Anorexia recovery... dealing with the uncontrollable weight gain!!!

Where shall i start , im new and came across this board through the seach engine... my story...

I recently decided to recover from my anorexia in January of this year(new years resoulution) I am now 113lbs...at 5ft 5in... approximately in august of 2006 i weighed 95 lbs and my all time low was about 90lbs... my problem and the reason i decided to join is to find out if anyone has had experince with continuous weght gain.... it seems like i just wont stop gaining which is totally freaking me out and i find myself sooo depressed at times that i feal hopeless... wanting to start up with old habits again and after reading some of the other posts i was pretty bad because i would go without eating for about 5 days being mon-fri... the days my boyfriend works and weekends when im with him i would on this junk food binge eating out at restaurants and coming home and eating junk for dinner then the routine would start back up again on monday.... oh did i mention i would compulsively exercise as well... so im assuming i did some good damage in that year.... anyways for the past two months i have been eating pretty regularly 2 meals breakfast and dinner no lunch cuz that when im at the gym.... soooo how in the world am i gaining weight when i eat a good diet and exercise regularly... im am sooo confused!!! please help!!! oh i forgot to mention during the weekends i eat pizza and stuff like that but i shouldnt make a difference because i need to eat those things according to my doctor ... HELP!!!!! Also my dad cannot stress it enough on me that im not eating enough during the week putting my body in starvation mode meaning on the weekends when i do increase calories i store which equals the weight gain...is this true???

your dad is right.  and plus your body is trying to get to a somewhat healthy weight for you.  if you eat during the week so that you arent binging (and therefore allowing your body to hang on to everything b/c it thinks it is starving the rest of the time), you will gain a little bit of weight-- but not a whole lot.  at 5'5 you should be somewhere between 115 and 150 lbs.... so a few more lbs is ok.

((hugs)) and good luck on your recovery. you said you are seeing a dr... what about a nutritionist or a therapist or both?

i started seeing a therapist but didnt help much i have been wanting to see a nutritionist but i never get down to looking for one that has experience with anorexia.... i just dont understand how many calories i should be eating so i wont gain anymore... ??

unfortunately you probably do need to gain a little bit of weight and your body might just do that naturally no matter what you do since you are eating more normally now.  that should even out after a while and you will either drop a little or stay and maintain that weight.

you said you are 5'5?  how active are you?  how much do you work out each day?  try playing around with the calculators and seeing how much it says you should be eating.  its not an exact science, and its especially difficult when you are in recovery which is why a nutrionist is a good idea.  have your dr recommend one if you cant find one on your own.  a nutritionist can also help take the food obsession away from you bc you get to let HER plan and watch everything and still maintain a bit of control.

my last thought is make sure you are eating regular small meals, that you are eating more than 1200 cals (i would say for you at least 1500) a day, drinking lots of water, and taking the time to talk to your dr and your dad.  dad sounds like a pretty smart man :)

well i honestly workout out about 1hr45min - 2hr a day... i eat 2 meals a day breakfast consiisted of cereal yogurt and a banana today as far as when i get back from the gym today im not sure what itll be maybe soup and a tilapia fillet.... but how long will this take i am gaining like 5 lbs a month since i started to try and eat normal some days i eat more than others it just depends on my hunger...

oh on weekends i totally binge... well i say its a binge my boyfriend says its normal like for example sat i ate:

(i know i started late that day)

4:00p.m. 4pizzaz and m&ms

6:00p.m. piece of cake

10:00 2 pizzas

im seeing that you are eating about 800 cals during the week and by the numbers next to the pizza do you mean slices?  but at any rate, you are eating quite a bit more on the weekends plus its all salt filled and your body needs!! to hang on to those cals.  800 cals a day is literally starving your body.

somewhere there is a post about being obese and starving, ill see if i can find the link... but even a larger person, eating like you, would gain weight or stay overweight.

the first thing you need to do is talk to your dr and see what he says for a meal plan based on your activity and such.  no one here is a dr so we cant give you great advice thats specific for you, just general stuff.  but im betting you need to be eating over 2000 cals a day.... and enough time doing that you will stop gaining.

((luck))

ok thanks for the advice... also to me its in creasing because before i didnt use to eat anything period during the week and yes that was slices...lol.... but nevertheless in regards to my sat eating log is that normal like my boyfriend says it is or is that too much?? considering i only eat like that at the most 2 days outa the week??

well yeah i guess its normal for a 20 yr old boy.  its not exactly healthy food but its around enough calories.  just really needs to be spread out and throw in some veggies ;)

for instance, on the weekend, try eating around an hour or two after you get up (or if you can eat first thing, do it), have a banana and cereal and yogurt like you normally do (great breakfast there!).  2-3 hours later, have another "meal" (protein plus a veggie, maybe a carb), then 2-3 hours same thing, etc.  you should be doing this all the time.  pizza isnt bad for you-- as far as "junk" food goes its pretty good for you.

