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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 :]

SUZY-i only weigh 1/wk, but i couldnt wed, my normal day, and am shocked that i gained 2.5 in a wk, altho i do feel like im eating a lot.  so i figuered id weigh tomm also and ave the 2.  how are 2 yogurts, crackers, and chicken all only 150cals??? wow!  how was the excercising today?

thurs so far-

thomas' bagel square, tbspn pn, apple, cheese~400

cereal, milk, trail mix~200

roll, cheese, cut up veggies, fage, ~tspn PB, peach~380

~3/4 c.ice cream, blueberries~200

HEADINGUP-you snuck in.  good idea to supplement at night.  i dont know what the malterse is or whatever.  i also feel like this time is the real recovery as well, i hope so at least!  i need to get on w my life already!  gl w/ the weigh in!

So! Just as a little funny lesson-y.. type.. thing.. =P

I gained seven pounds! In a day! lmao! I weighed myself this morning, and yeah.  I was like "Okay, holy ****?" Hahaha. I weighed myself again (nine or so hours later) and I'm down a pound from what I was originally at. So.. yeah. Kind of goes to show you that weight gain.. might not be weight gain! Hahaha. I should go drink some water... Bet I'll be three pounds heavier. Ahahahaha. Jeeze, who freaking cares about a number, really? I'm starting to gain and look gooood. That number reflects nuttin'! =P

Oh, and if anyone cares...

Breakfast
My Syrupberry Oatmeal

Snack
Yogurt
Strawberries and Splenda. YUM!
Blueberries

Lunch
Tuna on a huge bed of lettuce with a bunch of mustard!

Rest of the Day (Dinner doesn't exist here!)
WAAAAAYY too much yogurt. Hahaha. Like, an entire tub. ^^;
Strawberries x a gazillion
Blueberries
Cottage cheese
Oatmeal w/Ovaltine

I think I had 1000 calories worth of fresh strawberries today. Urrrgggh.. I'll pay for it tomorrow (or in the middle of the night!). I'll probably have some more yogurt (hehe) or some milk and Ovaltine later. My total? I always stop counting after 2000, so no idea. =)

eeeek! im talking to a boy!  ive been completely antisocial for like 3 yrs but i used to be on a dating site, and this random guy messaged me, and we talked like twice online, and he wants to go for coffee this wknd-what to do?  want to be social but eeek!??

Looks like everyone's doing really well here!  Today, for me:

Breakfast:  1 cup plain fat free yogurt topped with 1/4 cup golden raisins and 2 Nature Valley Oats bars; 1/2 cup scrambled egg whites with 1/2 a medium avocado

Snack:  1 cup plain soymilk blended with 1 packet chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast, 1 medium banana, and ice; baby carrots

Lunch:  1 whole wheat pita with homemade hummus; 8 almonds; 1 medium apple

Snack:  1 cup skim milk with 1 packet chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast

Dinner:  roasted vegetable napoleon (with portabella mushrooms, tomato, zucchini, and ricotta cheese); 1/2 cup pastina; a litte more pita with hummus

Feel stuffed but good, too - ran and went spinning today and think I did well with my eating!

headingup - omg i LOVE white maltesers! they are my fave chocolate treats and i love white choc the most out of milk/dark etc so they are the ultimate combo! well done for treating yourself (and send me some lol!) Also - i personally HATE ensurre and can tell you build up id SO much nicer. BUT IT FALLS alot shorter cal wise so i sugges you have a lil snack too to endure you dont skip cals!

argu - good idea re averaging. the crackers/chicken thing is just a mini random snack i nibble on when peckish - its sliced chicken like you put in sarnis. exercise wasnt great today - did too much despite feeling rubbish. got a mahoosive headache now tooi dont know whther just to go cold turkey and do hardly ANYTHING for a few days to get out of the stupid routine i've developed. thing is, i've no idea how many cals i need to eat to gain without it. 5ft5ich 84lbs - anyone help?

wistful - ofcourse we all care how you're doing! are you gaining well? keep up the good work!

likearock6 - same to you - your meal plan sounds yummy!!! btw - did you all make up your own or do u see a dietician/nutritionist?

