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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 :]

hmm, i realized that my previous post sounded quite defeatist :/

so, change of plans: i'm going to eat MORE then 2500 these next few days, hopefully 250+ more, even if i have to over-PB my toast or forcefeed myself ice cream. on the other hand, i'm trying to do this the healthy way, so as much as muffins and cookies have helped me in my endeavors these past few weeks, i'll try to limit them (unless i really need the cals/am feeling in a muffiny mood).

all right, i'm off to put peanut butter in my banana oatmeal :)

have a good day everyone!

Dolly: Your servings of condiments look good. I'd say you're likely making about 2000, just about, but you're not even scraping close to 2500. INCREASE, girly!

Hey all!  I know I haven't posted in almost two weeks but I've been busy busy busy - actually first I was just lazy and not at all in weight-gain mode, then I went with my program to the Galapagos Islands (which was absolutely amazing, by the way)!  And I guess now that I've come back to Quito and realized I only have two more weeks left here in Ecuador, my mind's been on other things besides gaining... namely enjoying the last of my time here!

So that's all to say that I don't really know how much I've been eating lately or what my weight's been doing.  I'd guess that I'm eating enough to maintain - I'm definitely eating when I'm hungry and enough to feel satisfied - though I'm sure not enough to gain.  During our trip to the Galapagos I definitely had to challenge myself with the all the hotel meals (especially scrambled eggs in the mornings) and making myself eat snacks to make up for when there weren't vegetarian options for me.  And now there are big city-wide parties going on all this week in Quito, so I'm trying to make myself relax a bit on the food front (because calories and being anal about my nutrition are still always on my mind) and maybe even "splurge" on some alcohol calories. 

Anyway, I just wanted to give an update.  I'm mostly caught up on reading your guys' posts, but I'll respond better the next time.  It seems like for the most part you girls are doing well and I definitely applaud the positive and encouraging attitude many of you have about your gaining.  Way to go and keep it up!

Oh, one last thing.  I was noticing that a lot of you girls have started blogs... I keep one too to update my family and friends on my goings-on here in Ecuador, but I also love to post recipes and pictures - food photography is definitely an art!  And I probably spend most of my procrastination time on food blogs.  I have bookmarked so many recipes on my computer and can't wait to get back to the US to test them all out!

deflep- No, we wouldn't mind at all! Sorry you've been struggling. Peanut butter, nuts, and dried fruit are your new best friends. To keep yourself from getting full, you want to eat lots of calorie dense foods. Liquid calories like milk and juice are also good, and you can make smoothies with whole milk yogurt, bananas, etc. Whole wheat pasta is good, with pesto sauce (240 cals for 1/4 cup!) and parmesan cheese. I'm in a rush now, so sorry for not giving for examples!

lady- Ha, I used to be a 13-year old black coffee addict. But now I drink decaf green or chai tea. I have coffee maybe once a week. Try switching one cup of coffee a day with tea to break your dependence on caffeine!

fresh- I'm sorry that happened to you. Some people are really rude, it's not of their business. But like rebel said, just use this as motivation to kick this ED, kick being underweight. Do you want comments like that for the rest of your life? You're doing the right thing now, just focus on your recovery and not on what other people say.

likear- When do you get back to the US? Glad you haven't been worrying about food too much. Have you been counting cals? It would probably be a good idea to stock up on nuts and dried fruit just in case you don't have an oppurtunity to get food anywhere else.

Food later.

Oh - no dependence on the caffiene lovey. I barely do two cups a day usually first thing and after dinner when on the computer. And only because it's the only thing that aint water that i drink! HA, i can't touch green tea now.. when at the mental worst it was the only thing i 'allowed' myself.. as well as granny smith apples.

I have to hit 2500 MINIMUM for the next two weeks, this is gonna be happy.
Maybe peanut butter cookies? Hmm, dense.. but delicious foodies..
Donuts?

X

Hey hey..

Glad to hear everyone's doing well =) I'm OK.. having a bit of a blug moment (again) but haven't let it affect my eating so I guess it's all good. I just sometimes feel that life outside the safe little prison anorexia makes is so..daunting. Filled with disappointments, challenges, expectations etc.. And sometimes I wonder if I'm ready. It's just been so long now (over 4 years) .. sometimes I wonder who I am without my ED.

