Overeating in ED recovery.. is this normal ):

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chene249
chene249 Posts: 33 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
So.... i ate literally 3 Carman Yoghurt and Almond Museli bars (possibly 200 calories each) and two slices of white bread with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

All fat, all sugar, all carbs..

And i feel like i could eat more.

Is this okay? I'm in slight panic mode, even though I know i would need to eat like this in order to gain the weight right up to a healthy vmi (currently 16). I'm not craving healthy protein, but just these sugary snacks that I have seriously denied myself for over a year. Is this bad?
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Replies

  • courtneyrecovery
    courtneyrecovery Posts: 1
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    It is very normal, dont worry! If you've been undereating that much then it's perfectly natural to have these cravings. Once you're on a healthy BMI and your body can heal itself then everything will be fine, and you'll have a nice healthy metabolism!
  • notwhatyouthink
    notwhatyouthink Posts: 17 Member
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    The best thing would be for you to see a dietician. Have you? Bingeing in recovery isnt normal as claimed. Youll feel better if you have professional help.
  • gabs10d
    gabs10d Posts: 1
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    I think you are going through something called reactive eating. Don't worry it is not binging, it is your bodys way of getting calories that you so desperately need. Try not to restrict any food groups, you will start to crave them less and less the more you go on eating them.
  • Emeryeon
    Emeryeon Posts: 61
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    yes its okay that doesnt even sound that bad to me
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
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    Yes. It's okay.

    Also, to the people being insensitive, I get it. 1000 calories isn't a lot of food to you. It may even be a meal to you. The OP doesn't need you reminding them that it is a normal amount to a person without an ED. Speaking from experience, that's the LAST thing those of us who struggle with eating disorders need. We already, often, feel less than human for not being able to eat what you consider a 'normal' amount. For you to come in and down someone for worrying about whether they're eating too much or too little when they have an eating disorder... you are NOT helping. You are doing the exact opposite of helping.

    To explain it in simple terms - in the beginning of my recovery, when I ate just 600 calories in one sitting, I would be in so much (physical and psychological) pain that I would literally curl up on the floor and cry. Eating 1000 calories for someone in ED recovery is painful. But you wouldn't understand, and I hope you never have to.

    OP, you will binge sometimes in recovery. Your body is trying to recover, give it time. I hope, at that BMI, you are getting help from a group of professionals. Don't be afraid to use the emergency room if your pain gets severe. It might, and you need all the help you can get. I wish you all the best in recovery. You can do this, you're strong. Just choosing recovery proves how strong you are. :flowerforyou:
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
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    Are you being monitored by a physician? Do you have a support system?
    Here are some links that may be helpful:
    http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml
    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
    http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/eating_disorders.html
  • fificrazy
    fificrazy Posts: 234
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    That's not overeating. You know the entire period you restricted?

    Yeah- you've got ALL those calories to make up, PLUS the ones you still need to day, and on top of that MORE so you can actually repair the damage you've done to your body!

    You should aim for 2500-3000 calories a day- at minimum- and once you start meeting these goals and your hormones and brain chemistry starts healing and leveling out, you'll feel a lot better about yourself and nourishing yourself.

    Edit: One more thing to add: episodes like this are called "reactive eating". Expect it to happen quite often until your health is restored! It's a survival instinct, and good for you!
  • Lucygoosex
    Lucygoosex Posts: 3
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    I'm 17 and I've had this binging after ED too and I'm so scared! I've had quite a big binge today. I know we need it because we have a huge calorie deficit to make up but it's hard to get to terms with that and accept how our bodies our changing. Keep eating plenty and nourishing your body <3
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    The best thing would be for you to see a dietician. Have you? Bingeing in recovery isnt normal as claimed. Youll feel better if you have professional help.

    binge eating after being starved (whether self starvation or due to surviving a famine) is a normal survival response. It's what stopped our palaeolithic ancestors from starving to death - in a food shortage, when they finally got food to eat, they ate as much as they could because they didn't know how long they'd have food for before the next shortage. We're their descendents and we've inherited this survival response.

    this doesn't mean it's a good thing to be in a cycle of excessive food restriction and binge eating... but when people in cycles like these understand that the binge eating is very often the direct result of eating too little, it's a step towards being able to break the cycle, and understanding why more restriction of food intake makes binge eating worse, not better.

    OP: it's a survival response kicking in. Once you've regained enough body weight and are eating regular healthy meals again, it'll stop. Follow your treatment plan and speak to whoever's treating you if you're worried. If you're not receiving treatment then it's something you should look into, for both physical and mental health (in terms of recovering from eating too little, and also addressing whatever mental health issues led to this behaviour)
  • chene249
    chene249 Posts: 33 Member
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    Ah thanks for the responses guys.

    It does happen often now. My body craves it and even though my ED voice says to don't eat it, I'm trying to give my body nourishment. Given that it is the early beginnings of recovery, is it okay to mainly eat A LOT of high sugary/ calorie foods? I know its very unhealthy, and iusally do stick to whole foods.. it's just lately I've been eating a lot of these foods ON TOP of my regular meals.. ==" it's very triggering and makes me very prone for relapsing sigh.

    For example, today, I had tuna and mixed bean thingy, large bowl of porridge, a large salad thing (from those food courts - sumo salad - where they slick it in sauce.. not good but not too bad either)... but THATS the healthy stuff...

