Hi - gaining weight does it matter what i eat?

hi so i'm a competitive runner - 5'4 105-110 pounds....but i have extremely low body fat 12% my doctor said that a healthy woman has fat in the 18-24% range....but athletes can go a bit lower.....he put me on the pill to regulate my period so i don't lose it but he recommended i gain some body fat.....i'm planning on eating an extra 500 calories a day.....on days when i run i generally eat around 2800+...i generally eat a really balanced diet - and i eat a 9:1 ratio generally of healthy:unhealthy food - anyway...should the extra 500 calories still be healthy?? or can i just stuff my face with frozen yogurt?

well frozen yogurt isn't unhealthy--you can find ones that are just as healthy as regular yogurt, just frozen. so go for it. as long as your macronutrient ranges are appropriate, and your trans/saturated fats aren't incredibly high then eat whatever you want. fats are good, healthy fats, and anything in moderation can be incorporated into a healthy diet. if you want to eat 500 calories worth of frozen yogurt it won't be a problem since it sounds like you eat healthy anyway, so aren't at risk for any deficiencies. great job on wanting to get better, running has probably lowered your bf% to that level and it is important for child bearing and your health to get that up a bit!! :)

I would eat avacados, nuts, whole wheat stuff high in good carbs, AND as much frozen yogurt, fancy cheeses, and wine (if ya drink, I don't too much anyway!) as you want; cause girl, you 1. NEED to get that body fat up and 2. you TOTALLY deserve it! : ) Luxe

Everything you eat should be healthy. But you can make healthy choices and still eat good food. For example real pure ice cream is fine in moderation. Pizza can be healthy if you choose whole grain crust and fresh vegetables as a topping. A cheeseburger can be healthy if you choose lean meat, low-fat cheese and a whole grain bun. Frozen yogurt can be healthy too if you choose one without artificial sweeteners and a lot of additives and preservatives.

The only thing I might be worried about with eating 500 calories of only "unhealthy" foods is that when you go back to a maitenance diet, it might be hard to stop eating all those indulgence foods.  I would maybe eat some indulgence foods, but some healthy food too.  Mix it up, add variety.  Maybe have frozen yogurt with healthy nuts & dried fruit sprinkled on top!  Or try trail mix with chocolate chips mixed in, and maybe some yogurt on the side.  Frozen yogurt is typically pretty low-fat/low-cal, so it might be hard to eat that large quantity/volume of food.  I would recommend smoothies or a PB&J sandwich.  Oatmeal is another nice comfort food, and it can be pumped full of calories if its made with milk, and you add nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.  

Good luck!

thanks for the advice guys...

just wondering...does 105-110 pounds sound okay for someone who is 5'4"...i want to be at my healthiest and i know that bmi is just a general guideline. 

105 would be too low deffinetely...i understand you are a runner and people who are extremely into stuff like that tend to have lower amounts of body fat and what not but i would say about 115...your bmi really should be about 20 and 115 puts you just under that so actually between 115-120 would be great.

and to your earlier question...you should be eating about 80 percent healthy food...and 20 percent "unhealthy" food.  The thing is....no food is really that bad in moderation...and anyfood can be bad if you have too much of it...even veggies! (gasp) lol....froyo is actualy not bad for you at all...as long as it doesnt have too much added sugar and what not.  But if youre planning on 3300 cals a day and you want 500 of those cals to be "bad" that is perfectly fine.  You do want to make sure youre getting in all your food groups and nutrients too though.  Get lots of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meat, and make sure youre gettin fat...like nut butterssss!!!! hehe