Weight Gainers: What did YOU eat today?

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 :]

Original Post by gibbit:

Not to criticize, but I've noticed many people on here posting things that are fat free or diet, or low fat, and while I understand those foods are "safer", it's a good idea to switch to full fat versions of things while trying to gain. I promise you don't notice the difference, and it will make us healthier! Plus when you're ready to maintain, it's an easy switch back.

 I've noticed that as well and could not agree more.

Dairy fats aren't going to kill you, espeically in a case like this. Every doctor I've spoken to has suggested full-fat dairy as having important fats for recovery. Saturated fats are very important for our current needs!! Because of what happened to our bodies, they need different nutrients than the average Joe's. Besides, if we want to keep our body fat at an adequate level/get our cycles back we can't be going around eating practically no fat at all.

The other thing is that diet food aren't going to be as easy to gain on; that's why they're weight loss foods! We need "real" versions of food if we want to eat enough for gaining without feeling sick. If it's hard to get in your needed cals each day, be sure to examine your eating habits and replace the "diet" and "low-fat" foods.

I can relate to feeling afraid of these types of foods, but they are essential to a good recovery. If you allow ED even the tiniest slip, he can come back to destory everuthing you worked for in recovery. He's the one who wants you to avoid "scary" foods--but we hate ED, don't we? Why listen to that jerk?

I ate 6 gallons of ice cream last night that was eqaul to 51155 calories

• Breakfast
• Oatmeal mixed with chopped apple, flaxseed, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and coconut
• Pumpkin seeds
• Snack
• 1 orange
• Peanuts
• Lunch
• Lentil-curry cakes fried in olive oil sprinkled with cheese
• Cabbage fried in olive oil
• Snack
• Baked Yam with cocoa and cinnamon
• Cashews
• Soynuts
• Dinner
• Lentils, potatoes, onion, and broccoli fried in olive oil and seasoned with curry powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, and cumin
• Ricotta cheese on top
• Pumpkin seeds

I didn't even give myself a chance to feel hungry today! but I kept eating :)

Breakfast: bowl full of chopped papaya and apple with granola and yogurt mixed with scoop of vanilla protein powder, sprinkled with coconut and drizzled with honey. Hot chocolate.

Snack: Strawberries, Balance Organic protein bar.

Lunch: Avocado, egg, spinach and sprouts sandwich.

Snack: celery and apple salad, peanut butter mixed with honey and cocoa spread on cranberry nut loaf, dried peaches. Glass of soymilk.

Dinner: Black bean stew, another avocado. Strawberry banana smoothie.

Snack: 2 bowls java chip ice cream mixed with walnuts, raisins and maple syrup. Extra handful of walnuts.

whew! I'm gonna go sleep this off...

Breakfast: oatmeal made with skim. milk, 30g cap 'n' crunch ;) haha, toffee chocolate powder and a banana mashed in.

Lunch: wholewheat baby baguettes (2) with 2 quorn hot dogs, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber.

Snack: an apple, an orange and a pear.

Dinner: mushroom, brocolli and asparagus mixed with skim. milk and single cream, (like a sauce....) served on about 50g brown rice and half a wholewheat pitta.

Snack: 3 weetabix with strawberry sorbet and 50g frozen mango.

Before bed: 2 instant hot chocolates and 1 slice of w/wheat toast with soy nut butter.

i had to increase my calories AGAAIN... i still wasnt gaining...

Original Post by yyonah:

i had to increase my calories AGAAIN... i still wasnt gaining...

 How much are you up to now, if you don't mind me asking? Early on in recovery I hit a plateau and my caloric needs shot up like you wouldn't believe. The 500 calories extra rule didn't apply in the slightest; I needed to add 1500 to my already high intake!

2300, im now up (as of today) to 2500... :|

Original Post by yyonah:

2300, im now up (as of today) to 2500... :|

 That's my maintenance level. xD I feel your pain. It's hard for me to simply get in what I need to keep from losing weight.

I know it's kinda scary, but maybe you could start using whole milk rather than skim? That would up the calsreally easily. Or you could add powdered milk on top of skim milk to things like oatmeal. Even making your hot cocoa with milk would help give you a little boost.

