The Doctor Is In

Hello, I'm Dr. Belly - a medical student who has an affinity for fattening gainers through scientifically backed means.On this blog you will find all sorts of information on gaining strategies and lifestyle tips.

[doctorbelly]

Things Every Gainer Should Possess

If you are serious about taking a scientific and manipulative approach to your weight gain, there are some tools that will help you remain motivated, on track and on top of your weight gain like never before. Most of these are available for most price points and can be real assets to you in your weight gain journey. I have personally found all of these to be very helpful to me during my gain journey, so I will be linking to some of my favorite products throughout this post in case that’s something you’re interested in. I feel the need to put a disclaimer saying that this isn’t a sponsored post of any kind and I am just giving tips for what’s worked for me and others I’ve spoken to. If you’d like to share some of your favorite products for others to see, please reply to this post! I’m sure there are plenty of great items out there that I will leave unmentioned so participation in this discussion is more than welcome.

 1.       Scale, Body Fat Caliper, Measuring Tape, Camera, Log To track my progress, I like to use a variety of tools to give myself the best vision of my growing body. I use a scale I got off of Amazon. Mine is a digital scale good up to 440lbs that remembers my last weight and calculates how much I’ve gained, each time I step on the scale. It also shipped with a free body fat caliper and measuring tape, which I use to record my measurements in my log. With my measuring tape I record the circumference of my upper arm, upper thigh, hips, waist and bust in centimeters. When measuring my hips and waist, I let it all hang out without pushing it out and relax, taking natural breaths. You can choose to measure yourself as you please of course; I just find that to be the most accurate way. If you need a tutorial on how to use a body fat caliper, I’ve linked to one here. I use my camera as a tool as well, each Sunday when I weigh myself and take my other measurements I take tripod mugshot-style photos of myself with my phone from the front, back and each side, again in a natural pose not sucking by belly in or pushing out. I also choose to do my measurements on an empty stomach. By logging all of this data, I have the best representation of the changes I’m putting my body through. I can calculate how fast I’m gaining fat and tweak my diet to manipulate that. I can calculate my waist, hip, and bust growth rate in comparison to my overall weight gain. And this is just the tip of the iceberg - I have visual and mathematical representations of everything. This is all very valuable information when gaining, and as boring as math can be for some, this makes it exciting.

2.       Supplements This is certainly an optional one, but speaking personally, I love supplements for my weight gain. I use thiamine to help maintain my appetite and weight gain, Vitamin A to help with my fatigue (diet high in fats and sugar – getting fat is exhausting :p), Vitamin C to counteract stress hormones that lead to weight loss, and Vitamin D to maintain normal mineral density in my bones. I also use maltodextrin I order here as a sweetener for almost everything I make and I know that it’s helping to blow me up, as its great for a quick blood sugar spike and fat cell nutrient boost. I also take a fiber supplement every other day, as sometimes my diet isn’t the most well-balanced. All of the above supplements can be found on Amazon or at most drug stores or supplement shops.

3.       Blender Again, not for everyone, but I have found my blender to be extremely helpful for me throughout my gain, specifically when I’m speaking about weight gain shakes. This is the blender I have, I recommend one with sturdy, sharp blades that can hold a lot – Magic Bullets just don’t cut it in my opinion but if you’re strapped for cash, most blenders will do the trick just fine. While we’re here, there is no need to buy any expensive bulking formula to make shakes that taste great and that will blow you up like a balloon in no time. Below I’ve put a few of my favorite flavor combinations for shakes. Heavy cream + Mint Chip Ice Cream + Maltodextrin + Ice + Brownies + Chocolate Syrup Heavy cream + Cookies n Cream Ice Cream + Maltodextrin + Ice + Cookie Dough + Chocolate Syrup Soy Milk + Maltodextrin + Ice + Peanut Butter + Bananas + Strawberries Full Fat Coconut Milk + Maltodextrin + Maraschino Cherries + Pineapple + Ice (+ Rum) – I sometimes add heavy cream to this for a calorie boost, but if you’re dairy-free this still packs a punch with the coconut milk and maltodextrin.

4.       Measuring Spoons, Measuring Cups and Kitchen Scale(s) If you track your diet as closely as I do and cook most of your meals, its’ almost impossible to get by without these tools. Tracking your diet and exercise (or lack thereof) is the most valuable power to predict or manipulate your weight and body composition. By using measuring tools to log exactly how much you are eating, you’re able to more accurately do your homework. They are also available at nearly every price point.

5.       Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal (& Fitbit - Optional) I use this to track everything I eat and it takes care of a lot of my work for me. It has a barcode scanner for ease of use and I haven’t had any difficulties using the app. Also, I believe it’s free. I use this app in conjunction with my Fitbit (gifted to me recently by a friend) to keep a close watch on myself on a day-to-day basis. I realize Fitbit isn’t for everyone and are expensive. Personally, I had no intention of getting one and I have a feeling that the friend who gave me this did not intend for me to begin using it this way, but I love it for how I use it. I am a busy-body and in the month that I’ve had it, it’s helped to ease me into a more sedentary lifestyle (I aim to take off steps from my count the same way most Fitbit users aim to add them to theirs). I also love the information on my heart rate and quality of sleep and that mine doubles as a watch. If you want a similar tracking option, pedometers are out there that can track your steps as well as heart rate monitors and sleep quality apps for free.

6.       Comfortable Clothing If you are really in this for the long haul, elastic waistbands, forgiving material and loose fits are your friends. After outgrowing my clothes, I now mostly wear leggings or yoga pants and t-shirts and I prefer non-restrictive sports bras and MeUndies underwear, as the fabric is comfortable, stretchy and I like their designs – uncomfortable underwear that digs into your lovehandles does not have to be part of your weight gain story as it has been mine! Remember to get some stuff that you can wear out of the house for when you outgrow everything else – luckily for me leggings are currently ‘in’ ;).

7.       IIFYM Assessment Linked to a shameless self-promo! But really, its the best way that I have found to guaranteed weight gain, and a personalized calculator by a follower to get most of the work done for you. Adjust as need be and don’t forget to check in every 10 pounds or so and redo it for an updated assessment so you can keeo on track.

