# How do I GAIN weight without jepordizing my health?



## Buble (Jul 28, 2008)

Hi all

I am going to be finishing University in a little over a year and a half and my intention is to work for the RCMP as a computer forensics, or cyber-crime, officer.  This would be a nice, safe, office job where I get to put away the baddies but the problem is I have to pass the standard RCMP officer test to get the job.

I am very athletic, and in good shape.  But, as it stands right now, I would not be able to meet the weight requirements for the job.  I am 6"2, nearly 6"3 and only 140lbs.  I need 20lbs to squeak by the weight requirement.  No thyroid problems, my doctor tells me I am in tip-top health.

I really don't have time between school and my weekend job to lift weights, although as the date approaches I will have to make time if I still am under the requirement, so I was wondering what dietary changes I could make.  Like switching from 2% to whole milk, for example.  

As it stands right now I do not:
Drink
Smoke
Use drugs
Eat sweets (on occasion I'll have a soda)

My only vice is caffeine, which is a tea once, maybe twice, a day at 21MG of caffeine.  

Fire away guys


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## Uncle Bob (Jul 28, 2008)

Eat more (larger portions) of non-junk/empty calorie foods....


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## Buble (Jul 28, 2008)

Uncle Bob said:


> Eat more (larger portions) of non-junk/empty calorie foods....


Sorry I should have added, I eat a lot.  My girlfriends parents take bets on me at dinner to see how many plates I am going to eat, that makes me feel like a circus freak 

My caloric intake is anywhere from 1800 - 2300 a day.


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## texasgirl (Jul 28, 2008)

Get some Ensure drinks. They are full of vitamins also. This is what they put my son on to gain weight when he was little.


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## Uncle Bob (Jul 28, 2008)

Buble said:


> Sorry I should have added, I eat a lot. My girlfriends parents take bets on me at dinner to see how many plates I am going to eat, that makes me feel like a circus freak
> 
> My caloric intake is anywhere from 1800 - 2300 a day.


 
Eat 3000-3500 per day! If you increase you caloric intake to more than you burn....you will gain weight!!

Book um Dano!

Have Fun!!!


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## Buble (Jul 28, 2008)

Uncle Bob said:


> Eat 3000-3500 per day! If you increase you caloric intake to more than you burn....you will gain weight!!
> 
> Book um Dano!
> 
> Have Fun!!!


How?  What foods are good for me but high enough in calories that I can do this?  

Peanuts and sunflower seeds are too examples I can think of.


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## miniman (Jul 28, 2008)

Bananas, avacados. There is also the foods you get went doing major hiking with healthy high calorie foods to give the energy.

You could go and see a dietician who could give you professional advvice.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 28, 2008)

Cheese has lots of protein and calcium, and low-fat options are available. Uncle Bob has the right idea, though - eat more of what you're already eating.


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## Jeekinz (Jul 28, 2008)

I was very thin when I was younger. Had a metabolism like a well oiled machine. How old are you? I was into weight lifting for a while. I drank 3000 calorie shakes twice a day WITH regular meals.....didn't gain a pound. I _almost_ got into steroids at that point.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe lift more weights to gain the weight. Meat and potatoes.

If you're in good shape, that might get you through.  They may be more worried about overweight applicants.


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## MostlyWater (Jul 28, 2008)

Buble, you may want to reword your post.  Everyone has a thyroid, well unless they've had it removed.


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## Michael in FtW (Jul 28, 2008)

MostlyWater said:


> Buble, you may want to reword your post. Everyone has a thyroid, well unless they've had it removed.


 
Actually, MW - I believe Buble said that he had "No thyroid problems" - not that he didn't have a thyroid.


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## GB (Jul 28, 2008)

I feel your pain. I used to be in a similar situation. No matter what I did I could not gain weight. It was not for a matter or not eating. I ate a lot and often fatty foods. My friends used to find it funny. It was almost a challenge to see how much fatty foods I could eat while not gaining a pound. I just had a very high metabolism. 

That changed with time. I am now much heavier than I would like to be and am working on getting rid of some weight.

My point is that you may have a very high metabolism so eating may not be the answer. Weight lifting or something like that to bulk up might be more in order.


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## roadfix (Jul 28, 2008)

You can eat all you want and you're not going to gain an ounce.  Have you considered weight training?  That will build muscle mass and add  bulk.  This will increase your food intake naturally.


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## Buble (Jul 28, 2008)

Jeekinz said:


> I was very thin when I was younger. Had a metabolism like a well oiled machine. How old are you? I was into weight lifting for a while. I drank 3000 calorie shakes twice a day WITH regular meals.....didn't gain a pound. I _almost_ got into steroids at that point.
> 
> Muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe lift more weights to gain the weight. Meat and potatoes.
> 
> If you're in good shape, that might get you through.  They may be more worried about overweight applicants.


I'm 22, but I've been this weight for about five years now, only losing or gaining weight when I had a flu or something.

I often bike ride upwards to twenty miles without a break, my fitness is not in question in that regards, but the recruiter I spoke to told me they are quite stringent with their weight requirements.  

I'll begin weight training while completing my Masters, but in the mean time I am going to try to get my calorie intake up.   

