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[at-l] Weight gaining - part 2
First of all, thanks to all of you who responded to my request. I
received many, many helpful replies. Perhaps I should explain a little
more in depth (I'll keep it as brief as possible) :-) My surgery was
dental related and pretty "major", involving alot of stitches, therefore
the need for soft foods for the first 2 weeks. I'm still not up to
full-fledged real foods, but can chew chicken, fish, kielbasa (lots of
fat), peanut butter sandwiches, pasta and some other fairly soft foods.
I'm still about a month away from being able to bite into a pizza (my
major craving!!!!). I can't bite into Power Bars or beef jerky because
of the pain they cause. :-( The weight gaining powders in health food
stores need to be used in conjunction with an exercise program to build
muscle instead of fat. If one uses these powders without working out and
using them to build muscle they can wreck havoc with your digestive
system. I tried it once many years ago and constipation was a major
problem, even though I ate alot of fiber. A year ago I started trying to
gain weight and put on 16 pounds and have no idea how it happened - I
then "topped" the scales at 111 pounds. I felt pretty good at that
weight and my doctor said it was my "ideal weight" because I have very
tiny bones - my wedding band is a size 4 1/2 which gives you an idea of
how tiny I am. My biggest reason for wanting to get back up to my old
weight is my ability to deal with the cold, and to a lesser degree, my
endurance while hiking. I get cold very easily without my "reserves",
and I get tired way too fast. In Wingfoot's reply he said that having a
fat reserve doesn't necessarily help and I agree. I just don't want to
start burning up my muscles and risk injury. I know the healing process
takes time, but I'm impatient :-) I'm anxious to get back into trail
shape and want to feel comfortable while winter camping and while in
Georgia in March. I've lost my craving for cake, candy, etc. since my
surgery and hope it will return soon. Hope this clarifies things, and
thanks again for all the suggestions.
Cheryl
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