8.       Stocked Kitchen Have you ever heard a fitness nut talking about how they won’t even bring junk house into their house? Do the opposite. I don’t even keep options for myself in the house that don’t result in weight gain as it makes it easier to go off the rails. Some things I ensure are always in the house include: whole milk, heavy cream, chocolate milk, Sunny D, maltodextrin, peanut butter, Nutella, bread (in a few different forms – sandwich bread, popovers, bagels, etc.), avocados, olive oil, mixed nuts, pasta, rice, potatoes, homemade brownies, homemade chocolate chip cookies, Ruffles Regular potato chips, frozen mozzarella sticks, butter, ground beef, canned tomatoes and black beans, Peanut Butter M&Ms (my junk candy of choice), a few kinds of cheese, garlic, beer, wine, Pepsi, Fanta, sweetened iced tea, frozen pizzas, frozen snacks, pudding, a few kinds of ice cream. I have vegetables every day and they are always in my fridge too. Remember, if you eat like a fatty, you’ll become one.

9.       Body Oil or Lotion This is another optional one, but to prevent stretch marks, relax after eating a particularly large meal, or just to feel sensual, body oils and lotions pair great with weight gain. In the past I’ve used Bio-Oil, which is expensive but helped me gain over 50lbs with no stretch marks and my skin was always baby soft. Currently I’m using coconut oil and occasionally this massage oil I picked up from a local boutique, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it for stretch mark prevention, as I have recently noticed a few on myself.

10.   Community The Tumblr community is great for tips, tricks, logging and support and I’ve also found the Kik and FantasyFeeder communities to be quite welcoming to me. It’s an unfortunate fact that this lifestyle goes against societal norms and as a result, many members of our community are subject to ridicule and hate. I have seen many gainers and feedees quit due to harassment, which is why I think it’s important for gainers to check in every now and then when they need a reminder or a confidence boost from people who are behind their gain. If I could ask anything of my followers its to be kind and supportive of one another, as many of us use this community as an outlet for something not shared with the outside world. 

I hope that you’ve found this guide helpful! Don’t forget to reply with your favorite tools for weight gain if I didn’t list them above. Happy gaining! 

[doctorbelly]

What about air inflation or coke and mentos bloat?

I'm totally in favor of some bloating and inflation. I will be making a much longer post on this, so I won't go into detail. Specifically, I don't think Orbeez are a good idea for bloaters, but through other means it can be done safety.

[doctorbelly]

If I may ask, how do you feel about people who are turned on by the health complications of obesity?

I think it's a kink, and kinks often don't make sense. I have no problem with people into this. As long as they're respectful to their partners and everything is consentual, I don't see it being an issue.

[doctorbelly]

I know someone that had 12 orbeez in their stomach that got to the size of avocados and they were able to pass them no problems and they're still alright. Eventually the orbeez broke down to pass them

Fair enough, I just can't condone telling people to ingest them, given what I know of them. You can choose to do whatever you want, that's just my opinion.

[doctorbelly]

Thoughts on downing a few orbeez and letting it bloat someone up?

I do not condone this.

For those who are unfamiliar, Orbeez are small beads made up of super absorbant polymers, which allow them to expand drastically when exposed to water. They are commonly found in children’s toys and some home spa kits. Although reportedly non-toxic and unbinding, I do worry about them passing through the digestive system without causing serious harm to any who ingest them due to the size the Orbeez can grow to.

[doctorbelly]

Hello Doctor, I'd like a consultation. Im a 22 y/o male college student, and I'm currently 296lbs (piggy status?). Ive been stuck at just under 300 for the past couple years but I haven't been able to break through the plateau. Im on a budget, and eat fast food at least once a day. Also, because of who I currently live with, mixing weight gain shakes is not really an option. What do you think I should do? Also, is it really bad for me to be eating fast food every day? Thank you very much!

Please refer to the IIFYM fat gain calculator and try to meet your macro nutrient daily values everyday. You may also find it useful to switch up where you get your calories from and slightly shifting your macro goals, manipulating the goals for fats and carbohydrates . Eating high-fat and high-carb fast food options daily certainly is not considered ‘healthy’ but it will help you get fatter. There are ways to gain while making all homemade meals, and consuming healthy foods to meet your daily caloric goals and macros, although it is more time consuming and tends to be less budget-friendly. I would hope that all who read my weight gain advice take into account the health risks associated with sudden and/or dramatic weight gain, as well as diets high in fat and carbohydrates.  

Thank you for your question and best of luck!

Dr. Belly

[doctorbelly]

I was wondering if you needed another community piggy like you had on your other account.

Hi there,

I figure I’ll address this now, as I’ve been getting a lot of messages regarding Tumblr user communitypiggy. She hasn’t updated her account in quite some time and I haven’t heard from her. As it is, I don’t know her personally and she contacted me, having seen my blog, to spread the message of her goal. I’m not sure what happened to her, but I hope she is well, wherever she is. Over the years, I’ve seen many gainers seemingly drop off of the face of the planet, so I can’t say I’m entirely surprised to notice her disappearance, but disappointed nonetheless.

In terms of a search for a new community piggy, I’m not the one to contact about this. I don’t want my blog to become advertisement for feedee/feeder accounts and although I will reblog other posts from time-to-time and follow many feeders and feedees, I prefer to keep my blog itself mostly my posts, as I have a goal on Tumblr to bring gaining strategies to all of you, and don’t wish to have random, unrelated posts in between - its simply not what I set out to do and I’m not interested in acting as a feeder or promotion. I just made a one-time exception and have learned from it.

That being said, just because I don’t want to use my blog to advertise another community piggy account, don’t let me hold you back from creating one. I thought/think its a great idea.

