A lot to gain with a Clean diet?

carcarxx94

Hi,
So I am in recovery from a severe eating disorder and in the past few weeks I have tried to increase my intake as my weight decreased for the first time in 5 months which got me very scared.. though my weight is still going down. My current BMI is 16.9 at a weight of 47kg and height of 5 foot 6 inch. I have been trying to gain with a clean diet and making it fit my macros while also not being able to eat bread, wraps, pasta etc due to them giving me stomach aches. I eat a lot of dark chocolate and seeds and was wondering, at a low BMI do macros really matter in bulking..?? Or is it just a caloric surplus in any way ok?? I find it hard to reach my goals by trying to make it 'fit' and not being able to eat a great volume at a time.. are 'unhealthy' 'empty calorie' foods really ok in this situation..??
I am also hypoglycemic and have to watch my sugar intake. Due to this I have been having trouble with the supplement I am taking which is Complan (has 27g without the milk I use with it )
Is there any goals of macros do people aim towards for better weight gain? And at this weight do the percentages matter? Also, are there any low sugar supplements can anyone recommend??
Thank you for anyone who could give some advice!! I realise being in an eating disorder recovery changes the usual situation but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
x

JeffseekingV

Since the goal is gaining weight, is there a reason why the food must be "clean". Being able to indulge seems like a fun part!

jenglish712

Calories are higher priority than macros. Try to hit your protein and fat minimum, but calorie is king. Empty ones are OK in this situation.

It may also be you are having stomach aches from carbs or fiber because you are not used to them.

psuLemon

While there is no reason you have to eat clean, if it keeps you from binging or going back into a bad cycle then great. But you can add high fat cuts of meats, add cheese to everything, cook meats in olive oil, eat lots of nuts, high calorie protein shakes or bars, eat peanut butter out of a jar or ice cream.

Kevalicious99

I spoke to my personal trainer re gaining .. he said "high density calorie foods" .. peanuts, avocados, olive oil .. just Google it, you will find a listing of foods that are high in calories. That does not mean crap food ... but healthy foods. I asked him about my planned ice cream diet .. he said no. I was not serious of course .. as I refuse to eat crap food. But don't worry .. a consistent increase of calories will get you there and right now I think you need that. Good luck.

AJ_G

psulemon wrote: »

While there is no reason you have to eat clean, if it keeps you from binging or going back into a bad cycle then great.

I've never seen someone eat clean to prevent binges, usually it's the other way around. Eating clean tends to lead to binges while a balanced diet utilizing moderation tends to reduce binges.

psuLemon

AJ_G wrote: »

psulemon wrote: »

While there is no reason you have to eat clean, if it keeps you from binging or going back into a bad cycle then great.

I've never seen someone eat clean to prevent binges, usually it's the other way around. Eating clean tends to lead to binges while a balanced diet utilizing moderation tends to reduce binges.

For all the cases of ED's i have seen and dealt with, its never a "clean" or whole food that causes a binge, its generally a sweet or treat. If you went 100% whole, it would generally eliminate those types of foods.

AJ_G

psulemon wrote: »

AJ_G wrote: »

psulemon wrote: »

While there is no reason you have to eat clean, if it keeps you from binging or going back into a bad cycle then great.

I've never seen someone eat clean to prevent binges, usually it's the other way around. Eating clean tends to lead to binges while a balanced diet utilizing moderation tends to reduce binges.

For all the cases of ED's i have seen and dealt with, its never a "clean" or whole food that causes a binge, its generally a sweet or treat. If you went 100% whole, it would generally eliminate those types of foods.

Makes sense, I've never personally witnessed anybody with an ED, but I can imagine the circumstances are different.

lishie_rebooted

Kevalicious99 wrote: »

I spoke to my personal trainer re gaining .. he said "high density calorie foods" .. peanuts, avocados, olive oil .. just Google it, you will find a listing of foods that are high in calories. That does not mean crap food ... but healthy foods. I asked him about my planned ice cream diet .. he said no. I was not serious of course .. as I refuse to eat crap food. But don't worry .. a consistent increase of calories will get you there and right now I think you need that. Good luck.

