I gained 10 lbs of fat?! The frustration has me in tears

tequila09

You wrecked your metabolism. Netting 700 calories a day is a recipe for disaster, and you've been blasted with the consequences. The good news is by eating more, you started repairing the damage. The weight gain you've experienced was inevitable. This is why we generally argue against eating so low. Give your body time to normalize. Net the calorie goal MFP has given you, and have patience.

And btw, not to be negative, bit there is no way you gained 2 pounds of muscle netting 700 calories a day. Physically and biologically impossible. The 12 pound total gain is likely a combination of fat and water. Again, the good news is that by eating sensibly and not drastically killing your calorie intake to anorexic starvation levels, your body will fix itself, and you will get that weight back off.

Also, I doubt it was the exercise that hurt your knee. Netting so low calories left your body without the proper equipment to repair itself. A major purpose of the food we eat, besides providing raw energy, is to provide the building blocks for our bodies to constantly build up and repair itself. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, they all suffer stress and wear down, and constantly need repair and maintenance. When you ate so little, your body didn't have the ability to repair itself. By eating more, and having patience, there's a good chance your knee will be able to repair itself. You're young, take care of your body as it's still remarkably resilient.

TL:DR version. Eating too little messed up your body. Eating more will fix it. Weight gain is a part of fixing it. Loss will happen with time and patience.

This!! Very well said!

samuelsson

I can weigh in (get it? ha!) on the knee issue: I've had both of my knees completely reconstructed once, and I just had my right knee reconstructed a second time 3 months ago. I'm STILL on crutches and in an immobilizer. I don't even qualify for knee replacement because I'm far too young AND my knees are so misaligned. Like you, I have advanced osteoarthritis and cartilage problems (my problem? I don't have any).

Okay. All that being said: You WILL be able to exercise again. You may not be able to comfortably do high-impact jogging on cement for a little while. It may take longer than you like. But it's possible. GO TO PHYSICAL THERAPY. Do your PT exercises every day. You need to regain your muscle strength, and this will help protect your bones. You should also make sure you're eating enough protein, calcium, and calories to heal!

Also: 11-minute seated cardio workout @ SparkPeople. I just started doing chair workouts and they're awesome. Do 4-way leg lifts with ankle weights to strengthen your knees. And swim! Low-impact, great cardio.

Good luck!

SiempreBella

You wrecked your metabolism. Netting 700 calories a day is a recipe for disaster, and you've been blasted with the consequences. The good news is by eating more, you started repairing the damage. The weight gain you've experienced was inevitable. This is why we generally argue against eating so low. Give your body time to normalize. Net the calorie goal MFP has given you, and have patience.

And btw, not to be negative, bit there is no way you gained 2 pounds of muscle netting 700 calories a day. Physically and biologically impossible. The 12 pound total gain is likely a combination of fat and water. Again, the good news is that by eating sensibly and not drastically killing your calorie intake to anorexic starvation levels, your body will fix itself, and you will get that weight back off.

Also, I doubt it was the exercise that hurt your knee. Netting so low calories left your body without the proper equipment to repair itself. A major purpose of the food we eat, besides providing raw energy, is to provide the building blocks for our bodies to constantly build up and repair itself. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, they all suffer stress and wear down, and constantly need repair and maintenance. When you ate so little, your body didn't have the ability to repair itself. By eating more, and having patience, there's a good chance your knee will be able to repair itself. You're young, take care of your body as it's still remarkably resilient.

TL:DR version. Eating too little messed up your body. Eating more will fix it. Weight gain is a part of fixing it. Loss will happen with time and patience.

this hard core.

hereitgoesagain

Thank you so much everyone! I looked at everything you guys gave me - posts, articles, videos - and I think I'm ready to start over here. I'll stick to my 1320 number from MFP, do some healthier shopping, and get a food scale. And I'll definitely find a new exercise program as soon as I get the ok from the doctor (maybe some PT if it'll save my knees). Thanks again everyone, this doesn't feel so hopeless anymore

nxd10

Good luck!

And doing those PT exercises will SO help you.