You remind me so much of myself with the hot cocoa before bed, although I preferred it in the morning.xD Early on in recovery, while I was int he hospital, I was famous among my nurses as "the chocolate milk girl" because I'd have milky hot cocoa or chocolate milk every single morning. It helped me get for 4000 calories in 6 meals, which I incidentally got hungry for in time! What's weird is that I had to cut down on the sweets in order to gain weight. o_0 I think it's just because I'm hypoglycemic and sugars move through my system so fast that my body has basically no time to absorb the nutrients.

Oh dear, I'm babbling. xD I wish you good luck!

 

Breakfast Bread, Banana, Prepared From Recipe - Made With Margarine C+ 120 391 Milk, Reduced Fat, Fluid, 2% Milkfat - With Added Vitamin A A- 305 153   Lunch Toaster Pastries, KELLOGG, KELLOGG'S POP TARTS, Frosted strawberry C+ 104 406   Dinner Mission "Burrito", 10" Flour tortillas, 14ct. 70 210 Refried Beans, Canned - (Includes Usda Commodity) A- 126 118   Snacks Sunshine Cheez-It Original D+ 61 325 Everything Bagel, NY Style C+ 78 225 Regular Jif Creamy C 64 380 Apples - Gala A 91 45 Total Calories Consumed 2,253

Okay call me lazy-but I just copy pasted my food log --hope you can read it--the far right column is calories.  Great idea--I have found this post very helpful-thanks everyone for sharing.   I didn't feel like I ate very well today=but i was at work and always find it harder to eat like I should-but I was glad I had the pop tarts and the bagel-easy to throw in my purse-and a good amount of calories. 

I wish I loved the Ensure as much as everyone else--I was thinking it would be my new best friend.  I also wish I had 10 gallons of ice cream to eat right now!

Who else feels like this is a part-time job to EAT! SERIOUSLY! i feel like I spend so much time just preparing food and eating it. :-)  when someone posted that they got food from the cafeteria at school I was wishing I could just go down to a cafeteria and grab some fattening food--anyone who can should definitely take advantage of that.

Also-and this will be the last thing-it was nice to hear how many calories some of you are shooting for each day. I am trying for 2400/day and I don't think it is too bad some days...but it is the consistancy that kills me--I have been trying this for 15 days, and at one point I had gained 2.5 pounds--and I was psyched that it was working, but then I lost it again (I was lacking in calories a couple days though)- Anyway now I am wondering how much more I should be eating. And I was thinking that there is no way I can eat any more without just living by fast food (which is an unhealthy way to get it) --but then to hear that some of you are shooting as high as 4000-means that I should just keep trying.  Keep the tips coming! :-)

 

Breakfast: Oatmeal made with skim. milk, a toffee hot chocolate sachet, chopped banana and 30g cookie crisp mixed in (: mmmmmmmmmm (haha)

Lunch: 1 wholewheat tortilla topped with soy cheese, tomato puree, quorn chunks and pineapple (like a pizza)
side salad of - baby carrots and mustard, baby corn, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.

Snack: an apple, an orange and a pear.

Dinner: avocado, walnut, feta and tomato salad with 2 grilled veggie burgers and a wholewheat bagel with hummus.

Snack: CEREAL FEST! 30g honey nut cheerios, 30g all bran (yoghurt coated) and 30g honey bunches of oats, all mixed with live strawberry yoghurt and topped with fresh raspberries, pineapple, mango and some cinnamon.

Before bed: 2 instant hot chocolates...

phew.

 

missmagill - how long into recovery did it take you to plateau?
i feel like no matter how much i eat its impossible to gain, the only time i really gained anything was when i was bingeing 5000+ calories a day and as soon as i went back down to 2000 i lost it all in the space of a bout 2 months.... :|

Original Post by yyonah:

missmagill - how long into recovery did it take you to plateau?
i feel like no matter how much i eat its impossible to gain, the only time i really gained anything was when i was bingeing 5000+ calories a day and as soon as i went back down to 2000 i lost it all in the space of a bout 2 months.... :|

Haha. Your "binging" is what it took for me to MAINTAIN me weight during my first plateau. That occurreda couple of weeks into recovery while I was in the hospital. They upped my intake really fast and my metabolism shot up with it. Due to your eating such large amounts previously in recovery, your metabolism may have done the same thing.

