I'm Liking This Weight Gain...

So I guess I accidentally developed an eating disorder without realizing it (oops) and I got down to 100 and now I'm at 103. 


I didn't think I was fat or anything...I just didn't up my cals when I wanted to maintain.  Just kept on losing more weight...eek.


Well I went to the doctor's today and we talked a lot.


I think I'm going to break on counting cals now and worry more about what I'm eating.

Instead of eating an unbalanced meal at the right caloric value, I'll balance my meal and to hell with cals!  I'm 16.  I'm 5'5".  I need healthy food, not to starve myself.


And plus - I guess I should be getting like 2300 calories a day?  I get TOTALLY full at about 1100...so I'm so not even worried about the calories!


But I went out to eat with my father tonight and paid attention to the healthiness of the meals on the menu, not the caloric content.

I got blackened tilapia on a bed of wilted greens, a side salad and a side of pasta marinara.

I ate all of the tilapia and greens, all of the salad with some of the dressing and half of the pasta.  :D

I'm so proud of myself.  I feel full.

I don't think any teen girl should have to fret over calories like I did.

I think if they're over weight, they need to be taught proper nutrition, not how to restrict calories.

I dunno.

I can't wait to have another hearty day tomorrow!

(oh - and I ate PEANUT BUTTER and BANANAS for lunch!  I even had some dressing to dip my celery into!  These are things that I totally cut from my diet before.  :D  )

I actually get excited when planning weight gain meals since I can forget about keeping to a calorie limit and can add in all the nutrition I want! I get extra flaxseed, extra olive oil, extra everything!

Yes!


It's so nice to just NOT worry about calories.


Ugh.  I mean - I KNOW that going over my caloric limit is nearly impossible.  So when I find myself counting in my head, I make myself stop.


Now this doesn't mean I go out and eat 5 slices of deep dish pizza with extra cheese...


it means that I'll grab another slice of whole wheat bread for dipping in my soup if I'm still hungry, or I'll pack a whole apple in my lunch instead of a measly half.

I'm trying to untrain myself; to eat when I'm hungry and until I'm fulfilled.

:D  It's fun.

Hate to be a total MOM.  But you were missing the benefit of Calorie Counting.  When you count calories it isn't just about the number but about the quality and kind of food you are eating.  As a successful counter it is not about calorie restriction but about calorie consumption and expenditure. I look at the amount of veggies and fruits and protein and carbs I need to get in a day and than figure out what I can do to fit it all in to the calories that I need to eat to help me either lose or maintain my weight. It is called planning and I PLAN to do it for the rest of my life.  I am sorry that you took the concept the wrong way and to the extreme.  I do agree that the concept is hard for a younger person to understand because you are not always in control of meals that are presented to you.  Good Luck on your journey, I hope that one day in the future you will just be able to worry about be good to yourself and eating healthy!

Ah.  I am in the same position as you, only I am still scared to death over weight gain.  I want to gain, but I am scared I will too much, so I didn't up my calories enough and kept losing and losing, but yesterday was my first official gain day.  Yesterday I ate 2300, and today I ate about 2000.  Thank you for letting me know that it can feel good.  That's really the inspiration I need right now!

betzc

I know this.  Thanks for the encouragement and all but what happened to me was an accident.


I'm not dumb; I obviously understand that eating BETTER foods is BETTER for you than eating low cal foods.

Attagirl, first of all, for getting this far. You have more than the right idea - balance over calories. I think calories should be considered but not the focal point; nutrition and a healthier you is better to pay attention to than kcal per 100g. ;] And more often than not a person eating a balanced diet meets their calorie requirements without trying.

However, as a gainer you still need to make note of them. Not to get too few as you may have done before, but this time, on the flipside, making sure you get enough. Eventually you won't really need to do that either, but for now aim for 2500 and go with that for two weeks. After two weeks weigh in, see what your gaining trend is. If you're gaining at a good enough rate (1-2lbs a week) then you won't need to increase. Gaining too little, and you may need to up it; gaining more than that? A large chunk of it will still be down to water retention. I've seen mad gains that've then fallen off again because it has just been water added on to the mass gains from the week before.

Your meal out sounds lovely. I also admire that you ate until satisfied but took the rest home to finish later. I know the temptation when I was in my ED's grasp was to say "I'm full" halfway through the meal and not take away the leftovers! Doing that in gaining is detrimental anyway, so why sabotage yourself and your health? :x

Congrats on your gains so far and I hope things keep going well for you. Open up your palate again and enjoy food for its tastes and nutrition, not the numbers within! (Unless they're of the E variety... :P) Good luck!

