Posts by swimfan93

Sweetrandi:  I'm so sorry for all you've been through.  I read your profile;  life is sometimes (more like quite often) just not fair...I can relate to the pneumonia disaster kind of.  Last February, in the middle of my soph. year in highschool [i was 15] i caught a "cold."  I stayed home for a bit, but my fever kept rising until it was over 104 degrees.  The doctors didn't know what was wrong, so after a week or two i was sent to childrens hospital in dc.  I was there for a few weeks [i barely remember it luckily, i was out most of the time].  But I had severe pneumonia, and i had a chest tube inserted to drain the fluids for a week or 2.  Fun...I think those of us with eating disorders are more susceptible to severe illnesses.  All the drs/nurses were so confused as to how someonne my age could develop such a severe case of pneumonia.  Even though i had just gotten out of my 5th or 6th inpatient (for anorexia and/or suicide attempt) that year.  My lungs still haven't fully recovered...

I'm so sorry about your husband.  At least you have someone supporting you financially still.  Sorry this has been a rather long post, but you said you were struggling with nausea, right?  Have you ever tried zofran?  It's an amazing drug for nausea;  I get electroconvulsive therapy (ECT or "shock therapy") every week for my depression, and they add that to my IV because i would always wake up from the anestesia incredibly nauseated...I don't know if it comes in pill form, as i've only had it through an I.V.  But it works really well...Also, lying down with a heating pad helps a lot.  

I would recommend, especially when you first add calories, adding them in liquid form [milkshakes, smoothies, juice, milk, supplements like ensure or boost plus, etc].  Also, dense foods are great for sensitive stomachs especially things like nuts/trail mix, dried fruit, granola, pasta with sauce, sandwiches, etc.

Good luck!

red velvet cake with tons of frosting (and sprinkles)

chocolate chip cookie dough, butterfingers

honey bunches of oats

...yumfest

I think being gassy is quite common in those gaining weight, especially those recovering from an ED.  My theory is that the body kind of "forgets" how to digest certain foods after its been deprived for so long.  So, it reacts sort of strangely when you re-introduce food, especially in large amounts.  Here are some suggestions:

1. if you don't already, write down everything you eat, but make it more into a "food diary."  By this I mean write down what you have for breakfast, and also the time, place, how you feel before/during/after, and any other observations.  This can really help you identify "trigger" foods or patterns.  I find if i eat a large (in terms of volume) meal/snack my stomach hurts more/i get super gassy.  I also find certain veggies (ie broccoli) and large amounts of liquid don't help. 
2. Spread out your meals/snacks, and try to make them low-volume yet still high calorie [choose dense foods like nuts, eggs, etc]
3. Some things help stomach pain/gas/discomfort, but you need to experiment.  

• otc stomach meds, like gas-x or bean-o can be very helpful (i find beano helps more, personally)
• lying down with a heating pad on your stomach
• going on a slow, gentle walk (not too long) can help with digestion
• using the "food diary" experiment by cutting out/adding foods (while maintaining your weight-gain calorie level) to see which foods hurt/help your pain

Haha, just a side note:  everytime i've been inpatient/hospitalized for my ED, the unit always smelled soooo bad cuz everyone couldn't stop FARTING.  There was alos a massive amount of burping.  Needless to say, ED units are pretty damn stanky.   

i agree...it's just a bit too vague.  While you've come a long ways, you still have a long way to go in terms of weight gain.  You could do a mix of "exchanges" and calorie counting, to ensure you get both variety and enough calories in your diet.  Have you considered seeing an ED-specialist nutritionist/dietician?  They can give you a meal plan that meets both these needs.  Generally they're based on diabetic exchanges and you are given a specific number from from each food group that adds up to your calorie goal.  

Hedgren, actually a lot of inpatient treatment programs use diabetic exchange meal plans to minimize the obsession with calories.  I've been in 5+ inpatient programs (some more than once) and they've all used diabetic exchanges mainly.  Obviously, they are high calorie plans, but exchanges are used to plan meals and have a balanced diet.  Here are some examples/tips:

At Sheppard Pratt, the "standard plan" was as follows, and then typically up to 4 Ensure Pluses were added throughout the day (350 calories each, in addition to the following):

Breakfast:  1 dairy item (2% milk), 2 grains, 2 fruit and one 'choice

Example:  2 servings cereal (i.e. cheerios), 1 cup 2% milk, fresh fruit, 4 oz juice & a yogurt

[Ensure plus as snack as needed]

Lunch:  sandwich, 4 items (exchanges), drink, dessert

example:  turkey sandwich with mayo, 8 oz 2% milk, 2 cookies, fruit, pretzels, salad & dressing

[Ensure Plus as needed]

Dinner:  Protein, 2 starches, 1 veg, 1 dessert, 1 item (exchange) and 8 oz caloric drink

Example:  Chicken breast, baked potato with butter, broccoli, brownie, 1 cup 2% milk, juice

[Ensure as needed] with Snack:  Food + drink [examples:  cookies & milk, or cheese/crackers & juice, or milk & cereal)

You also asked about combination foods, right?  HEre are some...

• 1/2 c ice cream = 1 starch, 2 fats
• 1 oz chips = 1 starch, 2 fats
• 1 cup casserole = 1 starch, 2 meats, 2 fat
• 1 cup mac & cheese = 2 starch, 1 meat, 2 fat
• 2 small cookies = 1 starch/1 fat

If your body is underweight, it will 'hold on' to calories, making you gain on a small amount.  Keep in mind that bmi is not always a good measure, and every body has a different natural set point.  Maybe your body is still underweight for YOU, and is therefore holding on to whatever you eat to get to where your body wants to be.