sooze xxx

Suzy, gaining's going pretty good! I'm starting to feel like a human now, and I'm more comfortable going outside. I'm still very self conscious though.  I'm the strongest I've EVER been though in my LIFE. =D

hi everyone-

WISTFUL-wow, fruit and yogurt much? lol.  i love that too but find i eat way more carbs in hopes of having a semi balanced meal plan.  i try not to have too much yogurt and fruit bc i think its not high enough in cals.  im also a bit self concsious going out bc im still so thin and so thats y im sort of freaking out about meeting this guy on Sat, especially bc its summer and i dont wear shorts/

SUZY-I dont see a nutritionsist or therapist or anything, all on my own.

thurs-

thomas' bagel square, tbspn pn, apple, cheese~400

cereal, milk, trail mix~200

roll, cheese, cut up veggies, fage, ~tspn PB, peach~380

~3/4 c.ice cream, blueberries~200

boca cheeseburger+bun, toppings, veg salad+trail mix, apricot~310

apple, yogurt, ~tsp pb~300ish

Wistful- ah that's so gooood to feel strong again haha I hate when people think I'm weak and tired all the time just because I'm soo skinny.

Anyway, here's my day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with splenda, mangoes, cottage cheese. 2 egg whites with beans, vegetables, hummus

Snack: greek yogurt with pumpkin and blueberries :)

lunch: macaroni with nutritional yeast. whole wheat tortilla with olive oil, tomatoes, cannelini, shredded cheese, spinach, red wine vinegar

snack: kashi mighty bites cereal, raisins

dinner:seitan, green beans, corn, peas & a little bit of rice with kidney beans..

snack: fettucine with salsa

snack: 2 slices of whole wheat bread with mashed blackberries and peanut butter slathered on top.. Yumm!

question: well i understand that dense foods are the way to go, but what if i can't eat things like dairy or cheese due to heartburn?

i know that i can just eat more of other stuff but i also need around 2500 cal to maintain my weight.  but... even so it's not that simple because i am missing out on extra cals that a normal person would get from things like mixing protein shakes with milk, where as i have to use water only.  it just makes it more difficult.

i would like to gain though, so hopefully i can somehow hit 3000 cal... but if anyone else is in a similar situation and has any helpful advice i am willing to hear it.

whymink- I don't really like milk, so I drink soymilk instead. Why don't you try that? Or almond milk, rice milk....

whymink-ive  had acid reflux for 12+years and never found dairy a prob.  what about ensure or boost?  nuts, trail mix, pasta, bread...

ahh i see. thanks for your quick responses. well i've only recently been diagnosed with reflux, maybe about a year ago. but all the doctors have told me to stop eating dairy products, so that's why i've stayed away just to be safe.

angeleyes: well the thing is... i used to drink soy actually. but after some research it seems like there are some bad things in it and i don't want to drink it excessively.  but i should prob research those other milks you are talking about.

agruskin: the ensure does look promising, i might look into that. but what should i put on my pastas if i can't use tomato or cheese based sauces?

lots of ppl are lactose intolerant and they make everything now in nonmilk varieties.  you can just mix w/a protein-tuna, chicken, margarine, oil ,no tomato sauce, rt?  you can do rice in a stir fry w/teriaki sauce, just go to the supermarket and go down the pasta+sauce aisle.  there are many lactose foods now.

my 1500 cals plan..too much to eat. ugh

breakfast: mini wheats with skimmed milk + orange juice+ 1 wholewheat toast with nutella. 400 cals

snack: apple juice + plain crackers+ 1 pear + reese's minicup 250 cals

lunch: 1/2 grilled chicken breast 200 cals

snack:kinder bueno 250 cals

dinner: big glass milk + turkey sandwich 400 cals

exercise: cyclying-600 cals walking: 200  cals

too much exercise and so little calories but i feel very full already after the noon snack..i don't know how am i gonna ever be able to consume 2500 cals as i still keep the exersice...