I also hit a few more plateaus after my hospital stays. About 3 months into recovery, I was losing weight despite eating 4000 cals a day, which was odd since the hospital said that i only needed about 3000 to gain. We went to a dietition who told me to cut wheat from my diet. Sure enough, I started gaining again. 

The next time that weight gain stalled was when I was working on the last 10 pounds. From last August (8 months into recovery) to last December (12 months in) I couldn't seem to gain squat until I moved my intake up by 1000 and nearly cut out exercise. 

My final plateau is still going on and started in March. But this one is on purpose since I finally hit my goal weight after 14 months.;]

You may very well need a large amount to gain. You may also have a food intolerance like I do. Are you seeing a dietitian? Depending on your insurance some will give you a free year of service. Don't be afraid to eat a lot either way! It's much easier to get it over with than to futts around with the numbers for months on end. That's what I did, and if I could do one thing different in recovery, I would have just bumped myself up to 3000-3500 during plateus instead of pretending that I could gain in the 2000's.

You and I are VERY similar low weight-wise, too. I'm 5'4 and my lowest was 76 pounds. You're lucky to not have been hospitalized. I had to be as I collapsed one night and was unable to maintain stability at home. You body has really suffered and got very, very, sick and emaciated. That often calls for more nutrition during recovery.

I'm rooting for ya.:]

hi everyone, guy post here for a change :)

 

breakfast: ate a 2 tablespoons marks and spencers luxury fruit n nut muesli with semi skim milk (this was at 12pm)

luch: mexican style chicken curry with some curly fries, followed by tuna pasta salad, plus raw tomatoes and a banana

snack:  cup of malt ovaltine and a wheat bread roll

dinner: lamb curry with spiced rice, fatfree muller strawberry yoghurt and a pear

 

am a uk uni student with meal plan provided by my residence so i dont get much choice for lunch and dinner. gonna go to tescos tmr to see if they have this Ensure stuff, and to hunt for some flaxseed oil .  the calculator/analysis tool tells me my days eating isnt quite up to my caloric need of 2550cal so i'm gonna hav to find a snack now before i sleep...

 

I'm 110 lbs at 5'9 currently... Today I had

Banana smoothie with whole dairy milk, vanilla yogurt (it was a CHALLENGE to find full-fat yogurt in the supermarket aisle and then once I'd done that I couldn't find one that wasn't sweetened with sugar!) and a banana. ~450

Scrambled eggs (made with whole milk and margarine) on toast ~700

Apple with yogurt and peanut butter ~ 300

3 bowls of vegetable soup (made with lots of oil) ~700

Bowl of yogurt ~ 200

Total of about 2350. Maybe more, maybe less. Who knows? The important thing is that I'm no longer freezing to death!

Missmagill: no, im not seeing a dietician, we cant afford it... :|
Yeah, my lowest was 72lbs @ 5'4" i think, i was supposed to be admitted but alot of stuff was thrown up in the air so they didnt..... i decided i wanted to do this for me! im fed up of looking like a zombie, i wasnt my lil dimples back when i smile and an ass! not just an excuse that looks like a burst beach ball!
food intollerance? what are you allergic to? i have a reaction to histamine that could quite literally kill me so im on a really careful diet and i have to carry an epipen, i also have a bowel problem which is kinda gross.... nothing that goes in stays in for more than 7 hours so thats kinda making it even more difficult but i have an appointment with a gastro on tuesday.... whew..... what a life!

ANYWAY!......

Breakfast: oatmeal made with skim. milk, flaxseeds, strawberries, raspberries and 2 Tablespoons of soynut butter.

Lunch: Wholewheat english muffin with 1 Tablespoon soynut butter, 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam and half a mashed banana
an apple, a navel orange and a pear.

Snack: the other half of the banana! on top of 4 weetabix, mixed with yeo valley organic raspberry yoghurt and cinnamon.