Best of luck and thank you for the question,

Dr. Belly

[doctorbelly]

How to Stuff Like a Competitive Eater (...& Get Fat Doing It)

           As outlined in Tip #5 ‘Eating Speed’ in my prior post titled “Nine Odd Tricks to Maximize Your Weight Gain”, eating quickly has been proven to have a correlation with weight gain, leaving fast eaters twice as likely to be obese. Since it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to receive the message that you are ‘full’, the more food you consume in this window, the more you’ll be able to comfortably stuff. This leads to bigger stuffings (ergo higher caloric intake) as well as an increase in stomach capacity. Eating quickly has also been linked in studies to spikes in blood sugar levels which may contribute to weight gain over an extended time period. If you go with ‘All-You-Can-Eat’ speed-stuffing on a regular basis, you’ll be setting yourself up for a ballooning weight gain and a shortcut to increasing your stomach capacity. But, as mentioned above, this is all review from an earlier post of mine - so how exactly do you speed stuff effectively and without choking? If you’d like to learn how to employ these strategies to your stuffing routine, read on.

           In this post, I am going to outline methods used by competitive eaters. I must give the disclaimer that, should you opt to use these tips; you are taking a risk that should not be understated. Possible long-term complications of stomach stretching include nausea and vomiting, which may require surgery to correct, although not much research has been done on the topic of long term health effects of binge speed eating. Choking is always a risk, and although I have tips to reduce your risk of this, I must recommend that you have someone with you when speed stuffing, even better if they are a trained medical professional. Of course, if you are stuffing with a lot of fats and carbohydrates with the intention of gaining weight, there are risks associated with these diets and dramatic weight gain that should be noted as well. Okay, safety speech over – let’s get to the good stuff.

1.      What To Eat

It’s recommended that beginners to the world of competitive eating stick to softer foods, as they tend to be easier on the digestive system and easier to eat quickly. Softer foods also require less chewing, which can prolong the time it takes for your satiety reflex to present itself (that is, it should take longer for your body to ‘feel full’), as well as being easier to swallow. If you opt for harder foods, try to choose ones that have some moisture to them (i.e. getting medium-rare or rare burgers, as opposed to well done), as they will be easier to swallow. Dry foods are not recommended for stuffing due to this. In competitive eating competition, manipulating the food before-hand isn’t an option, but when you speed-stuff at home, it is. So, feel free to take liberty with pre-tearing or cutting your preferred stuffing food so-as to make it easier for you to focus your attention solely on the task at hand, eating and make it easier to stuff quickly. .

As for beverages, unless you opt to consume a homemade weight gain shake as your primary stuffing meal, you should try to minimize the amount of liquids you consume during your stuffing (at least until you are done stuffing with food, at which time, high sugar liquids, such as sweetened juices or sodas can be consumed to aid in a spike in blood sugar). Think of beverages less as thirst-quenchers and more as aids for your stuffing. Non-carbonated sugary flavored drinks can be used to change up the flavor of the food mid-stuffing to enliven your taste buds and make the process more enjoyable. Sodas with high acidities help break down carbohydrates while you chew them, which can be extremely useful towards the end of your stuffing session, as well as causing belching, eliminating as much air from your stomach as possible. Instead of using only beverages to aid you in swallowing, try using sauces or creamy side dishes to help food go down, although be weary of condiments like mustard, which can be unpleasant when combined with warm water. On that note, your selected beverages should certainly not be cold; in fact, if you can enjoy most of your beverages at close-to-body-temperature when stuffing, you will be at an advantage, since cold liquids may cause your throat to tense up, which is very detrimental to eating quickly. If you can’t stomach warm liquids while stuffing, room temperature is certainly better than refrigerated.

Overall, the most important thing with food choice is that you enjoy the food itself. It should come as no surprise to you that it is much easier to eat in excess when the food you are eating is one that you enjoy versus one that you hate. Although calorie dense foods high in carbohydrates and fats are ideal for speed stuffing resulting in weight gain, it’s generally smarter to stick with an option you enjoy, rather than a more calorie dense one that you are ‘meh’ about.

2.      Training Your Stomach

Increasing your stomach capacity does not happen overnight, and there are several strategies that competitive eaters employ to increase their capacity prior to competition. It is simply unrealistic to expect to be able to eat 5lbs of food off the bat, when stomach size averages around 1L, or enough storage for 2.2lbs of water – there’s simply not enough room and setting yourself up for failure can lead to discouragement and/or injury. A little bit of patience and a lot of persistence is the name of the game.

Water is one of the primary training tools used by competitive eaters. Many competitive eaters prepare themselves by slowly increasing the amount of water that they can drink at once to one gallon (3.8L/16 cups) and reducing the time it takes them to do so, usually over the span of a month, sometimes more. It’s important to note the risks of water intoxication (hyponatremia) when using water to increase your stomach capacity, and be mindful of the amount of salt you add to the water to mitigate these risks.

It is also recommended that food be used to increase stomach capacity. Recommended foods for increasing stomach capacity are fairly inexpensive and soft, carbohydrate rich dishes, such as pastas with creamy sauces, mashed potatoes with gravy and rice dishes such as jambalaya, paella or risotto. Simply practice by using the techniques outlined in this post, several times a week on dishes such as these and it will not only aid in increasing your stomach capacity, but when paired with an already fat-and-carbohydrate-oriented diet, will also result in additional weight gain. Eventually, through repeated stuffings, it is possible to train one’s body to overcome their satiety reflex (‘I’m full-stop eating’ message) and stall peristalsis (contraction of gut muscles that moves food through the digestive system and limiting stomach capacity), allowing stuffers to eat to their absolute capacity.

3.      Training Your Mouth

Although the key of speed eating effectively is swallowing NOT chewing, as I will elaborate on shortly, some chewing will be required to make your speed stuffing run more smoothly. Thus, it is important to train your jaw and increase its strength if you don’t want to run into any hang-ups caused by fatigued jaw mid-stuffing. Some competitive eaters train by chewing up to twenty pieces of gum at a time, for half an hour every evening. Some train by chewing on refrigerated Tootsie Rolls (just be sure to make sure they’re firm-ish but not hard enough to break your teeth), and others opt to strengthen their jaws using  chewier foods when doing their stomach training, to practice the art of chewing quickly at the same time. Others even use silicone tubing, recommended for jaw surgery patients, to chew on several times per week, for jaw strength training.

