Weight Gain

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 :]

Hi everyone, i agree, YYONAH, your food is always so yummy looking, whoever is cooking must be an excellent chef.  I have been eating almost the same thing everyday, also bc it is easy for me to guess the cals, I don't know how some of you are able to guess or know the amounts??

ENIA-you could add veggies by having a side salad w/dinner and adding cheese, nuts, meat/fish...

GIBBIT- i wish I could eat oatmeal, that goes to all of you.  your combinations of mix-ins sound sooooooooooo good, but oatmeal has always given me a stomach ache so I don't go near it really.  your sandwich from yesterday sounds good, did you make it or buy it? 

keep up the good work everyone!

yyonah 3lb baby :P way to go girl what a *

headingup dont worry about not quite hitting your target for one day...nobodys perfect! go for the oatmeal too...i love it, have an addiction <3, there are loads of varieties, go for quaker instant sachets if you want convenience, the portions are measured out for you so you dont have to think about it! i love dorset cereals, they do a banana one which is to die for (they also do great, cal packed, museli and granola!)

agruskin i am still gaining, but its very slow, however this is ok (im only 4lbs off being in the healthy range, but im going to gain a bit more to be safe ;) ) i find it easy to estimate cals, for example a bag of frozen soy mince is 500g, i use roughly 1/5th so thats 100g, i know a bag will give me 5 portions so if i have a bit more that 100g by accident one time, im going to have a bit less another time so itll balance out! if youre unsure when helping yourself, try to have 1/4 plate of carbs, 1/4 plate of protein and the rest veg! or try and picture a cup when helping yourself to rice, yes its vague but the body is designed to take different cals on different days, normal people done eat exactly the same number everyday!! the body will self regulate :D

this is what i had yesterday...its very vague and not many snacks cos i went to a friends for the day so had to have what they cooked!!

breakfast- toast with marmite (80) and cottage cheese (100) and an apple (50)

snack - some orange juice, nuts and crisps (i guessed 200)

lunch - roast dinner w/out meat (roasted squash, potatoes and swede, broccoli, apple+almond stuffing, carrots and peas) (400)

dessert - fruit cobbler (300??)

tea - falafel (200) and quavers (100) and 3 oatcakes (150)

snack - milkshake (banana milk + yogurt) and oatmeal w/ apple + blueberries (380)

total - 1960

Enia- I understand that concern too. I worry about filling up on too many vegetables since they're not calorie dense, but I love them. Try cooking any of them in olive oil, or adding them to other foods. Like have some pasta with vegetables and tomato sauce, or filled ravioli. or rice stir fry's are also good. Or you can also sneak them into things, like make carrot cake or zucchinni bread!

Agruskin- have you tried other grains? You can use them the same way a oatmeal, make some sweet rice pudding, or use couscous, quinoa, and put all the mix ins into that. maybe it would be easier on your stomach? I had to make the sandwich with whatever was at my parents, they were having ham and cheese, so I had to dig around for vegetables

I think we're all moving to Yyonahs lol, congrats on the 3 lbs!

As for me, I need to stop with the cream. II have been using the heavy whipping cream I got in everything since its so high cal/ high fat.I got sick from it last night and still put it in my breakfast this morning. my body really doesnt like dairy and I guess the cream lately has been putting it over the top. Oh well, i'll stick to my other high fat sources.

breakfast: raisin bagel w/butter, 4oz yogurt, 2/3c blueberries, 3tbsp craisins, 8oz orange juice

snack: 8 wheat thins, 2 tbsp hummus, 7 dried apricot halves

lunch: turkey and avocado wrap, cup salad w/balsamic, 2 tbsp raisins, 8oz orange juice

snack: 1 tbsp peanut butter, 2 quaker raisin granola bars, 3 prunes

dinner: thomas wheat pita pizza w/sauce, veggies and cheese, applesauce, cup salad w/balsamic

dessert: 3 entammanns cookies

snack: apple, teddy grahams, 1/2 tbsp peanut butter

 

i feel gross. i don't know my weight anymore and i find myself getting really paranoid and ready to leave this residential treatment. they just keep stuffing me with food. 

Hi everyone-

CHARLIE-i really think it's amazing how great you're doing.  You seem to be able to eat out with such ease!  Maybe bc that is tthe hardest part for me but wow, great job!  when i say I don't know how much to take from a serving dish, it's also that I don't know how it was cooked, how much oil...especially from restaurants ( I still don't knowwhat I'm going to order Thurs when we eat out).  So now that I'm eating a wider variety of food Im finding that their is just so much to choose from and I can't decide what Im going to eat and it makes me very anxios.  I like knowing in advance what I'm having for my next meal or I'll just think about it nonstop, if I have it planned then I don't have to think about it, anyone else?