Dinner: Couscous salad (couscous, sultanas, tomatoes, spring onion, feta cheese, mint, corriander, lemon juice, garlic), with a wholewheat pitta bread.

Dessert: Homemade bread and butter pudding with about half a cup of vanilla ice cream.

Before bed: 2 Instant hot chocolates.

Original Post by yyonah:

Missmagill:no, im not seeing a dietician, we cant afford it... :|
Yeah, my lowest was 72lbs @ 5'4" i think, i was supposed to be admitted but alot of stuff was thrown up in the air so they didnt..... i decided i wanted to do this for me! im fed up of looking like a zombie, i wasnt my lil dimples back when i smile and an ass! not just an excuse that looks like a burst beach ball!
food intollerance? what are you allergic to? i have a reaction to histamine that could quite literally kill me so im on a really careful diet and i have to carry an epipen, i also have a bowel problem which is kinda gross.... nothing that goes in stays in for more than 7 hours so thats kinda making it even more difficult but i have an appointment with a gastro on tuesday.... whew..... what a life!

 We can't afford it, either. Our area just happened to have one that we could go to for free due to our insurance.

I'm glad that you can get yourself to do this for yourself! I remember so vividly looking like a baboon. Ugh, it was horrible!

I am intolerant to wheat products or any type. The dietitian said that despite failing the medical tests that determine wheat sensitivities, some people can still react badly to wheat. Always worth a shot.;] Oatmeal had become my BEST FRIEND along with beans and my food possessor (ground up beans=flour =yummy lentil pancakes!).

That's awful about everything that's going on with you! I have a belly scan on Tuesday for reoccurringGI problems, myself. I can't seem to get stuff to move through me..at all. I bloat up like insanity during the day and only lose the bloating completely if I have to fast for a medical test and am without food for over 12 hours. The doctors are stumped, since my gallbladder got removed and should have stopped my problems. They say it's the after-effect and it's due to my being undiagnosed for so long. Did you ever have gallbladder issues? It certainly sounds like something GI-wise isn't helping you in the slightest. I hope that you can get whatever it is fixed.:]

thank you :)
i dont actually know what the problem is, i didnt ever have it before i starved myself but then when i started eating again, i mean i hopped from 150cals/day straight to 1800 and i gained zilch, ive been eating 2000-5000 (some days) for over a year now and in that whole year, ive gained 1kg.

im so dissappointed coz ill eat 3000 cals for like a week, gain 0.5lb then if i go back down to 2000 for a few days to create some breathing space, ive lost it all again.

lemmie know how your appointment goes :)

and i second the oatmeal, i couldnt possibly imagine skipping it in the morning.... :D!

I've been bloating for weeks! it's kind of bad because I'll get sooo full and feel like that for hours afterward but I'll know that I have to eat anyways. Either that or I turn into a balloon, kinda gross lol. 

Well, it's only 9:30 so I can't really post my days meals but so far I've had dried apricots, tea, papaya and strawberries with yogurt and almonds, and oatmeal. 

Last night I went to a Raw Vegan Foods potluck! I know, sounds crazy. I've just gotten curious about raw foods and I'm really into nutrition in general. Obviously I'm in no position to go raw at the moment plus I think that's a bit extreme, but the food was amazing! Nut and veggie burgers, key lime pie made from nuts and avocados, salads, about 4 different kinds of brownies, it was a very colorful and beautiful display of food. And I bet all those nuts and avocados did me some good as well :)

As for whole milk yogurt and products in general, i know how hard that is! I don't know where you all live but I've found Yobaby here, it's for babies but it's about the same size as any of the other cups, it's full fat, and organic, so no extra sugars. Greek yogurts are also great, up to 20 g of fat per cup! but they're on the pricey side so I don't buy them as much. 

yyonah, i feel your pain! a whole year? That would be frustrating. I'm getting really impatient and I've been trying to gain since November now and have barely gained anything. I have to keep it above 3000 just to maintain. Keep eating and good luck!

hia im currently 91lbs up from 80 and 5ft3

breakfast: oatmeal w/milk + strawberries (200)

snack: youhurt w/ mixed berries + 40 mixed nuts (400)

lunch: baked beans w/ chopped tomatoes + crisps (i know not too healthy) (300)

snack: milkshake w/ milk, banana, yoghurt + strawberries (200)

i havent finished yet...will edit when i do!

