Can't lose weight after ED recovery?
DarkShilen
Posts: 14 Member
Hello, I lost a lot of weight in the past year with low/medium restriction, but gained 3-4 pounds when I tried to maintain and recover. Now I want them gone, but that can't seem to happen without being below 1000 cal and I don't want to fall into old habits. Thinking of dieting is enough. For past 2 months I've been eating between 1000-1400 cal/day with lots of walking (~10 km) 3-4 times a week, and SOMEHOW I'm maintaining. And that's way less than my TDEE. Since my history of ED - I know damn well about calories and how much I'm consuming so no - it's not more than I think it is.
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
0
Replies
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You likely need to engage with your treatment team if you are having these behaviors - none of us are likely qualified to give you advice12
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Talk to a dietitian, your PCP, and/or your treatment team. Being this worried over 3-4 pounds, when in recovery, is not healthy.10
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collectingblues wrote: »Talk to a dietitian, your PCP, and/or your treatment team. Being this worried over 3-4 pounds, when in recovery, is not healthy.
Very true. I gained and lost 4lbs in one day the other day. I'm worried about this fixation on the 3-4 pounds "gained" is OP slipping back in to bad habits. OP, please make sure you are keeping your care team in the loop about your concerns, and get some help.4 -
A damaged metabolism is a thing, but your treatment team should have dealt with that as you recovered?6
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There's no team, since there's no treatment in my town, and I can't afford traveling. So I do it on my own.0
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Did a doctor diagnose you with ED?1
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3-4 pounds is a normal daily weight fluctuation, depending on factors of what you have recently eaten. I would suggest you discuss this with a professional. Everyone is different, but eating less than 1000 calories is not recommended, unless you are doing so with a qualified health care professionals guidance . I know you say you can’t afford traveling, but your health should be a priority. You’re worth it, right?DarkShilen wrote: »There's no team, since there's no treatment in my town, and I can't afford traveling. So I do it on my own.
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DarkShilen wrote: »There's no team, since there's no treatment in my town, and I can't afford traveling. So I do it on my own.
I would look into some online resources then1 -
Peaked at you diary. You haven't logged calories from Nov 12 thru Dec 28 (6 weeks of the '2 months'). Tracking via another method? I can't imagine you know for sure your calorie break down and how much you were eating.
Noting that 3-4 lbs can very well be with in +/- 5 lb weight range of daily/weekly fluctuations being female. The worry you have over this warrants you to continue seek out advice and direction of professional counseling as you are still in recovery.4 -
Gaining 3-4 pounds is common when transitioning into maintenance. You’re repleting your carb/glycogen storage.
If you can’t accept that, you need to find a therapist to help you process. Talk to your PCP for a referral.1 -
DarkShilen wrote: »There's no team, since there's no treatment in my town, and I can't afford traveling. So I do it on my own.
I'm with the VA for my health insurance and for some medical resources have to drive into Boston, which I hate, but I do it anyway.
In my state there are resources to help people of low income get to medical appointments or receive home visits. What state are you in?
Also, medical professional are increasingly offering consultations remotely, so that is another thing to ask your PCP about when you ask for a referral.1 -
As I already said I know damn well about calories and can't underestimate my intake + again as I said, I'm pretty active. Decided to stop entering the exact same products everyday in the app, since it obviously was triggering me, but then - I'm not consuming any calorie dense foods on daily/weekly basis. And do count it all in my (pretty precise at this point) mind. So my question still remains.
No, I'm not diagnosed since I must meet certain BMI, which I'm not.
Actual treatment is offered on the other side of the country, but then again I don't meet the criteria. I live in a third world country in the Eastern Europe, where such a thing is still a "choice" rather than an actual illness. Those are my reasons for going for self-recovery, since even my GP would laugh it off.
So even if I go and require tests, I should at least know what to ask for, so I won't be sent away with "just don't think about it".11 -
It can take 6-12 months to heal and settle out. Even while still restricting. The body has tremendous capacity to hold on to water weight, and can be upwards of 15-20 percent of your starting weight. The fact that you’ve got only 3-4 pounds is perfectly normal. As is the fact that your body is refusing to let go of it. It sucks, but welcome to ED recovery rebound.