Gag reflex is yet another hurdle to overcome when attempting to speed-stuff, and there are a few techniques you can use to help minimize the risk of gagging when speed stuffing. One method used by many speed eaters is practicing brushing their molars and tongue, several times a day to overcome this reflex. Over time (roughly a month), this method of stimulating the soft palate, gradually further back and for longer durations, will aid you in eliminating (or drastically minimizing) your gag reflex. If you are impatient or struggle immensely with your gag reflex, you may find closing your left thumb in a tight fist while eating, or stimulating your soft palate, eliminates your gag reflex due to stimulation and distraction. Effectiveness varies from person-to-person, but dentists have reported asking patients with gag reflexes to try it with positive results. If this method doesn’t work well for you, but you are interested in attempting other pressure point techniques, do a quick Google search, there are a few that have been reported to work well for counteracting gag reflexes. Additionally, numbing agents, such as numbing cold throat sprays, may be used prior to speed stuffing to desensitize your soft palate.

4.      Short-Term Preparation

Make sure to consistently stretch your stomach, by eating large meals, increasing their size and frequency until the day before the speed stuffing. A few days prior to your stuffing, begin taking nasal decongestants and using saline nasal spray. This will help clear your nasal passages in time for your stuffing, allowing you to breathe much more effectively, which will also aid in eliminating your gag reflex for the stuffing. Roughly 20 hours prior to your stuffing, do a Max-Out, meaning eat to your absolute capacity. Try to keep this meal easily digestible (high fiber is a good thing, in this instance), and high in water. This is an exercise in stomach expansion, not caloric intake. Melons, juice and water make a great option for Maxing Out.

The day of the stuffing, wake up relatively early and have a regular sized smoothie, meal replacement shake or weight gain shake. Wait a few hours and have a large cup of coffee. After that, stay hydrated, keeping water on hand until an hour before your stuffing begins. Some also opt to take an energy shot, such as Five Hour Energy, at this point. Prior to beginning the stuffing, ensure you go to the washroom and eliminate all solids and liquids that you can from your body, including blowing your nose. Change into something comfortable and not restricting.

Very shortly before stuffing, do Wim Hof’s power breathing exercise, which can be found here. By increasing the oxygen in your body, you reduce fatigue and will require fewer breaths during the first leg of your stuffing. As mentioned before, ensure that your food is in the state you want it to be in, whether that’s cut or ripped into manageable sizes or heated to the temperature you prefer.

5.      Physical Techniques for Eating Quickly

Eat standing up, and with good posture. Sitting down while eating compresses your abdomen, making it less comfortable, and quite frankly, nearly impossible (unless highly trained) to reach the same capacity as those who stuff while standing. Additionally, keep your chin raised; this will open your airway, allowing for easier breathing, and widening your esophageal opening, making it possible for you to swallow more effectively. This is why standing is a better method than laying down, which prevents gravity from aiding us in this process.  Many competitive eaters opt to eat in a cool room, as when you eat, your body raises its temperature, which can cause lethargy and inhibit your desire to keep eating.

The secret to speed eating lies in small bites. Although you may see professional competitive eaters taking large bites, they have trained their body for years to be able to do this. Chewing wastes time, when it comes to stuffing – the main objective is to swallow as much food as possible, which is most easily done when the stuffer takes quicker, smaller bites, chewing their food as they bite it to minimize the time each bite is in their mouths. Competitive eaters average two to three chews per bite. ‘Chipmunking’, as it’s referred to in the speed-eating community (which refers to one cramming their mouths and cheeks with food, then attempting to swallow it, bit by bit) is not an effective strategy when it comes to home speed-stuffing, as it is much quicker to continuously take small bites.

One should attempt to eat proteins first, carbohydrates last, and prioritize meal components’ order of consumption based on which foods are easiest to eat when hot versus cooled to room temperature. While it’s important to eat steadily and quickly throughout your stuffing, it’s always good to start very quickly. This is because you have a brief window to stuff yourself before your satiety reflex is triggered and it becomes increasingly more difficult to stuff your face.

Compressing your food (especially food like French fries and bread) helps make it easier to eat more of it at once; since you can greatly reduce the amount of air you are swallowing and replace it with food. This is much more effective than having a few French fries at a time, for example.

6.      Other Tips For Speed-Stuffing

-          Time and video tape yourself, and keep a record of your time, what you ate and when you ate it. Many athletes videotape themselves to notice and correct flaws and competitive eating is no different. You may notice you are taking too long chewing, or messing up on certain other techniques when you view footage – being able to see your flaws can help you improve for future stuffings.

-          Listen to music when stuffing. It can help distract you from any discomfort and motivate you to complete the challenge.

-          To aid in stuffing-related anxiety and breathing control when stuffing, meditation can be a useful tool both immediately before a stuffing, and in regular practice.

-          If you are trying to gain, plan your stuffing for an hour or two before you head to bed. Eating to excess before bed can disrupt your sleep pattern, leading to a surge in cortisol, the stress hormone which causes cravings and weight gain. Overnight, your metabolism also slows, so if you’re digesting a calorie dense stuffing then, you’ll be more prone to packing on the pounds. Stuffing later in the day also helps some to be less susceptible to the gagging reflex, if this is something that you struggle with.  

There you have it, your guide to speed stuffing. It should be noted that speed stuffing as a method of weight gain works best on those in Stage Two (see men’s and women’s Stages of Weight Gain posts) and below, as its been noted that in competitive eating competitions, added body fat has inhibited stomach distension, thus limiting overall capacity. This is one of the reasons you often don’t see overweight or obese eating competitors. Knowing they will perform better with a relatively low percentage of body fat, competitive eaters often stick to strict diets in between competitions.That being said, if you are Stage Three or above, I hope you will still use some of these tips along your journey to weight gain. Thank you for reading, check out my blog, and, as always, message me with any weight gain related questions.

Thanks,

Dr. Belly.

[corpolitical]

Truth Behind Fat: References

[Original post found here. All content following is authored by the maker of Big Liberty, the source blog.]

DISCLAIMER: This links list is always in the works, and is not comprehensive or complete. If evidence is not listed, it doesn’t mean it does not exist. If you have any links to add, please insert them in relevant comments and they will be reviewed.

