Weight concerns... I don't weight enough!?

[russell_allen]

Heya folks,

Here's a curious one, that's very seldom come up in any of the discussion boards I've frequented before. I'm a 22 y/o semi-vegan vegetarian in the UK, who's 6'1" (1m 85cm) and weighs about 10 1/2 stone (147 Pounds). I look obviously thin, and it seems there's absolutely nothing I can do about it! I wanna put on about a stone, 14 pounds, and it seems whatever I eat, and however much of it, I don't put on an ounce.

I lead a naturally energetic life... I walk fairly long distances on a daily basis (probably around 3-4 miles/day on average), and I'm a very figity energetic person most of the time.

Any suggestions as to what foods I can try to put on a little weight, bearing in mind I'd like to try avoid dairy produce if possible? Oh, and alcohol isn't good for me, I'm supposed to avoid it. I hear peanuts are good... how true is this?

Any help on this one would be much appreciated.

Cheers folks,

Russ

[majake]

use weight training. it is healthier than adding fat and you look a bit more sexy, or so im told.


Im 6'2" and weigh around 150 lbs. IM vegan and eat plenty of carbs and fatty foods like chips and french fries and other fried goods. It seems to have no effect on my weight as even when i dont eat that stuff for long periods of time i dont lose weight. So as far as what to eat to gain weight im not sure. Even when i was an omnivore and eating mainly junk food and dairy i weighed the same. I just feel better now though.

[stonecrest]

i have the same problem, i'm 5-8 or 5-9 and about 135 lbs. i was decently skinny before becomin veg*n but i'm actually skinner now i've noticed. recently i've been eating a lot of nuts, like you said - mostly almonds and walnuts because they are high sources of the good fat and low sources of the bad - in hopes that it'll help. but i honestly don't know if it will so i can't give you any advice. i too lead a pretty active life (bike around 10 miles/day, etc). it's frustrating, huh? my family keeps joking that i'm going to dwindle away to nothing soon.

[russell_allen]

Wouldn't that just be redistributing weight? Plus I don't really have time for that... I work around 50 hours/week, and all my other time goes on my web stuff, reading, distance walking to train for the 82 miles I'm doing in October, etc.

I do push ups every morning , and yeah my upper arms are fine at the mo, but things like having a 32" waist and 34" inside leg are really starting to irritate me... getting clothes to fit me is a nightmare!

Russ

[holly golightly]

weasels

[Michael]

Word.

[LadyFaile]

no i agree, weight training is the way to go. why would you want to bulk up with fat when you can bulk up with muscle? mmmm muscles. it doesn't take long to see a difference really, and you only need to work at it for about half an hour a day a few days a week. working out the chest and legs for a while should show some improvement. you probably won't lose weight cause it sounds like you have very little fat to burn. just remember to eat a lot of protein while you're weight training if you decide to do it.

other than that i don't know what foods would help. i'm having the same problem myself. i'm 5'5" and only 106 pounds. i've weighed 106/107 since i was like 12 years old. it's not due to my being vegan because i've only been vegan for a year or so. but people who don't know that tease me and say look how unhealthy veganism is, you're too skinny, probably undernurished
my mom was my size at this age, her mother is STILL my size lol and so is my aunt. it's just genetics really but i'm sick of being told i look sick or like i "eat like a waif" (i actually heard this one just last night)

[russell_allen]

No no no, y'all don't get it... I'm a British web designer. Muscles ain't really in my vocabulary. Besides, I do enough... like I say, I do plenty distance walking, I don't think I'm likely to be putting on fat anytime soon walking 20+ miles/week!

So enough of the 'shape up' advice, could've figured that myself. Besides which, my cardio-vascular fitness is damn good, and I just wanna get my body to the ideal weight, in spite of doing in excess of the average physical activity someone my age over here does.

Plus I genuinely think I don't get enough fats in my diet, my metabolism is abnormally high. I've been veg since I was 6, so I ain't blaming the diet... nothing in the world would make me contemplate switching back! I reckon I just need a few good vegetarian sources of unsaturated fats.

Russ

[majake]

i didnt think you were out of shape, just that the only way i know that would put on extra pounds would be to use weight training, as in my experience no food i have eaten has had any affect on my weight.

but for fats i would suggest avocados and nuts.

[WonderRandy]

Russell, welcome!

I agree with the others, resistance training is the way to go. You want to put on weight. The weight you put on should be muscle. Resistance training, along with a healthy, high protein diet, should be the most efficient way to do that.

Myself, I'm 5'11 and weigh 205-210... I would much prefer to weigh 175-185... I was up to 235 for a while and dropped that extra weight pretty dramatically. Vitamins and bicycling... But I've been stuck at my present weight for a few months now... I need to add resistance training to my own routine. Tough to get started, I know. But it really is the only way to acheive the desired result, which (for me) is a strong, active, energized physical body that will continue to be strong, active, and energized until I'm 180 years old...

Plus I know I'd be a righteous hottie if I had lots of muscles in just the right places!!