Sorry guys - don't think this is me relapsing or anything!! I'm doing good with my food and all, I just feel mentally drained from the effort, plus the stress of my interview which starts on Tuesday :'S

Blah. Anyway, I shall shut up now. Foods? I think so!

Breakfast
All Bran
Skim milk
Banana
Grapefruit juice

Snack
Homemade 'larabar' - This was good! Not EXACTLY the same as the real thing but I only used dates and cashews and I think they normally use a couple of different types of nut instead of just a cashew overload. It was stickier, too. But still delicious!

Lunch
Jacket potato
Cheese
Salad
Balsamic vinegar

Snack
Fage
Cashews
Applesauce

Dinner
Innocent Veg Pot
[rice, beans, broccoli, spinach, creme fraiche]
Carrots
Courgette (Zucchini!)

Snack
'Nana porridge
Brown sugar

I feel like I need to set myself another challenge. I'll decide what tomorrow. I'm meant to be going out to dinner with a few friends tomorrow night (my friend's birthday).. I swear I'm so bad at being social. I just find it such an effort to go out and be chatty at the moment.. I think it's something to do with the cold. I just CANNOT enjoy myself when I'm freezing. It's impossible.

ENOUGH WHINING!

Sorry guys!

xxx

Mashed; I know just how you feel. I've been in this little prison for a good 5-6 years. A few stints of probabtion here and there where I could actually function like a generally normal teenager. But yeah. Its hard. Especially when you are struggling to live your life AND recover at the same time. Some people just don't understand "I can't do that right now, I'm in recovery." The whole relationship world reduces me to quivering jelly. Anyways! The good thing about life is that you can go at your own pace. People spend their whole lives learning abot who they are, yknow? My mother is 58 and just recently recognized how strong a woman she is. You don't need to worry about who you will be without an E.D. - all you need to know is that without an E.D. you will be free to be YOU entirely and wholeheartedly, not just a glimmer. And trust me, everyone knows that you, yourself without an E.D. will be kick-ass ten fold.

foods:
b- 2 cups goLean CRUNCH with 400g yogurt, grapes,

s- soy milk, banana

l- WHOLE footlong sub with extra cheese and real mayo

s- an entire cinnnabon :O

s- cottage cheese with cinnamon, soy slices on toast, grapes

blueberry muffin with peanutbutter and blueberry jam

d- dunno parents ordered pizza

s- godiva's dark chocolate fudge ice cream :)

_________________

thats how i eat anyday now

moving on with life is fun

i really hope you guys get there soon, i'm sure you will

i hope you know that i'm always reading this and i've read everyone's blogs whos made them.

I just think the best way to fully recover is to spend less time on a site that just begs for me to check the nutritional information on stuff

well i've gained 15 pounds but my haris falling out like crazy and i have literally 1/3 of it left, it looks rather awful, but im getting it cut a good 8 inches tomorrow, hopefully it'll grow out soon,

i love you guys and are a constant inspiration and silent support

hi-

i have to agree w/ SLR-

ever since i started working ive had no time to come onto this site and fall into the ED abyss that is, well, here...

i have no ED thoguhts, honestly, it doesnt even occur to me till i come on here.  i dont compare my weight, food, whatever w/ other ppl, it just doesnt even occur w me.  i swear, reading posts on here only serves to stregnthen your ED thoughts, its like you think youre improving but its all talk about food, recipes, how life revolves around those things, that is just not life.  i really think you need to take a step back from the site in order to recover.  talking about these subjects only drags you deeper into the disease, the mental disease, and you become consumed w/ the ED.

best of luck, just my two cents..

I have to say I disagree to an extent - this board, this thread in particular, saved me.

If it wasn't for you guys I'd still be eating around 1600 a day, kidding myself that I was 'doing better' and 'eating more.' I know some of the boards (particularlyl the YCC threads - pshh) can be triggering, but generally I stick to the weight gain threads and I couldn't have made any of the progress I've made in the past three months without it.

