Weight gain not stopping! (even on 1200cals)

You lost muscle mass on your bad diet attempt. And slowed your metabolism down.

Now your metabolism is probably correct for the amount of muscle and Lean Body Mass you have currently. At least if you have been eating that amount and gaining about the same amount week after week. Probably the first few lbs gained was because the metabolism stayed suppressed before it increased slightly.

Eating more now isn't going to increase it, at least not what you are going to get now. The body only needs so many calories to perform basic metabolic functions.

So if you want to eat more now, you gotta exercise first, and then eat later to replenish glucose stores.

You now are in the interesting position of deciding how you want rest of your life to be, and what short term effects are you willing to deal with to get there.

If you want to keep eating at 800 calories for the rest of your life, knowing that eating an easy 250 more extra daily, you'll gain a lb of fat about every 2 weeks. Eat out a big amount could be about the same gain. It'll be easy to pack on the lbs now. Unless you do above and exercise first.

Or wrap your mind around the fact you need to gain some LBM and muscle mainly, and that means some potential weight gain, or at the least, no weight loss, even if inches are dropping.
But then you can have a more normal metabolism, and be able to eat more, and if you go over your body will just burn the extra calories.

So what's it going to be?

The first is easy, go back to 800, log everything you eat so you always stay low. What a bummer of a life.

Or stop the cardio that is useless for building muscle, and lift weights as heavy as you can 3 x weekly for 60 min doing compound lifts. And eat at 1500. Only cardio is walking level on rest days at 3.5 mph for 60 min.

Use the spreadsheet linked in this topic to get an idea of current bodyfat%, and your stats to watch down the road, and follow the directions. Pick a realistic goal weight that is suggested, just in case you have an unrealistic view. Enter the above stated workout times in the right place, along with correct daily activity, and do what it says.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

Thanks to everyone for replying I'm now nervous about the long term damage i've caused How heavy should the weights be? eg. minimum weight? If i start lifting weights and eating 1500 how long do you think it will take for my weight to even out to its natural setting point? Thanks.

Okay, first things first - you are young. As a result, if you continue to eat well and exercise from now on, you don't have much to worry about.

As to weights; it depends entirely what YOU are capable of. We don't know how strong YOU are. What you need to do is begin cautiously and work your way up to weights that are challenging to YOU. Do you have access to a gym? This is a very key question you need to answer so that we can advise you on a program to follow.

As to your body image; soft flabby bits are fat, as you know. The average healthy woman has around 20% bodyfat. It is dangerous to stay long term below 14% or so, which is likely how you achieved the very unhealthy 95lbs. But here is the good news; with regular weight training at an intensity that challenges to you, you will find your dimensions shrink. Women do not bulk up - instead, it develops curves in all the right places whilst eliminating jiggle.

Also note, that comparing yourself to your mother is unlikely to be a good idea; as people age, bone density decreases leading to weightloss that you absolutely cannot see on the person. Some more than others, and if your mother has any history of abusing her body through diet she is likely to be on the more side. I don't know her or her history, however.

Good luck