I have had severe sciatica in both legs and my butt for months. Finally got pain specialist to give me some pain block injections, and it is a huge improvement.
During this five month period, I’ve been unable to walk or climb mountains, so have lost a lot of muscle mass in my legs. Keep doing dumbbell work for upper body, but still have lost ten pounds, which I can ill afford, and keep losing.
Went to doc and had battery of tests, and all the organs seem to be working OK, and I still eat almost as much as when exercising vigorously , so don’t understand why keep losing.
I know weight lifters take various supplements, but most are just protein, and am not sure that would help. Due to high cholesterol, don’t want to eat any more fat. Anybody know of any supplements that might help in gaining back some weight?
Yup, that sounds like the best idea. When I’d been ill and lost 10 kg I had the same problem. Couldn’t gain the weight back. I gained about half of it, and then I stopped gaining. Eventually, my metabolism sorted itself out, the weight is back and I’m functioning normally. Until that happens to you, eat calorie-rich but healthy foods.
You don’t have contact with a dietician? I had when I’d been through surgery and lost all the weight, and she gave me the lots-of-pasta-and-stuff advice.
When I struggle with losing weight unintentionally, my best most effective strategy is to eat small amounts of calorie-rich foods. That way I don’t end up feeling bloated and nauseous, and I do get more calories.
One favorite for me is peanut butter. I like to toast a slice of the Wild Oats Birdland bread (which has a lot of calories for bread–150 per slice, plus lots of nuts and fiber) and then spread two tablespoons of creamy Jif (190 calories). That’s a decent amount of food but doesn’t take up a lot of room in my tummy.
I also have a recipe for oatmeal pancakes which has practically no fat but nice amounts of fiber plus it just tastes really good. That’s 260 calories for the pancakes–add some syrup and you have moved the calorie intake up again.
IANADietician, and you definitely should see one, but I’d think it would be pretty easy to sneak in extra calories via fats, and if you use the right kinds of things, it shouldn’t harm your cholesterol.
What about eating more of those foods that have a lot of the “good” fats, like avocados and most nuts? You could eat your pasta with oil and garlic instead of tomato sauce.
I don’t know why you think protein wouldn’t help, especially if you’re concerned about muscle mass. I’d be really wary about adding too many carbs, especially simple carbs and stuff with low fiber. That sort of thing can screw up your insulin responses.
And maybe you should read some of those women’s magazines with articles like “50 easy ways to cut calories from your diet,” and do the opposite!!
Oh, one more thought–the standard advice given to too-skinny teenage girls used to be “have a milkshake every day.” (Not that I was ever too skinny!) It’s not a bad idea. The calories go down easy in liquid form. Instead of a regular milkshake, try making your own smoothies in the blender. Yogurt + a banana + some berries (fresh or frozen) make a great smoothie. And if you want to punch up the flavor a bit, don’t be afraid to put in a spoonful of fruit preserves. Yum yum.
IIUC, your problem is not that you need to gain fat, it’s that you need to gain muscle mass, right? I’ve been told that after a certain age, that’s just not possible.
Sorry, no solutions, but I just want to clarify those things.
I’m going to go through the standard spiel on basic weight gaining, but any of it may or may not be appropriate. If you’re feeling adventurous, Geoff, you could try posting over at T-Nation. There are some world-class experts on training and nutrition over there, and your situation is different enough from what they usually get that I think they’d be intrigued.
The most important things are a good lifting program, and a good diet. Lower body exercises are the best for packing on mass, although you do have to worry a bit about flexibility here. Honestly, exactly what you do doesn’t matter all that much as long as you do it.
The specifics of your diet are a little bit more important. Protein and healthy fats are good, but don’t go overboard. Do eat more than you would normally. If you have $100 or so to spend, take a look at Precision Nutrition.
Due to the way a man’s endocrine system changes over time, it’s going to be more difficult for an older man to add muscle mass. But more difficult is certainly not the same thing as impossible.
You might also reconsider your fats, since they’re unavoidable in a balanced diet. Olive oil and canola have more monounsaturated fat than palm oil, so they’re more heart healthy. Nuts, e.g. the peanut butter solution, should help.
IANADietician, or anything else related to the topic except a fellow skinny person who sympathizes. The simple answer is to eat more–eat just a little bit more at meals, and keep plenty of (healthy) snacks around. Crackers, fruit bars, granola, meal supplements…whatever you like, as long as you can keep it handy. I’ve also been told to eat meat to help gain, but again I’m no expert. Still, you can add meat without adding loads of fat to your diet. I would think that in your case especially, protein would be important.
I’ve been struggling to gain weight all my life (I’m male/35), and in the past few months I’ve changed some things around and have started to see some great results, and what I’ve been doing is actually really basic. I’ve been eating more, trying to make sure that most of what I eat is actually healthy; chicken breast, lots of rice and pasta, potatoes, milk, oatmeal, etc. Stay away from things that are too filling and really not very beneficial such as cereal and fruit, although you of course want to eat some fruit, just don’t overdo it. If I were you, I’d see a nutritionist or dietician to lay out a good, healthy, weight gain diet plan specifically geared towards you and your lifestyle.
As for muscle gain, you said you’ve had sciatica in your legs and butt, but does that mean you can’t do lower body exercises? Generally, you want to stick with basic exercises that target large muscle groups. I’ve gained 10 pounds since last summer and much of it is muscle development in my legs and back thanks to things like deadlifts, squats, leg presses, and walking lunges (great butt exercise). Other basic movements include shoulder press and bench press. I’d stay away from isolation exercises and cable work until you’ve put on a good foundation of muscle. By the way, within an hour after every workout, you want to eat something. I’ve been drinking Muscle Milk which is probably the best tasting protein drink I’ve ever tried, and I think it has really helped.
So basically, eat a lot, even if you’re not hungry, and stick to basic exercises. If I were you, I’d seek out a personal trainer that specializes in powerlifting. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to do some cardio! Even though you’re trying to gain weight, cardio is still very important.
My unprofessional opinion is don’t be afraid of fat. I know many people who have lowered their cholesterol by increasing their fat intake, including myself. As long as it’s not transfat, or partially hydrogenated. Animal fat, though has a bad rap, doesn’t seem to effect my cholesterol.
After Dr. David Reuben finished telling us everything we always wanted to know about sex, he wrote The Quick Weight Grain Program. It’s basically a program of subsituting high calorie foods for lower calorie ones. Don’t drink soda. Drink whole milk chocolate milk. Don’t eat chocolate cake. Eat pound cake. Don’t eat dried fruit. Eat nuts. Order pizza with meats and extra cheese.
After losing a few pounds traveling through SE Asia I returned painfully skinny as I was slim to start with. No worries, I thought, back to the lands of fries and gravy and pizza, shouldn’t be a problem.
Thing was it worked fine for the mister but 2 months later I was still stick thin! Yikes! I was tired of being accused of having an eating disorder and weary of being covered in bruises from the merest of taps.
I have this lovely friend with a big old beer belly and he put me on his own beer diet. Now normally I don’t drink. And he tried to get me to have a stout everyday, I think not. I would meet him at the pub everyday and choke back a small (draft) light beer. Six weeks later I was back up to full fighting weight, (A honking 112lbs!), and could not have been happier. All was right with the world again.
So that’s my suggestion; start choking back a beer everyday, I promise you will get results!
