A little menu advice?

Hi there, I eat roughly the same sort of things each day except maybe my snack in the afternoon or dinner varies.

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice on my meal plan in terms of am I getting the right sort of balance of proteins etc in it. I worry that Im maybe not gettingenough of one thing and to much of another.

Im also a bit worried that Im over estimating what my calories are and that maybe Im not taking in what I think?

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Breakfast: Porridge ( 30g oats+ approx 140-150mls milk), 5g flax, slice of wholemeal toast, smoothie.   ( approx 350cals total)

Snack: 125g plain yogurt (75 cals), +10g omega seed mix ( 46cals) + 1 apple (65), ( total approx 190)

Lunch: 2 Slices wholemeal granary bread ( 210 cals), chicken (40cals), cheese slice (40cals),  Branston Pickle (15cals), some spinach and tomato. Apricot/Plum (35 cals), ( total approx 350)

Snack: Fage 0% ( 80cals), 16g wheatgerm (55cals), few blueberries, ( total: 140 cals) . Milkshake made with protein powder and milk ( approx 180-200 cals)

Dinner: This varies but typically could be 115g chicken, 33g pasta, tomato type sauce, veg ( approx 280-300 cals)

Fortijuice ( 300cals)

Snack: Porridge and raisins ( 250cals)

Then some days Ill snack on some soya nuts, so I think I roughly hit 2000 cals a day?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated about my balance of foods and general tips etc.

Original Post by betty1302

Breakfast: Porridge ( 30g oats+ approx 140-150mls milk), 5g flax, slice of wholemeal toast, smoothie.   ( approx 350cals total--> if you're eating regular toast, and making your porridge with 3/4 cup milk then that alone should be 260, if you use 1 cup yogurt 1 cup berries and 1/2 cup milk for your smoothie then that's another 165, putting you at 425)

Snack: 125g plain yogurt (75 cals), +10g omega seed mix ( 46cals) + 1 apple (65), ( total approx 190---> add in 1 oz nuts to boost the total to 350 cals instead of 190)

Lunch: 2 Slices wholemeal granary bread ( 210 cals), chicken (40cals), cheese slice (40cals),  Branston Pickle (15cals), some spinach and tomato. Apricot/Plum (35 cals), ( total approx 350--have a banana instead of the apricot/plum to add another 65 calories brining it to 415)

Snack: Fage 0% ( 80cals), 16g wheatgerm (55cals), few blueberries, ( total: 140 cals) . Milkshake made with protein powder and milk ( approx 180-200 cals--> add in 1/2 cup granola for an added 150 cals or so)

Dinner: This varies but typically could be 115g chicken, 33g pasta, tomato type sauce, veg ( approx 280-300 cals --> add a tbsp olive oil to your veggies and sautee your chicken with it--that adds another 120 cals and some healthy fats which you're lacking!!)

Fortijuice ( 300cals)

Snack: Porridge and raisins ( 250cals)

So that adds an extra 500 cals, bringing you to 2500 instead of the 2000 you're aiming for. 2000 is closer to maintenance than gaining, other than that i think you're doing good!!

 

not really a weight gain menu...but i've noted some things you might want to change with each of your meals.

Hey - congrats on a recovery meal plan... I take it from the scrupulous measuring you are an ED sufferer (33g pasta?! You remind me of me!) if not, then I apologise!

Anyway, like Chrissy said - it's lacking in fats, which is really important. 15g flax a day isn't going to help repair the damage done to your skin, hair, nails.. not to mention um, your organs! Olive oil is of course a good way to add fats but I totally sympathise if that sounds uber scary.. I've been in recovery for nearly a year (still on a gaining diet) and I struggle a LOT with oils and fats. I get fats into my diet by having nuts, nut butters, avocado, hummus, seeds etc. Not as scary because they're also sources of protein.. but that might just be me.