Yes, I'm obsessed with food. Far, far too obsessed. But through this board I'm starting to learn to channel my obsession into conquering the fears I have, not indulging them through fat feeding other people or  making endless recipes with no intention of ever eating them.

I love you guys, all of you. Each and every one of you has touched me and helped me more than you can know. Thank you.

Will post later - out to dinner tonight *scared scared scared* with friends and it's a set menu so I'm not sure what there will be. Fingers crossed, however, I'll be fine. I'll be thinking of you all!

xxxxxxxxx

Mashed, I couldn't have put it better myself.  I agree; CC's boards can be triggering, but they're also helpful in so many ways, not least because they contain posts from such wonderful people as you folks. 

Have a lovely time out with your friends, and sit back and enjoy the meal!

Mel. xox

Damned Sweet Potatoes.

I am going to agree to disagree about agreeing with the disagreed.
I see both points. However, through this board alone i have progressed more than i ever thought possible. And have regained not only confidence but friendships worthwhile. Again, the obsession with food IS there. However as Mashed said, it's channeling it... USING the absolute **** out of your ED to benefit US. Us, as people. NOT as the muppets it likes to think we are.

I know i spend too much time on here, but not all for worse. Nutrition, Health Forums, Humour. S'all online.. plenty o' books scattered over the interweb.

Safes to say, i love you W.Gainerators.
XXX

I also see both points of this argument. If it wasn't for this thread, I think I would be deeper in this ED prison than I am now. I would have just convinced myself that I was "okay" because I was eating a normal amount of food, but I don't think I would've let myself gain any weight. It wasn't until I started seeing all the people on here who are really motivated to gain and be healthy that I started to realize that I was destroying my body by staying underweight.

But, I do this this site makes me too obsessed with food and weight. Just looking through the YCC forums, and even some of the posts on the WG forum, is very triggering. I get jealous of all the people who are dieting (or not eating enough to gain) and start to think that I'm greedy and fat for eating more than they do. That I can out-do them by eating less.

I'm going to be taking a step back from this forum now, I think. I've been dependent on it for six months. It's time I let go, not much on here is helping me anymore. Except all you lovely girls (and clay) on here always always do help me when I need it. I don't want to stop posting here completely, but I really need a break. Maybe every other day, or once a day, tops. You are all amazing and I'll miss you soooo much! You've all helped me tremendously, and I won't forget what a difference you've made in my recovery. Awww man, I want to cry now!

aqua youre right, in a way, before this thread i knew so little about how food actually works and why we need it to be healthy, and it that sense, it saved me. but i just don't want to make it the centre of mylife, and i just hate looking in the YCC forums at girlsw ho think NOW IS THE time to lose weight when they should wait for puberty to finish so their bodies can do it naturally.

good job AQUA (KIKI)+SLR!

the site is a double edged sword, and to an extent helpful, but only so much.  there comes a time where you need to live your own life and youre both SO strong+SO wise, really, youre both awesome!!

keep up the POSITIVE vibes and remember, we ALL have setbacks, thats what makes us humans, like everyone else, you just get back on that hose and keep riding, thats the good thing about life, you can always keep going w/each new day!

stay strong!, its YOUR life to LIVE!

It certainly seems as though there is a trend here, myself included! When I first stumbled upon this site there was a tremendous forward shift in my recovery. Over the past couple of months however, I have wavered between been helped and being triggered. The logical conclusion then is that it has more to do with my state of mind than the content of this site. I care very deeply about all of you, cheer you on in your victories, worry over the struggles. Although I'm not certain what the best course of action is for me to take I do recognize that the possibility of feeling triggered by comparing is too great a risk for me to take. I'm not committing to no contact, rather than set up an ultimatum I've decided to step back, especially from perusing the blogs as I fret over the differences in my portion sizes versus those shown. I pray all of us will reach a healthy frame of both mind and body, shedding the ties that bind, the obsessions and compulsions that keep us fixated on trivial matters. Best of luck to everyone and thank you for all the support and encouragement you have provided!

Sadly, I"m going to have to continue the trend on this page. As you've noticed, I have been posting less, though I'm still keeping up with this thread and am so proud of everyone as it seems we're all doing really well.

