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Weight GAINERS- what did YOU eat today? August 19 to September 2nd

I am taking the liberty of starting a new thread.  This thread is for those of you looking to actively gain weight for whatever reason.

Requirements- If you are a male you need to eat at least 3000 calories, females must eat 2500-this is so that your body can begin to now only gain weight, but also for your internal organs to begin to recover, this takes fuel/calories.

It is NOT suggested that you excercise while underweight.  Excercsie is often an addicition seen with those with eating disorders. Try to stop cold turkey, IF you excercise, 2500/3000 is NOT enough.  You are only harming yourself+prolonging the illness by excercising.

If you are struggling to reach the necessary amount, and we all did, then please post a seperate thread w/ questions.  It is harmful for ppl to see posts that are under the food reuirement amount.  There are suggestions on this forum ontop regarding higher calorie+denser foods that should be incorporated to aid in reaching calorie goals.

A new thread will be started every two weeks, anyone can start the thread when the time comes.  Please start the thread by copying the initial post or two.

(copied from previous thread)-I am copying the many times copied thread, "What did you eat today?" in hopes of helping some of those who are just starting to gain and have no clue what to eat. I know that when I began weight recovery, I was eating tons of low-cal foods just because that's what I was used to. I learned the hard way that dense foods are essential to weight gain when you have high caloric requirements (at one point I needed 4500 cal to maintain my weight on BEDREST). Perhaps newbies can get some ideas if we post our weight gain meal plans! Even if you're not gaining anymore, grab an old one and post it!:]
Please note that every body is different and some will need more or less calories than others to gain. This thread is just so that you can get an idea of what you need.
Oh, and yes, I'm breaking the "no calories, no portions" rule, since it is pretty helpful in this case. If you want to post cals/portions you can. I just ask that you don't post if you're not eating enough, though as this is a weight gain thread, I would hope none of you are undereating.;]
I'll start....
Breakfast (875 cal)*

• 1/2 cup oatmeal (150) cooked with
• 1 cup evaporated whole milk (300)
• 1 mashed banana (100)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (200)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and cinnamon to taste (50) 
• 1 hard-boiled egg (75 cal)

Morning Snack (300 cal)*

• 1/4 cup mixed nuts (200)
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (100)

Lunch (660 cal)*

• 1/4 cup rice cooked in 1 cup chicken stock (300) and
• 1/2 cup canned or cooked chickpeas (145) and
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese (150) and
• 1/4 cup each onion, peppers, and tomato (30) cooked with
• 1 tbsp olive oil and curry powder to taste (120)

Afternoon snack (390 cal)*

• 1 serving baby carrots (35)
• 1/4 cup hummus (155)
• 1/4 cup mixed nuts (200)

Dinner (875 cal)*

• 1 cup of my insane Mac & Cheese recipe (515)
• 2 cups tossed salad (45)
• 2 tbsp rasins (60)
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (105)
• 2 tbsp dressing (150)

Evening snack (480)*

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (180)
• 1/2 cup homemade granola (300)

About 3600 calories :]

agruskin - I am working with a dietician but she won't tell me how many calories I am eating as she thinks this will freak me out. She just tells me to eat normal foods and normal portions.

I am eating a balance of fat free and regular foods.

I am a little suprised that it is maybe only 1500... I have tried to use the CC calculator but am not convinced of its accuracy... that seems to be telling me I am eating around 2500???

Erin-if YOU think calorie amounts will make you nuts then ok, do u live w/ anyone, a parent or friend?  whats a "normal" portion to you and most ED recoverers is NOT a normal portion and often much much less.  youve learned to ignore youre hunger cues thru past restrictions as well so often, ppl in recovery need to eat according to a structured plan w/ set calorie or food exchange guidelines+thats how one would know how much theyre eating.  it is very likely that youre eating too little as perceptins are often skewed and "normal" portions and "normal" foods is not really enough, especially since you need MORE THAN NORMAL amounts when gaining weight.

id suggest asking someoen to prepare your meals+portions or asking your nutritionist for a way for u to know if youre eating ENOUGH

agruskin - thanks for the feedback. I don't think the calorie amounts will freak me out and I actually have some hesitation about how good my dietician is and wonder if she actually knows how many calories she is asking me to eat through my plan anyway! Sorry - bit annoyed at my dietician at the moment as I don't feel she is being very helpful...

