Hi!

So, I'm in this somewhat uncommon position where I was quite lean pre-transition, and estrogen never helped me gain weight despite re-distributing what fat I did have quite effectively.

In addition, probably half of my life has been plagued by an eating disorder of some form or another, so the concept of gaining weight is foreign to me. However, I want to do it because I'm starting to realize how underweight I am, and I've acknowledged that it's likely not going to make me look bulky or manly.

So, how does one go about gaining weight, particularly on the low income of a university student? I've considered drinking whey protein, but it's usually used to augment meals. Milk is out of the question because I live in a big city, without a car, and it's painful to carry home from the store lol. How else can I gain weight without spending a ridiculous amount?

For reference, I'm 68.5 in. tall, and 135 lbs., I think. I have an hourglass shape, but it's not visible because pretty much literally everything is too baggy for me. I'm hoping to work towards looking a bit more normal---like maybe having a 28-inch waist, as opposed to a 25-inch one.

The key is you want to gain more lean mass than fat.  You have to gain both, it's just the way your body works, but you want to maximize the amount that is muscle.  Focusing on lean proteins and good carbs will help you a lot.  Tracking calories would be a very good idea.  Apps like MyFitnessPal make it very easy and also give you a breakdown of what proportion of your calories come from carbs, proteins and fats.  Ideally, I'd recommend targeting a 40%-30%-30% breakdown respectively.  Also keep your physical activity up.  Focus more on strength training than cardio, that will also help you gain more lean mass.  Don't worry, you're not going to bulk up.  Do simple body weight exercises, that way you don't need a gym.

Why do you want to gain weight? Be happy you are thin!
I was about 125 lbs in high school. I'm 5'5". Because of that people always mistook me for a girl. Lol. I'm going to be 60 in November. I've been working hard to lose weight, and I'm currently about 145 pounds, down from 160.
Being thinner makes me look younger and even though I have the figure if a pre adolescent girl, it's still more feminine looking than a fat barrel that people often end up at my age.
Be happy you are built like a super model! Just buy smaller clothes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: AlyssaJ on May 13, 2017, 08:55:43 PM
The key is you want to gain more lean mass than fat.  You have to gain both, it's just the way your body works, but you want to maximize the amount that is muscle.  Focusing on lean proteins and good carbs will help you a lot.  Tracking calories would be a very good idea.  Apps like MyFitnessPal make it very easy and also give you a breakdown of what proportion of your calories come from carbs, proteins and fats.  Ideally, I'd recommend targeting a 40%-30%-30% breakdown respectively.  Also keep your physical activity up.  Focus more on strength training than cardio, that will also help you gain more lean mass.  Don't worry, you're not going to bulk up.  Do simple body weight exercises, that way you don't need a gym.

No, I do not have to gain lean mass/muscle in order to gain fat. I have no idea where you got that info. Now, if you want to gain lean mass, you obviously have to gain fat, but it's no double implication, if you get what I'm saying.

So, again, what foods would you recommend in order to gain fat?

Quote from: RavenMoon on May 13, 2017, 08:59:20 PM
Why do you want to gain weight? Be happy you are thin!
I was about 125 lbs in high school. I'm 5'5". Because of that people always mistook me for a girl. Lol. I'm going to be 60 in November. I've been working hard to lose weight, and I'm currently about 145 pounds, down from 160.
Being thinner makes me look younger and even though I have the figure if a pre adolescent girl, it's still more feminine looking than a fat barrel that people often end up at my age.
Be happy you are built like a super model! Just buy smaller clothes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Because I'm at the anorexia stage of thinness, as opposed to just looking like I have good genes. I guess I will have to post a photo, even though I'm not proud of my body.

I LOVE skinny girls. Maybe you think you are too thin, but others won't. Look at old episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show. She was super thin and very sexy!

This is me now. And I want to get a little thinner in the torso.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: RavenMoon on May 13, 2017, 09:04:47 PM
I LOVE skinny girls. Maybe you think you are too thin, but others won't. Look at old episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show. She was super thin and very sexy!

