How to healthy gain 10 lbs in 3 months?

[Anonymous]

I am very skinny (5'7, 116lbs - i know there are skinnier out there but this weight doesn't look good on me), have never been over 130, plus lost a lot due to stress and I desperate to gain about 10 lbs for the upcoming wedding (and keep it afterward). I don't have much energy lately, often get tired fast. I am a rookie when it comes to diets/ calorie counting. Also, what kind of exercising would help me gain strength and energy? I heard running would only make me lose more?
Any suggestions on what to do/ which books to read maybe? Please don't advise hitting McDonald's of something like that -Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm also trying to gain - I'm 5'3" 107 pounds and was 110 when I got pregnant the first time and we are trying again so I want to gain a few.

Healthy fats are what I would recommend, in addition to making sure you are eating a good amount of complex carbs ("brown" carbs like sweet potato, whole wheat pasta, high fiber cereal, whole wheat bread, quinoa, etc.) and protein.

Good sources of healthy fats - full fat dressing and other sources of olive oil, flax seed oil works too (think you can bake with it and you can add it to things like smoothies or yogurt), avocados are a favorite of mine, and I eat raw nuts a lot and almond butter. Greek yogurt has a ton of protein - add some granola and it's a good way to get in some calories as a snack. I snack on string cheese too.

I basically try to buy all this stuff and just pack a big bag to eat at work - throughout the day. I do breakfast, then snack at work, lunch, snack, sometimes a small snack before I head home, then dinner, and a small (200 calorie) dessert. I don't run anymore, I walk for exercise and do very light strength training and a bit of yoga to be active without burning a ton of calories.

Smoothies are a good way to sneak in calories - google some good recipes. You can add milk, yogurt, fruit, and some flax seed oil and maybe some protein powder and you can get in a lot of healthy calories.

[Anonymous]

if you have time, you might also try to add "bulk" by working out and building muscle to "gain weight". I used to be way too skinny and when I was finally able to gain weight, I started eating alot and gained the weight in all the wrong places. In restrospect, I think I would have been better off eating more, but healthy foods and working out and building muscle which would have given me more tone and shape. I ended up gaining around my stomach area which is not the ideal place to gain.

[Anonymous]

Weight lifting can definitely help you add more weight, but also remember that once you start adding muscle mass, your body will burn more calories, so you will really need to eat more.

Try eating 6 small meals per day. Healthy fats are things like avocado, natural peanut butter, seeds (I am addicted to the roasted pumpkin seeds from Whole Foods), olive oil, and nuts.

Good snacks would be homemade trail mix, hummus and veggies, apple with peanut butter, low-fat cheese sticks and Triscuits.

Good luck!