I live with my boyfriend so he helps in terms of portion size and what we eat in the evening and on weekends and I tend to just follow my plan during the work day. I am happy with incorporating some variety into my plan i.e. I have lists to choose snacks and lunches from etc but I still go with the 'safe food' choice a lot of the time.

I think what i actually need to be doing is finding a new dietician who can help me more and give me some more guidance and structure.

Erin-you dont need a dietitian, i didnt use one.  youll also need more than "normal" portions bc ur gaining, rt?

tell ur bf u need 2500+, if ur active then u ned more.  make sure u have all food groups at each meal, thatll help and dont eat fat free.

August 17th:

Breakfast - 3/4c Peanut Butter Puffins cereal in 1/2c soy milk and topped with 1/2 sliced banana

Snack - Ginger Snap Larabar, cup of Chai green tea

This is the 3rd Larabar I have tried. I have previously had Banana Cookie and Coconut Cream Pie awhile back. Even though I really enjoyed this one, Banana Cookie is still my favourite so far. I also picked up Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Cinnamon Roll and Cashew Cookie. Cannot wait to test more of them out!

Lunch - Left-over (ground) turkey tacos on an Ezekiel tortilla w/toppings (salsa, spinach, cucumber, onions, etc.)

Snack - 1/2 of an Ezekiel english muffin w/peanut butter & 1/2 mashed banana and drizzled with some honey, 1/2c chocolate soy milk

Dinner - Turkey clubhouse sandwich (turkey slices, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo) toasted on WW, cucumber slices

Dessert - peice of home-made "spicy" fruit loaf (raisins, crushed almonds, and spices: cinnamon, ginger and allspice, etc.)

Snack - TBD Strawberry smoothie topped with tons of cinnamon!

August 18th:

Breakfast - 1 slice WW toast with raspberry jam, 1/2c Kashi GoLEAN Crunch! cereal & 1/2c multigrain cheerios mixed w/vanilla yogurt, a peach, 1/2c mango-orange juice

Snack - 2 mini cherry Danishes

Lunch - 1c Amy's Medium Chili with Vegetables, slice of WW bread, bowl of grapes, 1/2c vanilla almond milk

Snack - 1c Mammoth 2500 (weight gain powder) mixed with mango-orange juice, some almonds

Dinner - Honey garlic chicken breast, brown rice, corn

Dessert - Lime/green jello (would have put whipped cream on it but we were all out)

Snack  - Mango smoothie

Boring day of eats today. We are getting low on my staples. No more vanilla yogurt and only crumbs of Kashi GoLEAN Crunch! cereal left.  Low on fruits aswell. Luckily we are going shopping Thursday!

 (edit: edited my bedtime snack)

Can anyone help me with potentially making a 3,500 calorie meal plan? I may need to increase since I've been noticing a slight drop recently. I don't know if it's just a fluke or if it's for real, but I can never be too careful. I was not currently trying to gain anymore (just find my maintenence number) but I can see that it will require some trial and error.

Breakfast - Banana pancakes with almond butter, an egg white omlette, and fresh strawberries

Snack - A pink lady apple with peanut butter, cottage cheese mixed with plain yogurt.

Lunch - Tuna salad (tuna, celery, red onion, parmesean, herbs, sea salt), baked kettle sea salt chips (chips and white taters' were a former "fear food"), green beans, peas, black beans, a bell pepper with salsa, and some trail mix that I made (peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins - I like a 2:1 nut to fruit ratio).

Snack - A cashew cookie Lara bar (tastes like cookie dough = </3) and a Chobani Greek yogurt.

Dinner - Pita pizza (pita, roasted tomato and garlic sauce, fresh basil, fresh garlic, baby tomatoes, and some mozzarella, parmesean, romano, and asiago cheeses), turkey pesto burger (ground turkey mixed with homemade pesto), green beans, peas, kidney beans, and a bell pepper with salsa.

