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Water doesn't turn into "flesh and bone". Water is water is water.
A BMI of 19 is still on the low end, to be sure.
What's your current weight?
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Original Post by peachybrezel:
121.5 lbs at 5'6" at the moment.
According to what I have read (ie: http://www.gwynetholwyn.com/blog/2012/5/22/ed ema-the-bane-and-blessing-of-the-recovery-pro cess.html), the water retention does turn into real weight and does not just magically disappear.
here is what hedgren actually says at the end of her blog about this water weight:
The edema will end. The water, bloating and swelling will all dissipate. Of course it won’t mark the end of the recovery process, but it does mark the end of Phase One.
So my understanding of that is that it WILL go - perhaps it would help to re-read the whole passage? Like is says, it is impossible to gain 18lbs in 10 days, and cutting back on your calories is absolutely the WORST thing you can do right now. If you see gaining to a healthy weight though as 'negating years of hard work' that is a separate issue that you will need to challenge and explore with a counsellor/therapist.
Just to recap, the 18lbs is NOT 'real' weight, and WILL dissipate; restricting to 1,700 would be a very, very bad idea...
http://www.gwynetholwyn.com/normal/post/18454 03
Hedgren does say that the water retention turns into real weight and does not go away!
I am not saying that gaining to a healthy weight is bad – but I am there and do not want to negate my hard work by overshooting (which it seems like most people do and big time overshoot).
You say it would be a very bad idea to go down in calories – do you have any evidence as to why this would be bad? 2,000 calories is a totally normal (above normal) amount for a woman of my size and activity level. I am not talking about going back to eating less than my daily requirement. I am happy to be eating more than that – but I refuse to just let the weight keep coming when I obviously no longer need to gain.
Q:How long is it untill you stop retaining water? And you actually start gaining real flesh and bone ...(eg. 3-6 weeks you retain water...6-11 weeks you start gaining real weight??)
A:It varies. You are gaining real weight all the way along. Most have noticeable edema for the first 6-8 weeks and then it eases.
I took that to mean that besides the oedema, you will be gaining a small amount of 'real' weight - the rest is fluid and goes... You'd need to ask her direct for clarification of this point though. I promise you, she doesn't mean your 18lbs gained in 10 days will stay - maybe 1-3lbs are 'real' the rest will dissipate.
I like your 2000 cal /week plan. I've read that it is best to make changes of 250 to max 500 calories and hold at that level of calories for a week or two. Best of luck to you.
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I love this post! I too followed peoples advice on here and i felt horrible all the time gaining weight so quickly, unevenly and it messed with my mind so much. Now im over weight restored, are extremly unhappy with my body and now want to go back to restricting. If i had gained weight slowly, i think it would of made a huge difference. I feel like im more unhappy now than when i was restricting. I cant weight trousers or anything tight and change my outfit a million times before going outside and i hate people looking at me or touching me. Anyway the point is too much too soon is overwhelming and counter productive! xxx
Original Post by kirstywantstoeat:
I love this post! I too followed peoples advice on here and i felt horrible all the time gaining weight so quickly, unevenly and it messed with my mind so much. Now im over weight restored, are extremly unhappy with my body and now want to go back to restricting. If i had gained weight slowly, i think it would of made a huge difference. I feel like im more unhappy now than when i was restricting. I cant weight trousers or anything tight and change my outfit a million times before going outside and i hate people looking at me or touching me. Anyway the point is too much too soon is overwhelming and counter productive! xxx
Nobody said that the rapid way was easy on the mind or body. You should only undertake the large increase if you can handle it mentally and physically. So don't go blaming this way of recovery as you set back, because the feelings you are describing are felt by everyone going through re feeding, you are not he only one. Also The reason why people suggest the rapid way is that it prevents quasi recovery, which pushes you further up the BMI scale.
You eating disorder is to blame for the feelings not the re feeding itself.
Kirsty says what I was trying to get at. "too much too soon is overwhelming and counter productive". Patience will get you there. I'm trying to just move in the right direction with small changes to avoid overcompensating; staying positve and focused. Reading both Peachy's and Kirsty's posts gives me a feeling that you will conquer your weakness and move into a more stable healthy lifestyle. You give me inspiration! The forums and weight log with "trending" are great here. I love this Calorie Count website! :)
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I am sorry peachybrezel that you feel it was a BIG MISTAKE to pursue recovery, however I would have preferred it if you had shown me the courtesy of communicating your concerns directly on my forums as you are a registered member there.