once your body gets used to being fed properly, it will stop gaining.  remember, most people at 5'5 weigh between 125 and 150, 113 is pretty low for your height.

eating pizza is fine, especially if you enjoy it.  the goal is to NOT obsess about food. 

hes actually 26 but thats beyond the point .... during the weekend i eat that way with him because he pushes me because is if it were up to me id eat cereal everyday... im also anemic... so im malnutritioned... before i got trapped into this ed i use to eat like that every day and never would step foot in the gym and not gain an ounce and now it seems like everything that goes in stays in also my boyfriend says he doesnt believe i weigh 113 because he says i still look like a stick but i see myself huge.... i forgot to mention i suffer from ibs w/ constipation... which makes it alot more difficult for me and which makes me gain so much after i eat... more than normal people...

its not real weight if you are constipated its just garbage thats backed up ;)  and yes your body image sounds pretty distorted... which is another reason to try the therapy route.  and you look like a stick to ur bf cuz you are still pretty underweight.

i wish you a lot of luck and hope that you will give your dr a call to get  referrals for a nutritionist and a therapist.  therapy can be hard work but eventually if you are trying it works.  talk to your dad too!

and i almost *promise* you that if you start eating a normal amount of calories EACH day, after a few weeks or months you will level off at a good weight for your body (a *healthy*) weight.

off to find that article....

girl, you need some veggies and fiber to get that pizza *eliminated*!  and with all that salt you're probably also holding onto a lot of water.  try to find a nutritionist who can answer your questions and help you find healthier food options.

well i take a fiber supplement two-three days out of the week when i do i lose like 5 lbs in a day... and thats the truth.... im just really scared to increase my calories and gain more weight? But

sorry, but i will take you guys up on the advice... thanks for the support :)

i also had a constipation problem till i started to eat veggies (fiber) and now i go every day (sorry if yukky), but really, to me, and that's just me, it doesn't seem like you are eating healty at all.  you are anemic and malnutritioned for obvious reasons, not enough going in.  and if you don't eat enough, whatever you do it will just stick.  i find that i lose weight after i have a "fat day", meaning my metabolism is increased by eating a bit more the day before. your metabolism is probably just off, and you will hold on to everything, i recomend talking to a nutritionist, or getting some suggestions on diets and therapy is key, it was for me.

best of luck

After reading this I gotta say that I'm a little worried about recovering myself. I've been anorexic since late November and in January I decided that I'd better improve my eating habits, unfortunately I just wound up binging...But I'm trying even harder now. In the past week and a half I've upped my calories to 1200 a day and I haven't binged once. I've gained one pound, which I'm not too worried about considering that I only weighed 99 pounds last time I checked (I'm 5 foot 4 inches btw). I really don't mind gaining a few pounds, but having an uncontrollable and sudden weight gain sounds more than a little scary to me.   

im 16, male 5'9 and currently weigh 120 lbs, ive been eating uncontrollably at 3500+ calories a day for the last week and since my lowest weight 3 weeks ago have put on 10lbs

i look healthier though, and its given me energy to exercise my stomach into shape

hi there.
I'm also recovering myself. it's been really hard for me because of the added stress of college. I'm not exactly sure how many calories I should be eating either. This time last year I was 85 lbs and now I'm 110. It's really daunting. I want to feel okay with my body's current state but I'm not sure how to balance my mood and my food. I'm also in a rigorous performing program where I need food as energy. I'm also afraid of falling into old habits as I have already. I don't want to make myself sick again. I've been through therapy quite a bit but I didn't realize the strain this program would have on me. The University Dining services and free food everywhere don't exactly help either....
How many calories should I take in...without gaining more weight?
(I would rather go down to 107-108. I feel like I'm going to push myself down more if I gain more weight.) I'm 5'3", small frame.
I tried to pay attention to the calorie count recommendation but I gained weight and my clothes don't feel the same....
HELP!

hey cjsaygee, good job on your gaining, like ive said, you gotta just do it! great job man! focus on getting healthier! you dont deserve to die at a young age, you need to grow and be healthy, so grats on finally doing somthing about it!

keep it up!

tulipnoir, honey, I don't know how old you are . . . but if you check the BMI calculator you are already underweight at 110.  do not, repeat, do not go down the road of losing just one or two or three pounds because your self-image is skewed and you will most likely not be satisfied.  please make the effort to get back into counseling, for your health's sake.  it is perfectly normal to gain a little weight when you first start to consume a healthy amount of calories because your metabolism is reacting to being starved for a long time.  after a period of eating normally it should adjust and you will no longer gain.  please get help soon to answer your questions and put this sickness behind you.

i just dont know what to do so i wont gain weight anymore i wanna weigh 105 by being able to eat normal like i used to and not caring what would go in.... now whatever goes in stays in...