Do you know of any resources for practicing feedism while also prioritizing your health (I know “health” is a loaded statement here. I am a fat liberationist just so we’re clear!) things like nutrition, exercise, and finding a balance between what is hot and what actually is sustainable? I feel like I’m lost in a sea of “fuck it we ball” when I log into feedist tumblr. No judgement to anyone who has weighed the risks and decides that’s the route for them of course. Personally, I’m experiencing some wake up calls about how my own habits and lifestyle are affecting my physical and mental health, and it has put me at a crossroads of maybe IRL feedism isn’t for me. Even though I’m really really into it. I would like to find more community who are talking about their day to day wellbeing as feedists, because there’s a lot of grey area. Sometimes I feel like there is a kneejerk reaction to any health-related discussion as automatically fatphobic, which worries me.
Yes, absolutely!! If you have specific health concerns (like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, mobility issues, specific genetic conditions effected by weight gain) there are specific things you can do to target those concerns. I have a tag for diabetes and gaining with health conditions. For hbp or cholesterol, the simplest solution might be medication (although that's not accessible for everyone). Overall, my advice would be to eat more fiber, try home cooking meals/meal prep when you can, and while I'm against counting calories, tracking fats/carbs/protein can be really helpful! The food pyramid is pretty useless because the original design (created by a dietician) was disliked by the food industry since it didn't push grains and dairy enough, so the one we have now was lobbied and changed. Whatever the recommended "servings" of fruits and vegetables are, you should have about 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories. That's about 30 for the average person. If you're eating a lot more than that as part of a gaining diet, consume more fiber. Fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive, go bad quickly, and underregulated (in the US) for contamination- personally I get a majority of my fiber from canned/frozen fruit and vegetables. You can add fiber in other ways, like whole grain bread, beans, etc. You can also take fiber supplements. There's capsules, gummies, and drink powders. Fiber is really important to prevent colon cancer, lower cholesterol, and also helps your digestion (both too much fiber in your diet when you're not used to it and not enough can lead to either constipation or diarrhea 😭) and if you're diabetic, it regulates your blood sugar. With home cooked meals, you can control the portion size and make sure you're filling up on good food. I know portion sizes in the US are infamous for being gigantic, but (depending where you're eating out) most places are cheap and fill your plate with carbs. I'm trying to gain muscle rn and increasing my protein to gain weight (resulting in fat gain as well) and although I don't want to demonize certain food, "empty calories" are real bc carbs (and sugar, which breaks down to carbs) might be filling for now but you'll be hungry in 30 minutes. That's not a problem because I'm trying to lose/maintain weight, but it's a problem because I want my meals to be filling! Carbs fill you up quickly but they're also digested quickly. I can never eat cereal because it doesn't even touch my hunger. If you cook at home and fill your meals with protein and fiber, you can control how much of each you're getting, gain weight, and stay full. I know protein is a huge annoying fitness buzzword right now, but it's so true. About two years ago I was only eating 30 grams of protein a day. For my weight, 60 is the minimum!! If I want to gain muscle, I should aim for up to 120! At home, you can cook chicken and turkey (you can substitute ground turkey for a lot of recipes that call for ground beef and as long as you season it right, and depending on the dish, you won't really notice) if you're worried about cholesterol, and you can still gain weight from eating both of those. Fish is also good for other micronutrients. The heavier you are, you'll want more protein to help support your muscles. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn at your resting heart rate. That's why super muscular people like bodybuilders eat so much- even carbs, because they burn more than 2000 calories a day. You'll have to eat more protein to maintain your high weight. It's a myth that fat people have slow metabolisms - a slow metabolism can lead to weight gain (I just got diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Yippee 😐) but fat people, on average, have higher metabolisms than thin people. Eating a diet with sufficient fiber and protein will support your metabolism.
Also keep up with mobility! As you age, it is so important to keep your joints healthy to prevent falls. Mobility exercises also help with balance. There's plenty of at home, low- intensity, bodyweight exercises you can do to strengthen your joints (you'll need strong legs and back to support high weights) and increase mobility.
