| Trying to add in more calories, but all my ideas add lots of fat - avocado, yogurt, nut butter. I already eat 1-2 eggs per day. I’ve been tracking my calories the past few days and I’m already close to 50% of my calories from fat. Lunch included salmon, dinner will include half a steak. |
| Chicken breast and fish (not salmon) |
| I was afraid the answer would be chicken. I hate dealing with raw poultry and I looked up all the chicken processing plants in my are and they are all above average for salmonella in tested samples. |
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What is your objection to carbs?
I'm not sure why you wouldn't add some whole grains, or other healthy carbs like fruit or sweet potatoes, or things like legumes and quinoa that combine carbs and protein. |
I do eat those things -whole wheat long fermented bread, beans, berries, apple… I do eat carbs, but I don’t want to add more and eat too many at once as I tend to get headaches and there’s diabetes in my family history. I’m also trying to add a little more protein since I’ve started working out and am trying to gain some weight and muscle. Also the fruit is good, but bread, oats, beans all seem to add to my constipation. |
Protein powder added to a green smoothie. |
So, dropping carbs that low is a weight loss strategy. It's not healthy eating, it's a strategy people use to address a medical problem such as obesity or insulin resistance. I don't think it's going to be possible to lose weight without eating a healthy balanced complete diet. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it sounds like your orthorexia is damaging your body. |
I’m not sure why you say “dropping carbs that low.” I am not following low carb. I eat carbs at every meal. But I’m looking to add in extra calories without adding a lot of fat, since I’ve already added in more olive oil and other healthy fats. I also don’t want to add more bread, oats, legumes than I’m already eating because of the digestion issue. |
| OP see a nutritionist and possibly a therapist. It seems like you are underweight and can’t get past your restrictive eating and obsessing about macros. |
I’ve just started logging my food into an app this week. It calculates the macros which is why I’m asking, I’m not obsessing about them. |
| Egg whites. Tasteless, can be added to anything. |
Why are you even doing that? Just eat more foods you like. You are underweight. If you “can’t gain weight” but then wont eat foods because you think they have too much fat, carbs, sugar, whatever, then you have a disorder. Stop limiting yourself |
Yes. And -- not that OP is doing this, of course -- it's the sort of mental disorder that seems to thrive on talking about it, on bringing people into the disordered thinking and rejecting suggestions. Gives them a charge. |
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OP here. I’m not sure where all the assumptions are coming from, but I’m not starving myself and I’m not low carb. Here’s the last couple meals I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 sesame bagel with scrambled eggs and chicken sausage, coffee with cream and milk Dinner last night: 3/4 of a bison steak grilled in avocado oil, steamed broccoli/ artichokes /spinach with garlic, a small portion of whole wheat pasta with olive oil and parsley. For an extra snack later I had a bowl of mixed puffed rice and whole wheat raisin cereal with low-fat kefir. |
| Great, OP. So what does the nutritionist you have consulted recommend for adding calories to that? |