal;peanut butter sandwich; walnuts,raisens,oatmeal
7. Don't drink water before you eat then it will fill you up and you may not want to eat as much.
8. Try to eat salmon 2-3 times per week or consider omega-3 supplements or consider using flax seed oil to enourage muscle growth, prevent muscle breakdown and help with joint recovery after walking or toning up exercises.
9. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on cottage cheese or your salads. Sunflower seeds are sources of protein good fats and calories!
10. Carry some trail mix along with you and snack away (or make yourself out of nuts, raisens, dried chopped dates, coconut flakes). You can also put some of this on top of your cereal in am.

I have given you many idea about gain weight. I stressed the importance of putting on muscle when gaining weight through toning and doing some weight training exercises while gaining, and I suggested you visit a doctor to have some blood work done, specifically to have your thyroid checked out.

I hope I have helped to get you started on your pathway to wellness. If not, please feel free to write back for clarification. If you are satisfied with my answer please close and rate it. Regards, XXXXXXX Shattler, MS,RDN

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