Weight redistribution - any recovered/recovering anorexics on here?

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  • worldofalice
    worldofalice Posts: 148 Member
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    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    Have you noticed a decrease in your general anxiety levels since getting to a healthy weight?

    Absolutely. I've had new issues to deal with, but they pale in comparison the the daily struggles of my old life. Starvation does funny things to the brain - once you start nourishing your body, the fog will clear and your mind will start working properly again. You just have to trust the process.
  • tiffanyaiv
    tiffanyaiv Posts: 107 Member
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    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    Have you noticed a decrease in your general anxiety levels since getting to a healthy weight?

    Absolutely. I've had new issues to deal with, but they pale in comparison the the daily struggles of my old life. Starvation does funny things to the brain - once you start nourishing your body, the fog will clear and your mind will start working properly again. You just have to trust the process.

    Thank you do you have any other effects that you have noticed? Positive ones?
  • pebbleslaura1
    pebbleslaura1 Posts: 146 Member
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    dj_suse wrote: »
    Having gone through recovery from a pretty unhealthy weight and really rigid and twisted thinking (and now having a great relationship with food and exercise) hopefully I can provide some reassurance that your body will start to look better with time - as depressing as this might sound, it took 2 years for me to regain my old muscle tone because I lost so much of it when I lost weight, but with gentle exercise and weightlifting I'm pretty much back to normal!

    I had the opposite problem to you in that all the weight I gained went straight to my stomach which really put me off at times, after a while though your body starts to realise it's not going to be tortured again and seems to let the fat spread out around your body, and the fat around my body also seems to be more dense (ie no water retention so you look leaner). Just rest assured in the fact that there's absolutely no way you're going to look fat to anyone with a healthy mind at that bmi - it's just not physically possible!

    Best of luck with your health and sorry about the awful formatting, I'm really bad at paragraphing :(

    This is so helpful to hear
  • phpmegan
    phpmegan Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi guys. I have been struggling with anorexia for a long time and I am now weight restored. I have many tips to recovery and how you can also become weight restored. I also want to remind you guys that even though recovery is extremely hard you are very much worth it :)
  • sharhealth
    sharhealth Posts: 20 Member
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    Thank you to those that have posted their recovery accounts. I'm currently IP - 2 months now (second time around too) and it's getting hard...er.
    All my weight is going to my tummy and I'm getting flabby - arms and back are becoming softer.
    I'll be needing to work out as soon as I get out of here...
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Well, let's see. Perhaps if you have a protein shake before heading to the gym it will encourage your body to build back muscle. Whey protein has been helpful to me. Having enough muscle, I believe, is key to having a good healthy body shape overall. You won't get manly looking. :)
  • THE_BadRomancer
    THE_BadRomancer Posts: 8 Member
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    there are so many long replies here, so I'm sorry if this is repeated. I've talked to my dietitian about this as well and apparently it usually takes at LEAST a year of maintaining at a healthy weight for your body to really start redistributing. & it just takes a lot of consistency- no ups and downs in behaviours- just steady nourishment. it takes a long time, but it will happen. slowly. my weight is just starting to distribute and I didn't even notice it until it happened and I had stopped looking for it.
  • kkarcher94511
    kkarcher94511 Posts: 196 Member
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    looks like youve got plenty of good responses here, but as a struggler of severe anorexia for 8-9 years, ive now been fully recovered psychologically for almost 3 years and physically for over a year and have run the GAMBIT of struggles. deathly thin to flabby thin to just flabby, unfit to fit, undereating, reactive eating, etc. finally have fixed my metaboism and have a wonderfully easy relationship with food, exercise and my body but know and relate with all the struggles and self-loathing that goes along with an ED. feel free to message me with any questions
  • worldofalice
    worldofalice Posts: 148 Member
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    THE_BadRomancer wrote: »
    there are so many long replies here, so I'm sorry if this is repeated. I've talked to my dietitian about this as well and apparently it usually takes at LEAST a year of maintaining at a healthy weight for your body to really start redistributing. & it just takes a lot of consistency- no ups and downs in behaviours- just steady nourishment. it takes a long time, but it will happen. slowly. my weight is just starting to distribute and I didn't even notice it until it happened and I had stopped looking for it.

    Thank you for this, really helpful!! Sometimes I do wonder if I am the exception to the rule, and my body was just meant to be this way... I can I ask how much you've been maintaining on?
  • tiffanyaiv
    tiffanyaiv Posts: 107 Member
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    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    Have you noticed a decrease in your general anxiety levels since getting to a healthy weight?

    Absolutely. I've had new issues to deal with, but they pale in comparison the the daily struggles of my old life. Starvation does funny things to the brain - once you start nourishing your body, the fog will clear and your mind will start working properly again. You just have to trust the process.

    Thank you do you have any other effects that you have noticed? Positive ones?
  • worldofalice
    worldofalice Posts: 148 Member
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    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »

    Thank you do you have any other effects that you have noticed? Positive ones?

