Gaining weight? eating disorder recovery?

in_the_stars

Are you able to go the Renfrew Center in Florida? I've never had an eating disorder but have taught many yoga classes there in the past, to people with all types of eating disorders. I've been very impressed with their program. There's several locations - http://renfrewcenter.com/locations/non-residential/coconut-creek-fl

Good luck to you!

BinaryPulsar

Weight training can actually be a very effective and helpful aspect of recovering from an ED, as long as you do not use it to fuel a descent back into a new manifestation of the disorder.

Here is a good article about it, written by a person that went through recovery herself.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hunger-artist/201101/what-weight-lifting-can-do-former-anorexic

Actually, check out the rest of her blog. She talks about the weight gain process for a former anorexic. It's a very good blog. I'm familiar with the work of her mother. Her mother is a well known scientist.

Yoga is helpful as well. This is Chelsea's amazing story: http://intentblog.com/cnn-how-yoga-can-helped-an-anorexic-recover/

Ulwaz

thanks everyone, been trying to boost my calories more each day, getting better

hlm711

Keep at it! I noticed from your food diary (sorry not to be nosy but we are in similar situations!) that you do alot of ald food shopping-
Can I recommend their
hot cross buns-cheap and very tasty
Fruit & Fibre-Literally packed full of nutrientious and calorie dense nuts and dried fruit
Aldi 'basics' scones-Ridiculously cheap, really nice and small enough to not feel too full on but pack a bit of a calorie punch!
I know its hard but try and get away from the habit of picking 'light' cereal bars. Better to go for something a bit more cal. dense like nature valley bars-taste a heck of alot better too!
Well done and stay strong

hlm711

I meant 'Aldi' supermarket sorry.

timberowl

Have you considered a fitbit or bodymedia device until you get a better idea of how many calories your'e really burning in a day? sometimes it's much higher/lower than you'd expect. For me it was much higher, though I was still eating way too much.

I love my bodymedia arm band, though I'm not allowed to use it at work since there's no electronics allowed. :grumble: It should be able to give you a better idea of how much you're burning, and how much you should be eating.

BinaryPulsar

Also just want to say that I was not suggesting body building. Yes, she should check with her doctor first. And it depends on where she is in her recovery. There are obviously different stages. The emotional stage is longer than the physical. Eventually she will have regained weight and health. Then she can begin to learn and live a normal, healthy life without fear. It's ok then for her to read the many stories of former anorexics that found their mental and physical health in many ways including gentle yoga and beginning strength training (that does not mean body building). And yes I went through this as a teenager. I weighed in the 80 pound range, but it was short term and not a long term experience. I recovered well. But before that I did experience frightening health issues. And that was enough for me to choose health and never look back. I gained weight eating brownies and pie. My mother was worried about that. But that was how it started when I weighed 98 pounds and my mother told me that I was curvy and probably going to struggle with weight my whole life if I continued eating like a teenager (I was a teenager).

Ulwaz

thanks everyone

greej

Hey Ulwaz, looking over your diary you seem like you've got a really good base for weight gain, but you really need to start eating more calorie-dense foods. Some more ideas for getting your calories up there:

- Ditch the "low calorie", "sugar free" foods and trade them in for their more delicious full-fat counterparts. Buy regular mayonnaise and hot chocolate and WHOLE milk instead of skimmed and full-fat yoghurt
- Cook foods in oil or butter.
- Cheese! Or avocados, nuts, nut butters, whole-grain bread, ice cream... Add in a handful of nuts with your fruit snacks, for instance. Eat a cheese and apple sandwich. So delicious. When you eat porridge, add in a tablespoon or two of peanut/almond butter.
- Instead of cardio, try a gentler exercise, like Hatha or Yin yoga.

Ulwaz

thanks everyone

xJewelovex

Hey! Congratulations on your recovery

I'm not sure if someone else mentioned this, I didn't have time to go through the whole thread, but when I was struggling to get all my calories in I found it extremely helpful to drink nutritional supplements such as Boost calories Plus (360 calories each). Protein shakes have been helpful too but I find it much easier to drink Boost, and if you want to try it then I would not recommend drinking it throughout the day because it can make you too full to eat actual food, I always drink it after I've had dinner as a snack and it works great.

