Need friends to help me Gain weight

[Tbgelfling]

I’m not even sure how to send a friend request to someone I relate to. I am 43 and female and trying to gain weight; it would help me if I could connect with other women, particularly women or men who have ever struggled with anorexia or another eating disorder. And sometimes I do need to be reminded to get off the phone and move; I live alone and I am on Disability for a seizure disorder and PTSD/ anxiety so other than cleaning and going to the store and gardening for several people, I really do have to try and meet the goals and it’s SO helpful for my anxiety and just getting up and out of bed and starting my day rather than lying there anxious. Last week was one of my best weeks. But I’ve walked over 17,000 steps, I have 91 mins in the lightning bolt range; every goal is met but one: calories burned! Now I haven’t been inputting my food; I was worried I’d be too focused on it. I will start. But how the hell does a 5 foot tall woman who weighs 105 pounds and is trying to gain 20 pounds do all that in a day and not burn “enough” calories? It has 1,900 as my daily goal to burn. I need one that says “you need to eat!”. Does anyone at all relate? 

[Heybales]

Just for logistics so you don't slip back into disordered eating by merely increasing the burning side of the equation to compensate for thinking you are eating more.

I would be shocked too for 17K steps to not be burning more, even for shorter woman.

Or was that a weekly total?

In which case that is actually below sedentary for weekly total.

Appears your sedentary TDEE (daily burn) would be about 1316, so it could be hard to make up 600 cal from just walking since it's low calorie burn. And if indeed below sedentary, even more than 600 to make up.

That goal is also set at default unless you changed it.

But it sounds like perhaps changing to a lower goal might be better so no obsessing over it. Make it lower, like 1500, and then go for the goal of hitting enough time in the moderate or vigorous exercise ranges.

Then you can give some attention to logging food calories so you aren't overwhelmed with both together.

Because indeed - it would be good to know, even with spot checks - you are eating enough.

If trying to gain weight, and attempting to burn 1900 - you'd have to eat more than that of course. Is that realistic?

Weighing and measuring yourself could be means to know if gaining weight obviously - but focusing attention on the body may not be wise to do either.

You do have the Fitbit account setup to gain weight?

Since steps does not equal calories, but rather distance, and it's distance and pace and weight that gives calorie burn - what distance are you going daily?

Have you ever tested what the Fitbit shows as distance for a known walk distance?

Confirming it's right? Device could be underestimating distance and shorting you on calorie burn.

Pick a 1/2 to 1 mile track or path (not GPS) and walk it about 1.8 mph for midpoint of daily paces you might do (from grocery store shuffle to exercise level pace).

Make that a workout and confirm the distance.

[Tbgelfling]

Hi! Thanks for replying I hope this goes out to the Veteran Runner who sent
it. 1,900 calories is what they wanted me to burn daily- I actually
Called customer service and was like “I really shouldn’t have to walk seven
miles to meet my calorie goal. I just now began inputting food again (to
the device and my body). I probably look fine to people who have never met
me, but my family and parents know what I look like healthy. Once changed,
it was strangely SOOOO much easier to make that goal— a 400 calorie
difference took me back hours from when I generally get there. Of course
I’ve been particularly active these past two weeks, and I really am not
sure it was counting my sleep calories: I certainly would always wake up to
whatever few steps I may have taken to go to the restroom and hardly any
cals. I still have trouble making myself eat during the day; I know you
burn more cals if u eat your larger meal earlier in the day. I almost got
to 1000 cals yesterday input: I am trying. It needs a “drink some water”
and “have U eaten ?” function lol. Thanks for your kindness

[Heybales]

Who is "they" that wants you to burn 1900 daily as goal?

I thought you meant what was already there as a goal during your account setup - you can change that.

So you are meeting a 400 goal increase then since so much easier?

What is your new daily goal amount then?

Sleep calories is what the device counts every minute of the day already, only if there are steps does it add more calories.

So rest assured - it is counting sleep calories.

Yours is only about 44 per hour, so yeah, not much.

So was that 17K steps for the week or a day?

Oh, myth that you burn more calories eating larger meal earlier in day.

I hope you aren't thinking you need that to try to burn more calories - when you are needing to gain weight.

Because your Fitbit is estimating calorie burn - not measuring it.

So it would have no ideas about that even if true.

Like that sleeping rate of calorie burn is used whenever there or no steps - awake, standing, ect.

And you burn more than sleeping rate during those times - but Fitbit has no idea and so you get no credit for it.

Underestimated calorie burn.

[Tbgelfling]

Thank you for your kind attention. I wish I could walk and text at the same
time. And that 17,000 was in one day; yesterday I did 20000. I have made a
commitment to being more physically active; I am a professional face
painter so with COVID, obviously pretty much everything I had planned all
year has been cancelled and they just cancelled all fall and winter events
in my group. Anyway I can discuss that later in a private message if this
allows them. I haven’t gotten much into the community. My device is I THINK
a Charge 2; I wish I could send u a pic bc I never see ones that look like
mine (black face w silver metal at top and bottom and a silver metal band
that clasps w a very strong magnet). I’m already at 7,022 steps today; I
overslept but I got up immediately and ive been cleaning, doing dishes,
sweeping, vacuuming in flip flops, yes (that’s how bad the bone spur above
my toe is). But I’m only at 981 calories and 2.74 miles- I assume when you
put your height in they get an average stride length from that. Aren’t
there something like 2,580 feet in a mile? I’d think that I’d have a foot
between my feet when I walk or run but if that were the case it seems I’d
have covered more ground although I’ve been inside most of today and I am
about to go to the grocery store and try to swing my hand lol. Yes, I do
have it on weight gain mode. My goal is 120. I need some of that to be fat
for my lady parts and to make my face younger but also to be healthier. Let
me get back to you when I’ve met my goals for the day lol. Please send me a
friend request; you’ll be the first one I accept and you seem
knowledgeable. Also do you know why it says “jogger” by my name? I
literally can’t jog. I need to find a pool, not that that’s going to show
up on Fitbit dang it