Gaining... Is there any such thing as 'bad' calories?
Regaining_life
Posts: 14 Member
Hi guys, I'm no newcomer to this site, but I am new to the forums. I am just looking for some advice really so please don't be rude. I am currently 24 years old, 5 feet tall and weigh 69 pounds. Obviously I am trying to gain a little bit of weight but I am really struggling with the concept of 'bad food' and I don't really know what I should and shouldn't be eating. Should most of my calories be coming from protein and veggies? Is there such a thing as eating too much chocolate or sweets in order to reach my calorie goal? At the moment I'm eating a chocolate bar every single day in order to reach my goal and to me it seems wrong. Shouldn't I really be eating healthy things (I am eating veggies and fruit etc for meals too btw) or does it not matter? Any constructive advice would be much appreciated.
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when bulking, calories are king.
Yes you should focus on fruits, veggies, protein but youll be too full on chicken and broccoli to hit your goal. So ice cream, chocolate, etc will be a necessity to help hit the goal. You can make smoothies since sometimes its easier to drink your calories to hit high goals0 -
Regaining_life wrote: »Hi guys, I'm no newcomer to this site, but I am new to the forums. I am just looking for some advice really so please don't be rude. I am currently 24 years old, 5 feet tall and weigh 69 pounds. Obviously I am trying to gain a little bit of weight but I am really struggling with the concept of 'bad food' and I don't really know what I should and shouldn't be eating. Should most of my calories be coming from protein and veggies? Is there such a thing as eating too much chocolate or sweets in order to reach my calorie goal? At the moment I'm eating a chocolate bar every single day in order to reach my goal and to me it seems wrong. Shouldn't I really be eating healthy things (I am eating veggies and fruit etc for meals too btw) or does it not matter? Any constructive advice would be much appreciated.
Keep eating a chocolate bar a day. The are helping you get your calories.
Your food will be coming from protein, eggs, beans, veggies, fruits, fat, oils, nuts
Food is not good or bad.
It is not assigned that kind of designation. Choose food that you want to eat for that particular day. Those are good foods -- ones that you have chosen. That is when they become good.
Try to get close to your macros: protein, fats, carbs.
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For many of us...we do have to watch what we eat so that we stay within our calorie limits...so we eat smart...trying to maximize our proteins, and stay within our fats/carb limits. Thus we do eat lots of meat and vegs. Instead of eating ice cream, why not truck down to your local health food shop and pick up a tub of weight gaining powder? It will have a high level of calories...but also a high level of protein. That's smarter than just plain ice cream and choc. Just a thought.0
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Brussel sprouts and quinoa immediately come to mind0
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In reality, there's either calories WITH nutritional density or those will none or little. There's really no "bad" calories. Especially when one is trying to gain weight.
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OP - no such thing as "good" and "bad" food. There is just food that your body uses for energy. Make sure that you hit your calorie/micro/macro targets for the day and you will be fine. And, as others ave pointed out, calories are king when trying to bulk…so yes, you can have things like bagels, ice cream, cookies, etc…just balance that out by hitting your micor/macro/calorie targets...0
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Some food makes you feel great, other food makes you feel like crap. I think this is the common sense thought when people talk about good food and bad food.0
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TiberiusClaudis wrote: »For many of us...we do have to watch what we eat so that we stay within our calorie limits...so we eat smart...trying to maximize our proteins, and stay within our fats/carb limits. Thus we do eat lots of meat and vegs. Instead of eating ice cream, why not truck down to your local health food shop and pick up a tub of weight gaining powder? It will have a high level of calories...but also a high level of protein. That's smarter than just plain ice cream and choc. Just a thought.
why? you don't get extra credit for gong over on protein….0 -
lishie_rebooted wrote: »when bulking, calories are king.
Yes you should focus on fruits, veggies, protein but youll be too full on chicken and broccoli to hit your goal. So ice cream, chocolate, etc will be a necessity to help hit the goal. You can make smoothies since sometimes its easier to drink your calories to hit high goals
Double-down on chocolate baby! Former Chocolatier here - dark chocolate is an excellent food as the poster said - plus it does have fiber in it - it's one of the few :sweets" I advocate eating for gaining some good weight.0 -
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I've found if I can hit my protein level all my macros drop into place. Pasta is great for adding calories in my experience.0
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At 69lbs, you're very light even given that you are relatively short. Did you get light by just overall not being hungry, or do you tic ally fear "bad" foods? How do you feel about your relationship with food in general. It may be beneficial to speak to a therapist if you feel you have an unhealthy relationship with food.
