She knows that I don't have any interest in thinness, and she knows that getting heavier has never made her less attractive to me (nor would future gains). But she doesn't know just how much a turn on fat and gaining stuff is for me.

I always figured that was my issue to handle, and I should not put pressure on her to be/do something I don't think she'd like. You can argue that by not telling her I'm not giving her options, but I prefer to think I'm not giving her a lifetime of cognitive dissonance.

Some (many? Most?) People will never really appreciate fat, if they don't already appreciate it at least a bit in the first place. In my life I've come to accept that while my wife loves food and doesn't mind some curves on herself, she is never really going to have any positive feelings about fat. No idea if your gf would ever come to appreciate it, or if her going through the motions to please you works for you. On the other hand, if you don't try.....

Counselling helps some people. In particular I think cognitive behavioural therapy helps many people silence those voices in theory head that got implanted while growing up. I don't know if that is an option for you, but it could be good for you (and those around you may benefit too if you gain more comfort in yourself)

In brief: you were trained to demean yourself. You can be untrained --and the people who did that to you don't deserve to still be living rent free in your head. It isn't easy or just a matter of willpower, but it probably is possible.

If you can't post it in the stories, should you really be posting it here?

All else being fairly equal, I'd hire the BBW. Or BHM. Or other person who is apt to have faced discrimination along their path.

Not because I'm trying to be an avatar of cosmic balance, but when two people have reached the same place, and one had a harder path to get there, then
a- that suggests some qualities that may otherwise be hidden, and
b- my experience is that they are more apt to really appreciate the opportunity to show what they can do.

Hasn't always worked out, but has had a better average than other hiring decisions I've witnessed.

Take her shopping and shop for her ... she should always have clothes that fit well (you might prefer to see her in too tight clothes, but that isn't a good every day plan).

Massage her, as gaining weight can be tough on back and legs). And encourage her to stretch and stay flexible.

I disagree about encouraging inactivity -- over the long run staying active pays off. But you can help her find activities that work with new inches. Walking or biking instead of jogging, etc.

Yeah, slow gain over time prolongs your enjoyment of the gain too. First half dozen years I was with my wife she gained around 15 pounds a year. Enough that I kept noticing that she was gaining, which was awesome, and over that time she went from a size 12 to finding a size 20 tight! Really adds up over time

For sure -- takes more energy to move more mass, so you make more heat, plus you have a lower surface area to volume ratio, and as whales know blubber is good insulation.

All the stuff about how to succeed at (reducing) diets kind of applies here too -- you are simply on a gaining diet.

Plan your meals and snacks, don't just rely on hunger cues, read labels on foods, don't beat yourself up when you don't meet your objectives on a given day.

Personally I'd also say to try to gain some muscle mass. Also fills you out, and gives balance to thinvs.

I've done a box of half a dozen quite a few times. Did a box of a dozen on a road trip once, thought I'd go through them over a couple of hours but they were gone in under 45 minutes. But I tend to find that much sugar and crappie fats doesn't leave me so good after, so I don't do it very often.