BigBallBellyGirl:The people who caution about aggressive stuffing and hard-core gaining are absolutely right. (Note, I said "caution about", not "caution against".) In an effort to gain back some lost weight and ultimately get to 450-500, I started super-stuffings constantly. I was gaining 10 pounds a week, easily, and never leaving any room in my stomach I didn't immediately fill. I loved the journey and the filled past the limit sensation, but about a month ago, I started to have weird neurological symptoms, like tingling, and skin numbness, as well as severe back and upper belly pain. I'm not abandoning my goal, by any means, but I decided to back off on the extreme stuffings for a while and let my body heal. But guess what? I find eating normal meals almost impossible. Yesterday, my partner and I went to a pub. He ordered a Philly cheesesteak and side salad. I ordered a double mushroom Swiss burger and tater tots, 1200 calories according to the menu. Based on nutritional standards, I had a very large meal, but my body didn't think so. I downed everything, but I didn't even feel like I had eaten at all. He gave me a fourth of his cheesesteak, but I still felt not just unsatisfied, but empty. I ended up getting queso with soft tortillas, adding another 1,800 calories. The fact is, I absolutely wanted more, but I stopped myself, because with beer, I had already exceeded 4,000 calories in a sitting. The fact is, had I been intentionally stuffing, I honestly could have easily had a fast food meal on the way home, but I refrained. The reality is, I think I also was averaging way more calories than I calculated when I was constantly stuffing. I usually documented around 15,000, but that number was likely well over 20,000. And last week, I put on 5 pounds while thinking I was eating conservatively. The appetite is a bizarre thing.
Munchies:Sounds about right.
I appreciate you making the distinction you made when you said "caution about" versus "caution against."
Extreme weight gain and stuffing are very fun - but only in the short term.
That said, I wish you all the best. You've stretched your stomach out. It will shrink in time, but it will not be comfortable.
That said, there are some things you can do in the meantime. Some foods make you feel fuller for longer. Here's an article for example:
myplenity.com/blog/10-foods-that-help-you-feel-fuller-longerRemember, the goal isn't weight loss. It's just to help you suffer less while you wait for your stomach to recover. You probably won't lose any weight. If anything, you'll gain at a slower rate before eventually maintaining.
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Thank you for the guidance, and yes, I'm definitely still seeing gains. It's just not 10 pounds a week, which I knew wasn't sustainable forever anyway. And I don't regret putting on so much weight so quickly. I love the way I look. But pushing my body so hard had consequences, and real life is not weight gain fiction. The reality of gaining 220 pounds in 16 months (80 of which happened in 10 weeks) is that:
- I had some scary digestive issues, including a week of constipation, carrying around 25 pounds of waste. Not to be graphic, but that almost required an ER trip.
- My blood pressure was dangerously high (stroke level) and is still problematic.
- I've had shortness of breath and heart palpitations.
- I had belly button pain and tingling. I still have numb patches on my abdomen.
- When I was gaining 10 pounds a week, I had two cracked stretch marks. One still hasn't healed.
- I can no longer stand more than 5 minutes because of hip and back pain.
- I struggle with stopping, even when I've eaten 5,000 calories, because my brain recognizes any room in my stomach as hunger
Again -- I don't have regrets, but I join you in cautioning people (with no judgement, just genuine care) that pushing limits for extended periods of time takes a toll on physical and cognitive health, finances, and lifestyle. I'll still get to 450 (or more), but when I do feel well enough to do massive, extreme stuffings, they'll probably be confined to an evening or a weekend rather than lasting for weeks of months.