What foods will safely help to put on weight & build muscle?**Guess who has a tummy!!

**king2005** · 05-17-2006, 10:29 AM

Its not for me as I'm trying to loose weight lol, I'm helping a toothpick friend put on a little weight & build muscle. Hes not a big eatter, but hes getting MUCH better (my meals are sooo tasty he cannot resist lol). He use to eat ever couple of days as thats all the energy he needed & he just wasn't hungry. Now he has a large plate of dinner & a small lunch, no breakfast, but atleasst I got him up to 2 meals/day.

I know meat is good as its a protein. So when I make a box of kraft dinner I add 2 whole cans of Tuna to the prepared kraft dinner. He hates veggies (says his mom) but I can get him to eat almost 1 cup at dinner. I also cook a lot of Hamburger helper & put twice the amount of meat into it then it calls for. What other foods can I make (except chicken & port, I get ill off of it)

Hes 19yrs old, 5'9 & 140p (I think hes less then that). He has a very small build, so 20p is all he needs to be at a healthy weight (hes just like his dad, itty bitty & tall). He needs a little fat around his hips & muscle pretty much everywhere lol.. Hes embarassed cause he challenged me in weights & I whopped his butt good. He tried to lift me & couldn't do it.. short little o'l me tossed him over my shoulders & walked off with him lol

Hes seeing a dr. today to get more help to put on some weight, but I thought if I feed him good healthy foods, that'll help too. I didn't really like him taking those weight gaining shakes, as I cannot see those as being healthy & it wasn't working as hes still a toothpick.

In the past week, I think he has put on a tiny bit of weight & his energy level has gone up (thats good & bad at the sametime, hes just extra hyper now) & he has a tiny bit of a belly now yay!

Any more pointers would be great

**carole** · 05-17-2006, 05:02 PM

Jess I have been trying to fatten my hubby up for 15 years now with no success, the cats, the kids are all doing well, but hubby is still stick thin, however since he started his new job he has gained 5 kgs in four months, mind you they have choccy biscuits everyday at work and he has been in hotels eating out on courses,other than that i have heard junk food does not necessarily do it, but it has in his case, now i just gotta make sure he does not keep putting on weight at six foot one and 75kgs he is just right now.

Get some books on the subject from the library perhaps, but a doctor should beable to tell him the right kind of foods to eat,good luck with your friend, oh how i wish i were in his shoes.

**Karen** · 05-17-2006, 05:33 PM

Any high-calorie food will help put on weight. No food will "build muscle," though - that can only be done through exercise. Just making sure he eats a well-balanced diet and starts working out should help.

**jenluckenbach** · 05-17-2006, 06:29 PM

I too am married to a walking stick........5'9'' and about 145 pounds. He has never been able to put on weight. But weight-bearing exercise is what is needed for muscle building. (and he might still not gain a whole lot of muscle mass).

**Catty1** · 05-17-2006, 07:04 PM

Whey powder is flavourless and adds protein to build muscle; soy powder too.

If you can get them in the isolates(carb removed) the flavour is MUCH better.

I make shakes with the Herbalife stuff...the idea to gain weight is to have three per day AFTER meals.

www.herbalife.com

Or check your local health food store for other types.

Catty1

**Lizzie** · 05-18-2006, 12:50 AM

Guiness! I'm not kidding, a ballerina told me that was what she used to keep her weight up when I complained that I was desperate to get above 100#. Like me, she had to struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Actually, it was working out with weights that helped me gain the weight I needed and, of course, that was a very healthy type of weight gain. Not that I didn't enjoy the good excuse for a daily bottle of Guiness.

**BitsyNaceyDog** · 05-18-2006, 07:18 AM

I know someone who is well over 6 feet tall and was stick skinny too. He bulked up quite nicely drinking protein shakes.

**king2005** · 05-18-2006, 08:08 AM

Are those protein shakes healthy? I want him to gain but not make him sick.

I know no food will build muscle, I know protein is needed to build muscle while working out. I just didn't know if one food was better then the other.

I'll talk to him about the Herbalife stuff.. if its in our price range, then I'll pick some up

Junk foods don't work on him, hes tried that lol

Hes so thin you can count all his bones

his hips are by far the worse, as small sized clothing falls off him

**Catty1** · 05-18-2006, 09:39 PM

Increasing protein is a key to building LEAN muscle....junk food is a lot of carbs, which burn up much faster'

Good luck!

**king2005** · 05-31-2006, 12:54 PM

I can't afford that stuff yet, BUT hes putting on weight!! He has a tummy!!! Hes also eatting a lot too, not all at once, but throughout the day. I'm so happy

& with his new job, he can turn the itty bit of fat I got onto his bones into muscle (ya he needs that too lol).

I'm so proud of him & hes really happy too. Hes full of energy, enjoys his food & is excited to finally not be a walking bag of bones. Also his hip bones are dissapearing, the pointy ones on the back of his shoulders & his spine are better looking!! Hugs are much nicer now