The more you restrict right now, the worse it’s going to be. You are doing yourself no favors if you continue to restrict to 1000 or 1100, work out, and expect results. But only you can decide whether you’d rather ride out the storm, or remain restricting and miserable and angry, and just keep prolonging the problems.
That timeline and explanation is my PCP said to me when I had the same complaint. As much as I hated that she was right, indeed, it started coming off around the six month mark.
Reevaluate in a year.
You probably don’t like that answer either, but there you have it. Consider looking for online ED therapy resources.5 -
collectingblues wrote: »It can take 6-12 months to heal and settle out. Even while still restricting. The body has tremendous capacity to hold on to water weight, and can be upwards of 15-20 percent of your starting weight. The fact that you’ve got only 3-4 pounds is perfectly normal. As is the fact that your body is refusing to let go of it. It sucks, but welcome to ED recovery rebound.
The more you restrict right now, the worse it’s going to be. You are doing yourself no favors if you continue to restrict to 1000 or 1100, work out, and expect results. But only you can decide whether you’d rather ride out the storm, or remain restricting and miserable and angry, and just keep prolonging the problems.
That timeline and explanation is my PCP said to me when I had the same complaint. As much as I hated that she was right, indeed, it started coming off around the six month mark.
Reevaluate in a year.
You probably don’t like that answer either, but there you have it. Consider looking for online ED therapy resources.
Thank you! I do like the answer since it does make more sense than maintaining at such low calories at my stats.
ETA: I don't plan to restrict on 1000, that's why I made the post. Found it disturbing, and again triggering, to be unable to lose on a normal deficit. So I should just wait?0 -
DarkShilen wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »It can take 6-12 months to heal and settle out. Even while still restricting. The body has tremendous capacity to hold on to water weight, and can be upwards of 15-20 percent of your starting weight. The fact that you’ve got only 3-4 pounds is perfectly normal. As is the fact that your body is refusing to let go of it. It sucks, but welcome to ED recovery rebound.
The more you restrict right now, the worse it’s going to be. You are doing yourself no favors if you continue to restrict to 1000 or 1100, work out, and expect results. But only you can decide whether you’d rather ride out the storm, or remain restricting and miserable and angry, and just keep prolonging the problems.
That timeline and explanation is my PCP said to me when I had the same complaint. As much as I hated that she was right, indeed, it started coming off around the six month mark.
Reevaluate in a year.
You probably don’t like that answer either, but there you have it. Consider looking for online ED therapy resources.
Thank you! I do like the answer since it does make more sense than maintaining at such low calories at my stats.
ETA: I don't plan to restrict on 1000, that's why I made the post. Found it disturbing, and again triggering, to be unable to lose on a normal deficit. So I should just wait?
Yup. All you can do is wait. It sucks, but it’s the only thing to do.2 -
DarkShilen wrote: »Hello, I lost a lot of weight in the past year with low/medium restriction, but gained 3-4 pounds when I tried to maintain and recover. Now I want them gone, but that can't seem to happen without being below 1000 cal and I don't want to fall into old habits. Thinking of dieting is enough. For past 2 months I've been eating between 1000-1400 cal/day with lots of walking (~10 km) 3-4 times a week, and SOMEHOW I'm maintaining. And that's way less than my TDEE. Since my history of ED - I know damn well about calories and how much I'm consuming so no - it's not more than I think it is.
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
Hello - recovering ED here. Part of my recovery was setting a healthy range for my weight. I had my physician help determine my range. Part of recovery is learning to accept normal weight fluctuations, this is why a goal range works better for many over a goal weight.
You mentioned eating a very low calorie range for most people which looks like restricting and lots of walking. I know for me I have to be aware not to restrict or use exercise as a form of purging calories. I don’t want to project my own stuff here but your language in the OP raises some read flags.