Like I said, you remind me a lot of myself. I was stuck for a very long time around the 2000 mark because I was convinced it was enough for me to gain. And for a short while, it was, but once the weight gain tapered off, and it became apparent I needed more, I would try to fool myself into thinking that the lack of movement on the scales was ' a fluke' or 'just because I was wearing lighter clothes' or 'I'd been to the toilet' or was 'dehydrated.' You get my drift.. 8 weeks later, still no movement, and another two months wasted. The best best thing you can do is up it to 2500 and really kick start your metabolism. It's not easy, it's REALLY not easy. I still have slip ups now and I fear I've screwed over my metabolism from years of anorexia. But you can do it. Chrissy's made some great suggestions :-) Gosh the kind of foods you eat are so like me, and I notice you're a Brit (Branston pickle! Porridge - instead of 'oatmeal') OK I need to stop reading so much into food brands..

Thank you so much for your replies and for taking the time to respond.

Chrissy: That was really helpful thank you so much. I know my plan isnt considered enough to be a gaining plan and although it should be obvious how to tweak it etc sometimes it takes that external advice. Thanks once again I really appreciate your advice :-)

Mashed: Yes unfortunately Im an ED suffered and I weigh and count and balance things probably obssessively. I thought my diet would be lacking in fats but I really struggle with them. When it comes to adding oil to my dinner etc I just cant mentally get over it. I find the same that nuts and seeds are easier to take, maybe because they are less visably fatty?  I logged my intake roughly one day and it brought up though that I was nearly at 20% fats, I was a bit surpised by that but isnt that the recommended level? Im not sure about ratios really.

Thanks for your advice and help as well. Im from N.Ireland so yep we eat lots of familiar stuff, I read your blog every day, its a great motivation for me and good for some ideas to!

Your right I am totally stuck at the 2000 mark I just cant seem to get over it mentally that I need to go higher. I do gain on this so it makes it so difficult to then even think well why go higher? I know thats my ED talking though.

Once again thank you for your advice and support,

Hey Betty, I was an ED sufferer too. I typically still weigh things on occasion since I am horrible with portion sizing and I would probobly end up eating less  than what I should if I didn't.

Fats are very important to physical recovery and they are very easy to add in when you think about it. Add nuts or nut butter to your morning oats or snacks. Cook with olive oil or add some organic mayonaise (preferably made with canola or olive oil) to your sandwich. Even a little dairy fat won't hurt you, and actually it may be beneficial since animal products also contain CLA which is a great metabolism booster and essential acid. I have stomach troubles and acid reflux so I can't handle full-fat dairy very well, but I just thought I'd point out that it's not a horrible thing if you are in need of an extra fat source other than nuts.

Making over the 2,000 hump can be a challenge, but once you do it, it will almost come naturally. I eat about 3,000 calories a day (I'm very active) and even if I accidently drop a little bit my body notices it - FEED ME! Hahah. Try adding 100 calories to each meal and snack. This will allow you to spread out the "new" calories so it won't seem as signifigant. 2,500 is the general recommendation for sedentary female gainers.

Im devestated, Im just sitting in pieces at the minute.

I email a dietician and asked her to look over my plan to see what she thought and she came back and gave me a daily calorie total that was hugely and I mean hugely under what I had estimated.

Im devestated, this is exactly what I feared that I had been underestimating, but I calculate everything and I thought I was fairly accurate. Does my original plan I posted look about right?

I just dont understand how she could have got such a big difference but now Im just in pieces.

There can be a few things that make a huge difference. For instance, if she thought you meant 30g COOKED oats instead of 30g RAW oats, how many calories she figured in for things like protein powder, what kind of milk she assumed you to be using.

Overall though, you do need to eat more calories. Specifically fats. I've said it before and I will say it again: When you are recovering from an ED, non-fat ANYTHING is bad. It just encourages the mindset that you need to eat diet foods. Switching to at least low-fat dairy would be a big step and it would help you increase your calories (whole milk is better IMO but hey! Even I can't stomach whole-fat Greek yogurt. I do use wholefat vanilla yogurt, dressings and such though) I know fats are scary, especially saturated fats thanks to the lovely media. But in ED recovery, saturated fats are actually necessary to the repair and restoration of organ tissues, cellular integrity and brain function.  Try adding a handful of nuts or a few scoops of peanut butter to your breakfasts and snacks, put some cream cheese and jam on your toast maybe? Or some mashed avocado on your sandwich at lunch? Olive oil or salad dressing on your chicken with dinner?