I just wanted to comment because I know from experience that some days are tough and you might not feel like eating much, so drinking is less of a hassle.

Good luck! Keep up the good work, and don't forget that your weight does not define you

keem88

hey there, currently in recovery, diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. i am in my maintenance stage now as i have gained back to a healthy weight, and it was really hard to eat more. especially with you having a busy lifestyle. what worked for me was slowly upping the calories, i was also put on a medication that caused weight gain to help the process where i wouldn't feel over stuffed. every week or two i would up by 100 calories until i got to where i should be eating. now i am working on overcoming fear foods and reintroducing those, as well as getting over fears of eating out and eating in front of people. i wish you all the best of luck in your recovery! for now 2200 is probably what you need to gain, and from there it can be adjusted when you are ready to maintain.
do you have a treatment team for your recovery? i tried to recover over the years many times alone, and this time i think is different because i do have a treatment team helping me along the way

keem88

as others have mentioned, my doctor has me going down the road of calorie dense food, as opposed to filling up more on something like salads where you need to eat a lot more of it to feel full (unless you had high cal foods to your salads!)
she has me trying to much on seeds, adding avocados beans to salads, and buying the full fat version of dairy and other foods. no need to have any low cal foods, just focus on getting those fats, proteins and cals in. shakes too are awesome, with some full fat yogurt, coconut milk or regular milk, seeds, protein powder, fruit, pb will definitely boost that up! and helpful if you are busy throughout the day you can drink on that.
as far as what weight you should be, that would be something good to discuss with a doctor, i imagine they would would you closer to the middle healthy weight for your height. with me, they didn't want me at the low end of healthy and for 5'4" had me go up from 101 to 120 to maintain (they wanted 128 but for me that was a lot and they didnt want to trigger any relapses so we settled for 120)

megan_elizabeth8

Hey! Congratulations on your recovery

I'm not sure if someone else mentioned this, I didn't have time to go through the whole thread, but when I was struggling to get all my calories in I found it extremely helpful to drink nutritional supplements such as Boost calories Plus (360 calories each). Protein shakes have been helpful too but I find it much easier to drink Boost, and if you want to try it then I would not recommend drinking it throughout the day because it can make you too full to eat actual food, I always drink it after I've had dinner as a snack and it works great.

I just wanted to comment because I know from experience that some days are tough and you might not feel like eating much, so drinking is less of a hassle.

Good luck! Keep up the good work, and don't forget that your weight does not define you

I agree on the supplements - I am using ensure two-cal to get my calories up and it's great - it doesn't feel like much, but it adds 400kcal to my day. I also want to second the people who have pointed out that the calories a normal person needs for 'bulking' are completely different to what you need when recovering from an eating disorder. I have been having about 2500-2800 calories a day while recovering and have still only gained quite slowly because my body needed to catch up from what I'd been putting it through. I was lucky enough to have my eating disorder caught early, so I didn't need as much as some people would. I know of cases where people have had to eat much, much more than I did. There is no such thing as too much for you at the moment, so please PLEASE don't listen to the 'eat at your TDEE' people, your situation is different.
I have nearly finished weight restoration now - and I can't believe how much my mindset has changed.
Congratulations on taking the brave step and entering recovery - you can do it!
Good Luck :flowerforyou:

Dewymorning

Incorporating foods higher in fat can make it easier to reach your calorie goal.

This includes avocado, cheese, butter (and other dairy products), oils, chocolate etc.

Cut the exercise as much as possible, at least until you are at a healthy weight.

Continue working with a dietitian specialized in eating disorders.

Ulwaz

thanks

Ulwaz

Has my diet been better today? 01/04/2014? Been trying to at least aim for 1900-2000 calories per day, just to see if i gain weight or what my weight does at a normal amount, thanks

Ulwaz

anyone?

Daisyisacat

Thanks for all the replies guys, any idea how much weight i ideally need too gain?

To get to the low end of your BMI - 6 kg. But, maybe it would be better just to focus on getting healthy and happy. You don't need another number to stress over.

Ulwaz

How many calories do you think is should aim for guys? also have i eaten healthy today?

lacaro1

How many calories do you think is should aim for guys? also have i eaten healthy today?