EDA is a recovery community that offers online meetings if there is nothing local for you. Please also feel free to add me and message anytime.3 -
DarkShilen wrote: »Hello, I lost a lot of weight in the past year with low/medium restriction, but gained 3-4 pounds when I tried to maintain and recover. Now I want them gone, but that can't seem to happen without being below 1000 cal and I don't want to fall into old habits. Thinking of dieting is enough. For past 2 months I've been eating between 1000-1400 cal/day with lots of walking (~10 km) 3-4 times a week, and SOMEHOW I'm maintaining. And that's way less than my TDEE. Since my history of ED - I know damn well about calories and how much I'm consuming so no - it's not more than I think it is.
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
I am ~in recovery/remission~ from anorexia and bulimia
My treatment team gave me the goal weight of 138 lbs to get out of inpatient program*** THIS IS NOT ENOUGH
I am currently 154 lbs, a year ago I was 170. Eat regularly according to a normal patterning of breakfast, lunch, and dinner following your TDEE and your weight WILL regulate. You are holding onto weight because your body is afraid of losing weight. Have trust in the process. It is long, but you need to just keep feeding yourself because truthfully, food is your medicine.
I eat 3300 Calories per day. This has been the ONLY thing that has helped me to stop bingeing and purging. I have now gone over 200 days without behaviours.
Best of luck and msg me if you need support/advice
* EDIT: I want to clairify that 138 lbs is not enough weight for me. ALSO I want to let you know that I hated being over my low weight. Gaining weight is not fun, but it is part of the process of recovery, even if you are not underweight. You may need to step away from the scale and forums like this for real recovery.
4 -
DarkShilen wrote: »Hello, I lost a lot of weight in the past year with low/medium restriction, but gained 3-4 pounds when I tried to maintain and recover. Now I want them gone, but that can't seem to happen without being below 1000 cal and I don't want to fall into old habits. Thinking of dieting is enough. For past 2 months I've been eating between 1000-1400 cal/day with lots of walking (~10 km) 3-4 times a week, and SOMEHOW I'm maintaining. And that's way less than my TDEE. Since my history of ED - I know damn well about calories and how much I'm consuming so no - it's not more than I think it is.
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
Hello - recovering ED here. Part of my recovery was setting a healthy range for my weight. I had my physician help determine my range. Part of recovery is learning to accept normal weight fluctuations, this is why a goal range works better for many over a goal weight.
You mentioned eating a very low calorie range for most people which looks like restricting and lots of walking. I know for me I have to be aware not to restrict or use exercise as a form of purging calories. I don’t want to project my own stuff here but your language in the OP raises some read flags.
EDA is a recovery community that offers online meetings if there is nothing local for you. Please also feel free to add me and message anytime.
Yes. It's called Exercise Bulimia, and is surprisingly common. A lot of people who aren't 'classic' bulimics can inadvertently fall down this rabbit's hole.
Great post!
2 -
I agree with others who recommended looking into online resources. I am personally not a fan of calorie counting for those recovering from eating disorders. I might suggest you put your scale away and focus on nutrition for a while. Instead of counting calories look at minimum recommended food group servings per day to fuel your body. Focusing on minimums instead of maximums might be a good exercise for you. Example: make sure you get a minimum of 3 vegetable servings, 3 fruit servings, 2 protein servings, 2 healthy fat servings, 2 low-fat dairy servings, etc. instead of not more than a certain calorie level. I am not suggesting a “whole food only” approach that is restrictive. I am suggesting fitting in reasonable serving sizes of treats daily. And moderate (30-60 minutes only per day only with 1-2 rest days per week and not hardcore) exercise for fitness. Make health and fitness your focus instead of weight. Focus on healthy habits instead of weight.2
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Hello - recovering ED here. Part of my recovery was setting a healthy range for my weight. I had my physician help determine my range. Part of recovery is learning to accept normal weight fluctuations, this is why a goal range works better for many over a goal weight.
You mentioned eating a very low calorie range for most people which looks like restricting and lots of walking. I know for me I have to be aware not to restrict or use exercise as a form of purging calories. I don’t want to project my own stuff here but your language in the OP raises some read flags.
EDA is a recovery community that offers online meetings if there is nothing local for you. Please also feel free to add me and message anytime.