Edit

Snack: Mini biscuits, cracker and cottage cheese (200)

Tea: Cheese + Tomato ravioli in  tomato sauce w/ green beans (320)

Snack: Milkshake w/ milk, banana, 30g peanut butter! (330)

TOTAL: 1950 (aiming for 2000 so not bad :D)

Original Post by yyonah:

thank you :)
i dont actually know what the problem is, i didnt ever have it before i starved myself but then when i started eating again, i mean i hopped from 150cals/day straight to 1800 and i gained zilch, ive been eating 2000-5000 (some days) for over a year now and in that whole year, ive gained 1kg.

im so dissappointed coz ill eat 3000 cals for like a week, gain 0.5lb then if i go back down to 2000 for a few days to create some breathing space, ive lost it all again.

lemmie know how your appointment goes :)

and i second the oatmeal, I couldn't possibly imagine skipping it in the morning.... :D!

 Hmmm...have you had a doctor run some blood tests? My electrolytes were scewed when I was having the most difficulty gaining; that may be the case with you. Starvation can really throw off the body chemistry (I'm sure you knew that already, though).

I'll be posting about my appointment for sure. I know that many people struggle with this sort of stuff and perhaps it'll help someone else figure out what's wrong.:]

Haha, yeah. I never get sick of it! It's my "I don't really feel up to eating" food. There's been days when my stomach's felt so awful that I've simply eaten oatmeal for every meal. It's so easy to make it dense! I've created 1000 calories oatmeal recipes that really helped meout when my caloric needs were insane. 

Original Post by gibbit:

I've been bloating for weeks! it's kind of bad because I'll get sooo full and feel like that for hours afterward but I'll know that I have to eat anyways. Either that or I turn into a balloon, kinda gross lol. 

Well, it's only 9:30 so I can't really post my days meals but so far I've had dried apricots, tea, papaya and strawberries with yogurt and almonds, and oatmeal. 

Last night I went to a Raw Vegan Foods potluck! I know, sounds crazy. I've just gotten curious about raw foods and I'm really into nutrition in general. Obviously I'm in no position to go raw at the moment plus I think that's a bit extreme, but the food was amazing! Nut and veggie burgers, key lime pie made from nuts and avocados, salads, about 4 different kinds of brownies, it was a very colorful and beautiful display of food. And I bet all those nuts and avocados did me some good as well :)

As for whole milk yogurt and products in general, i know how hard that is! I don't know where you all live but I've found Yobaby here, it's for babies but it's about the same size as any of the other cups, it's full fat, and organic, so no extra sugars. Greek yogurts are also great, up to 20 g of fat per cup! but they're on the pricey side so I don't buy them as much. 

yyonah, i feel your pain! a whole year? That would be frustrating. I'm getting really impatient and I've been trying to gain since November now and have barely gained anything. I have to keep it above 3000 just to maintain. Keep eating and good luck!

 I hear ya on the bloating balloon thing; my stomach goes from 24 inches to 36 inches nearly every day due to bloating (my mom measured me out of curiosity). We have a joke going around my house..."When's the baby due?" and I always say,"In August I'm giving birth to triplets as a birthday present to me!" It's really funny, actually. My parents are such a riot and they do a good job of lifting my spirits.

My doctor said that the bloating may come down once I get a period if it isn't due to the GI issues I'm currently having. What's weird is that it was happening for one week at a time,once  amonth for a while. I was starting to think that maybe my cycle was finally returning! NOw I've been having pain for nearly a month, though.:[  

Mmmm...it sounds like you've got a great taste in foodage! I looovvee fruit and yogurt, too! I just wish that yogurt weren't so darned pricey. Everything seems pricey wehn you're trying to gain, though, I suppose! This whole process has caused me to fallin love with bulk food stores and farmer's markets. :P