     

Suzyroo: It was kind of forced on me, giving up exercise. I would sneak to the gym in college and stay in there for hours. Combined with the long walk to and from college, I was burning off a lot. College finished and I found myself at a loss: it's a lot harder to try and exercise when your parents catch you doing it. I'd still go on ridiculously long walks, though, and while it was a struggle to cut those down I ended up telling myself I won't get any better or stronger for the exercise I enjoy doing if I wear myself out trying to do it at this stage. I have a challenge coming up in September though as I plan on returning to college for an extra year for extra qualifications - namely, a BTEC First in Health and Social Care. Which means I'll be able to use the gym again. :s Will be a big test of willpower. UK-wise, I'm in the southeast, in a crappy city called Basingstoke. Haha. My clinic is in Eastleigh. >__<

As for what you'd ideally want to eat to gain, an earlier post by tuffstuff put it very nicely: consider what you want to maintain on for the rest of your life, and then add how much you'd need to gain on to that. So, if you wanted to maintain on 2000, eat a minimum of 2500 calories. That makes more sense to me than bobbing around trying to figure out a number based on maintainance. Really, it's all a guessing game and trial-and-error: I thought I'd only need 2200 or so, and now I'm probably going to need to eat 4000 to gain 2lbs a bloody week! >___<;; So I would shoot for 2500 and see what happens there. And remember, any increases cause temporary water gain, so stay away from the scales for a while while you do it! :]

Headingup: Eww, white chocolate maltesers. I hated those! Though I don't like things that are overly sickly-sweet, haha.

Whymink: I recently found out I am lactose intolerant. I've had to cut dairy too, and it's tricky, but there are lots of alternatives out there you can buy instead. :] Soy products, rice products, oat products to name a few! I sympathise how hard it is, though. |: I used to eat a lot of cheese at the start of recovery (before I realised that was one of the things making my stomach worse) and it was easier to get my calories in; now, it's harder. But possible! I have to eat upwards of 3000 a day and yes, a lot of the time I admit I get help from oatmeal but it's entirely doable. Good luck! :]

Wistful: LOL, I know, aren't bodies wierd? When I was still weighing day to day I ended up just laughing at the scales because I'd be jumping by a pound a day or more and just thought: "What the hell, that's not humanly possible!" so I ignored it xD Mmm, yoghurt. Has anyone else found soy yoghurt tastes like tofu? Ha.

Relena: The key with exercise is that you have to be willing to eat it back if you want to move forwards. So, you burnt 800 calories and would need to eat those back. One of the other reasons I cut down on my exercise is because I realised, with how much I was doing and how much I already need just to gain a little, I would be literally STUFFING myself to discomfort. You'll either need to cut down to just the walking or a shorter time doing other workouts, or to eat it back. :[ You've done well in eating 1500, though. If it's easier for you, increase to the 2500 every other day - get used to eating at 1500 for a day or two and then add something in to take you to 1800-2000, then 2300-2500.

headingup white maltesers = heaven!! i adore all choc but when i want something really sweet  i go for thm...reading your post made me go n buy a white bueno at midnight last night lmao :P

well i got weighed today...first time in 2 months ish and im down 2lb NOT GOOD so today im going to have a big day food wise to get those numbers going in the other direction again :)

heres so far:

breakfast: oatmeal with apple and cinnamon and a mango yogurt smoothie

snack: ben + jerrys baked alaska ice cream + 5 thorntons!!

for later i plan

lunch: noodle salad with peanut butter dressing (the dressing alone adds like 300 cal)

snack: greek yoghurt topped with honey and homemade mixed berry granola and raspberries

dinner: homemade fettuchini alfredo with a avocado and walnut salad

snack: pb and banana milkshake and 2 pieces of french toast

whymink- Couldn't help but notice that you needed help with pasta sauce. I highly recommend pesto sauce! The kind I buy has 230 cals and lots of good fats in 1/4 cup! You could also make your own.

agru- I have no idea how to measure ice cream! I usually divide the container into however many 1/2 c. servings it says there are and scoop out roughly that amount. I actually didn't end up going to BK because it closed.

Breakfast- SNB on WW English muffin, oatmeal with pumpkin, nectarine, egg

Snack- Popcorn on blueberries

Lunch- Veggie cream cheese on WW mini bagel, Fage Total with fruit side compartment, Kashi TLC PB bar, carrots

Snack- Yoplait kids, carrots, blueberries, pudding, Boost smoothie

Dinner- Parmesan risotto, Morningstar Farms buffalo wings, home made brownie :)

Snack- Orange, blueberries, almonds, Kind Fruit and Nut bar, strawberry banana shake, Ben and Jerry's

Yesterday went really well. I was able to enjoy the picnic even though bagels and pretzels aren't really "safe" foods. But I had no problem finishing them once I started eating, so it's really just the suspense leading up to eating a FF that gets to me! I had two slices of pizza for dinner and a brownie that I made for dessert. Again, no problem once I started eating. But it wasn't too hard because I knew the cals, and I think it would be much harder if some one just put a brownie in front of me and expected me to eat it.