Ice cream isn't crap food

mrsKOrtiz

Peanut Butter!

carcarxx94

Thank you to everyone who's replied ! As for the food that isn't clean.. I have a huge paranoia that I will suddenly develop a taste for it and binge or not being able to stop and getting fat.. though I know this is stupid as I am at an anorexic weight so it would take a lot of it and a lot of time for this to happen but I imagine it to happen instantaneously haha.. :') it's why I am so afraid.. the only time I eat 'unclean' foods is if I have a hypoglycemic episode and there is nothing else to help me, so an 'unclean' chocolate or sweet is the last resort.. but I still have guilt trouble afterwards so maybe incorporating them a little would be good just so I get over the fear of any artificial ingredients too..?? I have trouble eating out because I am obsessed with the ingredients in foods
I am scared of high fat content which is why I avoid a large amount of fatty meats, cheese, oil and peanut butter.. is a high fat diet ok then in this instance..??

@jenglish712 - I will try to incorporate more fat along with my protein now, fat has been scaring me aha. And I also think you are right.. my body finds carbs difficult and I am on tablets to help digest them or I suffer with stumoch pain, sickness and edema..though breads etc are still an issue.. I hope if I try to incorporate them more that I will get used to them again thank you!

Thank you again everyone, you have all given me a lot of insight and motivation! x

JoRocka

you need fat in your life.

it's a macro nutrient. Not the debil.

I really hope your still getting therapy- you have a lot to work through- and there is much work to do to repair your relationship with food- there is absolutely no way you can gain or lose significant weight in a short amount of time- gaining weight is the same as losing- a long steady climb with moderation and keeping a weathered eye on your intake.

beastcompany

If you continue to avoid dietary fat, you can expect to see very negative health consequences and basically say good-bye to proper hormone balance.

JoRocka

eat the fatz.

fatz is the good things in life. also - help your brain function.

plus they are delicious.

so
proper brain functions + delicious... win win!!!

low fat was the worst things to happen to this country- please work on moving past that HORRIBLE misconception.

Liftng4Lis

Along with being healthy for your body (and brain), fat in our diets help keep our hormone levels regulated.

jenglish712

OP: Just as you may have to adjust your GI tract to some foods, like carbs or dietary fat, it sounds like you need to adjust your mind to the idea of eating some of these foods. You need to have a little of the foods you label as "bad" and see that nothing catastrophic happens. It's sort of like a phobia of these foods at this point, and you can give yourself a bit of systematic desensitization. It can be at your own speed and comfort level. If you were phobic of spiders you probably would start with looking at a picture, rather than having a bucket of tarantulas on your head... so don't feel like you have to go out and get a Triple Baconator and a Slurpee. But start to build your comfort level with some of your labeled "bad foods" so you can find balance in your diet and your life.

psuLemon

carcarxx94 wrote: »

Thank you to everyone who's replied ! As for the food that isn't clean.. I have a huge paranoia that I will suddenly develop a taste for it and binge or not being able to stop and getting fat.. though I know this is stupid as I am at an anorexic weight so it would take a lot of it and a lot of time for this to happen but I imagine it to happen instantaneously haha.. :') it's why I am so afraid.. the only time I eat 'unclean' foods is if I have a hypoglycemic episode and there is nothing else to help me, so an 'unclean' chocolate or sweet is the last resort.. but I still have guilt trouble afterwards so maybe incorporating them a little would be good just so I get over the fear of any artificial ingredients too..?? I have trouble eating out because I am obsessed with the ingredients in foods
I am scared of high fat content which is why I avoid a large amount of fatty meats, cheese, oil and peanut butter.. is a high fat diet ok then in this instance..??

@jenglish712 - I will try to incorporate more fat along with my protein now, fat has been scaring me aha. And I also think you are right.. my body finds carbs difficult and I am on tablets to help digest them or I suffer with stumoch pain, sickness and edema..though breads etc are still an issue.. I hope if I try to incorporate them more that I will get used to them again thank you!

Thank you again everyone, you have all given me a lot of insight and motivation! x

At some point, you need to stop labeling food as good for bad. Unless you have an allergy, no food is bad for you. Also, there are many types of ice cream out there that are "all natural". Heck, Breyers ice cream is pretty much just milk sugar and cream. So you can get some foods that you think are dirty that are pretty clean.

Also, since you know you are going to be gaining some weight, you should probably lift and at least get some muscle gains out of this. Find a program that focuses on progressive compound movements.