Struggling to gain

Current weight, height, age, gender, macros, calorie goal, exercise?

Hi Danielle, I'm 25 and have struggled with anorexia since 19. Because you're still a teen, you may have an active metabolism, but I doubt that you're eating enough to gain weight anyway. Are you exercising as well? I know it's hard, but you need to cut that immediately until you're at a healthy, stable weight. Are you seeing a dietitian and therapist? Both of those can help you immensely in your journey.

Other than that, I recommend more calorie-dense foods. I know they're scary, but I finally realized that it is the easiest way to fit what feels like "so many" calories into my day. I love almonds and peanut butter, avocado, bananas, granola (not low-cal cereal), and I even reach for protein bars when I need to.

As for your period, there's no clear answer. Mine didn't go away until I was at a severely low weight, but came back pretty quickly as I started gaining. I still get it when I'm moderately underweight. Others lose it for longer and even at healthy weights. My best recommendation is to stop exercising if you are, and make sure to include fats and a variety of vitamins/minerals in your diet.

Anorexia is mental as well as physical. You have to make the choice that you want to change, and stick to it. It's going to be hard and scary, but you can do it. Get the support that you need, and do what you have to do: eat. Eat more, and eat often. Ask for help when you can't do it by yourself, but keep at it. You can overcome this, and a life free of anorexia is worth the struggle.

Best wishes, and I'm here if you want to talk.

EDIT: There is no reason to share your height/weight. You need to gain weight, and we know that. A dietitian can help you set a calorie goal, but as a very general rule you should probably be eating 2500+ to gain. Macros are irrelevant at this point, and will only make you more obsessive in your eating disorder (I'm a case in point).

Firstly well done on choosing recovery Danielle, its easy to forget that even making this choice over Anorexia is a huge step
I was diagnosed with AN at 19, and after gaining back quite alot of healthy weight, unfortunatly suffered a relapse over the last few months and am back with my attempts to gain weight back again..
Although MFP can be very useful in making you aware of eating/reminding you to hit your goals, it can be easy to get fixated on 'clean' eating and the right types of food..

Please remember ANY type of food is healthy for us at the moment-there is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' food or 'normal'-even when weight restored.
Its important to challenge yourself, but also dont be too hard on yourself if you have a bit of a wobble-its an enormously challenging thing your undertaking.

I find this blog very very helpful-
http://living-with-anorexia.blogspot.co.uk/
Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Well done again, your heading in the right direction so feel proud of yourself!!

We'll need your stats to judge carefully.. But I'd recommend a mass/weight gainer of your choice if you're struggling to eat more, just while you get your body used to eating more

Current weight, height, age, gender, macros, calorie goal, exercise?

Not important, not important, not important, not important, not important. In fact, I'd adviseyou to ignore numbers completely as they can be triggering for a person with AN. Recovering from anorexia- a disease- is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to "bulking"- and I wish the people who post here would stop trying to hand out the same advice to people in both circumstances. >:( SO dangerous...

This is all the you need to know in recovery:
You should be meeting a MINIMUM of 2500 calories, everyday, and working your way up to 3000 to actually help your body make repairs. You will experience water retention- don't let this freak you out, nor should you mistake it for genuine weight gain. It takes months to put on genuine weight. It's important to keep meeting your minimums despite this until your body reaches it's set weight point and you begin to maintain on the 2500 minimum.

NO FOODS ARE "BAD" OR "UNHEALTHY" IN RECOVERY. In fact, processed foods are a great choice as they provide easily accessible energy! This also means fibrous fruits and veggies should take a backseat in your diet. Your body doesn't discriminate against energy sources- and energy should come before the rest of the nutritional profile of food right now.

No more exercising. You have the rest of your life to run, lift weights, swim, etc. Right now it's time to relax and let your body make repairs. Anorexia can wreak havoc on a body, as evidence by your lack of period. This is a huge warning sign because of the effect this has on your hormones, and also puts you at risk for a slew of issues in the future (ie osteoporosis) if you don't address this problem now.

And finally, it's very important to get medical attention in the beginning of recovery. You will need to meet with a doctor and set up an appointment with a therapist.

this, this this.

Congratulations on finding the strength starting recovery. I am in recovery myself (bulimia nervosa), so I know those struggles (even though mine still differ from yours, of course). It takes lots of power to do this, I'm proud of you! :flowerforyou: