My first official planned-out meal plan! Advice and suggestions? Thanks!

Ok so I am planning to eat 2800-3000 calories a day in order to pack some more meat onto these bones. I came up with this without the help of a nutritionist, so as many of you here have experience and knowledge, I thought you would be of great help. I would appreciate suggestions, advice, comments on whether its too much or too little, anything really! Thanks a lot, so here goes:

Breakfast

I've come up with different 600 calorie ideas

1) 1 piece of whole-wheat toast [100] with a medium-sized banana [100] with a tbsp of honey[70] and1 piece of whole-wheat toast [100] with a tbsp of olive oil [120] and salt. Almonds [100]

2)Smoothie: 200ml of full-fat milk [130] with a chocolate weight-gaining supplement shake [110], one medium sized banana [100], almonds [100] and a portion of cereal [100]

3)Omelette: 2tspn of olive oil [80], onion, pepper and sweet-corn [50], turkey clices [80], 2 eggs [200] some cheese [100] and 1 piece of whole-wheat toast [100]

4) Cereal Mix: portion of cereal [110], almonds [100], raisins [100], 200ml of full-fat milk [130], a banana [100] and a tbsp of honey [70]

Now the snacks!! around 300-400 calories

1) trail mix with almonds, raisins, cereal, dates and chocolate

2) Ensure+ shake 

3)Meal-replacement cereal bar

4) Greek yoghurt with granola

For lunch its normally something like a wrap, sandwich, pizza-roll or something like that, remembering to be generous with the olive oil, cheese, mayo and other high-calorie options!

For dinner I will always include one or more of the following

[pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, beans..] with [small serving of veggies] with [chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, cheese, tofu..] and of course [avocado, olive oil, butter, mayo...].

Then, last but not least, my shakke-before-bed-time:

200ml of full fat milk [130] with chocolate weight-gaining shake [110], 5 digestive buiscuits [450], almonds [100], some haagen-dazs macademia nut brittle ice cream [200] and sprinkle with some reeses peanut-butter chocolate cups [200].

Yep, thats a 1200 calorie shake. Lol.

Looking forward to reading your feedback! Thanks!

Steph

I think it is important to follow your treatment teams advice. I don't think 2800-3000 is too much as I am on 3500. Do I feel uncomfortable?Yes in all aspects but part of this. I think treats are good. Just make sure you get in adequate nutrients. I see lots of healthy fats which is good. I am not sure what your calories are now but you may want to preplan those lunches and snacks for awhile to make sure you get in enough. The only thiing I see lacking is fruit as you only have one banana or raisins. Also the weight gain supplement I have no clue what it is for 110 calories what kind of weight gain formula is that? I have done ensures in the past though right now am doing it all through food. Good luck. I hope this starts today as there is no better time then now

Sounds OK to me.  The more real food you eat in preference to weigh-gaining shakes, the better.  The main things to go for are 'variety' and 'balance'.  And, if in doubt, eat more... have two wraps at lunchtime rather than one, for example.   Don't forget to include red meats in your protein choices for suppers.  A good-sized beefsteak, pork chop or lamb steak here & there really adds useful calories and nutrition.  But those are just minor adjustments.

Well done.  If you have a concrete plan you can really get your head around how much food is going to be enough to gain.  You can start to visualise it.  Very important... that menu looks like a lot of food and it's going to feel like a lot of food but because you know it's getting you to the 2800-3000 cals you need you will not feel like you're overdoing it.  You'll have confidence in your plan.

Thank you for the replies!

abbi- i dont have a treatment team, which is why I am asking you for advice. The fruit compartment, ah! I do realise i'm lacking in that aspect, however fruit fills me up so much, I couldn't possibly fit all the calories if I added in more fruit. Perhaps in the form of a smoothie..?? Or fruit juice? Hadn't stopped to think about that one. I live in Spain, and the only supplement they have is a chocolate protein shake which you are supposed to have with full fat milk- quite ridiculous actually. I buy my Ensure from the UK because they dont sell any here.

gi-jane- I agree with the real-food thing, but as I am starting off just now, I thought it would be easier to stomach shakes rather than so much food. Its not that Im a fussy eater, its just i've never really payed much attention to food and often skipped meals, or had small portions quickly- now I'm giving myself time because Ive realised this couldnt go on. So the big portions are somewhat intimidating to say the least!

One question I forgot to ask though; I am definately not doing cardio, but I wanted to know when would be a good time to start doing some resistance training like pilates for example? I know I physically cant at the moment due to my weight, but when will I know its time? I honestly want some of the weight I put on to be muscle not just fat! lol,

thanks once again for the wonderful comments

Shakes are just milk with thickeners and lots of sugar in, really.  I don't think they'd be any more digestible or indigestible than other foods.  At breakfast, for example, a 200 cal serving of cereal is still incredibly small.  Put real butter on your toast... it's going to taste better than olive oil and salt. 

I would say you should concentrate first on getting into regular weight-gains before you start resistance training.  Get your BMI up to the 18.5-19 level at least and, even then, only do very light exercises.  

Thanks gi-jane :)

about the olive oil and salt- im Spanish, its a very typical breakfast here, tastes amazing :)

my BMI is at 14.4 now, so perhaps I should lay off until it is healthy. Thank you 

looks really good well done on deciding to beat this h x

Sounds great and like you are being really organised. Do your best to stick with it but don't let it interfere with having a lovely time at uni! If you go out with mates instead and eat out, so be it.

Also olive oil is higher in calories than butter so tbh it's better for weight gain!

For snacks - I sometimes like to have toast with butter (could be olive oil) and then thick peanut or almond butter on top. It's not very bulky but it's really high in calories!

You guys, thank you so much. I truly appreciate that you read my post and replied. It's hard for me, as I don't really know what "eating like a normal person" is, much less one that has to gain weight!

Either way, its an interesting experience, and definitely one I can take to broaden my culinary boundaries, I love to cook!

So yep, I hope it doesn't interfere much, just looking forward to having a happy healthy life. Thanks :)

Original Post by waikkiki:

my BMI is at 14.4 now, so perhaps I should lay off until it is healthy. Thank you 

That's so low it's really, really dangerous. I'm very worried that even though your intentions are good you should really be in a hospital rather than going it alone.  Refeeding someone as ill as you usually needs professional supervision. What does your doctor say?

You are right gi-jane. My doctor said I need hospitalisation- but I'm going to try this on my own. I can't risk not going to uni. I know health comes first, but I believe its quite easy to put on weight if you want to really!

You can't risk ending up dead at uni.... that's what you can't risk.  That's why your doctor wants you to go into hospital and why you should listen to him and respect his advice rather than treating him with such utter contempt.  Do you think they just hand out hospital places on a whim?  Because they think you'd have a nice time?  Or because they think you're seriously ill?

University can wait a year until you get your health back.... they'll hold your place, no problem.  Yes it's easy to gain weight but it's also tragically easy to get it fatally wrong when you have a body as weak and emaciated as yours. 

You say you 'know health comes first'?.... Well act like it does then rather than just paying lipservice. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

You can't risk ending up dead at uni.... that's what you can't risk.  That's why your doctor wants you to go into hospital and why you should listen to him and respect his advice rather than treating him with such utter contempt.  Do you think they just hand out hospital places on a whim?  Because they think you'd have a nice time?  Or because they think you're seriously ill?

University can wait a year until you get your health back.... they'll hold your place.  Yes it's easy to gain weight but it's also tragically easy to get it fatally wrong when you have a body as weak and emaciated as yours. 

You say you 'know health comes first'?.... Well act like it does then rather than just paying lipservice. 

 

Here is the full story. I live in Spain. Uni is in the UK. I arrive this week and scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist/counselor my first day there to give me an initial evaluation. We haven't met yet, but I gave him my stats and BMI and he said that I should be hospitalized- nevertheless we are going to meet this week to decide once and for all what is done. In the meantime I have a week to put on some weight and get me out of the danger zone. If I gain weight steadily, perhaps I can manage to keep doing so, running parallel to my studies. 

I appreciate your concern, but i need to do this. I have to try.

Your bmi like gi said is very low and moving from Spain to the UK for Uni is quite a big jump and take a lot of adjustment.

I know your intentions for gaining weight are very good and strong but have you considered just how you will manage this while trying to cope with adjusting to a new country and starting uni? Im only saying this because it would be awful for you to end up having to drop out and lose your place and at such a low bmi your concentration and focus wont be as good as it could be if you were healthier.

Oh fantastic... so you arrive in the UK and Day 1 you're taking up a valuable hospital bed already?  In one week your BMI is not going to be much higher than it is now and that's going to be a great start to your university career... I don't think.   

Original Post by gi-jane:

Oh fantastic... so you arrive in the UK and Day 1 you're taking up a valuable hospital bed already?  In one week your BMI is not going to be much higher than it is now and that's going to be a great start to your university career... I don't think.   

 

 

Gi-jane I realise everything you're saying is true... but i have to try. My parents can't afford paying for an inpatient treatment either...

So far today I've consumed 3500 calories, and feel a bit full and bloated, but know its all worth it. I do fear about that thing they call refeeding syndrome though... either way, this week I'm alone, so I have to do what I can and what's best. I'm not saying I'm not going to be hospitalised.

I repeat: this week its up to me to gain weight. Next week a doctor will evaluate whether or not I can go to uni with an outpatient program, or whether I should go inpatient.

good luck waikkiki , but please think hard about this i know uni is important but your health is the main thing and ip might be just what you need , ans save alot of hassle in the long run like betty said it would be wrse if you had to drop out . you have plenty of time for uni after you are more stable.my wrry for you also would be that you are just doing enough to get a little better but you have such a long way to go h x

Original Post by tessa1223:

good luck waikkiki , but please think hard about this i know uni is important but your health is the main thing and ip might be just what you need , ans save alot of hassle in the long run like betty said it would be wrse if you had to drop out . you have plenty of time for uni after you are more stable.my wrry for you also would be that you are just doing enough to get a little better but you have such a long way to go h x

I think that the main problem here is that people fail to realise that I do not have an eating disorder or anorexia, just because I am underweight. I never wanted to lose this weight intentionally, so its not like I am going to refuse to put it back on, or need a certain number of specialists to look after me. I am just a slim person that wants to put on weight.

Whether you have an eating disorder or not you need medical care and supervision.  You are not a 'slim person that wants to put on weight' you're a dangerously ill, dangerously underweight person that needs medical treatment.  I don't think you really appreciate that given how you're behaving.

Go to your doctor.  Go to your local casualty department.  And as for your parents not being able to afford IP treatment..... under the Spanish healthcare system hospital treatment is free.

People who are just naturally thin or underweight naturally usually don't have bmi of 14. Now you either have a bmi of that due to a health complication for example cancer,digestive disorder,etc or from an eating disorder. Now if you don't want to call it an ed I encourage you to figure out how and why you have dropped that much weight. Most people without an ed who for one reason or another start loosing weight from depression etc get to a point where they see it is not healthy and make changes before it reaches the point you have. There is a reason why you have gotten out of control where it got to such a danger level. I encourage you to listen to your doctors advice. School will always be there but your health sometimes can't be repaired.