I’m in severe need to put on some weight. Not a small amount either, but at least 30-40lbs, ideally more.
Pretty much anywhere this sort of thing comes up, the de facto answer is lifting + calorie increase. I’m not too interested in paying for and commuting back and forth from a gym so often, so is it possible that my goals could be obtained from either body weight exercise or moderately inexpensive home gym equipment? I’m also concerned about the timeframe as I don’t think I could manage to commit to a multi year endeavor.
Since the pandemic started, I've switched from hitting the gym to buying dumbbells so I can train at home. I've made huge strides in muscle mass and strength. Even just 30kg in plates can last you months if you haven't lifted before and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
I'm not sure what you mean with the last part though. Weightlifting isn't just something you do for a few months and then you're done. It's by its nature a long-term process. After a few weeks without training, you start losing muscle mass and strength.
Home workouts can be effective. Building muscle (usually) necessitates tearing up your muscle fibers through anaerobic exercise. But that means lifting weights and doing it with good form. At home, you'll have limited options, but exercise bands and adjustable dumbbells can be effective, if a bit repetitive.
I'd suggest a 3x weekly home workout with one additional session with a trainer in a gym. That'll make sure you're making progress and not hurting yourself, and it as variety.
Eating enough is likely going to be the bigger challenge. Happy to provide supplement recs, but even a meal replacement like Soylent will do fine. You'll want to calculate out your macronutrient requirements to figure out what you should be consuming. A trainer can help with that.
40lbs is probably a multi-year thing unless you’re ok with a decent part being fat. You can build a decent home gym with some kettlebells and dumbbells. A door frame pull-up bar also helps if your frame can hold it.
Eating will be the challenge. You need dense food that you like eating. When I did something similar I drank lots of whole milk and ate peanut butter as a constant snack. Two dinners was also common. Just be ready to eat on schedule even when you’re not hungry.
Yea eating is a concern, but it seems that’s the approach is mostly forward. I love whole milk, but there are certainly side effects from drinking a ton.
My big concern though is I’m convinced I have some form of IBD due to unique combination of side effects, and eating too much quickly will make me nauseous and bloated the whole day.
On top of what others have said, I will recommend resistance bands. Combined with a door anchor, they are an extremely cheap and versatile type of workout equipment. It is surprising how much of a workout you can get with them. They're not a complete substitute for actual weights, but they are good for a home session. As a bonus, if you travel, you can easily stick them in a suitcase
Pretty much anywhere this sort of thing comes up, the de facto answer is lifting + calorie increase. I’m not too interested in paying for and commuting back and forth from a gym so often, so is it possible that my goals could be obtained from either body weight exercise or moderately inexpensive home gym equipment? I’m also concerned about the timeframe as I don’t think I could manage to commit to a multi year endeavor.