NATALIA-im soorry you're having a tough time but try and think of it this way, the sooner you finish, the sooner you'll be out and you can go on with your life, rt?  Thats how Im trying to think at least.

GIBBIT-I KNOW what you mean w/ the cream, I can't have tomato sauce bc of acid reflux yet Ill still eat a jar of it, then suffer the next day.  sometimes I just need to throw it out.  grains make me nervous bc it's so little for so many cals.  I know that is kind of the point now but it doesnt always fill me up and I like to feel full, not stuffed tho, u know?>

YYONAH-omg, I can't believe I missed that you gained 3 lbs, woohoo!  great!  keep it up!

so yea, i don't want to become psycho but i have too many choices for beakfast tomm!  lol, makes my nuts, don't know waht to have! lol

wow! so many more "new" people posting sicne i last posted :)

YESTERDAY

breakfast: 1/3 cup oats, 60g chocolate sustagen powder, 200ml skim milk, sliced banana
(around 400 calories?)

snack: smoothie made with banana, plain yoghurt, slightly sweetened soy milk, honey, cinammon and oats
(about 300 calories??)

lunch: toasted sandwich with 10grains&seed bread with cheese, chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, cucumber. Another slice of toast with a little ricotta spread on top (!! Any suggestions on how to eat ricotta? i can't stand its ... milky? i dunno. its taste , can't really describe it.. but ive got a whole tub to eat. how do you guys eat it?)
(500 calories?)

snack: 250ml hot chocolate soy milk with 2 weetbix. green apple. 8 almonds.
(350 calories)

dinner: 1 bowl rice, steamed crab, 3 oysters, stir fried green beans, sweet and sour soup, steamed blue cod
(?? 350-400 calories???)

snack: coffee with 200ml skim milk, toasted 9grain muffin
(200-250)

before bed: some almonds and sultanas. i think i ate some dark chocolate during the day too.

i think that was 2100-2200 calories :)

may have been some overestimation at dinner time though... >_>;;

THANKS GUYS :)!

Breakfast: Oatmeal made with skim/milk, toffee hot chocolate powder, banana and 45g honey shreddies.

Snack: chocolate flapjack (550cals! - holland and barrat)
250ml strawberry + banana PJ smoothie.

Lunch: wholewheat toasted sandwich with soynut butter and soy nutella (2 tablespoons of each)
Apple, orange + a pear.

Snack: cocopops mega munchers cereal (dry)
2 squares Green and blacks with ginger
yoghurt + apricot eat natural bar... (bit random)

Dinner: veggie stirfry (egg free noodles, stir fry veg, Quorn beef chunks)
1 wholegrain pitta

Snack: Clusters cereal w/150g live yoghurt + chopped banana
2 tablespoons rasins + 1 tablespoon soynut butter.

2 instant hot chocolates.

breakfast: rolled oats made with rice milk and melted peanut butter and nutella on top, kashi honey almond flax with vanilla activia yogurt

snack: apple with almond butter, goji berries

lunch: organic flax crackers with melted skim milk cheese, strawberry jam and cucumbers, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries

snack: activia yogurt with cocoa powder

dinner: 1 chicken leg baked with basil sauce, salad with balsamic vinegar, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers with light ranch dressing

snack: minigo strawberry yogurt, cinnamon mini wheats, grapes and some more honey almond flax cereal, 1/2 banana with peanut butter

Wow so much going on in this thread right now.

Yyonah - congrats on the 3lbs and i am luvvin the eat natural bar. Just a question, do you add the toffe hot chocolate powder directly to your oatmeal, like mixed in?? cause it sounds goood.

Natalia - Recovery is so hard isnt it? Just think, if you stick with it, you will get your whole life back. What i did was stick a load of posotive notes and messages around my mirror to remind me to KEEP GOING!!

Finnally my food for the day:

Breakfast: 45g Bitesized shredded wheat (158), 200ml semi skimmed milk (98), 200ml orange juice (89), banana (116), tablespoon honey (46)

Snack: 30g mixed nuts (197), apple (50)

Lunch: Wholemeal sub roll (206) with tablespon peanut butter (96) and a banana (116), Orange 'Amore' Yogurt (218)

Snack: Raspberries + blueberries + Papaya, mango and passion fruit yogurt (124)

Dinner will be mini falafels (150) with whole wheat pasta (250) and 2 portions steamed veggies (80)

For some reason,. since starting my recovery i have started to eat the same thing at the same time everyday.

