Gaining weight? eating disorder recovery?

fificrazy

Omg. The amount of dangerous advice on this topic being given out by people who have no experience with eating disorder recovery.... MFP is soo not the place to look for ED advice and I hope for the sake of your health you ignore a lot of the posts above.

Body building bulking and ED recovery ARE NOT THE SAME. STOP TRYING TO GIVE OUT THE SAME ADVICE, PEOPLE.

In ED recovery, you actually need a MINIMUM of 2,500 calories. You should try to aim for 3,000- an even more preferable amount! There;s literally no such thing as too much food in recovery. Your body has 2 jobs right now: restoring yourself of the damage you caused, as well as fueling your current endeavors. You also need to STOP exercising. Having a job as active as you do hinders the recovery process as it is (ideally, you should be COMPLETELY sedentary until weight restoration on the minimum cal amount.)

Eat regularly. Eat what you crave- there are NO BAD FOODS IN RECOVERY. THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS "MACROS". ENERGY COMES BEFORE THE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE. A jar of frosting will benefit your body much more at this time than a salad. Go for energy dense, easily digestible foods.

And finally, make an appointment with your doctor and try to avoid the ill advice given out on MFP threads....

Ulwaz

thanks

SuperstarDJ

Omg. The amount of dangerous advice on this topic being given out by people who have no experience with eating disorder recovery.... MFP is soo not the place to look for ED advice and I hope for the sake of your health you ignore a lot of the posts above.

Body building bulking and ED recovery ARE NOT THE SAME. STOP TRYING TO GIVE OUT THE SAME ADVICE, PEOPLE.

In ED recovery, you actually need a MINIMUM of 2,500 calories. You should try to aim for 3,000- an even more preferable amount! There;s literally no such thing as too much food in recovery. Your body has 2 jobs right now: restoring yourself of the damage you caused, as well as fueling your current endeavors. You also need to STOP exercising. Having a job as active as you do hinders the recovery process as it is (ideally, you should be COMPLETELY sedentary until weight restoration on the minimum cal amount.)

Eat regularly. Eat what you crave- there are NO BAD FOODS IN RECOVERY. THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS "MACROS". ENERGY COMES BEFORE THE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE. A jar of frosting will benefit your body much more at this time than a salad. Go for energy dense, easily digestible foods.

And finally, make an appointment with your doctor and try to avoid the ill advice given out on MFP threads....

This.

The fact that moderators allow this potentially dangerous advice is beyond me.

To those who think lifting/gym work is a good idea for an ED sufferer, please remember that the heart is under immense strain in ED (a lady I was in treatment with dropped dead carrying her groceries into her house due to the strain it put on her heart).

Gaining weight in ED recovery is a completely different science to gaining in healthy individuals, and needs to be be monitored by trained professionals. At my worst, I was having *hourly* blood tests and obs and my starting calorie goal was quite small (not going to mention numbers for obvious reasons) and was slowly increased on a daily basis. Our bodies' chemistry is completely out of whack and one bad decision can cause anything from oedema, to more serious seizures and even death from heart failure.

OP: please go see your GP for a proper check up and a Referal to an ED specialist.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery - you can do it!

Itskaleena

if you are very active plus working out every day then yes 2200 sounds right. Most people need about 2000 to maintain their weight. Coming from someone recovered from an eating disorder I know how hard it is to eat more and to gan weight. However, like you said you are under weight and need to gain weight. Since you are all ready very active I would cut down on cardio and try weight training to build up muscle weight. Also if you are maintaing but are still having a hard time upping calories try to slowly increase between 5-200 each week or two until you are at a number that you can gain or at least maintain a steady weight at.

if you need any support you can add me. Like I said I know how the ED stuff goes<3

EmilyTwist1

One thing I noticed in your diary was a lot of low fat foods. Fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbs, so an easy way to up your calories would be to eat full fat food.

ottermotorcycle

First of all, I want to congratulate you on choosing recovery! I'm sure you've been through so much and I am SO proud of you! :flowerforyou:

That being said, it's time to eat a lot more than you're used to. More than you're eating now. This will cause some anxiety. Depending on your triggers, there are different ways to do this. Some ED sufferers have become so afraid of feeling full that eating an entire meal is frightening. If that's the case, then I suggest adding more fats to your meals to up your calories without adding volume - add oil, butter and cheese. Others would benefit from eating more of the foods they're comfortable with (for you this seems to be fruits and veggies, maybe nonfat dairy?) so eating more often/more snacks can be helpful.