I just wanted to say good job on your progress!! I've been suffering from anorexia and bulimia for 8 years. I'm still waiting to plan my first weight gain meal. I hope it comes soon.

Original Post by thinthinnerthinnest:

I just wanted to say good job on your progress!! I've been suffering from anorexia and bulimia for 8 years. I'm still waiting to plan my first weight gain meal. I hope it comes soon.

Tell someone you love.  <3


They'll definitely help you.

Thanks, I have...my mom often asks me if I'm ready and I have severe mood swings when she does. I try to control myself, I know she's only asking and not pushing, but I get defensive and I end up not eating at all sometimes because I feel so stressed. This eating disorder does things to me that I can't even explain. It turns me into someone that even I don't recognize sometimes.

Ask yourself this: why ARE you struggling with an eating disorder?  Is it the fear of gaining weight, getting fat or something else?


And not to digress but I want to say this -


I LOST TWO POUNDS.


I was doing well.  I planned on not weighing myself for 1 week but I was just SO damn curious...

and I'm 101!  I swear - I've been eating like a fiend!  I mean I never even ate like this before.  I had, like, tons of almonds yesterday and everything.  And then a huge dinner.

I really never thought I'd be complaining over this.

OXYMORON-hi-didnt i see you were eating 1500 cals? at least thats what you posted.   thats a weightloss diet and isnt it even lower than the minimum for teens?

you need to be eating 2500, at least, good luck

oxymoron,

You  might need to count calories until you have gotten to your goal weight and held it for a while.  I feel silly counting too and prefer to just "eat big."  But somehow whenever I do that it ends up being less than what I need when I say "ok I have to get to this amount of calories" and just not enough to gain.

Plus, I noticed on your meal you ate all the low cal stuff and only half the "real food."  Maybe you're eating all the time, but it's all low cal stuff?
Counting calories would help you not just "eat all the time" but make sure all that eating is really getting your calories in.

If you're really going to just focus on eating, you should try to eat real food plus high-cal add-ins.  Some on the other thread told me that people recovering from eating disorders are scared of that, so maybe if you're still scared to do that counting would be helpful beause you know you're going to have to get the calories in, so you wouldn't fall to the fear of eating all the pasta + some high cal sauce.

Just some thoughts for you!

Yeah...I'm still sort of afraid to start using real butter again.


I'm working my way up, though.


I noticed that things are easier when I eat out.  My dad took me out to dinner the other day to a local restaurant that didn't have the nutrition info for the foods, so I just got what sounded good.  Ate it all.  Was very happy after and didn't feel guilty partly because there was no real way of knowing what I had just consumed.

Original Post by oxymoron00:

So I guess I accidentally developed an eating disorder without realizing it (oops) and I got down to 100 and now I'm at 103. 


I didn't think I was fat or anything...I just didn't up my cals when I wanted to maintain.  Just kept on losing more weight...eek.


Well I went to the doctor's today and we talked a lot.


I think I'm going to break on counting cals now and worry more about what I'm eating.

Instead of eating an unbalanced meal at the right caloric value, I'll balance my meal and to hell with cals!  I'm 16.  I'm 5'5".  I need healthy food, not to starve myself.


And plus - I guess I should be getting like 2300 calories a day?  I get TOTALLY full at about 1100...so I'm so not even worried about the calories!


But I went out to eat with my father tonight and paid attention to the healthiness of the meals on the menu, not the caloric content.

I got blackened tilapia on a bed of wilted greens, a side salad and a side of pasta marinara.

I ate all of the tilapia and greens, all of the salad with some of the dressing and half of the pasta.  :D

I'm so proud of myself.  I feel full.

I don't think any teen girl should have to fret over calories like I did.

I think if they're over weight, they need to be taught proper nutrition, not how to restrict calories.

I dunno.

I can't wait to have another hearty day tomorrow!

(oh - and I ate PEANUT BUTTER and BANANAS for lunch!  I even had some dressing to dip my celery into!  These are things that I totally cut from my diet before.  :D  )

You have just inspired me so much. I have been really struggling with my gain. in fact I have lost a pound since I started but I think you just showed me my problem.

 

i never had an eating disorder either, but i exercised a lot and prob was undereating without meaning to. and also i was afraid of certain things like too much bread. now im like screw it, im not gonna worry about it and just be normal and eat when im hungry.  today i ate a lot, mostly healthy stuff but some treats too, without worrying about calories, and it was so freeing and amazing, and i was in a better mood all day than i have been in for a long time.