Lzs wrote:To the comment about gluten intolerant. In fact I have celiac so I do not eat gluten at all. My BMI is currently 16.8 according to an online BMI calculator
Lisa
A 16.8 BMI definitely seems a little low. I believe the McDougalls commented in one of their YouTube videos that Mary tends to be a little below 18.5, but she's otherwise healthy and feeling vibrant. A BMI of 16.8, especially if you're experiencing other health issues, definitely seems like something to try to address.
Based on Dr. McDougall's "How To Gain Weight" newsletter that was shared previously:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/articles/in ... ot-joking/... and what I recall hearing on these forums from Jeff Novick, increasing calories by incorporating higher calorie density starches is probably the healthiest way to go about gaining weight (or stalling weight loss).
(Novick made a recent post on that very issue in his forums, found here:
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 21#p629421 )
One of the easiest (and cheapest, it seems,) ways most people find to do this is by using less water when preparing their whole grains. Even easier is if you're using some type of rolled whole grain (like gluten-free, rolled oats). As rolled grains are pre-steamed, we can consume them without any additional cooking (which makes them both very convenient and conveniently high in calorie density for your weight gain needs).
So, if you're already eating some type of rolled grain, like gluten-free oats, just start eating them uncooked, without any extra water, like any other dry cereal. According to the cronometer, dry, rolled oats are 1700 calories/lb, and much higher than cooked oatmeal which is around 375 calories/lb, depending on how much water remains in the oats after cooking them in the 2-4 cups of water people typically use.
So that right there should get you enough extra daily calories, without having to stuff yourself or spend all day eating, to stave off weight loss and regain some weight.
As I believe has been mentioned in the thread, though, a little bit can go a long way. As a rough estimate, I believe just eating 10 extra calories per day, every day, should cause that individual's weight to be consistently 1 pound higher. So please do keep that in mind if you start pushing the upper end of the 18.5-22 BMI target, or move into the overweight or obese categories due to a very high calorie-density McDougall diet.
Other potential options would be:
- Air-popped popcorn (1750 calories/lb) [I would just pop up a bunch and eat it throughout the day as a snack if I were a high-performing athlete and needed the extra calories. ]
- Preparing whole grains with less water (so instead of using 3 cups of water per cup of brown rice when you prepare it, use 2 or less, and just add as much water as necessary to get the whole grain edible, but not more water, as using more water would lower the calorie density.)
- 100% whole grain pasta (675 calories/lb cooked normally, higher with less water. One might consider cooking them with just enough water to get them edible, not boiling them in excess, to keep the resulting calorie density as high as possible.)
- 100% whole grain tortillas (corn tortillas = ~1000 calories/lb)
- Thinly-sliced, roasted tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. By cutting them thinly and allowing more water to evaporate in cooking, we increase the calorie density.)
- Any of the 100% whole grain, no-added-SOS [SOS = (S)alt/sodium, (O)ils/fats, (S)ugars/sweeteners] cold cereals (although many of these seem pretty expensive. For non-celiac people, 100% shredded wheat is usually readily available, but for those who are celiac, I'm sure many gluten-free, no-added-SOS, 100% whole grain cold cereals are available.)
- Homemade, no oil, no added sodium-or-sugar flatbreads (just 100% whole grain flour and water. Calorie density would vary depending on how much water was used during the cooking process and how much remained in the finished product)
- Unsalted, 100% whole grain brown rice cakes (~1755 calories/lb)
Any of those options, while still getting in sufficient non-starchy vegetables, legumes, and fruits to maintain a nutritionally-sound diet, should easily get you out of any calorie deficit and back up to a healthier BMI, based on the evidence.
I hope that helps. Please let us know which options you try and how they work
Happy Sunday, Everybody. Thanks for all the good that you do <3
Last edited by MikeyG on Mon Feb 14, 2022 8:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.