Fast gaining weight

[Advid]

My raw food friend has a big troubles with her parents. She's an adult, but she's still finnancially depending on her parents. She is 155cm tall and weights 37kg. She has no health problems, runs every morning a looks fit. She is slim, but not skinny. Well, this depends on the point of view. They say she has to eat "normally" or they will bring her to a hospital. I know it's not possible without her agreement, but at the moment, she needs to establish better atmosphere at home. In other words, she needs gain some weight. As a woman, it's not as easy as if was man (at leas I think so). So what would you do if you were her?

In my mind there is idea to run fast for short distances which should build some muscles. Or maybe power yoga. Any other ideas?

[jiujitsugirl]

Umm Why Not Lift Weights, Thats Healthy Weight Gain Its Muscle, Too Much Cardio Will Tear Down Muscle, Or Like You Said Power Yoga But Im A Fan Of The Iron, How Raw Is She, More Nuts And Fats Id Say, Green Smoothies Are Good To For Muscle Growth, Good Luck Your A Good Friend To Look Out For Her

[Advid]

She's 100% raw, at least I think so. She doesn't eat oil in salads but she eats nut cheeses. She prefers mono diet. She eats greens as well. The problem is not her body or mind, but her parents.

Pumping iron will be propably the best choice. Thanks for your tips. I'll tell her.

[Pierre]

37 kg is about half my weight! Can you get avocados in Czechia? Avocados have complete protein and good fat, and are easier to digest than nuts, which may not be truly raw. I usually put an avocado, and often put some olives, in my salad. You can probably get raw olives easier than I can.

As to exercise, I like Bike. Much of my muscle mass is in my thighs, and even at 84 kg (I'm 1.51 m), I didn't look obese.

[Advid]

Well, she is from 37 to 39 kg. But she does like the running so she keeps losing the fat. I know that from my own experience. I love running too and people keep telling I'm skinny. But I am not. I only have complete functional body with no (almost ) excess fat. The same is in her case. But since she's smaller it is more visible.

Yes, we have avocados available. And olive as well, but not raw. Thanks.

I'll let you know how it's going.

[luckitri]

Perhaps they are thinking of future grandchildren and some people think that thin women cannot carry children well? I have seen some really skinny girls that had wonderful and many pregnancies which they handled very well. Maybe if the parents had more information?

[DavidZaneMason]

Yes. The above suggestions are good ones.

1) Eat heavier foods.
2) Lift weights to put on muscle mass
3) Eat larger meals.....and only eat 2-3 meals per day. Fast one day per week. This will all keep your metabolism low - and help to retain weight.

-Just my opinions.

-David Mason

[VSL]

For anyone who is unsure:
37kg = 82lbs (approx.) or 5 stone/12lbs
39kg = 86lbs (approx.) or 6 stone/2lbs

For her height (155cm / 5'1") your friend is severely underweight (levels that are considered anorexic - her BMI is 15-16) and I can really understand why her parents are so worried. Raw or not, she needs to gain about 9kg at least.

[Advid]

Thanks for the conversion.

You say she needs to gain some weight. But does it makes her stronger or healthier? Probably not. The only reason is the BMI index. Or does the low weight affects any vital function? She doesn't seem to suffer. ;)

[Advid]

Just to make it clear.

She wants to gain weight because her parents force her to do it. She herself doesn't think it is necessary. Thanks for listening. :)

[rawnora]

Advid,
Your friend is not "severely underweight". I have a friend who has been 100% raw for 3 years and is 5'2" and 90 pounds. Personally, in the summer my weight gets as low as 108 and I'm almost 5'8". I have fairly large bones and still at that weight your friend weighs more than me (figured by dividing height by weight).

Doctors and others using their flawed standards will view your friend's weight as "dangerously" low because they don't know what a healthy human being is supposed to weigh. It is almost always the case when they see underweight people, especially women, that some kind of eating disorder is present. Clearly that's not the case here (I assume), but the distinction will be lost on them! Imagine not being able to tell the difference between an extremely rare and wise person like your friend, who is pursuing IDEAL health, from someone who cares so little about her health that she will deliberately starve herself to death. They are opposites. Even if we didn't have all the other evidence that the medical field is hopelessly confused on matters of health, this would be enough to convince me.

Health-wise, it is really not a good idea to change one's diet in order to gain weight. Eating lots of fat won't necessarily cause weight gain, but it will cause other symptoms as the body expends extra energy trying to process it all, and as excess waste accumulates. Starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, carrots) tend to pack weight on but here again you have the problem of the body needing to draw lots of energy to digest it, and the accumulation of waste. Your friend would feel this in the form of low energy and lethargy, and perhaps other symptoms.

However, having said all that, it's indeed a serious situation if your friend's family are so insistent on the weight issue that they would seek forced medical intervention. She needs to decide what is worse -- having doctors force her to take drugs, eat certain 'normal' foods, institutionalize her, etc., OR deciding on her own to deal with the issue in ways that won't be nearly as harmful. There are steps she can take to gain weight, but they may involve backing off her desired regimen (100% raw, mono). If she's not at liberty to follow the habits she'd like to now, she'll just have to reconcile herself to doing so later when she's independent. That's the cost of being financially dependent on other people.

In your first post you say that the parents are insisting that she eat "normally". It's important that your friend makes sure that her parents SEE her eating, so she should eat her meals in their presence as much as possible. She could also add a few foods to her diet that are "normal" and if she's careful she wouldn't suffer nearly the consequences she would if she started eating tons of raw fat or starches in an effort to gain weight. I'm thinking of lightly prepared cooked foods such as steamed veggies (including potatoes or yams) and even some properly combined animal products if she's not opposed. Most likely her family are big consumers of animal products and if they see her eating them, this will make a huge impression. Only she will know that the foods she's choosing are actually not as harmful as the ones they are choosing. If a person knows how, which kinds and in what quantities to consume these foods, they actually do far less harm to the body than some raw foods. It's not the end of the world to add a few well-chosen, properly-prepared and combined cooked foods to the diet, as long as the person doesn't see it as backsliding and doesn't use it as an excuse to eat truly harmful foods. It's all dependent on the person's knowledge, experience, attitude and commitment level.

The other thing your friend should do, and this is very important, is to do weight bearing exercise rather than cardio. Running will use fuel but will not add much muscle. She should do multiple short, slow sets using weights on the heavy side (5-8 pounds for a woman), plus push-ups, squats, tricep dips, and lunges. It shouldn't take too long for her to put on some weight, and if her family sees her eating "normal" foods with them, they should back off.

I coached a woman a couple years ago in the same exact circumstances. Perhaps it's the same person? She was in eastern Europe too, but I don't remember which country.

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Warmly,
Nora
www.RawSchool.com

[Lay-Lay]

High fruit may be the way to go!

[Sharon in Colorado]

If she is a functioning adult then what is keeping her at her parent's house?

[vgloveforlife]

Fatty foods will not always make you gain weight. I've been raw 5 months and I am consistently losing weight and I'm down to 108 or less now. I want to gain weight. I have been on a high fat (avocadoes, nuts) raw diet and I'm still losing.

David-
What foods do you mean when you say heavy foods?

[Advid]

If she is a functioning adult then what is keeping her at her parent's house?

She's just finishing her school and she doesn't have a job yet.