Anorexia Recover and Weight Gain Panic!

Hi,

I am 5'5" and 116 30 yrs old.  I'm freaking out.  I was 100 at the Holidays and I am trying to recover, spent some time last summer in-patient Ana treatment and hated it.

I don't understand why I am gaining so much so fast.  Have started working out but even my trainer can't tell me if I am putting on muscle.  It's scary.  I'm trying to get healthy so my hubby and I can start a family.  Can anyone relate please?  I feel guilty and disgusting for gaining so much so fast.  I am ashamed to let friends/counterparts see me as I am afraid of comments.  People often try to be supportive and say "You have gained weight"  I know they are trying to help but this is devastating to me. 

Can anyone identify or help?

Thanks and take care.

Hey! Don't freak out!  Gaining 16 pounds over about 6 months may seem like a lot, but you used to be starving your body.  A 16 pound gain may feel like a lot, but if you think of it objectively, 116 is NOT too much for a 5'5" person to weigh.

As for the muscle gain, perhaps you would like to invest in a mody-mass analyzer?  I have an at-home, very simple one, which calculates your bmi and bf%.  There are also scales out there that do hydration, bf%, weight, bone density, etc, all rolled into one, but those are around $140.  I'm not sure if having those around would help or hinder your recovery process though, so I would talk to someone about it before buying it?

Lastly, when you are starving your body as much as you were, your body starts metabolizing the fat which surrounds and protects your organs.  Some of your gain is probably rebuilding these vital stores.

I would suggest that you keep doing strength training and keep building muscle.  Try not to worry about it! I know its hard, but you can do it!

Thanks so much for your suggestion and kind words.  I will get a BM analyzer.  It would be good to know where I am. 

Take Care

I know weight restoration is such a frustrating process. I just went through it this past winter. I went into an eating disorder treatment program and gained 25 pounds over just 3 months. Yeah. That's right. It was a lot of weight in a short amount of time and just SO overwhelming. But now I'm really dealing okay with it. I'm getting used to my healthier body and it's not nearly as bad. It's still uncomfortable and my body image is still a wreck but I'm handling it. It gets easier. You just have to hang in there!

{{{cailin}}}

I second what tyrdrop is saying.

Just want to add, if you want to reduce the worry you're experiencing, then try to only feed yourself the best food ever.  That way you can rest assured that the new, better, stronger, faster, awesomer body you're building up from scratch is going to be built on solid foundations.

You've been blessed, do you realized that?  You can enjoy a wide variety of really healthy, really delicious fatty foods.  And each positive food you put into your body is going to contribute to a more positive you.

May I suggest, if you enjoy them, a young coconut or two?  Perhaps some almond butter mixed with banana and maca in a smoothie?  You have so many amazing choices.