weight gain options, yes you read it right

[Lady Pearl]

Hello ladies,

So.... what were the back in the day options on gaining weight?

Can't wait to read your posts!

lady pearl

 

[lareine]

I know that Complan has been around since the fifties, and I remember my granny using it for weight gain after she'd been ill. It's still available now.

Are you asking about that specific type of solution, or just for general "how did people used to overeat" information?

 

[Lady Pearl]

I know that Complan has been around since the fifties, and I remember my granny using it for weight gain after she'd been ill. It's still available now.

Are you asking about that specific type of solution, or just for general "how did people used to overeat" information?

If I'm honest, i'd rather not take medication
so, it'll have to be the general

And thanks for replying

 

[James71]

Hamburgers?

 

[lareine]

Oh, Complan isn't medication -- it's a nutritional supplement drink. It's like the opposite of SlimFast (Although I suppose it could be used as a meal replacement rather than a supplement, meaning it's the same as SlimFast too. Very confusing!)

If you actually want to gain weight in the here and now, rather than just discussing what used to be done, I recommend a wine and pizza diet. It certainly worked for me! Probably not very health-friendly though. I'm sure somebody will weigh in with a more sensible option before long.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The most commonly-used weight gain product of the Era was malted milk -- Horlick's and Cocomalt being the most popular brands. It was commonly prescribed by doctors for underweight children, and underweight adults found it very useful too.

Another popular product was yeast -- either eaten in cake form, or in tablets. One particular brand, Ironized Yeast, was fortified with iron, and based its entire advertising campaign around weight-gain-promoting properties.

This was a serious issue in the thirties and forties -- because of the Depression, and on into the war years, malnutrition was rampant in the United States, and other countries affected by the times, and it was far more common for people to be underweight than overweight. The single most common reason for men being rejected by the draft during World War 2 was malnutrition.

 

[Lady Pearl]

Hamburgers? Well, I had a chicken burger with fries and a fizzy drink today.

lariene, I might just go out tomorrow in search for some of those drinks! I've gone off pizza for awhile, had it for a whole week

lizziemaine, you are very informative! Too much yeast can be quite bad for you too, so i might opt out of the yeast option. I might try Horlicks, though I never thought it was ideal for weight gain.

Thank you

 

[Lauren]

I dealt with being underweight for most of my life, so this is interesting to me as well.
One 30s book I read recommended drinking a cup of hot cocoa at night before bed. I actually tried it and it worked. Tastes good, too, if you get a yummy brand.

 

[lareine]

Boots should have all that stuff, and any pharmacy should be able to advise you too. Hope you enjoy being fattened up

And thanks LizzieMaine for the historical information. It is shocking sometimes to look at old photos and see how thin people were. We often envy them their neat waistlines, but that obviously came at a price.

 

[Lady Pearl]

Boots should have all that stuff, and any pharmacy should be able to advise you too. Hope you enjoy being fattened up

As long as the drinks taste nice, shouldn't have a problem.
will update tomorrow when i get my first drink...Complan that is.

 

[Lady Pearl]

I dealt with being underweight for most of my life, so this is interesting to me as well.
One 30s book I read recommended drinking a cup of hot cocoa at night before bed. I actually tried it and it worked. Tastes good, too, if you get a yummy brand.

what brand did you choose?

 

[Lauren]

Godiva or Ghirardelli and mixed with whole milk. Sounds good now, actually. It took a little time- maybe over a month or so to see a difference. Can't hurt to try, anyways!
I think it was the reprint of this book I read it in initially- Better than Beauty

 

[LizzieMaine]

lizziemaine, you are very informative! Too much yeast can be quite bad for you too, so i might opt out of the yeast option. I might try Horlicks, though I never thought it was ideal for weight gain.

Thank you

I was underweight all thru childhood, and when I was about eight the doctor put me on three glasses of malted milk a day for an entire summer. I learned to seriously loathe the stuff, but it did work.

I found the best cure for being underweight, though, was to turn 34. Metabolism completely shifted, and I gained 30 pounds in a year.

 

[Lauren]

Ditto that. I'm going to be 30 this year and finally am at a weight I feel looks natural.

 

[Lady Pearl]

I was underweight all thru childhood, and when I was about eight the doctor put me on three glasses of malted milk a day for an entire summer. I learned to seriously loathe the stuff, but it did work.

I found the best cure for being underweight, though, was to turn 34. Metabolism completely shifted, and I gained 30 pounds in a year.

smart and lol and a great sense of humour too!

Three glasses a day? I have to say with all the suggestions, I am spoilt for choice

 

[Lady Pearl]

Ditto that. I'm going to be 30 this year and finally am at a weight I feel looks natural.

:eusa_clap

 

[Paisley]

Two words: starch and sugar.

It wasn't the hamburger, it was the bun, fries and sugary drink that went with it.

I think if you wanted to go the healthier Jack Lalanne route, though, you'd avoid sugar, lift weights and repeat, "If man made it, don't eat it. If it tastes too good, spit it out."

 

[Brooksie]

I have also been on the underweight side of things most of my life, I ended up giving up trying to gain weight because it just was not happening. I will be 42 in a couple of weeks so I figure now that I am beyond 40 that my metabolism will start to slow down naturally at least that is what every body tells (maybe who knows it has not yet) and is also another reason why I gave up trying. I have come to the conclusion that I guess I am maybe supposed to be this way[huh].

 

[Lady Pearl]

Two words: starch and sugar.

It wasn't the hamburger, it was the bun, fries and sugary drink that went with it.

I think if you wanted to go the healthier Jack Lalanne route, though, you'd avoid sugar, lift weights and repeat, "If man made it, don't eat it. If it tastes too good, spit it out."

My moto:
If it tastes to good, it's mine lol
But thank you for the advice

 

[Lady Pearl]

I have also been on the underweight side of things most of my life, I ended up giving up trying to gain weight because it just was not happening. I will be 42 in a couple of weeks so I figure now that I am beyond 40 that my metabolism will start to slow down naturally at least that is what every body tells (maybe who knows it has not yet) and is also another reason why I gave up trying. I have come to the conclusion that I guess I am maybe supposed to be this way[huh].

At one point I did think 'If Audrey Hepburn could celebrate her petiteness, so can I' But then :rage: kicks in sometimes..