This is me now. And I want to get a little thinner in the torso.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you not understand that I'm an eating disorder sufferer, as opposed to some happy-go-lucky skinny chick? It was far deeper than wanting to look good in my Saturday-night-shenanigans outfit.

https://

That's what I'm talking about. The first photo was taken for a cosmetic surgery consultation, and you can see that my spine easily shows. The second photo was my at my lowest, and the third photo is the best I've managed to look.

Your situation is nothing like mine, let alone that I'm like a third of your age and am living as a woman, so please don't try to act as though my history of poor eating habits should be embraced. Thank you.

How would you describe your current consumption behaviour?  More in the morning/lunch/evening?  Are you an all day nibbler or do you sit down for traditional meals?  Are you a late night snacker?  Do you have any dietary restrictions?   I'm assuming your calorie burning routine (walking to classes, work etc) is probably not very flexible, so try mixing up your eating routine a bit or eat different types of foods at different times of the day.  Maybe that will help mix-up an over active metabolism.

Nuts, cheese, granola and avocados are good, try eating a pb&j sandwich before bed.  Also, don't drink water or low calorie liquids before eating....it fills you up and stops you from consuming full meals. 

You mentioned some difficulties with milk and shakes, unfortunately they are a really good option.

Quote from: femfem on May 13, 2017, 09:00:13 PM
No, I do not have to gain lean mass/muscle in order to gain fat. I have no idea where you got that info. Now, if you want to gain lean mass, you obviously have to gain fat, but it's no double implication, if you get what I'm saying.

So, again, what foods would you recommend in order to gain fat?

It's not a choice it's a physiological fact. Your body never gains weight without adding both fat and muscle nor do you ever lose exclusively fat or muscle.  It's all about aerobic versus anaerobic metabolic processes and how our body stores and uses energy. This is why weight lifters do calorie cycling when they want to bulk up.  They'd like to gain only muscle but the fact is your body will add both it's just a question of in what proportion.  Yes I'm sure you have some room to add more fat than muscle but trying to gain only fat is a recipe for other health issues.  Instead if you follow what I described for you above, you'll gain both fat and muscle but the muscle you add will be in a lesser proportion. 

The key is eating more calories than you burn. That will trigger weight gain.

As far as where my info comes from, well as someone who spent years as a gym rat bulking up and working with other body builders, I've done my research. Additionally, my wife is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist.  So I kind of have a clue here.

I personally think you're overthinking this - to gain (fat) weight - eat, eat often, and eat dirty.

In the USA, we have a saying called the 'freshman 15', where it is not uncommon for first year university students to gain 10-20 lbs during the academic year, since university food isn't always the healthiest (ie usually loaded with carbs and fats), and the students become abit more sedentary than previously (due to studying, stress, just being lazy, etc).

FWIW - you're still within an acceptable BMI (20 is still within normal limits).  You state you've had eating disorders in the past (I'm assuming restrictive?) - so the biggest issue to gaining weight will be the psychological, and getting over the fear of the numbers and scales.  That is difficult - I know.  I was a former power tumbler and did competitive cheer in high-school and college; like alcoholism, it's very difficult to get over the psychological damage of previously having an eating disorder (15 years later, I still struggle).  You just have to accept that the fat you put on will mean something in the long run (hopefully, it will be a controlled fat gain, and not morph into overweight or obesity, and when needed, you can safely diet down, if needed).

Pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, late-night snacking, instant-noodles (Ramen, Cup O'Noodles, etc) - basically any cafeteria food that isn't a raw leaf salad - are calorically dense foods with little true nutrition; those can pack on the fatty weight.  Just be careful it doesn't spin out of control.  Maybe some sweet tea and/or non-diet sodas (seems to work for the states in the southern USA, where overweight and obesity are serious public health issues).

As an aside - for the past 18 months I've been doing alot of lower body/leg work in the gym (weighted squats, deadlifts, weighted kickbacks, etc) - gaining some leg and butt muscle has also helped in creating the allusion of a more feminine form, in addition to actually adding some weight.  But if you only want fat - just eat badly and supersize everything, but be careful and methodical and don't let it get out of hand.