I'm going tomorrow to buy some bananas and avocados, what else should I be on the look out for?


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## babetoo (Jul 28, 2008)

all things chocolate, lol

babe


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## janetGood (Jul 28, 2008)

Eat an extra snack before bed, cheese and crackers, nachoes, doughnuts and chocolate milk, whatever you like that is fatening.


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## Anau (Jul 28, 2008)

I'm 21 and in a similar situation.  I actually LOST a few pounds coming to college.  I heard you should avoid too much cardio and focus on weight training.  Also I've been eating larger portions of meat with the usual portions of veggies.


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## attie (Jul 29, 2008)

They say you can't fatten a thoroughbred, I sure wished I had that problem. Some people can eat mountains of food and not put weight on so I guess you must be one of those


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## Jeekinz (Jul 29, 2008)

Buble said:


> I'm 22, but I've been this weight for about five years now, only losing or gaining weight when I had a flu or something.
> 
> I often bike ride upwards to twenty miles without a break, my fitness is not in question in that regards, but the recruiter I spoke to told me they are quite stringent with their weight requirements.
> 
> ...


 
Get those shakes from GNC.


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## Lizannd (Jul 29, 2008)

*If you are consuming 1800 to 2300 calories a day you*

are not EATING A LOT. You are on a weight loss diet for someone who is almost 6'3" and athletic. And you bike 20 miles at a time on 1800 calories a day? Stop dieting and you will gain weight.  (I'm having a hard time taking you seriously)


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## VeraBlue (Jul 29, 2008)

Ask your doctor.  While everyone here means well,and will offer suggestions in good faith, only your physician is in a position to accurately answer this question.


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## bethzaring (Jul 29, 2008)

absolutely add whole milk to your diet, you should not be using any 2% milk products. Do you drink milk with your meals? You could try eating three solid meals a day with 3 snacks. Eating a snack before bedtime was a good suggestion.
You are 6' 2", 22 yo and only taking in between 1800 and 2300 Kcal. a day? You need to up the caloric intake. Protein and fruit would be good choices for snacks; apples and peanut butter, pears and cottage cheese. Do you like smoothies, easy to add cream to that. I add cream to dh's oatmeal in the winter to get extra calories in him. Cheese and crackers was another good suggestion.

Doctors are not trained in nutrition. 20 years ago they received no required courses in nutrition. Today less than 25% of the medical schools in the US offer required courses in nutrition. See a Registered Dietitian if you feel you need professional advice. But this is not rocket science. Uncle Bob gives better advice than some doctors.


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## luvs (Jul 29, 2008)

i'm with tex. ensure+ & other nutrioional drinks gained me some weight. milkshakes, too.


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## Fisher's Mom (Jul 29, 2008)

Lizannd said:


> are not EATING A LOT. You are on a weight loss diet for someone who is almost 6'3" and athletic. And you bike 20 miles at a time on 1800 calories a day?


Your calorie intake is _very_ minimal. I don't think it's enough to sustain more weight. The only way you will be able to gain is to increase your calorie intake.

It's an interesting proposition. There are quite a few studies that seem to indicate that being on the very thin side along with being very active and eating a healthy selection of foods is actually a major key to longevity. Food for thought, huh?

That said, I know you need to gain weight to get the job you want. The above suggestions are all very good but don't be surprised if you don't achieve your goal immediately. Like Jeekinz said, some folks are just fast metabolizers. It _does_ eventually slow down as you get older, but that may not be much comfort to you in light of your current goal. Good luck with this.


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## marigeorge (Jul 29, 2008)

I want to hear you complain of being underweight in 50 years!


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## GB (Jul 29, 2008)

Do the  Homer Simpson special. Wrap a stick of butter in bacon and enjoy


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## Michael in FtW (Jul 29, 2008)

Well - a 6'2", 140-lb, 22 years old male has a basal metabolic rate of 1728 cals/day. So - with a diet of 1800-2300 cals/day and with aerobic exercise (bike riding) ... you're not going to gain any weight. 

If you want to gain weight ... you need to increase your caloric intake (to 3000-3500 cals/day) and do some weight/strength training. You can increase you calories with complex carbs, proteins, legumnes and fruits.

Since you are in school - you have a couple of free resources - one is the physical education department, the other is a nutritionist that oversees the food service on the campus.

Now, as to the "weight" requirement ... it appears the RCMP did away with that back in the 70's - replaced that with the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE). But, if you just want to be a cyber crimes geek - you can get on in the Integrated Technological Crime Unit (ITCU) as a civilian employee of the RCMP. 

You might search the RCMP website to get more information - and information on how to contact them for more up-to-date information.


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## CookinBlues (Aug 8, 2008)

You should try to google "ways to Gain weight" and it should take you to some nutrition websites that should have some facts you can use for your weight gain. I need to gain weigh as well, and thats where I got most of my facts from, one of the things they said was eating nuts, like peanuts cashews etc.


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## DramaQueen (Aug 8, 2008)

*If you want to gain a lot of weight just eat everything I like.  It works, I've done it several times.  *


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## loser007 (Aug 17, 2008)

Try Appeton weight gain formula drink


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