# dietary restrictions and weight gain



## anybodys (Sep 29, 2013)

Hello! It's been a long time since I've posted on Dims forums, though I used to be fairly active over on the BHM/FFA board. Recently began a relationship with a long-time friend. About a year ago, we accidentally discovered (after knowing each other for five or six years and nearly becoming roommates at one point) that we are both into weight gain! I'd been wanting to gain for a while, and since he wants me to as well I finally have sufficient motivation. I'm not trying to put on a whole lot right now, maybe ten to twenty pounds.

The problem is that I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to do it healthily. I have a lot of food restrictions, which is the main difficulty.

-I'm a long-time vegetarian, not for any moral or ethical reasons (I think eating sustainably-farmed meat and wearing leather is much more moral than eating soy and wearing pleather, for instance) but out of a deeply ingrained food phobia. My mom, bless her heart, used to serve chicken legs that looked like the chicken had died of a flesh-eating bacteria. Kind of turned me off meat. I've recently begun forcing myself to eat fish from time to time, but I'm not a fan.

-I have always had a dairy allergy, and it's getting worse and worse. I finally swore off cheese for good tonight after eating just a little and now, some six hours later, still having trouble swallowing. I don't even like cheese that much and it's sure as hell not worth dying of anaphylaxis. Most tips I've seen for gaining weight healthily involve a lot of dairy, which would probably kill me.

-I'm very sensitive to sugar, and feel really sick and shitty if I eat much of it. 

I'm thinking a lot of potatoes, beans and rice, and good bread and pasta, but any additional tips would be appreciated.

Also thinking of starting running, for general health reasons but also because doing cardio tends to make me eat more and gain weight. Weight-lifting, from what I have learned, seems to make women gain weight but lose fat because of all the muscle. I like having muscle, just want it to be better-padded. Any exercise tips? 

Thanks y'all!  

Oh, and one more thing-- anybody know much about good supplements to take? Trying out maca root, be interested to know if anyone else has had any experience with it.


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## Tad (Sep 30, 2013)

First, welcome back! Glad you've found someone who shares an interest 

I'm no expert, but here are a few questions that occurred to me, that might be useful things to think about.

- If too much sugar throws you off, do you also have trouble with a lot of simple starches (like white bread)? If so, you might need to look at a high glycemic index diet (search on it, if you don't know about it), which in simple terms means you need to make sure to have good amounts of fibre and not too much sugar and simple starches, which is certainly a complication.

- Can you tolerate high fat foods? There are certainly lots of vegetable oils out there. I remember reading an article by one journalist who'd spent a year in one part of Africa, where at the time heavier women were still very much admired, and she talked about sitting around with the women there, with a bit pot of oil soaked rice, everyone just making balls of it and eating them--a combo of carbs and fat that would be loaded with calories. Not saying you should do that, but look at things like fried rice or re-fried beans, where you have a higher fat take on a non-meat dish.

- Do you like avocados? They are supposed to be good for you in lots of ways, and are really rich!

- How about coconut milk? More expensive than cow's milk, but quite rich, and you can use it in cooking in many recipes in place of cow's milk (soy milk can also be used in many places).

- For that matter, are either of you into cooking? With your restrictions you'll probably do better if you do a lot of your own prep, but if that is not a realistic option..

- How hard are you willing to work at this? You probably will have to eat more bulk to get in the same number of calories, if you are avoiding meat and dairy and heavy sugar. It might take more discipline to get them down, like continuing to eat once full, or planning ahead on snacks to make sure you have them accessible and that you have them even if not particularly hungry. Also, would your boyfriend be willing to help with this (making sure you have snacks, reminding you to have them), and would it bug you if he was doing that?

- Is running something you know you enjoy? Running can be pretty intense exercise, and can get rough on the joints if you get much bigger than thin, but if you enjoy it and it feels good, then enjoy! If you are looking An alternative that always leaves me ravenous, is good general exercise and helps build a certain amount of muscle is swimming. Biking is another 'chubby friendly' form of exercise (barring going up large hills)

Good luck, and enjoy the challenge! I always figure it is better if gaining is a challenge....for those of us where it is dead easy, to actually focus on it can result in scary fast gaining, which you can't do for long. If it takes some work then I think it is easier to enjoy it for a long time


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## anybodys (Sep 30, 2013)

Thank you so much! This is all really helpful. The bf and I are both very into stuffing, so eating a lot isn't a problem. We also both like cooking and baking.  I really appreciate the story about the ladies in Africa with the rice balls, because so many people equate "healthy" with "thin" that sometimes it sounds like any healthy, traditional diet is going to make you thin. I want to eat healthy, traditional, nourishing foods AND get chubbier!  Thanks again, you rock!


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