For a general resource on debunking the junk science behind obesity, please see:

Linda Bacon’s resources and blog

Sandy Szwarc’s blog, Junkfood Science

Michelle’s blog, The Fat Nutritionist

ASDAH’s article repository

Debunking Fat Hate and Misconceptions

Doesn’t Obesity Kill?

Obesity does not kill 400,000 Americans a year (in fact, it ‘contributes’ to fewer than 30,000).

Fit Over 60s Live Longer Regardless of Body Fat

No tenable link between obesity and breast cancer type

No tenable link between diet and weight control and remission of type II diabetes

The J-curve relationship between BMI and mortality

Mortality risk for overweight and obese is no greater than for ‘normal’ when hypertension and diabetes are controlled for, (Anthony Jerant, Peter Franks. “Body Mass Index, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Short-Term Mortality: A Population-Based Observational Study, 2000–2006″ J Am Board Fam Med July-August 2012 vol. 25 no. 4 422-431)

Low-Calorie Diet Doesn’t Prolong Life (New York Times, August 29, 2012)

Shouldn’t Fat People Should Simply Eat Less and Move More?

In controlled settings people lose 10% of their weight on a diet, but one third to two thirds of the weight is regained within 1 year, and almost all is regained within 5 years. (“Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. NIH Technology Assessment Conference Panel.” Ann Intern Med. 1992 Jun 1;116(11):942-9.)

The preponderance of evidence shows that diets don’t work

No weight loss intervention shown generally effective post 5 years

Fat people as a whole metabolically the same as lean people, except that they’re bigger

Eating and weight gain not necessarily linked, study shows

Evidence for a bodyweight setpoint (energy homeostasis)

Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer. (Mann, Traci; Tomiyama, A. Janet; Westling, Erika; Lew, Ann-Marie; Samuels, Barbra; Chatman, Jason. American Psychologist, Vol 62(3), Apr 2007, 220-233. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220 ) (PDF)

Isn’t There An Obesity Epidemic?

Americans have only gained an average of 14 lbs (women) and 16 lbs (men) since 1990 (Gallup)

Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic

The 1998 BMI definition changes made 30 million Americans overweight or obese OVERNIGHT

The Myth of the Obesity “Tsunami”

One-third of American Adults are Obese, but Rate Slows

Yeah, But What About the Children? Isn’t Fat Killing Them?

Childhood famine (that includes dieting and starvation) increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Adolescents who engage in unhealthy weight-control behaviors such as dieting and binge eating are three times more likely five years later to be overweight than adolescents who did not engage in those behaviors

Isn’t Weight a Lifestyle Choice?

Obesity largely determined by genetics, says study

Obesity is 77% heritable

Thin parents pass on skinny genes to children (October 4, 2011, The Independent, UK)

Insulin resistance. A multifaceted syndrome responsible for NIDDM, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. DeFronzo RA, Ferrannini E. Diabetes Care. 1991 Mar;14(3):173-94.

But Doesn’t the Idea that People are Different Sizes Though Consuming/Exercising the Same Violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics?

In fact, in principle, the suggestion that a “calorie is a calorie” — all human metabolisms are the same Bunsen Burner — violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Isn’t there a Study that Disproves the Claim that You Can Be Fit and Fat?

That study is junk science. The preponderance of evidence shows that in fact, one can be fat and fit.

Is there Discrimination Against Fat People?

Brownell Obesity Discrimination Study (2001)

Health Professionals Specializing in Obesity Aren’t Immune from Weight-Bias

The surprising reason why being overweight isn’t healthy

Obesity bias based on disgust, study says (2010)

Isn’t Fat Unhealthy?

Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift (Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor, Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:9, 24 January 2011)

Higher BMI can lower risk for Alzheimer’s

Metabolic syndrome associated with decelerated cognitive decline in the very elderly

The case against the Type II diabetes “epidemic” in kids

You can’t eat your way to diabetes

‘Obese’ BMI does not harm current health of young adults, study says

Obesity not always tied to higher heart risk (Reuters, May 24, 2012)

Shouldn’t Fat People Try to Diet Anyway?

Although long-term follow-up data are meager, the data that do exist suggest almost complete relapse after 3-5 yr. (Miller, W. C. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999 Aug;31(8):1129-34.)

In fact, size acceptance and health at every size may be a better approach to health than chronic dieting. (Bacon L, Stern JS, Van Loan MD, Keim NL. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Jun;105(6):929-36.)

Except that dieting can kill you, even when you’re fat and dieting down to a ‘normal’ weight.

And there are suggestions that frequent (intentional) weight loss diets reflect susceptibility to weight gain, rendering dieters prone to future weight gain. (August 9, 2011, K H Pietiläinen, S E Saarni, J Kaprio and A Rissanen. “Does dieting make you fat? A twin study” International Journal of Obesity | doi:10.1038/ijo.2011.160)

Healthy lifestyle habits are associated with a significant decrease in mortality regardless of baseline body mass index.  (Eric M. Matheson, MS, MD, Dana E. King, MS, MD and Charles J. Everett, PhD. J Am Board Fam Med January-February 2012 vol. 25 no. 1 9-15)

And adolescents who engage in unhealthy weight-control behaviors such as dieting and binge eating are three times more likely five years later to be overweight than adolescents who did not engage in those behaviors.

There are even further suggestions suggest that for many adolescents, dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain. (Alison E. Field, ScD, S. B. Austin, ScD, C. B. Taylor, MD, Susan Malspeis, SM, Bernard Rosner, PhD, Helaine R. Rockett, RD, Matthew W. Gillman, MD, Graham A. Colditz, MD. “Relation Between Dieting and Weight Change Among Preadolescents and Adolescents” PEDIATRICS Vol. 112 No. 4 October 1, 2003 pp. 900 -906)

Weight Regain Following Sustained Weight Reduction is Predicted by Relative Insulin Sensitivity, Trudy J. Yost, Dalan R. Jensen, Dr. Robert H. Eckel*, Obesity Research, Volume 3, Issue 6, pages 583–587, November 1995

But Aren’t Food Deserts/Lack of Access/Poor Choices/Lack of Time Making Poor People Fatter?

