upping calories

is it better to increase my calorie consumption to 3500++ or should i slowly increase?

1) which will i gain weight faster overall?
2) which will make my metabolism recover to what it was previously and hopefully better?
3) which is better for my health?
4) what if i consume 5000+ calories continuously for 3days will i put on alot of weight?

Hi :)

I'm not much of an expert when it comes to this, as usually I am the one asking the questions, but I'll tell you what has happened from my personal experience:

I have undergone two periods of refeeding.

The first one was horrible; out of control, on unhealthy food, an insane amount of calories in a day and ultimately led me to the disordered eating aka binge eating disorder. My second refeeding period started just this week!

On monday and tuesday I consumed around 5000-6000 calories, wednesday 4000 and today I'm aiming for 3000, wanting to keep it at a steady 3000 calories per day until I gain the necessary weight.

As for your metabolism recovering, I would definately say bump up to 3500 immediately, giving your metabolism the boost it needs. I take it you come from a period of restricting?

3) As long as you give your body the nourishment it needs and you aim for a healthy BMI, your health and your body will appreciate it. Seriously, I know from personal experience, you have no idea what I've gone through this past year, but it's been like hell, and I can only tell you that you will be happy and healthy at a healthy weight, so up those calories and nourish your body!

4) I have had periods where i have consumed 6000 calories on average for weeks. I only put on a couple of pounds. When I was undernourished, by body used all the excess calories for organ repair and cellular rebuild. Either way, the whole point is to put on some weight no?

If you have any questions, just ask, I hope I helped :)

Are you recovering from an ED? If so, then  chances are it will be safer for you to work your calories up at a gradual pace. When in recovery, your body is starting from a very damaged point and overwhelming it with food can cause a whole new slew of problems - including cardiac arrest, organ failure and death from refeeding syndrome.

1. Eating more = gain weight more.

2.  The best way to restore your metabolism is to eat enough and increase calories as needed.  Overwhelming your body is dangerous. Get to 2500 first and see how that goes. Going above that right off the bat can result in malabsorption (unpleasant! trust me!)

3. Already think I covered this. But it is much better for your body to increase the calories gradually.

4. You may gain weight yes, but if you only eat that amount for 3 days and then cut back drastically - it will confuse the living hell out of your body and could be dangerous. Also, f your body does manage to adjust to that amount of calories in such a short span of time and with such a huge jump - it could result in you losing whatever weight you manage to gain. Weight gain is best taken as a gradual process so as not to overstress your heart.

i recently have been eating say 3500-5000 calories i guess?

i don't know what portions i should be taking in. advice?

oh and is there a difference if i eat alot of junk food(biscuits?chocolate?)

should i be eating more healthy stuff like oats?cereal?bread? instead of junk food?

why on earth would you actually want to consume the majority of your weight gain calories in junk food? not only will that make you feel terrible, you'll be poisoning your body with empty calories, sugars, fats, and chemicals, and the weight will not disperse properly (ie: you'll gain more weight in fat then in muscle and lean mass, opposed to if you were to eat a healthy diet)

eat GOOD FOOD, but nutritionally DENSE foods... like nuts, whole grains (pasta, bread, oatmeal) nut butters, salmon, starchy vegetables (carrots, yams, potatos, butternut squash, peas), dried fruit, avacados, and add healthy fats (like olive oil) when cooking vegetables or meat

some of your calories can be consumed in junk food.. but NOT THE MAJORITY. Just because you need to gain weight, does not mean that you need to eat garbage... you need to learn how to have a healthy relationship with food, and get a balance of nutritients

sure you could easily reach 3000++ calories in candy, chips and cookies, but these won't do your body any good.. you'll just end up feeling sick, depressed, and sluggish. You may be eating "enough", but you'll still end up being malnourished. 

You need QUALITY not just quantity.

If you can eat that much and aren't experiencing any problems or complications commonly associated with refeeding (pitting edema, racing heart, etc) - then the calories you are eating are fine.

Honestly - if you can eat enough without following portions, I'd say you are better off sticking with that. Portioning can become an obsession. General guidelines are 1/2 your plate should complex carbs, 1/4 veggies and 1/4 protein, plus added fats like salad dressing, olive oil, butter, etc.

There is no difference where the calories come from - extra calories = weight gain. That being said, it IS good to aim for healthy eating habits and have the chocolate and biscuits as extras to help you make your calorie goals, or just because you want a little something extra.

For instance: have your chocolate or cookies after eating a good dinner or lunch, instead of having them in place of something like a baked potato.  Or get your three main meals made up of the good healthy stuff, and have a few snacks that consist of treats.

I personally used to have dessert after every meal, because for whatever reason I had it in my head that I couldn't have more than one serving of anything. Eventually I realized hey -  I can have a whole cup of brown rice and use 2/5 of tofu and then I don't need to eat dessert three times a day. And I like that better - feels like less food for me. But there is nothing wrong with having sweets multiple times a day. Some days I have chocolate 2-3 times. And I am perfectly content ^.^

do oat digestive biscuits count? cause now i've started bingeing on them again...

Original Post by silkystarz:

do oat digestive biscuits count? cause now i've started bingeing on them again...

 binging is an UNHEALTHY BEHAVIOUR; it is detriamental to your mind and body.. it doesn't matter how much you need to gain weight, you NEED to learn how to establish a healthy/normal relationship with food

you should start planning your meals everyday. But plan the majority of them around healthy nutrient dense NATURAL FOODS

you should be aiming for around 800-1000 calories per meal, and about 300-500 calories per snack... with a total of 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day. It's not healthy to realize that you are low on calories for the day, and then binge eat tons at night.

I too am trying to up my calories to gain a whole stone in weight (well, that's the goal set by my mum but I'm not happy with it - another story.....)

The trouble is - and I'm sure this is very common - my stomach simply can not hold larger meals or portions.  Also I have a terrible mental block when it comes to calorie-rich foods.   My idea of a snack is an apple, but my mum and my doctor will say have a scone with butter, or a granola bar, or something like that.  I can't bring myself to eat like that, no matter how hard I try.

I am seeing a therapist to try and alter my mindset about all this, but it's one long, hard battle at the moment.

However, I have read some of the posts on here about how to increase calories and keep it healthy.  I guess I shall have to keep on battling.

I'm so glad I found this forum - so many helpful, supportive people here.