Need some help

I am 18 male 5'8" and only 105lbs. I know I need to gain but I'm having a hard time eating enough.  I am recovering form an ED and am extremely active doing soccer/running/biking/tae kwon do/weights/and speed training basically everyday. Ive only recently upped my calorie intake but even on days i workout i can still only manage to get like 2200. please any advice would help and what sort of goal weight should i be shooting for(i am a very small frame to begin with) thanks. 

It's great that you're taking an active step in recovery, and not baulking at the idea of eating 'waaay too much'. (:

You sound like quite the athlete... which means that you'll probably need to eat more than most of your peers in order to keep up with all that activity. You might want to check out the link below

http://kidshealth.org/teen/nutrition/general/ eatnrun.html (a guide to eating for sports)

for a guideline as to how much (between 2000~5000cals/day depending on the intensity and amount of activity you do. i'll hazard a guess of around 3000~3500cals/day actually), and what sort of quantities of macronutrients you should be aiming for in order to have a more or less balanced diet.

CAL INTAKE CALCULATOR  i ran your stats through this calculator, and it says that you should be eating about 2500cals/day to maintain your weight (which might be a low estimate depending on your metabolism). Since you're trying to gain weight, you might want to aim for at least 3000cals/day. There are plenty of calorie dense and yet still healthy foods around (nuts especially) that will help you reach your cal goal without the impression that you're eating a great deal. 

 

Hey great links thanks. I think over time i might be able to get my intake up that high but its gonna take some getting used to. I have been using more healthy fats lately and thats helped but i still dont think its enough.

Do you think its possible to make any gains with as much activity as i do?

Also ive heard being as skinny as i am can start to destroy your organs, is this true and what other health problems will being so underweight cause?

I think you're going to have to be realistic about the exercise.   It's really easy for people to replace undereating with over-exercising.... it amounts to the same thing.  Until you start gaining weight, I'd recommend you don't do any strenuous exercise at all.  A gentle walk each day and maybe a few strengthening exercise.   Otherwise you are going to have an extremely hard time getting down the 4000-odd calories you actually need to gain weight.  Even with no exercise you're going to need about 3000 a day on a regular basis.

Being chronically underweight does affect you physically and also mentally.  The body will try to get nutrition from itself and cannibalise muscle, bone and organ tissue.  This puts a big strain on the heart amongst other things   Bone density can be affected negatively over time leading to skeletal problems in later years.  The problems associated with malnutrition are many.... hair-loss, dental problems, anaemia, scurvy, damaged immune system.   And then there are the mental issues... depression being quite closely linked to starvation.

Are you getting some help with your recovery?  What's their advice?

hey thanks thats some scary stuff i am glad i am recovering, i think i may be over exercising but there are some things that i can't drop like soccer because i am dedicated to the team and i can't just leave them.

as far as help goes this is site is pretty much all but i am pretty over it, I want to be healthy and normal again! no matter how hard its gonna be.

Since you are looking to gain weight and do a lot of activity (which is great) - your calorie goal for everyday should be roughly 3500 or so! Honestly, once you gain a bit more weight you will feel worlds better and have so much more energy to commit to your active lifestyle. 

But when I say increase your calories to this amount, I don't mean increase them in a unhealthy fashion - I want you to consume large amounts of lean proteins and lots of healthy fats along with whole fruits and vegetables! I am talking breakfast = 4 eggs scrambled with sauteed (in olive oil) peppers, onions, green beans (or any veggies you like) with a side of berries and some whole grain toast (2-3 grams of fiber per slice)... Lunch should look something like = 2 slices of whole grain bread with about 5 ounces of turkey/chicken in the center with mustard & veggies and again a side of fruit, maybe a side salad with an oil & vinegar dressing... Dinner should consist of a nice hefty portion of protein like 8-10 ounces of fish (wild salmon is my favorite)... with steamed/sauteed/boiled vegetables & whole grain rice or/and lentils... Of course snacks will help boost your calorie count as well and they should be a balance of carbs, protein & healthy fat... a good idea would be... a hard boiled egg with sliced peppers and maybe a couple of nuts or/and a drizzle of olive oil... or some avocado with whole grain toast, salsa and sliced turkey breast. 

I do hope these ideas of mine help you, because I want you to get nice and healthy & enjoy your life as much as you can! 

Original Post by giasbash6260:

Since you are looking to gain weight and do a lot of activity (which is great) - your calorie goal for everyday should be roughly 3500 or so! Honestly, once you gain a bit more weight you will feel worlds better and have so much more energy to commit to your active lifestyle.

But when I say increase your calories to this amount, I don't mean increase them in a unhealthy fashion - I want you to consume large amounts of lean proteins and lots of healthy fats along with whole fruits and vegetables! I am talking breakfast = 4 eggs scrambled with sauteed (in olive oil) peppers, onions, green beans (or any veggies you like) with a side of berries and some whole grain toast (2-3 grams of fiber per slice)... Lunch should look something like = 2 slices of whole grain bread with about 5 ounces of turkey/chicken in the center with mustard & veggies and again a side of fruit, maybe a side salad with an oil & vinegar dressing... Dinner should consist of a nice hefty portion of protein like 8-10 ounces of fish (wild salmon is my favorite)... with steamed/sauteed/boiled vegetables & whole grain rice or/and lentils... Of course snacks will help boost your calorie count as well and they should be a balance of carbs, protein & healthy fat... a good idea would be... a hard boiled egg with sliced peppers and maybe a couple of nuts or/and a drizzle of olive oil... or some avocado with whole grain toast, salsa and sliced turkey breast.

I do hope these ideas of mine help you, because I want you to get nice and healthy & enjoy your life as much as you can!

all thats great and all but i am a vegan so i don't eat alot of what you recommended but i am also a health nut so i eat very healthy anyway