Weight Gain calorie intake?
Hi i'm new and am in need of some advice. I'm 5' 10" , 106 pounds and am recovering from an eating disorder. I'm trying to gain and am wondering how many calories I need to eat daily to gain about 1-2 pounds a week.
Reason: Moved from Young Calorie Counters to Weight Gain.
This post probably is best answered on the 'Weight Gain' board.
You should really consult whoever is supervising your recovery.... doctor, therapist, dietician etc. Re-feeding when you're extremely underweight needs to be approached very carefully to avoid overloading the system.
The usual advice, however, is to start with a minimum of 2500 calories a day, consumed in a series of small meals and snacks. "Little and often". Choosing high-calorie, low-bulk foods (nuts, oils, full-fat dairy products, fruit juices, dried fruit, red meat, oily fish, chocolate, pasta) means that it's easier to get the full amount. Avoiding too many low-calorie, high-bulk foods (vegetables, salads, 'diet' foods) also helps. Drink more fluids to enable your digestion to process the extra food. Exercise very gently.... short walks only.... so that you don't burn off valuable energy. And use strengthening exercises to help convert the extra energy into muscle.
Planning your food day in advance makes it easier to make sure that you get the right amount. If you can see your day is coming up short you can add extra snacks or bigger portions to hit the target and spread them throughout the day.
But do seek professional medical advice and support.
I agree that you should be working with your team on this given you are so young and so underweight. Are you working with a doctor? If not, you need to go to one before you do anything.
Gi-Jane has otherwise summed up what you will need, and do not be surprised if you require even more than 2500 calories a day. 2500 is the minimum given weight gain amount for a sedentary girl, too, so if you are active you will also need more. Do not weigh yourself for two weeks once you begin refeeding as you will see initial water fluctuations not true to your actual weight or gaining pattern.
For food advice and general help with weight gain, please read The Aim is to Gain: Advice on Weight Gain, Whatever Your Reason.
I am working with a doctor but since he is trying to get the imphasis off of calories, he won't tell me a number to reach for daily. Which has been driving me crazy because it is way too stressful to just "eat as much as i can" because I never know if i'm not eating enough to gain and etc. So i'm still counting calories and was wondering what you here on this site advise. So thanks for the information.
Welcome. For future reference, by the way:
NIRC: Getting to Know Portion Sizes (PDF)
Nestle: Keeping an Eye on Portion Sizes
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