Also one more question. Is oatmeal in the US the same as porridge in the uk??

I have really missed everyone hear whilst on holiday.

hey everyone!

ENIA-great job adding in the veggies!

SAYKYOKU-its hard to judge whether you are overstimating bc i don't know the cals in the protein powder, or muffin...unless their are a lot of cals in the powder, it might be a bit over?  and riccotta is really good mixed w/pasta and some diced canned tomatos or tomato sauce.

im still nervous about eating out Thurs....

have a great day everyone

Butterfly: Porridge = oatmeal. ^__^ I still can't bring myself to use americanisms sometimes, haha.

B- bran flakes (1 cup) with silk vanilla soymilk (1 cup), an apple, and coffee with silk creamer

S- didn't have time (dad wanted to go out to lunch)

L- tuna steak salad with tomato basil dressing and water from the "Crab Shack"

S- honey wheat pretzels

D- probably veggies with chicken or turkey

S-fruit of some kind and yogurt or pudding along with a cup of tea or java!

hey, quick q- I just bought apple butter and it tastes kind of odd, what do I do with it??  lol

thanks!

Original Post by agruskin:

hey, quick q- I just bought apple butter and it tastes kind of odd, what do I do with it??  lol

thanks!

 Eat it with some full-fat cottage or ricotta cheese.:)

Or... here's a whole thread about uses for it.

holy cow!  missmagil, thank u so much! lol  Im going to make a chicken and apple butter sandwich now to take to work tomm, you're awesome!

Hey all,

I've been lurking on this thread for a while now, and I decided that it's time to start posting! I would just like to say that I no longer know how many calories I eat, and quite frankly, I don't want to count. So that's a step for me.

On Waking: Cappuccino w/ about a TBSP of hot cocoa powder, 2 prunes

Breakfast: 1 egg + 1 egg white, spinach, 1/4 small avocado, 1/3 tomato, 1 sm chicken sausage, 1 light english muffin w/ about a tsp of jam

Later: 1/2 Banana + 1/2 Kashi Crunchy Bar

Lunch: 3 or 4 oz. chicken, over 1 cup of spaghetti with marinara, a bite of some mushroom/cheese thing (ahh! scary!)

Snack: 1 Fage 0%, 1 Fiberone Bar broken up and thrown in, 1 t PB mixed in

Snack: 1/2 c. oats, 1/2 banana, milk, a bit of vanilla protein powder, about 1 T PB

Power yoga!! =)

Dinner: Pretty much the same thing I had for lunch+some asparagus. We had a huge dinner party the other night and have a TON of leftovers.. so my fam is trying to finish them haha.

Dessert: Cheesecake from Chatila's Bakery--first time i will have tried this so i'll let you know how it goes. I just found out about chatila's the other day and it is this sugar free bakery thing. This cheesecake has 13 g protein. wtf!?

http://www.chatilasbakery.com/nutritionalinfo rmation.html

 

TAYWIES-i saw on another post that you do weightlifting of some sort, would you be able to message me your routine if you don't mind? thank you so much!  you seem like you are doing great w your eating, how far into recovery are you?  what's power yoga like?  is it an intense calorie burner?

BUTTERFLY-i also sometimes get into the habit of eating the same foods at the same times but im trying to at least branch out w my choices.

now for what i ate today-

BFAST-all bran, special k, milk, trail mix (same as yesterday)

LUNCH-BOCA BURGER, FAGE YOGURT (same as yesterday as well)

GYM-40 min ligh free weights

SNACK-vitamuffin+fruit

DINNER-roll, cheese, salad w/trail mix mixed in

SNACK-yogurt+apple

Butterfly_in_the_sky: yes! i mixed it in when its cooked, it tastes like banoffee pie ;)

Breakfast: Oatmeal made with skim. milk, strawberries, cinnamon, brown sugar, 45g shreddies.

Snack: banana milkshake, 35g Green + Blacks.

Lunch: wholewheat english muffin with grilled veggie burger + melted soy cheese.
an apple, an orange + a pear.

Snack: toasted teacake with strawberry jam + soynut butter, sliced banana.

Dinner: 2 Quorn hotdogs in wholegrain finger buns (with mustard + ketchup.)
Avacado + watercress salad.

Snack: Steamed Rhubarb with brown sugar, Egg free custaed + topped with granola.