Its pretty lo-cal for a gaining plan.  I would add protein & fat, and maybe condense the meal a little better.  Here are some ideas:

• pick a high-calorie cereal, like granola, raisin bran, hot cereals (oatmeal, etc) and use full-fat milk or Ensure (supplement)
• Add things to the cereal, also.  nuts, trail mix, dried fruit, etc
• maybe have a yogurt too (preferably full-fat) [add mix-ins too, see above]
• bagels or muffins are very calorie dense, but not that filling
• smoothies are a great way to pack in the calories (full-fat milk, protein powder, fruit, etc)
• Here are some examples of higher-cal breakfasts:

1. Smoothie [1 c full-fat milk (150 calories), 1 banana (100), protein powder (100)] with 1-2 thick slices bread (100-200 cals) with 2 TB peanut butter (190) =640-740 calories
2. 1/2 c dry oatmeal (150) made with 1 cup full-fat milk (150) and 1/4 c trail mix mixed in (170);  yogurt (150--varies) with 1/4 c dried fruit (130) mixed in = 750 calories
3. PB & banana sandwich [2 thick slices bread (180 cals) with 2 TB peanut butter (190) and 1 small banana, sliced (90)]  with yogurt (150) with 1/4 c almonds mixed in (170) = 780 calories

Agru:  honestly, you pick on a lot of people, despite the fact that your diet is not at all varied.  You basically eat the same thing every day.  Don't you think you need to take some risks?  It seems like the bulk of your daily calories comes from trail mix and fruit...every single day.  Just sayin...

11/2

Breakfast:  Fage total (full fat) greek yogurt (260), raisins (130), 1 oz almonds (160);  and english muffin (120) with TB peanut butter (90) = 760 calories

Lunch:  Turkey sandwich [2 slices ww bread, 4 oz turkey] (180+120);  2 cookies (130), cheese stick (80) = 510 calories

Snack:  Smoothie (1 cup full-fat lactaid milk, 2 TB peanut butter, 1 banana, 1 packet chocolate flavored CIB) [570 calories]

Dinner:  sauteed chicken  & veggies (225?) with 1 cup pasta (200) with pesto (150) = 575 calories

Snack:  luna bar (180), fage total (260) with raisins (130) = 570 calories

Total:  2,985 calories

I haven't had them in a while, but Weetabix are pretty good!  

When I've had them, I heated up water (like boiled, and waited a tiny bit for it to cool just a lil lol) and mixed the hot water & weetabix to like a mush/oatmeal consistency.  Sounds gross, tastes great.  Then, if I'm feeling fancy, I'll add like slivered almonds, dried fruit and/or fresh fruit (like strawberries or sliced bananas).  

Haha, it's kinda funny:  everyone in my family eats weetabix this way....i didn't know there WAS another way lol!!!

I'd guess the bloating is hormonal.  But it could be related to a few other fairly common things.

• eating lots of high-sodium foods, which in excess can make you retain fluids
• are you constipated at all?  Not peeing as much?  I mean, what goes in must come out lol.  If you aren't regular the food, fluids, etc are just sitting in there, and that adds weight.  And if your stomach is hard, that can often indicate being "backed up".  That's what it sounds like to me.  
• I don't know that much about kidneys, but they help filter bad things out of your body, right?  So if you had a lot of sodium or something, and your kidney's aren't working right, that might make it more likely for you to retain water.  But, again, I dont know what the issue with your kidneys is. 

zebulan-- I live in DC!  Haha have fun, girl, you're doing great!

breakfast:  2x eggs (140), ww bagel (240) with 2 TB peanut butter (190);  fruit salad (75) = 645 calories

Snack:  clif bar (240) & vanilla yogurt (150) = 390 calories

Lunch:  Amy's (frozen) lasagna (290), wheat thins (140) & dried fruit (175) = 605 calories

Snack:  yoplait yogurt smoothie (220) with a banana (100) & trail mix (200) = 520 calories

Dinner:  turkey burger (200?) with bread (150) and sauteed veggies (100?) = 450 calories

Snack:  hot chocolate--1 cup whole milk (150) with hot choc mix (100)...and dried fruit (175) = 425 calories

total:  3035 calories

You need a mix of cardio, strength training and a healthy diet.  There's no such thing as "spot reducing".  You need a calorie deficit to lose fat, and if you do strength training to tone up, once you lose the fat you should be less "jiggly".  But you honestly can't control where you lose the fat from, it's mainly genetics.  Also, it could be loose skin especially if you're older or you've lost a lot of weight recently.

Here are some snacks I like:

• extra-mini boxes of raisins (45 calories each)
• fruit or veg that don't need to be refrigerated (apples, pears, carrots, etc)
• dry cereal (i pre-portion it in baggies)
• nuts or trail mix
• pretzels
• PB to spread on apples
• granola bars
• protein bars

I get the same thing.  But, if you really think about it, it makes sense.  If you take in a large volume of food, it's going to sit in your stomach/intestines/etc until you poop it out.  Um, you don't have to necessarily post the answer publicly, but have you pooped since you ate that?  Have you been constipated?  

Once you poop, your stomach will probably be less "full".  I wouldn't worry to much.  But if it's water retention, don't restrict fluids (this will make it worse).  Try water with lemon juice.  It's a natural diuretic.  I think grapefruit is too.  I find exercise helps reduce bloat, etc.  Even just a short walk or like 10 min. of stretching or  yoga.