Snack (will be) - Plain yogurt mixed with cottage cheese and flaxseeds, a small banana, and some almonds too probobly.

Today was my first day attending my school co-op. I'm homeschooled, but I go to the co-op school on Tuesdays and Thursdays now for Biology and Creative Writing. I arrive there at about 10:30 and stay until about 2:00 so time-wise it's not too bad. Along with my ED, I also had (still have) this thing where I HATE sitting down. I hardly ever sit ever unless I have to and it was hard for me to eat my normal amount today since I spent an extra three hours being "sedentary", even though I exercised just the same as always. I ended up eating a little less, but I'm not letting it happen again. After all, I'm active the rest of the day so three hours would not make much of a difference right? I get so confused about what to set my "base" calorie intake as. I know how much I burn through exercise, but I can't seem to figure out how much I burn just doing my daily things! It's really making maintenence hard for me - I either gaining or losing all the time and it's ticking me off! Does anyone have any suggestions?

ZEB-i beleive there is a thread about a 4000 cal mealplan if u research it. 

what about reducing your excercising and finding something esle to do?

3 hrs sitting should result in NO change in how much to eat but it is c oncerning that that bothered you+that u cant sit, am i wrong?

instead of the salad for lunch, why not a sandwich or a sandwich WITH the salad.

good job seeing that u may need to add and not wanting to backtrack!

I'd rather add food than take away fun. I exercise mainly out of enjoyment - I love running, and I take a water aerobics class with my mom since she has arthritis. We also go swimming at my grandma's pool most every day and I have loved swimming since before I could walk. I'm also trying to improve so I can join a swim team and cross country team later this year.

I didn't have a salad with tuna, per se, I had tuna salad. My whole lunch was about 550 calories I think, but I'm sure I could increase it if I wanted to. I just get so full. It's not that I don't want to eat, it's just that I can't physically do it sometimes. And yes, I'm upset about the sitting thing too. I never sit at home, only in the car, at church, at school, etc. It's good to hear that going for three hours doesn't change my calorie needs though since I seemed to be maintaining pretty well there for a while on my normal routine. I just need to do what's right for my body, even if I have to take a while to figure out exactly what that is. Thanks a million though agruskin. You're always a great help to all of us.

ZEB-no prob!  few things, salad, while very good for u, is low cal+filling even w/ toppings and what not so yea, add or swap something denser, keep the salad and add cookies or a brownie, sandwich, something.

u 1st said u lost a bit then in ur 2nd post that ur maintaining alrt, hmm, lol, dont slide back, make up for that loss ASAP!! it only gets harder psychologically the longer u put it off and see that lower #.

i understand that u enjoy excercising but ull either have to eat more or find something else that u enjoy, mabe ull meet ner friends and find something else u enjoy.  excercising that much may be soemthing that is hard to continue later in life or when the school yr starts up, just something to considar.

Hey everyone!

Breakfast 1: Two pieces of toast, 1 with creamy peanut butter and 1 with pumpkin butter. (~250)

Breakfast 2: Carrot Cake oats (oats cooked with milk, plus raisins, shredded carrots, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweetleaf, pecans). Plus some dried apricots on the side - can you tell I ran out of fresh fruit this morning? haha! (~500)

Lunch: Greek yogurt with strawberries, flax, honey, cheerios. Clif Bar. Bell pepper and baby carrots with hummus. (v.weird lunches this week!) (~650)

Snack: Large hazelnut latte. Apple. (~380)

Dinner: My mom and I cooked together tonight! She's vegan and an amaaaaazing cook. She made her amazing vegetarian chili. To beef up my portion I added another 1/2 cup of kidney beans and some toasted cashews on top. I also made dawali (stuffed grape leaves) with rice, chickpeas, onion and spices. Drizzled in evoo and I topped mine with some feta! This was the best dinner I've had in awhile. Oh, also 1 large pita for dippage in the chili! (~700)

Snack: Rice Pudding and honey grahams (~250)

=2730 bam!

PITTGIRL-what u did for dinner, adding more to youor portion of the meal was great and allowed you to still eat the same m eal as your f amily, fanstastic!