Studies question the pairing of food deserts and obesity (Gina Kolata, The New York Times, April 17, 2012)

General Sites Debunking the Junk Science About Obesity

Big Fat Lies

General Science

The Problem With Peer Review

When the population approach to prevention puts the health of individuals at risk

Food Science

Canned foods are as nutritious as fresh foods

Evidence for the Moral Panic

ADOPTION AND FERTILITY

Australian woman told she was too fat to adopt (January 2003, The Age, Australia)

In the UK, fat women can’t adopt (June 2006)

Kylie Lannigan told she was ‘too fat to adopt’ (June 2007, Australia)

Gary Stocklaufer denied adoption request because he was fat (July 2007, United States)

New Zealand bans fat woman from entering the country (November 2007, Big Fat Blog, NZ)

Obese women not allowed to get IVF treatments (December 2008, BBC News, UK)

Charlotte and Damien Hall denied for adoption because of their BMI (January 2009, The Guardian, UK)

CHILD ABUSE

Couple accused of starving baby so she doesn’t get fat (January 28, 2010, Fox News, USA)

Grandad arrested over Grand Canyon hike (September 2, 2011, The Age, Australia)

Parents allegedly starved baby because of obesity concerns (November 8, 2011, ABC News, USA)

Grandmother to face capital charges in granddaughter’s death (March 1, 2012, CBS News, USA)

CHILD REMOVAL

Oz parents to be held responsible for their kid’s obesity (February 2, 2009, The Indian Express, India)

Parents of fat children told they may be put up for adoption (September 5, 2011, Mirror News, UK/Scotland)

Ohio puts 200-lb third grader into foster care (November 27, 2011, MSNBC, USA)

‘Obese’ 5 year old taken from parents (December 5, 2011, iOL News, UK)

DEMONIZATION OF FAT PARENTS, AND PARENTS OF FAT CHILDREN

Is childhood obesity a symptom of neglect? (July 16, 2010, TIME Magazine, USA)

Study: Children are likely to become overweight by mimicking behaviors of obese parents NOTE: The study did not in fact show that children become overweight by mimicking the behaviors of fat parents, despite that scare-headline. It just showed that fat parents are much more likely to have fat children — which makes sense, given body weight is 77% heritable (July 13, 2009, NYDailyNews, USA)

MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE

Doctors’ ultimatum to kidney transplant wife: Lose 42lb in nine months or watch your husband die (March 2009, Daily Mail, UK – h/t richie79)

TAXATION AND PUBLIC POLICY

Fat people should have their food taxed to ‘pay for healthcare’

Don’t operate on smokers and the obese, says NHS Health Secretary (February 2007, Daily Mail, UK)

City government promotes lie to motivate weight loss via fear; anti-obesity agenda is to blame

The 1998 BMI definition changes made 30 million Americans overweight or obese OVERNIGHT

Obesity bias based on disgust, study says (2010)

Global governments must get ‘tough on obesity,’ in which the commentariat helpfully suggests plus-size clothing be ‘prescription-only,’ amongst other astoundingly panicked and bigoted replies (August 25, 2011, BBC Health, UK)

TRANSPORTATION

Southwest, Sizism, and Institutionalized Oppression (Athia, YouTube, August 2011)

On Kevin Smith and Flying Fat (BigLiberty, February 15, 2010)

WORK AND EMPLOYMENT

Obesity can mean less pay

Libertarian/Anarcho-capitalist Arguments Against the Obesity Moral Panic

The freedom to be fat

The new obesity pandemic, as same as the old obesity pandemic

The assault on food

Public health and the tyranny of the common good

Are food trucks really like child molesters?

Is Your Flab Imposing a Burden on Society? (May 1, 2012)

[bigfatscience]

BOOM. Everything you ever needed to know to argue with your fat phobic friends and family.

[doctorbelly]

Thank you for making these well-written and informative posts, it's genuinely inspirational. I'm hoping to commit to gaining this year and I'm gonna be using your blog as a resource to hopefully get so much bigger. You're awesome! : D

Thank you kindly! Its great to hear responses like this. I’m glad I can be a tool for gainers through my posts and reminders are always nice. Congratulations on your decision to gain and I wish you the best on your journey to get big.

[drbelly]

Using IIFYM to Get Fat... with Science

Using macronutrients and calorie counting to get weight gain results is one of the most effective and scientifically sound ways to get fat or just add a little ‘cushin’ for the pushin’’. Regardless of your weight or goal, it can work for you, and its easier to figure out than you think. I’ve laid it all out for you and it’ll take no more than 10 minutes to get you on the fast track to fat. 

Keep reading

[drbelly]

The Visceral (Belly) Fat Diet

Want to gain weight and target your belly? Perhaps you are looking for a beer belly or a hanging belly or just want to outgrow your clothes quickly. Speak to any nutritionist and they will tell you that there is no way to target your fat gain to any specific region, this is true, with one exception – visceral fat gain, that is, belly fat. This is the fat that surrounds our internal organs, and there are certain steps you can take in your life and your diet to promote visceral fat gain.

Keep reading

[doctorbelly]

I was wondering if there are some tips to increase subcutaneous fat instead of the visceral one and to gain weight as little as possible in the face. Thank you

Hi there, I did my best to answer the subcutaneous fat question already, it can be found here: https://doctorbelly.tumblr.com/post/156600909243/hey-i-loved-your-first-couple-guides-but-i-was As for weight gain in the face, it's not possible (yet) to completely eliminate weight gain in a certain area when gaining weight, especially through fat gain. However, to avoid water retention - which causes faces to appear rounder - you can stick to a diet low in salt and refined sugars. Hope this helped! Happy gaining :)

[bbencourgr]

Blowing Up Your Fatboy: Gainer Shake Basics

So I know you have your opinions about gainer shakes: what’s best, what’s healthy, what’s stupid, what’s toxic… And yet for all that supposed information, there’s probably at least as much confusion. From decades of bodybuilding and fattening guys, here’s what I’ve discovered about gainer shakes and using them to put over 150 pounds on my fatboy since we got together a few years ago. (And all that blubber looks amazing on his 5'6" frame.)

Guys who’ve followed what I’ve outlined here (both quantity and frequency) have gained 15-20 pounds in a month. In one case, 10lbs in a week for several weeks when combined with an already high-calorie diet.