An f others have given you good advice. If the Chocolate bar gets you to your goal go for it. You can also try to increase your calories in the foods you already eat. Use oil to cook your meats and veggies, eat full fat dairy and salad dressings, etc.0 -
Thanks for all the replies and advice guys, I appreciate it0
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At 69lbs, you're very light even given that you are relatively short. Did you get light by just overall not being hungry, or do you tic ally fear "bad" foods? How do you feel about your relationship with food in general. It may be beneficial to speak to a therapist if you feel you have an unhealthy relationship with food. .
I was very unwell for a while last year and lost a lot of weight through just not really eating much at all because everything I ate, even if it was just soup, caused digestive distress and stomach ache. The problem is sorted now but I'm still very reluctant to eat certain foods
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Regaining_life wrote: »At 69lbs, you're very light even given that you are relatively short. Did you get light by just overall not being hungry, or do you tic ally fear "bad" foods? How do you feel about your relationship with food in general. It may be beneficial to speak to a therapist if you feel you have an unhealthy relationship with food. .
I was very unwell for a while last year and lost a lot of weight through just not really eating much at all because everything I ate, even if it was just soup, caused digestive distress and stomach ache. The problem is sorted now but I'm still very reluctant to eat certain foods
Are you currently receiving therapy?
No, therapy for what? I don't think I need it, no offence0 -
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Well, if you have the all clear from the doctor, don't bother cutting out foods unless they still give you issues. It might be best to try some of the foods you are concerned about one at a time and see if they give you issue. But the only bad food would be the ones you can't digest properly.Regaining_life wrote: »At 69lbs, you're very light even given that you are relatively short. Did you get light by just overall not being hungry, or do you tic ally fear "bad" foods? How do you feel about your relationship with food in general. It may be beneficial to speak to a therapist if you feel you have an unhealthy relationship with food. .
I was very unwell for a while last year and lost a lot of weight through just not really eating much at all because everything I ate, even if it was just soup, caused digestive distress and stomach ache. The problem is sorted now but I'm still very reluctant to eat certain foods
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In my opinion, there are "empty" calories, such as with cake and cookies, and there are calories that you get from healthy foods. The ones you get from healthy foods are the ones that actually serve a nutritional purpose for your body. I don't think the healthy way to gain weight is to eat a bunch of unhealthy foods. I like to know that what goes in my body is helping me in many ways. So, I would suggest to double up on the more nutrient dense foods such as avacado, cheese, whole milk, nuts, and hummus.0
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With a BMI of 13.5 I think you need to be eating ALL the food. Definitely get as much as you can from meat, vegetables, fruit, diary, and whole grains but don't be afraid to add in ice cream, pizza, cookies, or whatever you like.0
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TrailBlazerMN wrote: »Some food makes you feel great, other food makes you feel like crap. I think this is the common sense thought when people talk about good food and bad food.
Good and bad are moral judgements. No food should make you feel like crap unless you have medical issues.0 -
TrailBlazerMN wrote: »Some food makes you feel great, other food makes you feel like crap. I think this is the common sense thought when people talk about good food and bad food.
I can assure you there is no food that makes me feel like crap.
No food.
... and I'm pretty sure if we slap-chopped it up and fed it down a feed tube while you were blind folded, you wouldn't be able to identify good or bad food any more reliably than random chance (modulo a severe allergic reaction)
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Good and bad are moral judgements. No food should make you feel like crap unless you have medical issues.
You must be superhuman and unlike the majority of us. Congrats!0 -
No bad calories, just bad decisions.0
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I'm usually in agreement with you but let me tell you, last weekend we wanted to eat out so I was searching online for the best burgers in NYC, it started snowing hard so we figured we'd stay in Queens and not drive to Manhattan. I found a spot that several sites over several years ranked it Top 5 burger here and it was in Queens. The burger was so greasy that the bottom of the bun was soaked, I peeled it off. The Mac n Cheese was so oily it left a film in your mouth. By the time we got home I was in the bathroom, and again, and again, and....well you get the picture.
Food made me feel bad. Contemplating writing a strongly worded letter.
Exactly. Besides, hasn't anyone seen Bridesmaids?0 -
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TrailBlazerMN wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Good and bad are moral judgements. No food should make you feel like crap unless you have medical issues.
You must be superhuman and unlike the majority of us. Congrats!
Sure whatever. Thanks for more useless posting.
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