[Fineus]

Without going into specifics, I have a need for a food or food supplement that enables one to gain weight (or "bulk out" if you prefer) rapidly. At the moment I'm thinking of sports supplements etc. sort of the *opposite* of a slim-fast milkshake.

Simply "eating junk food" is not the answer I'm looking for here. If anyone has any knowledge of diet control etc. and can help.. that'd be great.

[castor]

Thats a good start.

[Prophet]

Simply "eating junk food" is not the answer I'm looking for here.

Why not? How about "eat junk food and drink beer"? Works for me... Unfortunatley...

[Fineus]

I'd rather not go into details if it's all the same, but "eat a load of crap" simply isn't the right answer here.

Hey castor.. what is that stuff?

[Wanderer]

That seems like 'Extra Virgin Olive Oil'..

[Col. Fishguts]

That's Bertolli, a rather fine brand for olive oil.

What kind of weight are we talking here ?

Beer-gut-type fat or overall more mass (read: more muscular mass) ?

[Goober5000]

Steak!

[kasperl]

My doctor put me on a diet where I should make sure to eat plenty of fatish meat, so pork chops (shoulder joint as preferred cut, dunno the specific name in English), patatoes, and steak. Fat fish too, and those are good for other reasons as well. Eating fruit or something else sweet about 30 minutes before dinner also seems to help. Light alcoholic drinks too. (So sherry with olives, tomatoes and feta cheese is great.)

In addition to that, vitamin suplemments aren't really a good idea IIRC.

[Scuddie]

Steroids and raw beef.  Nothing builds muscle like that.

Oh, and excercise.

[Black Wolf]

Protein and Carbs man. Eggs, red meat, pasta and such like, and a fair bit of it too, in small meals throughout the day. But you need to exercise as well, otherwise it does no good.

[Wild Fragaria]

Building muscle is all about a balance diet and exercise.  Protein is the key, like Black Wolf, Kasperl, and Goober 5000 pointed out.  Calorie and the type of food you take play very important roles too.

You should have breakfast.  Start doing that if you have not done so and try not to skip it.

1) Suggestion for breakfast:  1 serving of protein (such as egg, peanut better, cheese, nuts), 1 serving of whole grain carb (toast, cereal), 1 serving of fruits (citrus fruits or melon) and something to drink (tea or coffee).

2) Suggestion for lunch:  1 serving of protein (meat like steak, pork or chicken, fish), 1 serving of carb (rice, pasta), 1 serving of fruits and something to drink.

3)  Suggestion for dinner:  1 serving of protein (meat like steak, pork or chicken, fish), 2 servings of veggies, 1 serving of fruits and 1 serving of ice-cream (a treat for yourself for eating well today).

I prefer tea to coffee because I don't like the taste of coffee and I think tea is a bit healthier choice.  For protein, fatty fish (e.g salmon & tuna) and chicken are better than red meat.  Do watch out the amount of fatty fish you eat though, because they tend to contain higher level of mercury.  Have small snacks such as apples, and nuts between meals if you like.  The term 1 serving usually means one cup.  In some occasions, it means pieces or slices.

Last but not least, I think a 30 minute to an hour workout a day will be good enough.  Swimming is a good workout if you know how to swim and  have access to a pool.

I think that's pretty much it.

[Martinus]

Found this a while back, it pretty much covers everything to do with healthy weightgain well: Link (PDF)

[Wild Fragaria]

By the way Kalfireth, what are your age, height, current weight and routine daily activities?

[Nuclear1]

Steak!

I agree with this. Honestly, if you want to grow out decently, you might as well have something healthy going into you. Eat steak and meat products--getting bigger with protein is much better than getting bigger with fat. I've had at least one steak every week for the past two months along with some pork chops and hamburgers (none of that fast food junk either--I'm talking about well-cooked burgers here).

Remember one thing though--well done. You want to get rid of as much of that pink as possible.

Of course, if you're a veggie, than ignore this post completely.

[Taristin]

But the pink tastes the best on the beef...

[Nuke]

mexican food

[Fineus]

By the way Kalfireth, what are your age, height, current weight and routine daily activities?

I guess I'll have to go into detail a bit after all.. this thread isn't for my benefit. It's for a relative who is about to undergo a course of chemotherapy. He apparently needs to put on some weight to counteract the side effects of the process. I hope you'll understand if I don't go into more details.

That said, thanks ever so much everyone for your help here. I'll forward the information on - I'm sure it'll be very well recieved. Thanks

[aldo_14]

By the way Kalfireth, what are your age, height, current weight and routine daily activities?

I guess I'll have to go into detail a bit after all.. this thread isn't for my benefit. It's for a relative who is about to undergo a course of chemotherapy. He apparently needs to put on some weight to counteract the side effects of the process. I hope you'll understand if I don't go into more details.

That said, thanks ever so much everyone for your help here. I'll forward the information on - I'm sure it'll be very well recieved. Thanks

Ah, that's rough; I know a couple of people who've had to go through that, it's pretty nasty.

[achtung]

Yeah, it's not an enjoyable experience that's for sure.  It's strange in the U.S. though, they never suggest beefing up as far as teh cases I've seen and heard of.  I know they didn't tell my Grandmother anyway.  Nor my mother. 

[Shade]

[stereotype]Maybe many americans are plenty big enough as is? [/stereotype]