Need to gain weight!!!

[miffed23]

I am loosing weight way too rapidly, i dont have time to eat...i know that sounds dull, but i really dont. Anyone know something that i can make quick and it'll last me for days, or something that i can eat on the go?

My diet at the moment consists of no breakfast because i usually oversleep, if i dont, i will always grab some cereal or toast, i dont have lunch, then when i come home from work at night....im having soup or beans or something rubbish because im too tired to cook and havent time to shop for fresh food.

Should i take some kind of protein shakes? I weigh 7 1/2 stone, which is over a stone lighter than i should be, and of course im tired because i dont eat, vicious circle....

Help.

[Little]

Yogurt at breakfast-time is my life-saver. Slim-fast tastes pretty good, but it upsets my stomach, so I try not to drink them for 2 meals in a row.
Fried rice is the best food I've ever learned how to make. You make the rice first (you can make a huge batch of it and refrigerate; fried rice is meant to be cooked from cold rice) then put it in a skillet/wok/whatever with some oil and soy sauce. You can add in onions, carrots, whatever you want, or nothing at all. Take the rice out, scramble an egg, add the rice back, and you're done. If you make it with leftover rice, it's a one-pan meal.

[CraftLass]

Wow - that's a pretty harsh schedule! The stress of not having any time for yourself is probably another factor in your weight loss, although of course, not eating will be the major one.

You say you don't have time to shop for groceries, but where do you get what little you do eat for supper? If you can manage to squeeze in a little shopping you could easily eat plenty of food any time. I try to never go anywhere (if I'll be out for more than an hour) without some apples, nuts, and cheese - very portable, healthy, and easy to grab a bite of whenever I have even the slightest chance to eat, even while walking down the street! I buy these bags of little individually-wrapped cheeses and just throw a packet or two in my bag. Yogurt, as the PP mentioned, is also a great thing to slurp down anywhere, anytime. Granola bars rock if you get the kind that aren't all high-fructose corn syrup, trail mix is even better. Carrots, celery, and some other veggies can be bought pre-sliced an ready for snacking on raw with or without dip or dressing (which you can also get in single-serving packets).

It's so important to get fruits and veggies into your diet and there is no reason they need cooking.

Don't try protein shakes or similar supplements without consulting your doctor, they can cause a lot of problems. If you do go for it, though, make sure to drink lots and lots of water.

If you can only shop sporadically, buy some chicken filets or tenders and throw them in your freezer. They thaw quickly and cook in minutes using a variety of methods, making a great base for any meal, so you can have some variety even with the same protein. Thin-sliced meats in general can be very quick to prepare for dinner, just as fast as canned soup. Whether thrown in a broiler or a pan you have fresh food that tastes great very quickly. The key is to buy ingredients that need minimal or no prep and can be frozen, that way one shopping trip can yield lots of meals. Cooking a few servings is just as easy as one, too, so you can freeze the leftovers and just heat them up another day. Pasta can also be super-quick, even with waiting for the water to boil, and you can easily make sauce or just sautee some veggies and/or meat in olive oil in less than the time it takes for the water to boil. Plus, it will help you gain weight and have plenty of carbs for energy the next day. If you get cappelini (angel hair) the pasta will cook in 5 minutes or less!

If you write out a list and stick to it, grocery shopping can be super-quick. I know it's so hard to force yourself to shop or cook when you work all the time, but if you can manage to make just a little time you will feel so much better, which will not only help your health but your job performance, relationships, and every other aspect of life.

If you want some help finding specific recipes that are quick and simple, let me know. Even at my busiest I try to cook everything from scratch so the amount of information I've gathered would make this an even longer post!

[echoskybound]

I used to have a huge problem with weight loss because I had a very poor appetite, and eating was difficult for me. Please don't let your weight loss get too serious, or you will begin to lose your appetite as well.

There are a lot of wonderful fruit smoothies out there (like Bolthouse, Odwalla, Naked) that are very filling, and just have absurd amounts of nutrients (like 1200% vitamin C... LOL!) including protein, omega-3, and everything you can imagine. You can basically get all of your servings of fruits and vegetables from these things, and they go down easier than food, which is excellent for someone like me who had a lot of trouble eating.

I'm not sure if you'll gain a ton of weight, but it just makes it easier to stay healthy.

[WildChild]

You need to make a commitment to healthy eating. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Start getting up bit earlier and eat a big breakfast. Make it your main meal if you must. There are so many quick things you can do, throw a couple eggs on to boil while you are doing something else. To get perfect eggs; get your pan of water, then use a metal toothpick (one of those little skewers you use to lace up a chicken or duck) to poke a hole in the fat end. You may mess that up a couple times but you'll soon be able to do it easily. Place the eggs into boiling water and set the timer depending on how soft or hard you like them (Can't give you times I live at high altitude mine would be all wrong for you), then pop a couple frozen waffels in the toaster, pour yourself a glass of orange or cranberry juice and in a few minutes you'll have a good hot breakfast.

Or you could have cereal, with fresh fruit on top (I run and need the potasium so it's a banana for me), a cup of yogurt, some juice. Easy! How about that instant oatmeal?

Get some paper bags or a lunch box, when I worked in an office I used a briefcase to put my lunch and a change of shoes in so I could wear my tennis shoes on the metro. Put any paperwork I had in a folder. Anyway throw in a cup of yogurt, some fruit, cheese slices, crackers, a peanut butter and honey sandwich. It only takes a couple minutes to do and they are all on the go food. You can get those prepackaged fruit cups and granola bars, cup of soups if you have access to a microwave. Lots of options.

CraftLass had some good dinner suggestions. How about stuffed pitas or burritos. A package of tortillas, some beans, salsa, cheese, meat if you like (just cook up some all at once and freeze in those ziplock snack bags for a serving at a time. A jar of green chilli to top it. Take you a minute to put together, a minutes in the microwave, add some bag salad (no iceberg) and you've got dinner!

This is about taking care of yourself. If you don't do it, who will? Don't waste away on us !

[WildChild]

PS got to have dressing on salad - you need the fat to be able to digest it.