how to maintain weight after reverse diet?! and build muscle without fat

sfaust2196

Hi! I am a 21 year old, 5'10'' female. I had an eating disorder and was doing 2 hours of cardio/day on 1000-1500 calories per day for over a year, and September 7th decided I had enough and finally committed to recovery. Now, I am training 5-6 days a week: 1 mile warmup run, weights, and then 15-30 minutes on the stair master. I either train arms and abs or legs and glutes, switching each day. I am currently eating 1800-2000 calories a day on training days and 1500ish on off days. Macros are loose- 200-250 carbs, 130-150 protein, 50ish fat.
I weighed myself for the first time in the gym today and was horrified. My weight in September was 134 pounds (up from my low of 127 since I had been eating 1500 calories instead of 1100 for a few months). But today I was 148!!!!! I was dressed and already had lots of fluid in me but still... I am freaking out. What am I doing wrong? I feel like all of my weight is going to my stomach and face. My butt is a bit bigger, but not compared to my huge pregnant stomach. Should I cut back on carbs? My calories come mostly from whole foods- eggs, greek yogurt, tons of veggies, some fruit, some quinoa/pasta, nut butter, chicken and fish. With the occasional cereal, granola, rice cake. I don't know what to do but need to stop gaining! Thank you!

AnnPT77

For starters, don't panic based on one weigh in. Could be extra clothes (colder weather?), extra water weight (time of month, muscle repair, maybe invisibly fighting off a cold or other minor inflammatory thing, among other possibilities), extra digestive system contents from something unusual in the last couple of days' eating - who knows. Also, you said you weighed yourself for the first time at the gym - which sounds like a different scale, and you know that different scales give different weights. Let alone questions about different times of day and recent hydration!

Do not go off perceptions about your body's appearance. You know how our minds can mess with us. Measurements might be more accurate, but you might want to have an understanding, meticulous friend make measurements for you. We're good at misleading ourselves, especially when emotions are already involved, and it's hard to hit the exact same spot on hips or waist when doing it ourselves.

Take several calm, slow, deep breaths. Eat moderately but sensibly and adequately. Weigh yourself on the same set of scales, at the same time of day, under the same conditions, wearing the same clothes (or lack thereof) for at least a month before you decide you've truly gained. That's what most people do, and it works. If you need it, get help from a professional - RD, counselor, doctor - in working this out methodically.

You're 5'10", 21, probably 130s despite the current worry, and quite active, eating 1500 on off days, maybe 2000 on active days. I'm 5'5", 61 (!), around 128, not active as you, and maintain in the low 2000s. One person's experience doesn't determine another's, but the difference between us in size, age, and activity makes it seem unlikely you've gained 14 pounds in two months with your current routine!

Please, try to step back, make a disciplined and unemotional assessment (with help as needed). No matter what's going on here, you can handle it. You've already accomplished so much!

sijomial

The simplistic answers to your questions are:
how to maintain weight after reverse diet? Eat the right amount of calories.
and build muscle without fat. Eat the right amount of calories to maintain weight and train effectively.

But you knew that already of course.

This is a huge emotional reaction to what may well be very, very flawed single piece of poor quality data. It's an echo of your past.
Your "inner chimp" is in panic mode. "Horrified! Freak out! I've done it all wrong, I'm fat, I'm a failure, I'm lost."

Whereas in reality you are a success and beating your eating disorder - but this is another battle to win.
No way is your current food/calorie intake excessive with your stats, your extensive exercise routine. Remember 2000 is often stated as an average TDEE for the mythical average woman who would be shorter than you, older than you and do less exercise than you.

There's a very high probability that your perception of your body size and shape is skewed - it's a time to turn to family/friends who cherish and support you for reassurance.

For me the way to calm down the "chimp" is with data, good reliable data. Logic not emotion.
Part of that data set is what is a good weight for a fit 5'10 young woman.

Best of luck. :flowerforyou:

maruby95

Gaining weight "un-evenly" is part of the Ed recovery. It almost always goes to the abdomen first, and there is usually a lot of fluid/ edema that can show up in the face, legs, etc. Do. Not. Stop. Seriously. I promise it will redistribute to more of your natural body shape but it takes time. It will go faster if you are eating well and not over exercising (i.e. continuing the damage to your body). Cutting back on any calories or macros right now will only hurt you in the long run. And I would really recommend staying off the scale (easier said than done, I know well). You've done so, so well to get to this point. Keep making the hard choices that will save you better in the end.

misnomer1

What the 3 people above me said..

achangingthings

edema is so, so, SO common in ED recovery. I know from experience that my weight could fluctuate up to 15 pounds within a day because my body was puffing up to try and heal itself. the best advice I can give is to stop exercise cold turkey until the bloating stops. maybe a 20 minute walk a day would be okay, but you wouldn't believe how many calories my body needed to repair itself. the less I exercised the more I ate to maintain my weight, up to 4000 calories a day some weeks. I hope you feel better soon. you've come a long way!

lorrpb

Clothes and fluid can easily account for 10-15 lbs.