When I started my blog, I was trying hard to gain weight by consuming tons of vegan junk food. If you read my early entries, you’ll find many posts about sugary desserts, and even some posts that mention me having a snack of multiple pieces of cake (such as in this post).
I was constantly consuming exorbitant amounts of vegan layer cake, brownies, cookies, and downing soy ice cream by the pint (in a single sitting) in an attempt to put some weight on. However, there were two problems with this strategy:
One was that I’d feel so awful after stuffing so much junk into me that it would cause me to undereat later (and thus, I didn’t see any lasting weight gain). Two was that all the sugar I was consuming was really draining me of energy.
After a few months of eating like this, I had to seriously change my diet. Nowadays, I eat a high-calorie diet, but it’s mostly made up of healthy foods, with very little sugar. I feel much better this way.
See the following post for more: Chocolate-Covered Katie: My High Calorie Diet.
Hey Katie! I am a huuuuge fan of your blog so i thank you veeery much for being such a wonderful blogger. I am so impressed and find myself drooling like hell on the computer way too often at the recipes;) And I totally know how you feel when people comment on your weight as you have told! I have also been quite skinny my whole life and I lost some weight because of stress a few years ago and people still think they have some right to have an oppinion about my looks even if they didn’t know me that well. Most important is as you have said that you yourself know your healthy and the closest people in your life too! So thank you again! Oh and yeah you rock girl keep it going!<3
Thank u for such a sweet comment!! 🙂
So if you’re trying to eliminate your sugar intake then why do so many of your recipes include foods like bananas? their sugar amounts are really high, is this type of sugar OKAy to consume?
I never said I’m trying to eliminate my sugar intake. I eat in a way that works for me, which is low in added sugars and also not super-high in natural sugars. Yes, I use bananas, but it’s not like I eat 5 every day. Maybe I eat 2-3 servings of fruit per day? Honestly, I don’t really worry about my sugar intake; I just don’t eat all the processed junk anymore, and I feel so much better.
I love your blog! I was surprised to find someone with such a similar problem to mine. I did the exact same thing, and I’m currently struggling to gain weight on a HEALTHY diet (I want to go at least vegetarian, but my parents won’t let me–I still tend to stay away from meat though, except fish). I learned that even eating a ton of sweets (like eating a whole pint of soy ice-cream or a whole giant bar of super dark chocolate–which I will admit to doing; I still occasionally eat entire bars of Green & Black’s 85%) won’t help you gain weight, for that exact reason. Binging like that made me feel horrible and guilty. I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes, and loved ALL of them, especially the healthy milkshakes (the mint-chocolate chip is my favorite!;). Pretty much anything tastes good with frozen banana, so I’ve learned. I love experimenting with food and making healthy-as-possible and creative snacks and meals, and hope to one day be a chef. Again, love your blog! It’s awesome. : )
Thanks so much, Shanna! I am so so glad you found me! 🙂
Ohmigosh! This is so me!! I do think I used to feel better when I was in highschool and mother cooked for me…but now we’re kind of in diffrent countries.Hmm,, I think I really should think about this “Consumption of Sugar” thing. In my case, since sugar makes energy fast and doesn’t require cooking, I always have it nearby…And If i quit sugar, I’d be eating next to nothing. But I’m concerned that living off sugar isn’t the way to go for health.
But quitting sugar isn’t easy… Maybe I’ll call Mom and ask for some advice.,
Thank you Katie, for your reply(I wasn’t expecting one so fast…you’re great.) and advice.
If I hadn’t read your postings, I wouldn’t have thought about my eating habits at all! Your posts have been very helpful ;D
***Lots of Gratitude from Me to CCK***
I definitely wouldn’t quit sugar all together… we need a little sweetness in our lives, right? 😉
But maybe even cutting back just a little bit (while not cutting back on calories) will make you feel more energetic. As I said, I don’t know if it’ll work, but it worked for me!
Chocolate hugs to you 🙂
I love reading about your experiences with your weight. Sometimes it’s hard for us to come to terms with who we are because people keep telling us to be what we can’t be. Not everyone is meant to be slim, and not everyone is meant to be curvy. But everyone in the world can be two things, happy and healthy. As I got older, I leaned to accept myself and you have helped me do that, Katie :). I just really hope that others can read the things you post and interpret them the way I have. Life is too special to waste on diets and obsessive eating. The biggest tragedy that a human can experience is existing in a world where there is so much brilliance, and not being able to see it or feel it. Life is too precious to waste.
I LOVE this! I’ve wanted to write on this matter on my own blog just to convey a different understanding of weight, but have been so hesitant in fear of the responses. My fears aren’t entirely unjustified because I’ve heard some of the nastiest, rudest remarks regarding being thin. (Serious- “I want to stove spoonfuls of mash potatoes in your mouth” was one individual’s eloquent comment to me!). I’ve tried to gain to no avail. I’ll never be curvy, but it would be nice to actually be able to shop in the women’s dept. considering I’m in my mid 20s. haha. Interestingly, my husband is the exact same way. We’re both tall and lean, and together we’re quite the pair. We frequentlly joke about the double dose of long & lean genes any child we would have would inherit. haha. Anyways, I just wanted to share a little as I know that there aren’t many others who truly understand this side of things. Thanks for sharing your story! 🙂
I LOVE your blog and your recipes!! I also love reading about your journey with diet/exercise. I would like to know what your pre-run breakfast consists of. I run or spin or do some form of exercise very early in the morning and I usually just have a banana and coffee before I start. I’ve often wondered if I could go longer with protein or something with more sustenance, but I don’t really know what to try. I love oatmeal for my post-run/exercise meals, but what about before?
I know it’s a really personal thing… Some people can eat huge amounts of food and be ok, while others can’t even tolerate a little. For me, I usually eat a handful of nuts and some fruit. (So like 1/2 a grapefruit and some pistachios, or 1/2 cup honeydew and some cashews, etc :).)
I’m so glad I found your blog! I have one daughter who is underweight, so it’s always a struggle to find high-calorie food that is healthy. She is only 2, so I want to make sure she gains weight, but also learns healthy eating habits at the same time. Thank you!
I enjoyed reading your story as I also have heard all the comments (“You’re trying to gain weight? Wish I had that problem. Want some of mine?”). It is very frustrating & hurtful. I have also gone down the trying-to-gain-weight-in-not-so-healthy-ways road. It is so nice to see someone else in the same boat as me!
Hope you’ve had a great weekend!
I have a similar story in some ways. I was really underweight in high school and I tried eating junk food to gain weight, but it didn’t work. I found that when I didn’t stress too much and made sure I got enough protein, I was able to gain weight.