Hi! My weight has been stable for over five months, and I’m not gaining any weight. My current BMI is 19, and my goal is to reach 24–25.
When I first started this journey two years ago, I focused heavily on increasing my fat intake. Because eating large volumes of food was disruptive to my lifestyle, I added 50–60 ml of olive oil per day. That approach helped me reach a BMI of 21.
However, that amount wasn’t sustainable long term. I’ve since found a healthier and more manageable intake of 30–35 ml per day.
I strongly believe olive oil played a key role in creating the caloric surplus I needed to gain weight. Importantly, the weight I gained wasn’t just fat, combined with consistent weight training, I was also able to build muscle mass.
Now I’ve reached a plateau and need a new strategy.
Since I cannot play with my glicemic index, I need to have a healthy and balanced diet. My lifestyle and diet are already well-optimized, but increasing overall food volume causes digestive issues. Because of this, I’m looking to introduce a specific high-calorie food or snack, something easy to eat or drink, that could help me gain weight without upsetting my digestion, or having insulin/glicemic spikes.
PS: I’ve already tried peanut butter, but unfortunately it makes me feel sick.
This seems like a good situation to consult with a professional no? Consult with a dietician, they should be able to look at your diet and issues you are experiencing and hopefully find a solution that works best for you.
In my experience it is easier to digest carbs of various types than bulking up on excessive fat consumption. Fat generally slows food processing in the stomach and let you feel full for longer. You may need a food plan and a decent grasp of how many calories you need to consume and then divide them over the day. Supplement with a gainer if needed. I used to take one in just before bedtime when I was into bodybuilding.
Edit: you can get a free account on MyFitnessPal and count calories for a couple of days until you get a feeling for how much you need to eat.
Can you expand on the ‘why’ behind your desire to increase BMI? As BMI is a body composition agnostic measurement, there could be a number of ways to increase it, but some will be less healthy than others. Also, it just seems a bit out of the ordinary to be on a cycling-related forum asking how to increase your weight (since I’m guessing you aren’t getting shorter).
One “bonus meal” I have used in a similar situation (need extra calories without feeling too full) was sardines in olive oil with soft boiled eggs and kimchi/sauerkraut. Probably gross sounding to some but I like all of those flavors and it’s a lot of protein and fat without making you feel very full. I successfully gained weight with that when “just eat more” wasn’t working.
I would also add that ultimately the solution to my problem (feeling too full and unable to gain weight) was to figure out that I had developed new food sensitivities as an adult. I did an elimination diet and figured out that bread and dairy were both problems for me. It takes weeks to do it properly. I was able to slowly reintroduce bread but dairy is still a problem. I still have to push calories a bit to maintain a healthy weight (which is a bit weird as a cyclist) but things are way way better now. Good luck!
When I had Pancreatitis in my late teens and ended up weighing about 50kg (8 stone) at 175cm (5ft 9in), the hospital built me back up with medical shakes (they tasted rank though!).
There’s good weight, and bad weight. Too much fat isn’t a good thing just in the name of increasing BMI. While I don’t agree with the metric, as context is required, you’re also in the normal range.
What I would be doing is getting a lot of protein every day - 1.7g/kg of bodyweight as my minimum target. I would keep eating healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds. I would fuel all my workouts with simple carbs (sugar) during the workout and eat healthy carbs at every meal. And, a weight lifting program would help. Whey protein shakes help - one when you wake up, and one right before you go to sleep for an extra 40-60g protein right there.
It also goes without saying - this all assumes you’re generally healthy and your doctor isn’t concerned, no underlying medical issues, etc.
+1 on seeking help from a dietitian, it can take several false starts before finding a match.
I’m not clear what challenges you might have around blood sugar spikes, sounds like maybe it’s been an issue? Food timing can help quite a bit. Hit the carbs hard before exercise and very hard during exercise to minimize calorie deficits. Not just hard/long rides, but all exercise (even walking/hiking). And more carbs and some protein immediately following exercise. The rest of the time, just healthy mix of complex carbs, protein, and fats. I like using olive oil for cooking, salad dressing, etc., but the idea of consuming it in quantity for calories sounds gross to me. I’d be adding avocado/guacamole to everything before I’d start doing olive oil shots.
Your post does not contain enough information, so I don’t think anyone can give you any advice but to consult a professional. For instance:
BMI is not a good measure amongst athletes. I can raise my BMI by adding body fat or muscle. Obviously, these are very different.
Instead, I’d look at body fat percentage and muscle weight.
Why do you want to raise your “BMI” in the first place? What are your goals? Do you want to recover from some serious illness or get faster on the bike?
Do you suffer from any diseases like diabetes? You mention “glycemic index”, for instance.
What are your digestive issues? Have they been diagnosed by a medical professional?
How often do you train? What does your nutrition on-the-bike look like?