It can also be empowering to eat foods you previously labeled as "bad" when you're ready for it. Don't be afraid to take that step.

I don't think this question has been asked but, do you ENJOY doing cardio? Because it is really unnecessary, especially considering you have such an active lifestyle, and can make it increasingly difficult to meet your calorie requirements. Others have suggested weight lifting, which I personally enjoy doing and recommend, but you honestly do not have to do any exercise at all. It might be best to keep your burns to a minimum so you're not overwhelmed.

geekyjock76

As others have mentioned, 2000 calories is nowhere near enough to recover weight and repair the physiological damage done. I suggest you read the link to Eatopia posted above to understand why recovered anorexics require so much energy. And as for as macros go, the main thing is to limit total calories from carbohydrates to 40% or less to reduce risk of Refeed Syndrome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21670680

Regarding resistance training, you should be okay since you aren't significantly underweight. With that said, you may still want to get checked out by a doctor. If they give you the go ahead, then perhaps seek a referral to a personal trainer who specializes in training recovered ED patients.

GertrudeHorse

Omg. The amount of dangerous advice on this topic being given out by people who have no experience with eating disorder recovery.... MFP is soo not the place to look for ED advice and I hope for the sake of your health you ignore a lot of the posts above.

Body building bulking and ED recovery ARE NOT THE SAME. STOP TRYING TO GIVE OUT THE SAME ADVICE, PEOPLE.

In ED recovery, you actually need a MINIMUM of 2,500 calories. You should try to aim for 3,000- an even more preferable amount! There;s literally no such thing as too much food in recovery. Your body has 2 jobs right now: restoring yourself of the damage you caused, as well as fueling your current endeavors. You also need to STOP exercising. Having a job as active as you do hinders the recovery process as it is (ideally, you should be COMPLETELY sedentary until weight restoration on the minimum cal amount.)

Eat regularly. Eat what you crave- there are NO BAD FOODS IN RECOVERY. THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS "MACROS". ENERGY COMES BEFORE THE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE. A jar of frosting will benefit your body much more at this time than a salad. Go for energy dense, easily digestible foods.

And finally, make an appointment with your doctor and try to avoid the ill advice given out on MFP threads....

This.

The fact that moderators allow this potentially dangerous advice is beyond me.

To those who think lifting/gym work is a good idea for an ED sufferer, please remember that the heart is under immense strain in ED (a lady I was in treatment with dropped dead carrying her groceries into her house due to the strain it put on her heart).

Gaining weight in ED recovery is a completely different science to gaining in healthy individuals, and needs to be be monitored by trained professionals. At my worst, I was having *hourly* blood tests and obs and my starting calorie goal was quite small (not going to mention numbers for obvious reasons) and was slowly increased on a daily basis. Our bodies' chemistry is completely out of whack and one bad decision can cause anything from oedema, to more serious seizures and even death from heart failure.

OP: please go see your GP for a proper check up and a Referal to an ED specialist.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery - you can do it!

I'm just quoting this so you hopefully read it a second time. What these two people have said is very true. And please ignore anyone telling you to restrict food groups or telling you to do more exercise. You need to nourish your body with lots and lots of delicious and fun food right now. Nourish your mind too, and keep seeing medical professionals. Wishing you so much luck. Recovery is a hard road but you will get there

Ulwaz

thanks for all the help everyone

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

I would suggest you discuss this with a psychologist, a doctor and a nutritionist.

Graelwyn75

I would suggest you discuss this with a psychologist, a doctor and a nutritionist.

The Op already stated she is receiving help and is simply seeking extra advice.
You do not need to repeat yourself. You already posted this once. It is not helpful to her.

Ulwaz

How does my diet look for the 28/02/2014, i decided to drink some milk to get my calories up at the end of the day, thanks

geekyjock76

Just be mindful of how many calories you need to recover weight and repair physiological damage and work your way up to that number as detailed in the eatopia link.

thefitfeather

Hi there! I'm 5'6" and trying to at least maintain, hopes to gain and my goals are set to 2400 calories. I try to eat clean the majority of the time and if you can eat whole foods and reach your calorie goal, that sounds great! I was trying to gain last year and ate butter on everything and drank whole milk and wasn't really paying attention and fat deposited in my abdomen.. I wasn't happy about that... so removed milk/butter from my diet and cleaned it up and it's gone now! Working on lean muscle gains Hope this helps!

