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I was going to suggest Boost (etc) - I can't stand the stuff, personally, but it's designed for people who need to maintain or gain weight and it's balanced for minerals etcetera. Good choice 
I do sympathise with your situation; at one point I was down to 112 lbs, and I'm 5'8". I couldn't wear v-neck shirts because my chest looked like a fricking xylophone, and I was constantly tired and weak and sick. And I seriously wanted to bite people who made silly comments about "Oh, lucky you!" or even "oooh I hate you, you're so thin" (thanks, Mom
).
Now I am at a MUCH healthier 135lb; I have energy, I have curves, and I have muscles! Yay!
For me, the keys to gaining weight were:
(1) work on my stress levels (I cannot eat when I get stressed out - I don't get hungry, and it's as though my throat closes up if I try to force it
). Yoga, changing jobs, and a good counsellor helped a great deal. And my kitties were wonderful companions.
(2) moderate, muscle building exercise THAT YOU ENJOY and that you'll keep doing. This also helps with the stress levels, and it should boost your appetite even if it's not very intensive at first. Start small, and be patient and kind with yourself. I got a bike, intending to ride 2-3 miles a couple of times a week. That was 3 years ago. I put on 1200 miles between May and October last year, and I'm at 50 since last week (when it finally stopped snowing!)
(I do think walking, hiking, or biking - things that take you outdoors - are better than indoor-only activities. There's a fair amount of evidence that green settings significantly reduce people's psychological and physiological stress levels.)
(3) Eat more of the food you like. Sounds silly, but give yourself verbal permission to eat all of something, or to have seconds, or whatever. Try to have things you like on hand and ready to eat so you are more likely to get additional portions in. Make extra! Try making your protein portions a little bigger, too. Not a lot, necessarily, but a couple of bites extra to start with.
(4) Try new things; you may find a new favourite, or something that you can eat even when everything else looks completely unappealing and bleh and you're too tired and demoralized to bother eating. (For me this turned out to be sushi, of all things! I can eat sushi no matter how icky and dragged out I feel). Don't worry about "healthy" for this one, it's kind of an emergency backup/treat
I found that taking a B-complex vitamin supplement ("stress vitamins") and an Omega 3/6/9 essential fatty acids supplement (fish oil, flaxseed, borage, and evening primrose oil) helps me stay on an even keel emotionally and with regard to my stress response. That might be worth talking to your doctor or a nutritionist about.
Good luck!
I do sympathise with your situation; at one point I was down to 112 lbs, and I'm 5'8". I couldn't wear v-neck shirts because my chest looked like a fricking xylophone, and I was constantly tired and weak and sick. And I seriously wanted to bite people who made silly comments about "Oh, lucky you!" or even "oooh I hate you, you're so thin" (thanks, Mom
). Now I am at a MUCH healthier 135lb; I have energy, I have curves, and I have muscles! Yay!
For me, the keys to gaining weight were:
(1) work on my stress levels (I cannot eat when I get stressed out - I don't get hungry, and it's as though my throat closes up if I try to force it
). Yoga, changing jobs, and a good counsellor helped a great deal. And my kitties were wonderful companions.(2) moderate, muscle building exercise THAT YOU ENJOY and that you'll keep doing. This also helps with the stress levels, and it should boost your appetite even if it's not very intensive at first. Start small, and be patient and kind with yourself. I got a bike, intending to ride 2-3 miles a couple of times a week. That was 3 years ago. I put on 1200 miles between May and October last year, and I'm at 50 since last week (when it finally stopped snowing!)
(I do think walking, hiking, or biking - things that take you outdoors - are better than indoor-only activities. There's a fair amount of evidence that green settings significantly reduce people's psychological and physiological stress levels.)
(3) Eat more of the food you like. Sounds silly, but give yourself verbal permission to eat all of something, or to have seconds, or whatever. Try to have things you like on hand and ready to eat so you are more likely to get additional portions in. Make extra! Try making your protein portions a little bigger, too. Not a lot, necessarily, but a couple of bites extra to start with.
(4) Try new things; you may find a new favourite, or something that you can eat even when everything else looks completely unappealing and bleh and you're too tired and demoralized to bother eating. (For me this turned out to be sushi, of all things! I can eat sushi no matter how icky and dragged out I feel). Don't worry about "healthy" for this one, it's kind of an emergency backup/treat
I found that taking a B-complex vitamin supplement ("stress vitamins"
) and an Omega 3/6/9 essential fatty acids supplement (fish oil, flaxseed, borage, and evening primrose oil) helps me stay on an even keel emotionally and with regard to my stress response. That might be worth talking to your doctor or a nutritionist about.Good luck!
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