B: Croissant with and egg and cheese (1oz.), 1 cup strawberry yogurt, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 Tbsp. Almond (about 760)

S: Nutrigrain bar with 1 cup milk (about 260)

L: Egg salad sandwich, 2 Tbsp. Honey Mustard dressing with salad and 1/2 cup croutons, 1 cup Chocolate milk, 2 peaches (about 810)

S: a slice of Apple Pie (about 300)

D: Peppers stuffed with 1 cup beans and 1 cup rice, 1 dinner roll, 1 cup blueberry yogurt with 1 cup melon mixed in, salad dressed with 1 Tbsp. honey mustard dressing (about 870)

S: PB + J sandwich (about 500)

Total: about 3500

hey ember..... nice meal plan. yum! just looking at your profile - hope thats ok! is your info old... re the 5'4 and healthy weight?

woohoo, 5'3 here, lol but much older!

breakfast: yogurt, coco pops, yogurt raisins (330)

snack: 400ml banana milk, banana, handful grapes (400)

lunch: medium coffee frescato, ham/cream cheese sandwich (500)

snack: pack softmints, caramel rice cakes (320)

dinner: stir fry w/ rice, tofu, veg & sauce, 400ml pineapple juice (550)

snack (will be): 2 slices toast w/ cream cheese & honey (400)

I need to come up with better ideas instead of just varying what kind of juice/milk I drink lol. bring on next week's shopping trip

Innocent-ideas in terms of meals, snacks?  maybe try and stop+think, what do i REALLY want to eat, rt now, no thinking, and buy those foods so that when ur hungry or its time to eat, ull have them available.

maybe add a carb-cookie, bread, bar, whatever to ur AM snack and a yogurt +treat to lunch.

Original Post by agruskin:

Innocent-ideas in terms of meals, snacks?  maybe try and stop+think, what do i REALLY want to eat, rt now, no thinking, and buy those foods so that when ur hungry or its time to eat, ull have them available.

maybe add a carb-cookie, bread, bar, whatever to ur AM snack and a yogurt +treat to lunch.

I'm eating a restricted diet (in terms of fibre/fat) because of stomach problems caused by my ED ( I know!) which makes it a bit of a pain. I'm sure I will be able to figure out more variety as time goes on though, it's just quite difficult, or more so than it would be if I could just eat any old thing. I do like to randomly go and buy a snack out sometimes though if I can, cause it's easier then to get what I WANT rather than think 'hmm what's in the cupboard?' 

what stomach probs do u have?  i have major probs as well and am going for colonoscopy #3 on friday.

how old r u? sorry if u posted but i dont remember, how long have u had these issues?

if the house is stocked w/ a few things u like, ull be more likely to actually satisfy ur craving and FIGHT the ED thoughts!

still, id add a snack and yogurt to lunch and maybe something else to bfast, deff to bfast such as toast/muffin/bagel w/spread.

delayed gastric emptying...basically if I eat the wrong things they sit in my stomach for up to 8/10 hours and cause me a lot of pain/sometimes make me throw up...have had this issue since my last relapse over winter. I'm 20 atm!

I havnt had a colonoscopy, my mum has had a few tho, good luck w/ it the prep seems awful  but hopefully will find something!

I'm not up to adding more solids to any of those meals atm, that amount of volume seems to be what my stomach can cope with digesting in one go. I don't need more calories right now tho as I just literally a few days ago upped to 2500. if I stop gaining here I guess I will have to add a high calorie drink at breakfast too or maybe at another snack? that reminds me, I am looking for sources of liquid fats as I don't want to miss out on a whole food group but solid fats are a no-go zone. I thought of coconut milk but it tastes like CRAP on it's own lol, and I like coconut! anyone know how to make it palatable by mixing with something else maybe? or other liquid fats? (not oil because you cook with it then it's mixed in if that makes sense. like a drink.)

ive heard of flax oil or something which can be used in smoothies+as dressing, also what about melted PB in smoothies w/ whole milk, whole fat anything really.  deff serach for cocunut milk recipes, there are a ton here.  its good in smoothies+for baking ive heard.

if u stop gaining then add 250 cals at least whoch could be done w/ a smoothie or 2 very easily.