ExSkinnyGuy:
Before I started gaining I slipped into starvation mode by accident. I was thin and wasn't eating enough for how active I was at work and my body got used to like one meal a day.
I moved away over summer and eating out and more became the norm, so my body thinking food was scarce started to lay down fat from a relatively normal diet. When I noticed this, and having been a gainer before, I took advantage and started overeating. Then recently I started stuffing when I could and my belly has just ballooned since.
I have heard its hard to get back to a regular metabolism, but gaining fat easily now suits me!
Ayumi Orihime:
Severe caloric restriction is fatal for a metabolism. The longer you do it, the worse the effect.
If you yo-yo diet, it's even worse.
If your body thinks there is a food draught, when you eat again (especially if you stuff your face like crazy) it will hang on to every calorie and you'll gain faster than someone who just overeats all the time.
Constant snacking is also very effective, as it keeps your insulin levels up and insulin is one of the hormones involved in fat storage.
You just have to be careful not to overdo it, because even if insulin resistance is linked to weight gain, it's also linked to type II diabetes...
For snacks, go for nuts (and don't watch the quantity, just keep eating them), bread with thick layers of nut butter, cheeses.
A huge serving of ice cream after meals, with crumbled cookies on top and other sugary toppings (ex: salted caramel sauce, chocolate-hazelnut spread...), would also add some cushioning to your waistline.
I can see someone eating big bowls of granola for breakfast with cream instead of milk. Granola is already very calorie dense, with the cream it would be awesome!
I agree. Finding a balance with respect to your diet is a primary objective. I'm not a dietitian but Ayumi Orihime is %100 correct in that type two diabetes is always a major consideration and that Yo-Yo dieting is dangerous. It's important to find a way to live your life on your terms within reason. I have had a suspicion that in some cases being overweight to a certain degree could even have some advantages. With this in mind, you wouldn't want to achieve this in a fashion that could cause a decline in health. I also agree that eating nuts could help. I'm guilty of having one too many milk shakes (3 or 4) within the course of a week on account of my affinity for them however perhaps a shake every once in a while could be a reasonable supplement.
