Should I start lifting so soon?

nykismile

I'm in recovery for an eating disorder. I've made decent progress from where I was a few months ago, and I'm continuing to get better. Granted, I'm not in a perfect state of health as of now.

My boyfriend knows the ins and outs of weight lifting. In fact, he's actually been accepted for a job as a personal trailer at the gym we met at. He's always saying that I should try lifting, since I would really like it. This isn't his way of saying he doesn't like my body now or anything; I told him about the eating disorder issue and he thinks that lifting would help make me body positive and hopefully approve my relationship with food even further.

But I still suffer from chest pains from time to time due to the ED; I had to be hospitalized for it once. And I'm still at a low (but not dangerously low) body weight. Should I start a weight lifting regime or should I wait a bit?

MrGonzo05

I generally advise people to lift early and often. But the chest pains thing scares me. Your form will really suffer if you have a heart attack during a set. Ask your doc.

dbmata

I generally advise people to lift early and often. But the chest pains thing scares me. Your form will really suffer if you have a heart attack during a set. Ask your doc.

Dude, thats hilarious.

OP - seriously, your form will fall to crap if you have a cardiac event while lifting.

You might want to talk to whomever is your primary care professional for your ED and discuss it with them. IF they think you can handle the physical, mental, and food related rigors, then start small and go from there. I would not take anything from your boyfriend as gospel for now. Unless he's a mental health professional alongside being a trainer.

DopeItUp

I generally advise people to lift early and often. But the chest pains thing scares me. Your form will really suffer if you have a heart attack during a set. Ask your doc.

This is why you're my friend. Well done, sir.