2 instant hot chocolates.

agruskin: Um. it's not really protein powder. more like an ensure sorta thing but not as calorie-dense. its around 1000kj... so that would be at least around 200 calories right?.

Its just for dinner i eat whatever my mum cooks, but normally it is more higher fat than .. the day before yesterday lol - spare ribs, bbq american ribs, etc. and stirfries most other dishes with a heap of oil. Even steamed fish (a whole fish though) she pours on oil that has had ginger&shalllots fried in it and soy sauce on top.

My mum hardly ever cooks pasta. =( . Just your basic spaghetti/pasta with tomato sauce/bottled sauce and mince. and whatever else she feels like chucking in. And. She never eats it either.

Also wondering. how much workout DO you need to gain muscle..! and how much extra calories for the workouts. My "workouts" seem quite weak =(. Except for today when I went to gym for sport haha.

TODAY

Breakfast: 9grain muffin with 1 tsp gourmet raspberry jam. 4 almonds. 40g sustagen and weetbix.
~ 400calories

Snack: one tub mango yoghurt, one tub strawberry yoghurt, 4 almonds, soy and linseed crispbreads, a square of cadbury's crunchie offered by friend (sickeningly sweet =( but i feel like everbody will question me if i reject the offer)
~350 calories

Lunch: sandwiches; 3 slices 9 grain bread, egg, tuna, spring onion omelette & lettuce.      & nbsp;      &nbs p;   cheese, tomato, cucumber and cheese
~ 500 calories

Gym: about 20 mins cardio; Arc trainer, Rower. i have no idea how long weights...
~ probably burned erm. 100 cals?

Snack: "Up and Go" iced coffee drink, red apple, 2 crispbreads
~ 300 cals

Dinner: Enoki mushroom, pork and wintermelon from soup, 1 bowl rice, stir-fried pork, broccoli and bean curd, stirfried kelp/seaweed, a granny smith apple
~ 500 calories?? i can never tell. =\ maybe thats why im not gaining much weight!?!

Snack: Dunno. something around 200 cals. or should i eat more :S.

Random tidbits throughout day: almonds, sultanas, dark chocolate
~ 100 cals

I'm getting quite bored of the food I'm eating. =(. I want to go to yyonah's place also haha :D.

OH. i just found out my ricotta was overdue by a week anyway! O_O;; maybe that's why it tasted funny???

hi everyone, back to work after a long weekend, but next wk is the last week, now i just need a summer job!

SAYKYOKU-i really dont know the conversion btwn KJ and calories, so your guess is as good as mine.  i hate when i have to eat my mother's food or anyone else's cooking for that matter, its part of my rigidness which i know i need to fix, bc i don't know how much oil they used.  my mother pours like a bottle of oil into the pan to cook, and, i never see her eat either!  it is so frustrating bc i feel like i am always going back into the kitchen to get more food when no one else is.  i dont remember if i posted it on this board or not, but the other day i was getting a night time snack and my father says to me, "you're eating again?', or something like that.  sooo very not helpful!  plus, i only weigh myself once a wk, i promised myself, and i feel like im eating tons and like ive gained tons, but i dont know, it could just be the ED, i dont know!  Riccotta is great in pasta if you ever get a chance to try it.

YYONAH-don't you love veggie burgers?!  im not a vegetarian but i find the frozen patties so convenient.  I get a cheeseburger version where it already has cheese mixed in, then i load it w different condiments, have it with a fage greek yogurt, and its tons of protein and so good.  one of my fav lunches!  whats a teacake?

so i dont know about the weight training and how much is necessary and how many cals you burn, all qs i have as well.  let me just repeat though, when i do my elliptical or weights or what not, it is sooooo NOT intense.  i mostly do it for peace of mind. like when i do the elliptical, its 20 15-20 mins, i do it slowly, i dont use the arm machine its only moving the legs, and the only reason i break a sweat is bc its so hot!  same w the weights, not heavy, do it slowly, and it just tricks my mind into allowing myself to eat what i had planned to.  i never run or anything intense like that.

menu for today, wed-

BFAST-english muffin, chunky PB, creamy PB, apple butter-so good and very happy i bought! ~150 cal

SNACK-fage greek yogurt-80 cal

LUNCH-chicken salad sandwich spread w/apple butter, cut up apple w/ PB, tbspn trail mix~300 cal

SNACK- protein bar, apple ~200 cal

DINNER-french bread pizza (roll, sauce, cheddar cheese, LC cheese) veggie salad w trail mix added in ~300cal

SNACK-apple, yogurt~220cal