Being a vegetarian has made me underweight?

Question

Ever since I've been a vegetarian I have been considered underweight, I'm 5'6 and 103 pounds, and I can't seem to gain weight. People have been calling me anorexic and boney so I'm trying to gain so I eat stuff like donuts and such but can't gain!! How many calories should I eat a day to gain weight?

Answer 1

u need more than 1600 calories a day to gain weight.i am also a vegetarian for my whole life but i am always 10-12 lbs over weight.i eat chips and veggie rolls a lot +chocolates and ice creams.

Answer 2

There's a product at health food stores called Weight Gain for Vegetarians. Try that! I don't know if it works I didn't need it cause I had the opposite problem I gained weight becoming a vegetarian! a proper vegetarian diet is fruit, cereal, wheat,grains,seeds,veggies. Note fruit is first and veggies are last in importance! Donuts are not the right way to gain weight. Eat Pizza, Perogies, Macaroni. Don't forget the fake meats.
See my blog lots of recipes there for Vegetarians!

Answer 3

If that's true you ARE extremely underweight i'd think... can't be good.

you need to eat more calories than you burn off a day to gain weight basicly...

If you're not vegan and you allow your self to eat dairy you shouldn't have much of a problem. Cheese and milk is very fatty, so that should do the trick.

But you've got to look at how much your consuming, and how many calories your life style is likely to see you burn off?

For women, (i'll asume your a woman, by your height and weight, but i can''t see your name or pic as i write this) you need an average of 2000 calories a day. But this is anaverage, if you spend longer than the average person in the gym each day or are generaly more active than the average person you may need to increase this.

If you're consuming more calories than you theoretically should be burning you may have a thyroid problem, see a doctor and explain this to him...

Your veg*n diet should not be the cause if this, there are many obese veggies, somthing else is going on and without knowing more about you we can't say for sure... so take note of advice given, but you should probably see your doctor

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a VERY high metabolism (I am SOOOO jealous!!) combined with a pretty healthy diet.. This can result in being thin..

I suggest eating more nuts, Eggs (if you eat them) cheese(if you eat it) and grains...

I suggest eating at least 2000 calories a day if you want to gain...

Get the phone book.. find the number for Dominoes
Order yourself a nice cheese pizza and enjoy it for me!! I only WISH I could eat that stuff!! My metabolism is so low that I can't eat more than a bowl of cereal and some fruit each day without gaining!!

Answer 5

hi , just thought id tell you that im atrue veggie as well and im 5.3 and in between 6 and a half stone and 7 stone, thats lower but i do no a way to get better, eat potatos eat veg eat quorn(vegetarian alternative to mat made with egg and milk protein its nice) eat ice cream (vegetarian ice cream) (ben and jerrys is veggie, skinny cow is aswell, i checked it on the internet so if you are trying to gain weight eat stuf flike that - ice cream), eat plenty of nuts and go to the vegetarian society home page its got loads of veggie recipes, just thought id tell you u cud be worse

peace out..x


CALORIES A DAY TO GAIN WEIGHT 2500 - on food like ice cream, it depends on how much ur consuming a day at the moment if its about 1000 or less or more you need to go much further up to gain you can stay a true veggie and gain weight

Answer 6

Stay away from the donuts. They are high calorie (about 200 calories per donut), but they are not very good for you. You need to put on healthy weight, not just fat. The suggested amount of calories per day for an average person is around 2,000. If you want to gain weight, you will want to bump that up to 2,500. Also, if you work out, shorten the amount of time you spend at the gym. You could always try the weight gainer shakes at health food stores (they are basically protein shakes with lots of extra calories), and eat a peanut butter sandwich (with lots of peanut butter) with a glass of milk right before you go to sleep. That is what my football coach told some of the thinner kids to do in high school.

Foods that are high in calories:
Nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.)
Oils (olive oil, etc.)
Fake meats (Morningstar Crumbles, Boca burgers, etc.)

I would suggest you eat lots of peanut butter (every tablespoon is 100-200 calories, I think), and cook with olive oil. Both of these are high calorie, but still healthy.

note: one pound is about 3,500 calories, if you want to gain one pound a week, you will need to add 500 a day to your diet. (i.e. from 2000 cal/day to 2500 cal/day)

Answer 7

Go to a doctor, get lab works done, and get a referral to a dietitian. You may have a health problem that has nothing to do with being vegetarian; the possibility should be completely ruled out.

A lot of people call themselves "nutritionist" and have no real qualifications. I'm talking about someone with RD (registered dietitian) or LD (licensed dietitian) behind his or her name.

Answer 8

Eat some sugars, soy protein, and drink some beer. Works wonders for me sometimes when I need to gain some weight

Answer 9

If vegetarianism has made you underweight then you might want to Google "Flexitarian Diet". Flexitarian vegetarianism will restore you to health with a moderate balanced diet. "Donuts" are empty calories.

Answer 10

2000 calories a day