Gaining 5 lbs in 2 day!! Anorexia recovery

khacker4
khacker4 Posts: 9 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi! I am in my first week of recovery from anorexia. I'm 19 years old and my lowest weight was 83 lbs. I have been eating around 1800 calories a day and have gained 5 lbs already! I'm terrified with how fast I am gaining weight! Is this going to continue to happen? Is it true body fat weight? Should I keep eating so much???

Replies

  • shaynaboyce25
    shaynaboyce25 Posts: 5 Member
    Consult your doctor :) Congratulations for this recovery phase in your life!! You are strong and looking after yourself --- But yes I'd say consult your doctor:)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Keep in mind when you eat more food than you are used to, that your body will do being a few things.. adding food into your gi track and if you are eating more carbs, than you will also be adding more glycogen/water weight. It will stabilize. Also, please make sure you are doing this with your doctor and good luck.
  • RunRaineyRun
    RunRaineyRun Posts: 301 Member
    This is the beginning "Whoosh" that people usually feel. When people lose weight their first week they lose more than they thought they would, and then things stabilise while the body adapts to the new way of life.
    I wouldn't worry about it too much, but if you have any questions then there certainly wouldn't be any harm in asking your doctor/healthcare provider.

    I'm proud of you for taking this important step to being healthy! <3
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    Keep in mind when you eat more food than you are used to, that your body will do being a few things.. adding food into your gi track and if you are eating more carbs, than you will also be adding more glycogen/water weight. It will stabilize. Also, please make sure you are doing this with your doctor and good luck.

    this.

    and if you are "terrified" about gaining weight it sounds like you are not fully recovered and you need to discuss this with your treatment team.

    good luck in your recovery OP.
  • moto450
    moto450 Posts: 334 Member
    Hang in there. Be patient with the process. You won't become"fat"overnight. You will have plenty of time to see how things go over a few months, and tweak your calorie intake where needed. You can do this! Everyone keeps referring to your doctor, which is correct. Just don't let your fears keep you from making the right choices. Congrats on making it this far! :-)
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Congratulations on starting your recovery! Keep it up!

    Just because internet users can be cruel, without realizing the effect it can have, it really is important that you check in with your treatment team whenever you feel this kind of panic.
  • byuslugger
    byuslugger Posts: 1 Member
    What have you been eating to gain 5 lbs in two days? ? I have been trying to gain 5lbs in a month!
  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
    Just want to add that 1 lbs of fat requires a 3500 calorie surplus.
    Pretty sure you did not have a surplus that big in those first two days. So of all that weight gained, it is unlikely that even 1 lbs of it is fat.

    Just keep going. Good luck and really keep working with your treatment team.
  • pebbleslaura1
    pebbleslaura1 Posts: 146 Member
    I understand exactly how you feel bit keep going they body is doing lots of things to restore health sometimes a jump in weight can be water it definitely wont be fat! It first sorts out the important things like the organs bones hormone balance ect when it gets more norishing food then once its stable inside you then gain body weight i was told this in a eating disorders unit. Im also recovering an try to remind myself of this
    Keep going stay strong you can fight this xx
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    When you diet over periods of time, your glycogen stores get depleted. So, when you start eating a normal amount again, the body replaces those stores.
    Fancy way to say: yeah, water weight.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Yes you should be eating whatever the dr told you to eat. And make sure to call your medical team and let them know about you feeling scared. Good luck.
  • morgon_
    morgon_ Posts: 1 Member
    Hi,
    I am also endeavoring to recover from anorexia. I am currently working with a treatment team which I assembled (my area does not provide substantial treatment programs) and I would point to rehydration as to the sudden weight jump. When you are emaciated like that, your body initially undergoes water retention due to aforementioned fluid shifting thanks to the introduction of proper nutrition. Over the course of three weeks, my own weight jumped 12 lbs -- and it turns out a good deal of this was water weight, as revealed by a weight loss in my last doctor's appointment. But hey, I have been in and out of hospitals and treatment facilities for this, and even on an intake of 3600 calories a day for 5 months, they were barely able to get me to the minimum healthy BMI for my age and height. The human body naturally resists change, and the most "true" weight gain you'll see is 3 lbs in a week -- something usually only achieved by strict treatment environments, ie hospitals -- and honestly, in my experience the faster you put on the weight the easier it is to cope with. To make yourself gain weight slowly is actually pretty torturous and cruel to yourself. I often joke that I wish I could go to sleep and wake up weight restored :) . Be wary of abusing condiments like salt and engaging in activities that will hinder your recovery. I believe in you! We can do this! <3
  • Shouliveshappy
    Shouliveshappy Posts: 161 Member
    Question that every ED recovery person has is: Does the water weight ever goes down? Or it just remains
  • charliebitesback
    charliebitesback Posts: 18 Member
    As you consume more calories, it is true that you'll gain more weight, but it will be nowhere near this much from actual bodyweight. It's just water. (: Keep hydrated and the water weight should go down over time.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2015
    Since I know how much some anorexics hate to be congratulated, I will skip that, but am very happy for you that you're recovering. It's so hard and you are DOING it. It's a brave, bold, healthy and positive step you've taken. You're choosing happiness and healthiness and that...that is GOOD. Brava.

    Some of that is food weight. You know that! Some of it is water weight. You know that, too.

    But you're going to put on some healthy fat. Healthy people have fat. That IS coming. It's going to happen. You will NOT be getting fat. You will be getting healthy. But you're going to worry that you're getting fat. That's what the therapist is for.

    After anorexia, you're going to gain fat faster than muscle. When you get to a healthy weight, you're going to be flabbier than you will be later. As you put on weight, your body will naturally add muscle, but it does that slower. That's part of recovery. Everyone goes through it. You will, too. It's freaking hard on EVERYONE who recovers. You are not alone. Everyone goes through that stage. EVERYONE.

    Being scared and hesitant is part of recovery. That's what the therapist is there for. Worrying that you're not getting healthy, but getting fat is also part of recovery. The doctor will NOT let you get to overweight and lie about it. Ask him/her, if you must, but remember that they're not going to let you do that. Look at the scale weights when you're ready, but get ready. Talk it out, but work toward seeing higher, healthier numbers on that scale. You shouldn't hide from that forever. Hide while you need to! But remember that you shouldn't hide forever.

    At some point, you will be told that it is okay to exercise or lift weights. When that time comes, do the weight machines. I know you don't want to bulk up! You won't. Really. Even if you began to, you could stop lifting weights. Building muscle will help you be less flabby.

    Remember that you can work on muscle later while you gain the fat now.

    You should be very proud of yourself. No matter how much you have to struggle and fight and worry. Be proud. The spiral down is tough and spiraling back up is tough, too. But you're doing it. Be proud of you!! (I am.)

  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Definitely don't eat less. 1800 calories is still very low considering how thin you are. But, hopefully you are doing this under doctor supervision. So they can advise you of a safe amount of calories to be eating for your individual body and health situation. And mental health support to deal with your fear of gaining weight. Every pound you gain right now is a pound towards your renewed overall health. You have an entire body to rebuild inside and out. Bone density, internal organs...It's not just fat and muscle, but your entire body that is recovering, healing, regaining health.
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    Nova Posts: 10,318 MFP Staff
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