I was never able to gain weight either, and I really tried... for decades. I have a similar ratio height/weight 5'11''/145.
My hormonotherapy made me lose about 8 pounds (of muscles since I had no fat) that I gained back slowly, I guess a good part in fat since I can see by my thighs, my butt, I'm somewhat fattier, not skinny anymore on these parts 

I'm trying to gain weight also because I'd like more breasts and butt

I don't think I had an eating disorder, I always ate normally, all kinds of fatty foods, pizza... whatever, beer, lots of beer. At one point, one of my ex decided I had to gain weight and she cooked with lots of cream and butter, pasta... she forced me to eat a 2nd plate. I gained 8 pounds in about 6 months but quickly lost them.

I'm pretty sure after all the reading I did it's a genetic mutation that causes that because I swear it's impossible for me to gain weight: if I eat more, I... it goes through, that's all. I obviously have genetic mutations anyway, still trying to get this checked and confirmed with my doctor. Well impossibility to gain weight is part of the symptoms of one of the mutations found on the 16th chromosome, I think that explains it for me since I also have other symptoms...

true I would like to gain weight and have more breasts, but still my legs totally rock as they are 

well it's not all that important, after all, is it? I think slim girls look great, I think you look great, femfem 

I have to had: I feel hunger less and less as the years go by it seems. At one point, I realize I'm getting weak and that I must eat, so I do. But then when I get a meal, it's often a very big meal, like 1200 calories, 1500, I don't know, then I bake me a chocolate cake with lots of oil in it and eat half of it... but the next day I will go on three coffees and some peanut butter for 8-12 hours... Is that an eating disorder? I never actually am hungry, I just cook a big meal and eat it all without real pleasure, and I finish the cake the next day. I'm not sure I'm making sense but that's what it is: I don't feel hunger but I sometimes eat like a pig, then I have to buy more toilet paper 

and I turned vegetarian 4-5 months ago but it makes no difference to my weight. My brother had gained a lot of weight after turning vegetarian, eating lots of pasta. Nothing makes a difference to my weight, the hormones just made me switch 8 pounds of muscle (that I really feel) and replace it with 4-5 pounds of fat that make my thighs shake a little when I walk, it's cool.

I started avoiding milk 25 years ago as it makes no sense for me to drink that, and now I also cut cheese for I discovered I'm probably lactose intolerant anyway (cheese obviously makes my stomach hurt, found out while researching what my new diet could be), so for proteins I rely mostly on beans in many forms, and eggs. The textured soya proteins actually have more protein values than meat, and you feel it too, whoooa heavy. I need to balance my diet more, need a budget for nuts.

Anyways it seems if I eats lots, whatever it is, I gain some pounds, and if I eat less, I lose some pounds, but I have been at 145 pretty much uh, ok no I won't say how many decades. It's like my height, it doesn't vary much. I learned to deal with it and see it as an advantage

Same with the fact of being trans, that I like to see as an advantage that I have on other humans. I'm a mutant. Mutants are better

Whether it's true or not, I have read many places that a next to starvation diet will increase our lifespan. Seems like a gruesome way to go to me.

Really though. Oh my god! Sorry but I want to feed you! If you were local I would be on my way with something yummy and filling. Not that you don't look good, you are very pretty, but... well, where is your protection? If you gain a little it won't make you look less pretty, just less breakable. Just my take and I hope that's not offensive.

Pasta, if you have a kitchen available. I would use olive oil as opposed to any sauce or butter. It might take a little longer to gain, but you will feel less lethargic, more overall well if that makes sense. When I first started estrogen I gained 40 lbs in 6 months. Not healthy and certainly unwanted but it was super easy. I love artisan breads and pasta, my inner glutton took over and I lost self control. One of my favorite meals is pasta, with shrimp, broccoli rabe, cherry tomatoes, garlic, spinach, oil, a little crushed red pepper and salt. I made it three times a week, without the shrimp, wow that would get expensive.