I try not to, really. I guess the title is misleading since I'm not yet fully recovered (obviously), but I'm coming from low/mid restriction so even 1400 is alot for me to handle, but I try. I'm not dying to lose the weight, I only found it bizarre and frustrating that I'm not losing, but even gained.moogie_fit wrote: »I am ~in recovery/remission~ from anorexia and bulimia
My treatment team gave me the goal weight of 138 lbs to get out of inpatient program*** THIS IS NOT ENOUGH
I am currently 154 lbs, a year ago I was 170. Eat regularly according to a normal patterning of breakfast, lunch, and dinner following your TDEE and your weight WILL regulate. You are holding onto weight because your body is afraid of losing weight. Have trust in the process. It is long, but you need to just keep feeding yourself because truthfully, food is your medicine.
I eat 3300 Calories per day. This has been the ONLY thing that has helped me to stop bingeing and purging. I have now gone over 200 days without behaviours.
Best of luck and msg me if you need support/advice
* EDIT: I want to clairify that 138 lbs is not enough weight for me. ALSO I want to let you know that I hated being over my low weight. Gaining weight is not fun, but it is part of the process of recovery, even if you are not underweight. You may need to step away from the scale and forums like this for real recovery.emmamcgarity wrote: »I agree with others who recommended looking into online resources. I am personally not a fan of calorie counting for those recovering from eating disorders. I might suggest you put your scale away and focus on nutrition for a while. Instead of counting calories look at minimum recommended food group servings per day to fuel your body. Focusing on minimums instead of maximums might be a good exercise for you. Example: make sure you get a minimum of 3 vegetable servings, 3 fruit servings, 2 protein servings, 2 healthy fat servings, 2 low-fat dairy servings, etc. instead of not more than a certain calorie level. I am not suggesting a “whole food only” approach that is restrictive. I am suggesting fitting in reasonable serving sizes of treats daily. And moderate (30-60 minutes only per day only with 1-2 rest days per week and not hardcore) exercise for fitness. Make health and fitness your focus instead of weight. Focus on healthy habits instead of weight.
Thank you! I do try to and that's one of the reasons I didn't use MFP for the past 6 weeks (as someone mentioned), because all the calorie math in my mind is enough to deal with. Since I'm alone on this, while I'm trying to work on my mental health and focus on life stuff more, I'm just... forgetting to eat. So in the end of the day I know I didn't reach my goal. I'm working on balancing it all.3 -
It’s tough and recovery looks different for each of us. I want to commend you for making this post and sharing. I know how hard that can be, especially in the early stages of recovery.2
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snickerscharlie wrote: »DarkShilen wrote: »Hello, I lost a lot of weight in the past year with low/medium restriction, but gained 3-4 pounds when I tried to maintain and recover. Now I want them gone, but that can't seem to happen without being below 1000 cal and I don't want to fall into old habits. Thinking of dieting is enough. For past 2 months I've been eating between 1000-1400 cal/day with lots of walking (~10 km) 3-4 times a week, and SOMEHOW I'm maintaining. And that's way less than my TDEE. Since my history of ED - I know damn well about calories and how much I'm consuming so no - it's not more than I think it is.
I do not believe in "starvation mode" and "damaged metabolism" but what could it be?
Stats: 25f/62kg/170cm
Hello - recovering ED here. Part of my recovery was setting a healthy range for my weight. I had my physician help determine my range. Part of recovery is learning to accept normal weight fluctuations, this is why a goal range works better for many over a goal weight.
You mentioned eating a very low calorie range for most people which looks like restricting and lots of walking. I know for me I have to be aware not to restrict or use exercise as a form of purging calories. I don’t want to project my own stuff here but your language in the OP raises some read flags.
EDA is a recovery community that offers online meetings if there is nothing local for you. Please also feel free to add me and message anytime.
Yes. It's called Exercise Bulimia, and is surprisingly common. A lot of people who aren't 'classic' bulimics can inadvertently fall down this rabbit's hole.
Great post!
Thanks! I’m in recovery for bulimia and found that I definitely fell into this pattern when I first started recovery. It really was just another form of purging. I’m grateful to those who came before me and recognized it who held me accountable in a loving way to help change my behaviors.2
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