Ulwaz

I have been trying to mainly eat clean foods when i can as well, not had the best day today

hlm711

Please please please dont get fixated on 'clean' and 'unclean' foods! You are recovering from an eating disorder-not trying to gain a little weight after a standard illness ect.
There are no 'right' or 'wrong' foods for you at the moment, you need to reaccept all types of food, that means a balance between ALL food types. You shouldnt feel guilty about eating typical treat foods-you need to eat for whats right for you right now.
There is nothing wrong with including fruit and veg and lean protein, but equally there is nothing wrong with foods like biscuits, ice-cream and fattier meats.
Eat for your recovery now-once you start to gain weight or fully recovered then you can re-assess how you can tweak your daily diet.
(I'm also in recovery as I've mentioned in previous posts-so I do understand how confusing it can be)

QuietBloom

I have been trying to mainly eat clean foods when i can as well, not had the best day today

Forget the clean eating. There is not such thing as 'dirty' eating, especially for someone recovering from an ED. This goes for the other poster who removed milk and butter from her diet, even though she is still trying to gain weight.

in_the_stars

Omg. The amount of dangerous advice on this topic being given out by people who have no experience with eating disorder recovery.... MFP is soo not the place to look for ED advice and I hope for the sake of your health you ignore a lot of the posts above.

Body building bulking and ED recovery ARE NOT THE SAME. STOP TRYING TO GIVE OUT THE SAME ADVICE, PEOPLE.

In ED recovery, you actually need a MINIMUM of 2,500 calories. You should try to aim for 3,000- an even more preferable amount! There;s literally no such thing as too much food in recovery. Your body has 2 jobs right now: restoring yourself of the damage you caused, as well as fueling your current endeavors. You also need to STOP exercising. Having a job as active as you do hinders the recovery process as it is (ideally, you should be COMPLETELY sedentary until weight restoration on the minimum cal amount.)

Eat regularly. Eat what you crave- there are NO BAD FOODS IN RECOVERY. THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS "MACROS". ENERGY COMES BEFORE THE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE. A jar of frosting will benefit your body much more at this time than a salad. Go for energy dense, easily digestible foods.

And finally, make an appointment with your doctor and try to avoid the ill advice given out on MFP threads....

+1

hlm711

EXACTLY. I'm sure people are meaning well but concentrating on 'clean' foods will just leave you confused and stressed. You know what you need to eat- its comforting to try and get validation from others from what your eating, but you dont need it.
Just like I've stopped reading trashy magazines that show bulls**t comparison pictures and diet plans to make myself feel better.
Keep going, your doing great and concentrate on your plan.

Cliffslosinit

Looking at your diary, if I had to guess, your sugar is probably a bit on the high side. Try to stay below 50 grams a day. But otherwise it doesn't look too bad.

Also, if you're underweight, try to go easy on your exercises. I know they probably make you feel good, but if you're having a hard time meeting your minimum caloric needs a day to gain weight, any added in cardio is only going to compound the problem.

If you must to do cardio, keep it light and under 30 minutes.

I'm currently working with someone else who has/had a eating disorder and the key that has helped her, is eating multiple, small meals throughout the day. If you're working a hectic job at a hospital, I'd pack yourself quick & easy healthy snacks to bring in with you and just constantly be snacking on something throughout the day.

Get a Pedometer as well. This will tell you exactly how many steps you're taking per day at your job and from there, you can more accurately calculate how many more calories, on top of your 1,647 caloric base needs, you need to be eating per day.


Good luck and don't give up!

Why would you tell someone who is trying to gain weight to cut back on sugar? Yes, she needs fats and protein, but I wouldn't suggest counting sugar to someone struggling to hit her calorie goals. The focus by even the American Heart Association on sugar is for reasons of getting too many calories.

Because she asked about how healthy she is eating. High amounts of sugar is NOT healthy for you and can contribute to all sorts of inflammatory diseases in the long term, including heart disease and diabetes.

There are plenty of other, easy ways to get your calories. Such as natural peanut butter, nuts & avocados and just eating regularly throughout the day.

OP - ignore this. It's pseudoscience and scare mongering.

You do need to get your fats up. A low fat diet is counterproductive, was abandoned in the 90s even for losing weight, and actually will endanger your health. The treats you're eating, not so much.

Agreed^ Telling a recovering ED sufferer to restrict a food group/macro etc is well not the best advice and after going over OP's food diary I don't see an unreasonable or excessive amount of snacking or sugar or fats.

here are some links for you OP...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

Listen to these guys, OP.

Agreed^^^