Keep reading

[stuffedcow-blog]

Please reblog this is you fully support trans people in the feedism community!

Trans women on bbw blogs, trans men on bhm blogs, and nb gainers not being misgendered

I want to know that there are good, respectful people in this community

[fatteningpiggy]

I don’t care what you are. You can be a british purple with green stripes skinned transgender bbw jewish bisexual green party blonde bipolar convenience store worker for all I care.

[doctorbelly]

Nine Odd Tricks to Maximize Your Weight Gain

Hello gainers of all shapes and sizes. Today’s post is about tricks you can use to maximize your weight gain. From lighting to subliminal messaging to your plate size and color, I’m going to teach you how to trick yourself into getting fat. This post makes references to psychological, chemical, biological and historical studies, all impacting weight gain, and makes it easy to digest. Let’s get right into it!

1. Plates

“The kind of plate I eat off of? Really?”, you may be thinking, but its true. Over the past 40 years the average dinner plate size has increased from 9″ diameter to 12″. Curiously, the average Body Mass Index (BMI) of American women has also increased, from 24.9 in the 1970′s (average/normal weight range) to 26.5 (overweight) in 2015. Although, I’m sure the root of this mass weight gain wasn’t totally influenced by plate size, some interesting studies have shown a correlation between serving plate size and subconscious overeating.

In fact, a theory dating all the way back to 19th century philosopher Delboeuf can be used to explain this phenomenon. His theory describes how a circle surrounded by a slightly larger circle is perceived to be larger than it actually is, whereas a circle that is surrounded by a much larger circle is perceived to be smaller than it actually is. Its a matter of how we process information. You are conditioned to serve more food on larger dinnerware and less on smaller dinnerware due to this phenomenon of perception. If you serve your food on larger dishes you could end up serving between 9-31% more than you typically would on a standard dish. May not seem like much, but eating only 50 calories more/day as a result of this, can add up to a 5lb annual weight gain.

But that isn’t all - plate color should be taken into consideration too. The less significant the contrast between the color of food and the plate, the more likely you are to over-serve, for instance pasta with tomato sauce served on a red plate. You can even take it one step further with Delboeuf’s Illusion if you opt for a table cloth or place mats that harshly contrast with the dinnerware you’ve chosen, such as a green tablecloth when serving pasta with tomato sauce on a large red plate.

If you’re not sold yet, a study completed in 2002 by Penn State indicated that subjects given larger portions when dining are more likely consume 30% more food overall than those given smaller ones, even when different sizes in portion size were detectable by eye. Bigger plates = more food = more calories = persistent weight gain.

2. Subliminal Messaging

That is, training your subconscious to make you fat. Behavior modification is the cornerstone of lifestyle changes such as weight gain, and sending regular messages to our subconscious can aid tremendously in this. Expose yourself to more weight gain material in your everyday life. Perhaps you’ll opt to change the background of your phone screen to a picture of a feedee who is the size you want to be or a fat positive motif, or change your email or phone password to something like “stuffyourselffatty” so you’re reminded to do so, several times a day. Follow more body positivity accounts on your various social media outlets, and leaf through flyers for fast food restaurants quickly and keep them scattered in a few spots around your house so that they're in plain view, instead of tossing them in the trash.

One article written by a mind-guru who has designed subliminal messaging software used by Olympic athletes, suggested writing down short affirmations of goals you want to complete. Write your affirmations (three-or-so), clearly in thick black marker onto a sheet of white cardboard. Good examples of affirmations are “I am getting fatter”, “I am lazy”, and “I must eat more” (Note: do not use negatives in your affirmations, such as “I don’t stay full”, as the subconscious does not understand such words in context, and will remove the negative from your affirmation, reversing the intended message). Set an alarm clock for halfway through your sleep cycle - 3 AM works for most - and as soon as you hear the alarm go off, pick up the affirmation cards and your flash light. The room should be pitch black. Flick the flashlight on and off very quickly a dozen times over each affirmation card while staring at the cards, but not trying to make out the words consciously. When you’re done, lay back down and return to sleep. This system has been proven to begin working within days for quitting smoking, exercising more and being more confident, so why not weight gain?

There are also several binaural beats (suggestive frequencies) videos on Youtube, claiming to help people gain weight like this one, as well as hypnosis videos like this one. I would recommend leaving the binaural beats playing in the background on loop throughout the day and falling asleep to the hypnosis at night to stimulate your subconscious.

3. Temperature

If you keep your home at a comfortable temperature constantly, through heat and air conditioning, your body doesn’t have to burn calories to keep yourself cool or warm. This change will reduce the calories you burn just by existing, resulting in weight gain for you with the extra calories reserved.

The most obese states in the USA have shown a direct link between in-home air conditioner installation and weight gain over the past 20 years.

Core temperature has also been proven to have some correlation between insulin response and metabolic rate, however these changes are minuscule, and often happen naturally when one gains or loses weight, as opposed to mimicking these temperature changes on one’s own in the hopes of gaining this effect.

4. Lighting

Keeping a light on at night, down the hall, could add some jiggle to your belly. According to a 2010 study, mice exposed to dim light at night gained 50% more weight over eight weeks than mice that were kept in total darkness overnight, despite the mice having the same amount of food and level of physical activity. The researchers on this study suggested that these results could apply to those who eat meals late at night. Several years of research in the Netherlands has correlated weight gain with artificial light exposure as well; artificial lights include overhead lighting, computer screens and streetlights.

A 2013 study found that mice fed a low-fat diet, but exposed to artificial light for prolonged periods of time actually gained more weight than mice fed a high fat diet. This link seems to be with brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is usually converted from fat to heat by the body, in short, it burns calories. However, BAT activity was decreased by light exposure, meaning the longer the light shone, the fewer calories the mice burned.

Researchers from Northwestern found, in 2016, that bright light exposure increases insulin resistance. They also found that in the evening, bright light caused higher levels of blood sugar, although the cause isn’t yet known.

A 2014 study from Spain showed that blue lights (ie. smartphone screen light), have also been proven to disrupt the sleep hormone, melatonin, and to cause an alteration in the amount of hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin, which can lead to weight gain.