    The unhealthy stuff (not really binge, just eating a lot throughout the day sporadically) later on was almost like:

    Almond muesli bars x THREE FML (so sugary sigh)
    Dark chocolate 2 squares
    Probs like 2 handfuls mixed nuts and dried fruit...
    3 slices of bread with A LOT of PB...
    ..
    Idk, i guess I'm just feeling anxious. I actually don't feel like I'm full or stuffed. I KNOW it's for me to gain weight... but I still feel like I had an unhealthy day...

    A stupid question then: will this affect me badly... will it make me gain weight in just one day like this? Keepin in mind my calories for the past few days have been around 2500. Today it was like 3500+ ):
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    Don't listen to ED at all!

    Don't worry about if you will gain suddenly.

    You won't.

    Just nourish your body.

    It wasn't junk food, it was all good stuff. Peanut butter sammiches are the best! :)

    Also, are you supposed to be counting calories in recovery? Trust me, it will be OK! :)

    *former ana/mia/emo eater
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    The best thing would be for you to see a dietician. Have you? Bingeing in recovery isnt normal as claimed. Youll feel better if you have professional help.

    It's not "binging" when your body is literally crying out for food. If you've never recovered for, an eating disorder then you really can't possibly understand. It is EXTREMELY "normal" to "binge" when you're in the weight gain portion of recovery.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    The most important thing right now is that you are eating. Just focus on that and getting healthy mentally and everything will sort itself out in time.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    Yes. It's okay.

    Also, to the people being insensitive, I get it. 1000 calories isn't a lot of food to you. It may even be a meal to you. The OP doesn't need you reminding them that it is a normal amount to a person without an ED. Speaking from experience, that's the LAST thing those of us who struggle with eating disorders need. We already, often, feel less than human for not being able to eat what you consider a 'normal' amount. For you to come in and down someone for worrying about whether they're eating too much or too little when they have an eating disorder... you are NOT helping. You are doing the exact opposite of helping.

    To explain it in simple terms - in the beginning of my recovery, when I ate just 600 calories in one sitting, I would be in so much (physical and psychological) pain that I would literally curl up on the floor and cry. Eating 1000 calories for someone in ED recovery is painful. But you wouldn't understand, and I hope you never have to.

    OP, you will binge sometimes in recovery. Your body is trying to recover, give it time. I hope, at that BMI, you are getting help from a group of professionals. Don't be afraid to use the emergency room if your pain gets severe. It might, and you need all the help you can get. I wish you all the best in recovery. You can do this, you're strong. Just choosing recovery proves how strong you are. :flowerforyou:

    And calling what she's doing "binging" is not helpful. She's not freaking binging...if you're eating in response to HUNGER you are not binging. I wish people would stop using that word.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    Are you being monitored by a physician? Do you have a support system?
    Here are some links that may be helpful:
    http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml
    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
    http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/eating_disorders.html

    QFT
  • jess17587
    jess17587 Posts: 153
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    you need professional help this binging is a phase because you suddenly realised everything that is happening (anorexia) so you allow yourself to eat and can't control your hunger because you have been starved for so long if you are not on a strict ree feeding meal plan you are at risk or a heat attack and also when this binging phase happens it means you are not in recovery and something has just scared you like going into a eating disorders unit or fainting....
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    you need professional help this binging is a phase because you suddenly realised everything that is happening (anorexia) so you allow yourself to eat and can't control your hunger because you have been starved for so long if you are not on a strict ree feeding meal plan you are at risk or a heat attack and also when this binging phase happens it means you are not in recovery and something has just scared you like going into a eating disorders unit or fainting....

    If I deciphered this post correctly, it really isn't true. And you don't need to scare the OP. It's not helpful.

    OP should focus on her mental health and recovery. The last thing the OP needs is a strict anything. She should eat when she feels like eating and be proud of herself for letting it happen.
  • WW_Jude_V2
    WW_Jude_V2 Posts: 209 Member
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    Wanted to add my two cents here as a recovered anorexic. I boomeranged into binge disorder afterwards that lasted for years and years. It was almost more difficult to recover from that. Almost 30 years later I can still find myself suddenly in binge-mode and scarf down 10,000 calories or more in one day.

    Please just monitor what you're doing carefully. If the volume of food you're eating becomes out of the norm for too long, perhaps further counseling or discussions with a professional can redirect you.

    Best of luck!
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Wanted to add my two cents here as a recovered anorexic. I boomeranged into binge disorder afterwards that lasted for years and years. It was almost more difficult to recover from that. Almost 30 years later I can still find myself suddenly in binge-mode and scarf down 10,000 calories or more in one day.

    Please just monitor what you're doing carefully. If the volume of food you're eating becomes out of the norm for too long, perhaps further counseling or discussions with a professional can redirect you.

    Best of luck!

    While I completely understand where you are coming from, let's not panic the OP. She ate maybe 1,000 calories. That's no where near 10,000.
  • cbeeller
    cbeeller Posts: 4 Member
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    I just wanted to wish you all the best and know you are not alone in your struggles. WE all have a cross to bare and just by getting help you are amazing. 1 day at a time you will do better be patient and trust you are not alone in your battle.

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