Your warning to others does not provide all the information they might need to make an informed decision for themselves.
I appreciate you at least put in the correct link to my material, however you misunderstand the concepts of water retention for cellular repair.
Water retention does not turn into real weight. If your body is at its optimal weight set point point now, then the water retention will dissipate when the healing is complete.
If however you are not at your body's optimal weight set point -- I believe you lost 22 lbs. in your 6 month process of getting to being a 'teensy bit' underweight (meaning you were at a healthy weight when you began and given you say you also have a history of 'bingeing' then presumably restriction/reactive eating cycles go back further than the past 6 months) -- then as the water retention dissipates, real weight will slowly replaces it to bring you back to your body's optimal weight set point.
Your body is not interested in staying at a too low weight for you, much as you have determined that you wish to stay at BMI 19. The water retention has shown up precisely because your restriction has damaged your body and water retention speeds cellular healing. BMI 19 is only naturally optimal for barely 1% of the population. If you cannot eat 3000 calories and stay at that BMI, then it is not your body's optimal weight set point.
And that such a significant amount of water retention has shown up in your case is not a situation of "too fast too soon" but rather that there really is that much physical damage that has to be managed by the body.
Whether you have a lot or a little weight to restore for your body to return to its optimal weight, the recovery guidelines are meant to support that effort.
That you currently wish to gain a few pounds is not a recovery effort, and so you should be clear to others that your warning pertains to those who do not wish to recover.
And yes, if you do not wish to recover from having damaged yourself with calorie restriction then following any recovery guideline (including the ones found on my site) would be unwise.
If you choose to use your personal experience as an example of why recovery is not suitable for those who are 22 lbs. below their optimal weight set point (likely more given that you probably have a history of restriction that pre-dates the past 6 months), then it is only fair that your personal experience be spelled out in more detail.
Obviously your decision to relapse is correct for you at this time. You are not ready for recovery at this point. However you have presumed that others who "do not have a lot to gain" will not succeed using recovery guidelines that involve no further restriction of food intake -- that is a flawed assumption. There is also no clinical evidence to support that assumption either.
People only return to their optimal weight set points in recovery and the energy intake is "HUGE" because the damage is "HUGE".
Best wishes, Gwyneth.
Contact "sparkypickle" on these boards. I assure you that was not real weight. Sparklypickle started at like 100 or something, near your age , and same height...she's been on 3000 and has gained steadily. Just chat with her. I think you're exaggerating and not understanding that its not valid weight to worry over.
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Yeah, I think the only issue was that you did TOO MUCH TOO SOON.
At your age and height, 2500 is a minimum. And 2500 is very reasonable. You took it to the opposite extreme ALL OF A SUDDEN and then leaped to the highest end without first just progressing to the minimum and then evaluating from there how you feel about it and how you are progressing. The site you refer to doesn't say to eat a million cals all of a sudden. There is a minimum for a reason and progression versus leaps (although some do take leaps because it is easier mentally and physically actually for many to "just do it"). Also, you likely ate a bunch of foods you were unaccustomed to, etc.
I know when I have inched up before, etc, it was 15, 18,2000,2200, etc etc until I got to 3000 and then extras were allowed as I felt necessary (and I did eat more at that time and it wasn't "out of control"...you have to mentally and physically build up.) The body and mind adjusts and adapts. The metabolism eventually starts to churn a bit more right. If you go on a drinking binge you have a headache for a good 24 hours. If you build up your drinking tolerance...then things are different and your body adapts to more drinks at a time, etc...just a floozy example, not a perfect one.
But do whatever you wish. Amennorheic?
Good luck.
I'm pretty much just going to quote what Hedgren said, because it was 100% correct and you need to read this again:
"Your body is not interested in staying at a too low weight for you, much as you have determined that you wish to stay at BMI 19. The water retention has shown up precisely because your restriction has damaged your body and water retention speeds cellular healing. BMI 19 is only naturally optimal for barely 1% of the population. If you cannot eat 3000 calories and stay at that BMI, then it is not your body's optimal weight set point.
And that such a significant amount of water retention has shown up in your case is not a situation of "too fast too soon" but rather that there really is that much physical damage that has to be managed by the body."
I would absolutely continue to gain another solid 15-20lbs. I would encourage you to really understand what is happening to your body as well. It is not possible for you to gain 18lbs in 10 days. Your body is trying to fix the damage you have caused it and the first step is the water retention stage. Go with it and embrace it.
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