Mac and cheese. Can be done in a microwave and is very cheap. Not the way I did it yesterday for my niece's graduation party. Three cheeses, penne pasta, stewed tomatoes, baked till your mouth starts watering. Let cool and enjoy.

This might sound strange but toast and butter. Cheep and easy. Mix a small container of cinnamon and sugar to keep on hand, sprinkle on top instant comfort food.

There are a ton of things to eat that are tasty, easy, cheap and not too unhealthy. Which would be my biggest concern, health. If not for that you could just hit up value menus at fast food restaurants.

Seems to me that if all you do is hammer down carbs, you're taking a chance on loading down your arteries with cholesterol. Gaining weight and heart disease seems antithetical to the goal. Fat on the other hand is high in calories but doesn't seem to raise LDL cholesterol in the trade off. My SUGGESTION would be a good way to go would be to up your calorie intake, lower your physical exertion and use things like     Avocados....  Cheese  ....    Dark Chocolate. ...    Whole Eggs. ...    Fatty Fish. ...    Nuts (make sure you don't have allergies to large intake as I do). ...Chia Seeds. ...and lots of  Extra Virgin Olive Oil. These foods are going to allow you to gain weight and simultaneously protect your heart .  They'll also allow you to eat enough in the course of the day to raise your calorie intake to an amount sufficient to overrun your metabolism. Once you reach your goal...back down to the calorie intake you were at before you began the process.

Quote from: summer710 on May 13, 2017, 11:17:53 PM
I personally think you're overthinking this - to gain (fat) weight - eat, eat often, and eat dirty.

In the USA, we have a saying called the 'freshman 15', where it is not uncommon for first year university students to gain 10-20 lbs during the academic year, since university food isn't always the healthiest (ie usually loaded with carbs and fats), and the students become abit more sedentary than previously (due to studying, stress, just being lazy, etc).

FWIW - you're still within an acceptable BMI (20 is still within normal limits).  You state you've had eating disorders in the past (I'm assuming restrictive?) - so the biggest issue to gaining weight will be the psychological, and getting over the fear of the numbers and scales.  That is difficult - I know.  I was a former power tumbler and did competitive cheer in high-school and college; like alcoholism, it's very difficult to get over the psychological damage of previously having an eating disorder (15 years later, I still struggle).  You just have to accept that the fat you put on will mean something in the long run (hopefully, it will be a controlled fat gain, and not morph into overweight or obesity, and when needed, you can safely diet down, if needed).

Pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, late-night snacking, instant-noodles (Ramen, Cup O'Noodles, etc) - basically any cafeteria food that isn't a raw leaf salad - are calorically dense foods with little true nutrition; those can pack on the fatty weight.  Just be careful it doesn't spin out of control.  Maybe some sweet tea and/or non-diet sodas (seems to work for the states in the southern USA, where overweight and obesity are serious public health issues).

As an aside - for the past 18 months I've been doing alot of lower body/leg work in the gym (weighted squats, deadlifts, weighted kickbacks, etc) - gaining some leg and butt muscle has also helped in creating the allusion of a more feminine form, in addition to actually adding some weight.  But if you only want fat - just eat badly and supersize everything, but be careful and methodical and don't let it get out of hand.

I'm American. I never gained the freshman 15.

Yes, it is more psychological, I'm aware. And my BMI itself is acceptable, but my body fat percentage is 12%, which is very low for a female. I have a lot of hidden muscle, like my abs, so I don't pay attention to the BMI. I did gymnastics before I transitioned, so I have the musculature of a gymnast.

Quote from: FinallyMichelle on May 14, 2017, 07:12:36 AM
Whether it's true or not, I have read many places that a next to starvation diet will increase our lifespan. Seems like a gruesome way to go to me.

Really though. Oh my god! Sorry but I want to feed you! If you were local I would be on my way with something yummy and filling. Not that you don't look good, you are very pretty, but... well, where is your protection? If you gain a little it won't make you look less pretty, just less breakable. Just my take and I hope that's not offensive.