First off, I wanted to congratulate you on obviously really trying to get better, but I guess you already know the answer to your question, it is still too little! You are eating what a woman at your height and weight needs to maintain! How do I know? I am 5'9 and eating about this amount (without exercise calories).
Maybe you could try meeting your goal of 2200 and when you are comfortable with it increase it again until you are in a healthy weight range!

nenshali

Especially when you are undereight and need t gain weight, you definitely need to eat at least that.
I know it's hard. I'm in recovery of my ED as well and I just need to maintain my weight/ gain about 0,5kg again.
I'm 5'5" (165 cm) and am aiming for at least 1800-1900.. and that's without exercise kcal.
And it's much harder than I thought, really.
Try to add high kcal food here and there. Nuts and dried fruits are great. Sweets are of course high kcal, I don't know if you're struggling to eat them. If you cook something, try to add a little bit more of oil than normal, maybe some cheese/cream as well.
It won't make you gain weight too fast, it's a process, but it's worth it.
You can do it :flowerforyou:

Ulwaz

Do you find your weight flucutates alot as well?

amandammmq

Hi, read through the thread and looked at your diary... a couple of people noted that you should try and add in some healthy fats, as fats are really important to your overall nutrition. I agree with that; it looks like you're a bit low on fats. I like avocado and nut butters (almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter), and you don't have to eat a whole ton of it to get a good amount of healthy fats.

I think that small tweak will make your diary look tons better!

I am your height (5'11"), and I do find that my weight can fluctuate as much as 8 pounds from week to week, so don't worry too much about your weight fluctuations. Focus more on nourishing your body with healthy foods and working to feel your best.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

BinaryPulsar

Do you find your weight flucutates alot as well?

Don't worry about fluctuations. You are going to need to gain. And you can gain muscle. And it's normal for weight to fluctuate around 5 pounds from day to day (even in the same day). Don't obsess over the scale.

SuperstarDJ

Incorporating foods higher in fat can make it easier to reach your calorie goal.

This includes avocado, cheese, butter (and other dairy products), oils, chocolate etc.

Cut the exercise as much as possible, at least until you are at a healthy weight.

Continue working with a dietitian specialized in eating disorders.

Not exercising until she is at a healthy body weight?
Why would she do that? Even if she is trying to get to a healthy weight she should still be doing weight training.

*facepalm* :noway:
Physical recovery from a restrictive ED is not just about gaining weight outside. There is also repair going on inside the body too, e.g. restoration of organs, such as the heart. The heart muscle is the only muscle you should be worrying about in recovery, and as the heart can be damaged, weight training could be potentially dangerous.

kagc1969

Hello

My daughter is 19 yrs old and when she was recovering from her eating disorder she actually had to eat 3500 calories a day initially because her body had difficulty absorbing the calories after her period of starvation. You must find a way to eat small meals through out the day because skipping meals is a dangerous trigger for many with eating disorders. I wish you well. Once she reached her goal weight she was able to adjust her calories to maintain her weight and eventually she was able to eat normally without counting calories at all. If you has support at home it may be beneficial to have some one else calculate your calories for you and tell you if you need to eat more. And yes as a recovering person with an eating disorder you should eat your exercise calories that was a must from the eating disorder team who were involved in my daughters care. Initially the thought of eating those calories was too much for her so she opted to not exercise until her body had reached a healthy weight for her height. She is your height. I would suggest that you see a dietician rather than really on this website to calculate your needed calories. This is a great way to track them if you must but with an eating disorder often their are nutritional needs beyond what the average person would need to gain. I wish you well and you can over come this with support from your loved ones and health care professionals.

kagc1969

I agree restricting types of foods is feeding into the eating disorder . What you need to is maintain what you are eating now and introduce healthy fats. As a mother of a young lady with an eating disorder I understand how scary the word fat can be but healthy fats such as nuts, olive oil. coconut oil are a great way to repair some the damage done to your body from poor nutrition and an easy way to boost your intake without having to look at mounds of food which can be overwhelming. I notice that you have increased your protein way to go. You should be very proud of yourself for the efforts you are making to overcome this disorder and get healthy. It does get easier. God Bless.

kagc1969

You should aim for about a pound a week until you reach a weight that you and your physician have determined based on your body build.