One Month

I'm officially four weeks back into gaining and I've put on 16 pounds! Not to say it was easy, but I'm blown away at how steady the gain has been and I just hope that it will continue. My immediate goal is to get to 250 again, and my eyes are so fixed on that goal.

There's a few things I've noticed about my regain that's different and might be helpful to share. I've been using LiveStrong.com's the MyPlate to track my calories, this time (before I had just used an Excel spreadsheet). The site is gotten a lot better since the last time I used it in 2008, and the thing I especially like is how they update your calorie goal based on your weight changes. I have my goal set for a 3 pound gain per week, and (though it may be a coincidence) I gained exactly that amount last week. I'd say it's a helpful place!

Another thing is now that I have a desk job, I'm free to snack as I work. I've loaded my work bag with crackers and cookies and junk that I bought from a bulk food store and I make sure to have 2 or 3 things a day, depending on how busy I am. I try to make it a routine, so that when, say, it gets to around 10:30am and I haven't eaten anything, it doesn't feel right.

Another thing I found at the bulk food store is bulk cases of Ensure Plus. Now, I don't recommend this as a cost-effective thing to supplement your diet, but now that I have a bit of spare cash, I decided to splurge. They're about $30 for a case of 24, but they're the perfect size to suck down 350 calories once in the morning before work and once before bed.

Eating before bed is also another thing. Before, I kind of went overboard with eating before lying down and that leads to a lot of discomfort. I've found a good balance of having just a reasonably-sized meal and waiting about 10 or 15 minutes before is perfect.

If I can just keep this up, in just over a month I should be nearing that evil 250. With the amount of encouragement I've gotten, especially from the guys on Grommr, I think I can do it!