Pasta, if you have a kitchen available. I would use olive oil as opposed to any sauce or butter. It might take a little longer to gain, but you will feel less lethargic, more overall well if that makes sense. When I first started estrogen I gained 40 lbs in 6 months. Not healthy and certainly unwanted but it was super easy. I love artisan breads and pasta, my inner glutton took over and I lost self control. One of my favorite meals is pasta, with shrimp, broccoli rabe, cherry tomatoes, garlic, spinach, oil, a little crushed red pepper and salt. I made it three times a week, without the shrimp, wow that would get expensive.

Mac and cheese. Can be done in a microwave and is very cheap. Not the way I did it yesterday for my niece's graduation party. Three cheeses, penne pasta, stewed tomatoes, baked till your mouth starts watering. Let cool and enjoy.

This might sound strange but toast and butter. Cheep and easy. Mix a small container of cinnamon and sugar to keep on hand, sprinkle on top instant comfort food.

There are a ton of things to eat that are tasty, easy, cheap and not too unhealthy. Which would be my biggest concern, health. If not for that you could just hit up value menus at fast food restaurants.

Thanks for being so empathic. Yes, starvation has definitely made me at least look younger. I am working on 24, but people think I'm 19. Also, my blood pressure is very low, and my heart rate is around 60.

But, I'd like to look a bit more normal, as opposed to having a visible spine running down my back 

Quote from: jentay1367 on May 14, 2017, 09:45:56 AM
Seems to me that if all you do is hammer down carbs, you're taking a chance on loading down your arteries with cholesterol. Gaining weight and heart disease seems antithetical to the goal. Fat on the other hand is high in calories but doesn't seem to raise LDL cholesterol in the trade off. My SUGGESTION would be a good way to go would be to up your calorie intake, lower your physical exertion and use things like     Avocados....  Cheese  ....    Dark Chocolate. ...    Whole Eggs. ...    Fatty Fish. ...    Nuts (make sure you don't have allergies to large intake as I do). ...Chia Seeds. ...and lots of  Extra Virgin Olive Oil. These foods are going to allow you to gain weight and simultaneously protect your heart .  They'll also allow you to eat enough in the course of the day to raise your calorie intake to an amount sufficient to overrun your metabolism. Once you reach your goal...back down to the calorie intake you were at before you began the process.

Excellent answer---thank you.

Quote from: femfem on May 13, 2017, 09:24:55 PM
Do you not understand that I'm an eating disorder sufferer, as opposed to some happy-go-lucky skinny chick? It was far deeper than wanting to look good in my Saturday-night-shenanigans outfit.

https://

That's what I'm talking about. The first photo was taken for a cosmetic surgery consultation, and you can see that my spine easily shows. The second photo was my at my lowest, and the third photo is the best I've managed to look.

Your situation is nothing like mine, let alone that I'm like a third of your age and am living as a woman, so please don't try to act as though my history of poor eating habits should be embraced. Thank you.

Do you currently have an eating disorder? 

QuoteSo, how does one go about gaining weight, particularly on the low income of a university student? I've considered drinking whey protein, but it's usually used to augment meals. Milk is out of the question because I live in a big city, without a car, and it's painful to carry home from the store lol. How else can I gain weight without spending a ridiculous amount?

So the answer is eat. Milk wont let you gain weight. Just eat regular food. Eat a healthy diet.

I assumed you were eating and couldn't gain weight, since you made the eating disorder sound past tense.

And why do you have an eating disorder? That's generally people who want to lose weight. I've known a few personally.

When I was younger you could see my spine too (you still can). And my ribs. And I didn't have an eating disorder. But it's ok, but that was how I was built. I liked being thin and never wanted to be larger, as that was more masculine looking to me.

So you pretty much answered your own question. Deal with the eating disorder first.

Have you thought about/currently on progesterone? I'm about an inch taller than you and 135 lbs. I was in a free fall state of weight loss since starting hrt. A couple of months ago I added in progesterone, and my weight finally stabilized. I still have to remember to eat, but I am at least not losing weight. I imagine if I tried I could eat more and gain a few more lbs.


~Brooke~