need help gaining weight and muscle

[bellebud]

Does anyone here have some expertise regarding gaining weight in the right places, and working out for specific muscle groups? I hate to go into extreme detail if this isn't the right place for me to be.

tia for any possible help

 

[ohMom]

i don't think i can offer any advice on gaining weight....are you seeing a nutritionist? the only thing that comes to mind is based off being a mother of child with a chronic illness in which poor appetite has been a struggle. For children needing extra calories to gain weight I had read foods like peanut butter, nuts, butter, ice cream. the trend of higher fat content but not being empty calories. have you looked into products like Ensure?

toning and building muscle --- that may be a topic that would have some advice available. there are alot of workout guru's around. can you be more specific?

 

[bellebud]

i don't think i can offer any advice on gaining weight....are you seeing a nutritionist? the only thing that comes to mind is based off being a mother of child with a chronic illness in which poor appetite has been a struggle. For children needing extra calories to gain weight I had read foods like peanut butter, nuts, butter, ice cream. the trend of higher fat content but not being empty calories. have you looked into products like Ensure?

toning and building muscle --- that may be a topic that would have some advice available. there are alot of workout guru's around. can you be more specific?

thank you for your response...

I did use Ensure once when trying to gain weight after having 2 m/c's - someone suggested I was too skinny and that's why I couldn't hold a baby - I was willing to try anything! The ensure did work at the time - thanks for putting that thought back in my head! I once asked a pharmacist (when I was getting the ensure) if there was anything else he suggested, and he said "what about McDonald's?", and I was like "ewwwww!" I'm not looking to raise my cholesterol w/ bad fat (I do have low cholesterol though, so I'm probably fine w/ whatever way I can gain some weight - I just wanted to do it in a healthy way, not MD's).

My specific muscle building questions are related to my legs and butt. I have a shoulder injury, so I can't do any upper body workouts (and honestly don't need them - I'm a pear shape when I gain weight, so I'm skinny up top). My arms and stomach are very easily toned w/ little effort, so I'm good w/ the few sit ups I do.

But I do want to gain some weight for my face and overall body. BUT I want to be sure it's not going to my thighs and butt as fat, where it always goes first. So I've been on the treadmill for warm ups for about 10 minutes, (12 incline, but just walking), then I jump on the elliptical for 10 minutes at the highest levels, and do mainly legs (I hold the moving arm things a little, but mostly hold the stationary arm things so it's my legs doing all the work), then jump on the weight set and do the pushing up w/ your legs while laying on your back workout (I know, I'm very technical w/ the wording )

I've always read that you need to rest the muscles for a couple of days so they build, so I've been doing this every 2 to 3 days, with nothing on the other days. But I figure I'm probably not doing this right, and could get better results if I knew what I was doing.

We have a new treadmill, a new elliptical, and a very good weight lifting system my dh got a few years ago (lots of dust on that thing!) So I'd like to workout at home - I really don't want to drive to a gym, and I home school the kids, so I've got the kids home w/ me and it's just easier to be home. I realize a personal trainer at a gym would be the best way to go, but it's not like it's life or death for me w/ this working out thing, so I thought I'd try here first for some help.

We also have some gymnastic mats in the basement, and I was going to mirror one of the walls and bring a flat screen down there to do Zumba or something fun too (with my dd11).

I really do enjoy working out, but losing weight is not my goal, and i made the mistake a couple of months ago of going too much on the treadmill (went from doing nothing at all to an hour each morning on the treadmill and lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks - that was not my goal at all!)

And to be totally honest, I have some anxiety (related to my kids medical conditions), so I was trying to exercise on the treadmill because you always read exercise is so good for anxiety - well, it did the total opposite for me. I felt like I was on speed for those couple of weeks - like adrenaline was pumping through my body like crazy all day - I'm already a hyper person, so this didn't work at all.

So there it all is - any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Liz

 

[fashionista311]

well..first off, you can't control where you lose weight, or where you gain. if you could...us girls would all have flat stomachs and dd breasts

that being said... as far as exercise go - really ramping up my running is what finally got me to go from a "underweight" bmi to a "healthy" bmi. it's definitely a weird mental game to see the numbers on the scale go up and needing a size up in jeans..but i know it's for the better because my actual waist is even smaller and my thighs and calves no longer jiggle. i do my best to fit in strength training a few times a week (and i have a really basic routine) but i'm convinced running is the best exercise for me

as far as nutrition goes...it all boils down to calories in, calories out. figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight (if you google, runners world, shape, self, etc all have formulas and calculators to do so). then make sure you are taking in a little more than what you are burning. approx 3500 calories equals a pound. but like others have said, you should by adding extra calories with healthy, whole foods - not fried processed junk.

good luck!

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Have you tried seeing a nutritionist? I have a friend who had similar issues (including being anxious/hyper), and she finally saw a nutritionist and started a plan that was tailored just for her. She was able to put on healthy weight and achieve her goals.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I have no advice but wanted to tell you that you're not alone! I am also underweight and have been my whole life (no medical reason), and would like to tone up, but I'm afraid I'd lose weight and I don't want to do that either.

When I was pregnant, my doc had me make milkshakes with Ensure, and I did gain weight that way. I lost all of my pg weight within two weeks of delivery both times and hadn't thought of trying the milkshakes again.

Steph

 

[bellebud]

you can't control where you lose weight, or where you gain. if you could...us girls would all have flat stomachs and dd breasts

ahhhh, but what do you think about my master plan of gaining weight and keeping up my workouts for my legs and butt and belly - won't the weight HAVE to go somewhere? I'm hoping for my face and 'chest area'. Where else can it go?

Have you tried seeing a nutritionist? I have a friend who had similar issues (including being anxious/hyper), and she finally saw a nutritionist and started a plan that was tailored just for her. She was able to put on healthy weight and achieve her goals.

I might have to do this - thanks for the advice

I have no advice but wanted to tell you that you're not alone! I am also underweight and have been my whole life (no medical reason), and would like to tone up, but I'm afraid I'd lose weight and I don't want to do that either.

thanks! Being underweight is something that's not PC to really complain about - to some people, it's like saying "gee, I have so much money I don't know what to do with it all"... knim? My dh is always saying to me "be very careful who you talk to about your weight "problem" you think you have... most women don't want to hear it". That's why I thought here would be a good place - no one really knows me.



I'm hoping someone chimes in w/ specific muscle toning advice - which I'll state here in case anyone can help...

I remember reading once that stretching AFTER a muscle group workout isn't good (as it was once considered).

How many days (2 or 3) to let the muscles rebuild?

Say I did my leg muscles with weights one day - if I just did stretching the next day, does that not let the muscles rest and rebuild?