5. Eating Speed

After considering results from 23 studies, researchers at Men’s Health Magazine concluded that self-reported ‘fast eaters’ were more than twice as likely to be obese than those who said they ate more slowly. This makes sense because the longer food remains in your mouth and the more you chew, the more signals are sent to your brain indicating “I’m full.” There also is a link between uncontrolled spikes in blood sugar levels in those who gulp down their dinner, which may contribute to weight gain through appetite regulation and how your body uses and stores its fuel.

Experts have asserted that it can take as long as 20 minutes before your stomach sends your brain the signal that you are full. To promote weight gain, try to keep your large meals, or stuffings shorter but more aggressive, as to finish more food in less time. Furthermore, researchers in Osaka, Japan concluded that the combination of eating quickly and eating until full more than triples the risk of being overweight. Food for thought.

6. Distractions

Go ahead and eat in front of the TV, computer, phone, or book. A review of 24 recent past studies by British resources asserts that people who eat while distracted consume roughly 10% more calories, have a harder time recalling the amount consumed, pay less attention to the composition of the food they are consuming, and they are setting themselves to eat up to 25% more than they normally would later in the day.

The higher the level of distraction, the more tangible these effects according to a study from 2015, so competitive or high intensity games, as well as intense TV shows or movies are the way to go to fully harness these effects for weight gain.

Another tip for maximizing the overeating effect caused by distracted eating is to put away the dishes or packaging from the distracted meal you ate so that it is out of view, as to not cue your subconscious into remembering your earlier meal as vividly  later in the day. As for food logs, wait to record what you’ve eaten, after you’ve eaten, the point is to shift your focus to something else and let your subconscious tendencies make you fatter. In other words, if you get into the habit of grabbing a box of Oreos or a bag of chips every time you plop down on the couch, it won’t be long before those habits add up to a sizeable waistline.

7. Friends

“Birds of a feather flock together,” and so do birds with bellies, indicates a Harvard study from 2007, which states that people are highly likely to become obese when a friend does. In fact, it increased their chances of becoming obese by a whopping 57%. The greatest influence of all occurs between mutual close friends, who have a 171% increased chance of becoming obese if the other one does, making a weight gain pact between friends hugely beneficial to gainers. 

Although a great deal of our bodies’ size is based on factors such as weight gain, there is a significant environmental factor, and social networks between close friends can change your idea of what is acceptable behavior and what is an acceptable body type. Social networks have been proven to be very influential to behavior in women, however, this will impact most people regardless of gender. After all, in the famous words of motivational speaker and self-help guru, Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So maybe spend more time with your heavier friends, or start eating lunch with your coworker who has been gaining weight recently. Who knows? It could end up making you fatter by proxy.

8. Cook In Larger Quantities (and Serve from the Table)

Maybe tonight, opt to make a casserole pan of lasagna, instead of a large single serving of pasta. When larger quantities are available you’re more likely to help yourself to more of it, even more so when you present meals buffet/family-style at the table.

A recent study found that when food is served from the dinner table, people consume up to 35% more throughout the meal. However, when an additional helping requires leaving the table, people hesitate to go back for more.

9. Food Storage

My final tip is similar to my first, however this one relates to how you store your food in your cabinets and fridge, plus it is much more chemical than psychological, and may not be for everyone, but it will help you gain weight if you choose to employ it.

Bisphenol A (better known as BPA) is found in plastic storage containers - like disposable clear plastic water bottles - and has been linked to obesity. In fact, a 2011 Harvard study found that adults with the highest concentration of BPA in their urine had significantly larger waists and chances of being obese than in the lowest quartile. BPA can be found in polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and even dental sealants. Plastic containers marked with ‘3′ or ‘7′ at the bottom may be made with BPA. To increase your potential to absorb BPA and reap the weight gaining effects, keep an eye out for BPA products and reuse them, microwaving them, leaving them in the sun and freezing them. 

Exposure to Polubrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), chemicals used in flame retardants, has been shown to cause gradual weight gain, as well as Xenoestrogen in women, which is found in high concentrations in canned tomatoes, plastic containers, and other canned fruits.

Though this method is controversial and can cause many medical side effects, which I urge you to look into before actively using this method, endocrine disrupters have been shown to cause consistent, significant weight gain in those who consume products containing them.

If you’ve read down this far, thank you and I hope you will find this post helpful to you when it comes to actively trying to gain weight. If you want to see more stuff like this, please follow and reblog this post. I am a medical student (and self-professed nerd) who posts about weight gain topics and the science behind them.

TL;DR

For those of you who scrolled down to the bottom of this, hunting for the goods, I’ve still got you covered. Buy bigger plates in hues that will be close to the foods you eat often, buy table cloths the opposite color. Screw with your subconscious using home subliminal messaging techniques, binaural beats and hypnotism videos. Use heat and AC to regulate a comfortable temperature for yourself at home. Spend more time under artificial lighting, especially in the morning and evening. Maybe even sleep with a dim light. Eat large meals quickly. Distract yourself with games, movies, or shows when snacking. Cook more and serve from the table. Make friends with a fatty, or make a fat-pact. Use products containing endocrine disrupters, such as BPA and PBDE.

Happy gaining and til next time,

Dr. Belly

[doctorbelly]

Just realized that Tumblr user @tampamatthess made this awesome ‘If It Fits Your Macros’ nutritional calculator for those trying to get fatter, using the methods outlined in my ‘Using IIFYM to Get Fat...with Science’ post on my old blog.

The calculator takes all the math work out and allows you to discover your recommended daily amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrates in grams and calories precisely by just inputting your age, height, weight, and gender into the calculator.

If you use this calculator and follow the recommended quantities in your diet, while remaining mostly physically inactive throughout, you are in for a steady, noticeable gain with a plan that is personalized for you and scientifically proven to work. And don’t forget to check in and recalculate your values often - as the number on the scale climbs, so will the values of each nutrient and your Daily Recommended Calories.

With this tool available, fat gain is easier than ever. If you haven’t considered personalizing your gain with an IIFYM plan yet, now is the time.