My point of view is this: CC is a stepping stone. YES it scares me to think where I coudl have ended up without everyone's help on here, and you've all definitely kept me sane numerous times when ED wanted to take over again. BUt I've also reached a point where I think I can move on with life as a (for the most part) recovered anorexic. Scratch that, a normal PERSON! That is the key word there. I am no longer an anorexic, and that's what I need to learn to deal with. While i love everyone here, I'm no longer relating to the same struggles, nor should I relate. The point is to move forward. CC was triggering me in the sense that while I was still viewing myself and relating to everyone here as someone with an eating disorder, the ED is still there telling me I'm a failed anorexic. Instead of viewing my recovery as a success, it wants me to think I'm failing it. What I need to do now is learn who I really am, I"m not eating disordered, i'm not in recovery, I'm ME. And I need to figure out who me is, I need to find other people I can relate to on different dimensions, based on different interests that can keep me moving forward with life.

While I"ve been stressed a lot lately about graduating and having emotional trouble with that, it has at least shifted my focus a bit. And while I'm still probably too obsessed with food, truth be told, I"ve always loved cooking and eating before I knew what a calorie was so I can say that is part of who I am, the eating disorder free me. And honestly I"ve been too busy thinking about this graduation thing and spending time with friends and family to worry about food. I still count some days, but other days I forget to and I try to just eat what sounds good when I"m hungry.

I'll continue keeping up with you guys and reading blogs, as someone that's been where many of you are, I will gladly step in and help out when I do have something to say. And since I do think you're all amazing, beautiful, and strong women/ men, I'd love for you to keep in touch and message me, and we can keep talking about our real lives sans ED.

Big hugs to all!!

Aww :-( and :-) at the same time. I so know what you mean.. and yet I still feel I'm at the stage where I desperately need support and reassurance from this board. I'll be very very very sad if you guys stop posting completely, though I totally understand that you need to do what's best. Never doubt how much you've helped me - you're amazing, all of you.

Just got back from dinner with my friends. I ate cake. CAKE. I've never eaten cake except as an IP since I got ill. And then it was with the threat of an NG bolus feed hanging over me if I ate it.

And (largely because of you guys) tonight I had a small slice of chocolate cake and damn it felt good. My friend was so, so happy to see me eat it too.

And I had champagne.

And a whole meal.

I'm too tired to post properly but I hope this thread doesn't die. I love you all. xxxx

Quickload -

MASHED CONGRATULATIONS SWEETHEART!! THAT IS SUCH A KICK A** MOVE IN THE BEST MOST BRILLIANT DIRECTION POSSIBLE! HOW WAS THE CHAMPAGNE? ALL BUBBLEY GOODNESS WITH MELTING CHOCO ON YOUR CHINNIGAN?

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!

I'm so proud of you ALL, there is no trend. You've all stumbled across something very important. We shall all continue to support eachother whether it be here or just thinking about eachother when we're having a bad day.

I understand so much about triggering images on blogs, i feared i was eating copious amounts and comparing that i ate meat and like Gib mentioned - this failed anorexic flag kept getting hoisted. But i have met and will continue to post with some of the strongest people i know.

So to those who will just view or stay along for the long haul - you're all in my hearts.

X

I like this thread. It's inspiring. =D Hi everyone!

BREAKFAST: Bowl of All-Bran cereal with banana; Orange juice

SNACK: Handful of cashews; Sultana snack pack

LUNCH: 3 mini vegetable patties; Slice of thai sweet chilli twist loaf with cheese, tomato and tzatziki; Pepsi Max

SNACK: Berry Fruits yoghurt mixed with fresh strawberries and banana slices

DINNER: Chicken breast drenched in hot sauce, sliced cucumbers, potatoes, tzatziki; Pepsi Max

SNACK: Glass of Milo (MMM, MMM, MMMMMMMMM XD)

..My first day of eating "properly" in well over a year and a half. This is a set food plan made by my dietitian, it feels like so much but I know that's because I'm not used to having so much in my body..I'm excited though, I can already feel the life seeping back into me!