back to normal?

hi guys.. i just need your advice on something..

first of all, this is really difficult to write, becuase i dont usually talk about this publically; im trying to get over an ED (im 98 lbs and 5'8''. also, im 17).  thank god, right now im doing pretty well-  im enjoying the food and getting the nutrition i need.  sometimes, however, i almost binge. not quite, just A LOT of healthy food in the form of snacks and huge meals.  eating SO much is helping me gain weight(which im totally comfortable with) but im worried that since this will continue for a while (until im at a healthy weight), i won't know how to return to a 'maintaining' diet.  has anyone had any experience with this?

Also, since my ED i've learned the calorie count of EVERYTHING.  even though i dont think about it as much anymore, it seems its impossible to ignore KNOWING how many calories are in food.  id rather not know, and eat like i did when i was healthy.  is it possible to go back to that? or will the fact that im practically a calorie-dictionary haunt me forever?

thanks in advance for all your help!

From what I understand about weight loss and gain it is the calorie in vs calorie out and as you gain weight you will actually burn more in a typical day. so as long as you are inceasing your calories but once you reach a healthy weight you keep them at that level you wont continue to gain. I know that I am 5'8 and can eat about 1800 calories a day to maintainat 140. I have no idea what you are eating or how much but be healthy is the most iomportant. Just keep talking to your doctors I am sure eveyone arounf youwants to keep you healthy and they will help you stay that way. I jhope that makes sense and congrats on your recovery. Oh and I am also a calorie dictionary I know what you mean and I think it is ok as long as you dont obsess over it just like anything else. Just know what it is and let it help you instead of hurt you!

I understand where you're coming from. I recently just spent a good amount of time on a weight gain meal plan and once I hit my weight range I was allowed to decrease it. Honestly, I found it to be a relief. I was given the option of decreasing my calories or adding in exercise. So perhaps that could be an option for you. Unless excessive exercise was an issue. But going back to a maintaining plan didn't seem to cause any problems for me. It made me feel more "normal" because finally I was eating like other people! It feels good. The calorie issue...I struggle with that myself. Try to eat foods that aren't packaged with nutrition labels. Or buying new brands of food and ripping off the labels. While you'll still have an idea of the calorie range, you won't know the exact amount and that might be helpful. Hang in there and keep fighting!

I recovered from anorexia this past year, im 5'8 as well and 17 years old too!!! =]

my lowest weight was 100lbs and that wasnt a very pretty sight due to my small frame. well right now i maintain on 1600 calories and i weigh 110lbs..my metabolism caught up with me >< its super fast.

If you ever wanna talk then just send me a messege ^^

hey im recovering from my ed, im 17, and weigh 96 (ive gained 15), and im 5'7.. so we're pretty similar :) anyway ive been really hungry too lately. i feel like i could eat A TON.. i don't usually end up letting myself though. im basically hungry all day though.. and im worried about what if that doesn't go away..when i am healthy.. it never used to be this bad..even when i was really underweight. im just scared if when im healthy im going to still be hungry all the time and end up eating and eating and eating and end up getting huge..

anyway how much are you eating during the day? maybe you could try to eat more and it would prevent you from binging at night. its good that you're gaining weight but you should try really hard to have all the calories you need throughout the day and not a bunch at night. what you could do to have extra calories so you don't get used to binging is to have ensures and boosts. & get the plus ones cuz theyre 100 calories more. im supposed to be having 6+ a day. its so hard though. when i was in treatment, so that i wouldn't get used to binging and i would be used to eating normally i was tube fed the extra calories needed to gain. i unfortunately had to leave early and now im not used to eating 4000+ calories a day because i was tube fed. i prolly could eat that much.. but im just SO scared to.

also im not sure if the calorie count stuff will go away. it will prolly take lots of time to go away so be patient with yourself. it would prolly also help to not be on caloriecount.com lol :)

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about that yet. If you're only 98 lbs at that height, it sounds like you've got quite a way to go to reach a healthy weight. I've certainly never been underweight, so I can't speak from personal experience, but it seems to me that what you need to focus on right now is gaining weight in a healthy and happy way. Once you get closer to your goal weight, whatever it may be, then you should consider how you're going to maintain. For now, it's all about recovering from your ED and being healthy. Just as people who are dieting aren't going to say, 'Oh, I'm going to eat more to prepare for the time when I'll be maintaining my weight' you shouldn't be thinking 'I'm going to eat less to prepare for the time when I'll be maintaining my weight.' Enjoy this time when you need the extra nutrition!