    Gosh, so many. For me personally... gaining that weight fixed pretty much every problem I had with myself, that I hadn't even attributed to my starvation. My preoccupation with food - obsessive thoughts, it was the only thing I thought about - I thought it was because I was greedy. But actually, it was because I was starving. Now I only think about food when I'm hungry, and spend the rest of my day actually having fun and living my life!

    Also, I am HAPPIER. There is such a strong link between anorexia and depression, it's a vicious cycle. I used to cry every day for no reason, and there was a constant feeling of numbness. Once I gained weight, those endorphins started being able to reach my brain again... I suddenly started getting random moments of pure euphoria, they would be brief but I began to feel consistently happier. It's a gradual thing, your mood improves over time and it's not until you step back and remember how you used to feel every day, that you realise how far you've come.

    I also discovered what REAL energy feels like! I have consistent energy all day,every day - no more shaking, feeling like I'm going to pass out, or just generally lethargic and tired. I can't explain how good it feels to no be limited by your own body and energy levels, I can walk and run and bounce around and laugh and it's just amazing.

    Finally, there are the effects on my appearance - my skin glows and my complexion is even, I don't have constant shadows under my eyes, my hair has stopped falling out and is now soft and shiny. I no longer get bloated after eating the tiniest thing, my eyes have lost their dullness, my posture has improved... weight gain is tough, but it does make you beautiful.

    Sorry for the essay haha, I do hope this has helped!
  • worldofalice
    worldofalice Posts: 148 Member
    Options
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    Have you noticed a decrease in your general anxiety levels since getting to a healthy weight?

    Absolutely. I've had new issues to deal with, but they pale in comparison the the daily struggles of my old life. Starvation does funny things to the brain - once you start nourishing your body, the fog will clear and your mind will start working properly again. You just have to trust the process.

    Thank you do you have any other effects that you have noticed? Positive ones?

    Gosh, so many. For me personally... gaining that weight fixed pretty much every problem I had with myself, that I hadn't even attributed to my starvation. My preoccupation with food - obsessive thoughts, it was the only thing I thought about - I thought it was because I was greedy. But actually, it was because I was starving. Now I only think about food when I'm hungry, and spend the rest of my day actually having fun and living my life!

    Also, I am HAPPIER. There is such a strong link between anorexia and depression, it's a vicious cycle. I used to cry every day for no reason, and there was a constant feeling of numbness. Once I gained weight, those endorphins started being able to reach my brain again... I suddenly started getting random moments of pure euphoria, they would be brief but I began to feel consistently happier. It's a gradual thing, your mood improves over time and it's not until you step back and remember how you used to feel every day, that you realise how far you've come.

    I also discovered what REAL energy feels like! I have consistent energy all day,every day - no more shaking, feeling like I'm going to pass out, or just generally lethargic and tired. I can't explain how good it feels to no be limited by your own body and energy levels, I can walk and run and bounce around and laugh and it's just amazing.

    Finally, there are the effects on my appearance - my skin glows and my complexion is even, I don't have constant shadows under my eyes, my hair has stopped falling out and is now soft and shiny. I no longer get bloated after eating the tiniest thing, my eyes have lost their dullness, my posture has improved... weight gain is tough, but it does make you beautiful.

    Sorry for the essay haha, I do hope this has helped!
  • tiffanyaiv
    tiffanyaiv Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    worldofalice wrote: »
    tiffanyaiv wrote: »
    Have you noticed a decrease in your general anxiety levels since getting to a healthy weight?

    Absolutely. I've had new issues to deal with, but they pale in comparison the the daily struggles of my old life. Starvation does funny things to the brain - once you start nourishing your body, the fog will clear and your mind will start working properly again. You just have to trust the process.

    Thank you do you have any other effects that you have noticed? Positive ones?

    Gosh, so many. For me personally... gaining that weight fixed pretty much every problem I had with myself, that I hadn't even attributed to my starvation. My preoccupation with food - obsessive thoughts, it was the only thing I thought about - I thought it was because I was greedy. But actually, it was because I was starving. Now I only think about food when I'm hungry, and spend the rest of my day actually having fun and living my life!

    Also, I am HAPPIER. There is such a strong link between anorexia and depression, it's a vicious cycle. I used to cry every day for no reason, and there was a constant feeling of numbness. Once I gained weight, those endorphins started being able to reach my brain again... I suddenly started getting random moments of pure euphoria, they would be brief but I began to feel consistently happier. It's a gradual thing, your mood improves over time and it's not until you step back and remember how you used to feel every day, that you realise how far you've come.

    I also discovered what REAL energy feels like! I have consistent energy all day,every day - no more shaking, feeling like I'm going to pass out, or just generally lethargic and tired. I can't explain how good it feels to no be limited by your own body and energy levels, I can walk and run and bounce around and laugh and it's just amazing.

    Finally, there are the effects on my appearance - my skin glows and my complexion is even, I don't have constant shadows under my eyes, my hair has stopped falling out and is now soft and shiny. I no longer get bloated after eating the tiniest thing, my eyes have lost their dullness, my posture has improved... weight gain is tough, but it does make you beautiful.

    Sorry for the essay haha, I do hope this has helped!



    Yes so much! I want to hear everything!!! :)

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