Whymink: As aquaev said pesto is great and uber healthy, another suggestion for pasta which I love is roasting some mediterranean style veggies like courgettes, aubergine, red onions, peppers in the oven in lots of olive oil and mix in to the pasta with another lug of olive oil. As long as you avoid tomatoes on the veggie front you should be ok on the acid front i think? Also I have 2 Ensure a day, they are great for calories and I actually really like them, put them in the freezer for a few hours so they go all thick like shakes.

Charlie- Thornotons choccies? delish! I love the alpini and viennese ones, been a long time since I've had them, never tried a white kinder bueno though!

Guess what folks I gained 0.6kg in the last week and a half, this is the first gaining weigh-in I've had and I'm determined to keep it up,now 37.9kg as of today, hopefully it's all or at least mostly real weight. OFFICIAL RECOVERY IS FINALLY BEGINNING!!

On a not so happy note, today I'm writing to the uni I'm supposed to be starting in October to ask to defer my place for a year, I know it's the right thing to do, I want to be really strong and happy when I start and want to give myself enough time to get there rather than starting out not fully recovered and risking having a nightmare of a time.

Also q? Anyone have any lunch suggestions, i'm getting a tad bored with the old hummus and wholewheat wraps and pittas, thought I might try a bagel, never had one before! But what to have with it? I hate cream cheese and tuna mayo anything like that....

 

hey everyone...this is what I ate yesterday

Breakfast:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of oatmeal with milk

Orange Juice

Quaker Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bar

Lunch: 1 and a half ham sandwiches

Pringles Wheat Stix

Cheez-Its

Propel

Snack: Boost Strawberry Smoothie

Quaker Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bar

Dinner: Ham

Green Beans

Herb and butter Rice Roni

Propel

Snack: Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

Milk

 

hello all! I got weighed today at the doctors for the first time since january. I'm up 7 lbs! though I had been up more then I lost some while on vacation. oh well. back to heavy eating, and now that I'm back in the states I can start with all the nut butters and protein shakes again. I bought cashew butter yesterday, soooooooooo good!!! and i also decided to try the ezekial english muffins, has anyone had those? I haven't had an english muffin in forever. I almost got the bagels but chickened out, silly silly me lol. oh and for all the UK-ers, i tried an innocent smoothie at the airport and they're also really good. I had the yogurt vanilla one because I noticed the kids ones are super low cal= not good!

charlie- your meals sound so good and super high calorie! good job! last night I also had some barley and beans toppped with a tofu alfredo sauce I made, plus some olive oil stirred in there for extra fat.
and whymink- i second the pesto idea, its delicious and I love pouring in olive oil on pasta too. My stomach also can't handle too much tomato sauce or dairy so this is really easy to digest. Also look into vegan recipes for cheese alternatives, they have ones made out of things like cashews that turn out pretty good. And soy is really not bad for you, you would have to eat massive amounts for it to not be good for you actually. There are tons of good dairy alternatives and I've also been considering trying those lactaid pills that you can supposedly take before eating dairy? Sometimes I just NEED to eat ice cream and would like to avoid the stomach pain later.

relena- you need to be exercising less and eating more! I know it's hard for us to grasp the concept of eating without working out but you will not get better this way. If you have to do some activity go for a light walk or try to distract yourself by going out with friends or picking up another hobby. Also, I'm sure you've heard it already but switch to full fat products and eat all the calorie dense foods recommended on here. It will really help get your calories up there without too much discomfort.

lala, agruskin, ...anyone else I'm missing...- I'm glad to see you're doing well! I've missed this place! and i feel nerdy saying that

so far this morning I loaded up on food since i was being weighed-

breakfast- an apple, bowl of fage total with tons of walnuts and dried apricots, bowl of granola with soymilk and protein powder, apple juice. handfuls of almonds as I walked out the door.

not sure what snacks and dinner will be, but I'm going out to lunch to this vegetarian place nearby and will probably have a big sandwich loaded with avocado, yay!!!