gaining on 2000 rather than 3500?

hi everyone

ive been recovering from anorexia and eating on ave btwn 1950-2250 for about the past 2 months.  at first i did gain but in the past 3 weeks ive gone from 93.5 to 95, to 96.5.  now dont get me wrong, im very happy to finally be recovering and gaining and getting back to life, i just dont understand why some ppl are told or need to consume much more in order to gain than what i seem to need?  i almost feel jipped in not being able to eat as much altho i dont even know that i necessaraly would(slight Ed thoughts).

also, id like to eventually be able to maintain on a nice amount of food, 2000ish id think, and since im eating that now and gaining, im a bit scared?  maybe once i weigh more ill need more to maintain my weight and then what i need now to gain, ~2000, will be my maintenenance?

any insight would really be appreciated!

thank you!

spek: When you are doubting that you are "worth it" think about this: You have been sick for ten years. There is a reason you are still alive, the world needs your contributions. I have been battling an eating disorder for over 20 years. Lots of failed attempts at recovery in-patient and in residential. Like you, I have osteoporosis and have been down to very low weights. I am currently eating a minimum of 2500, aiming for 3000. Yes, I get full and it is hard to eat but, not as hard as I made it out to be in my mind before I took the step to increase my calories. Your body will adjust. Just like it became accustomed to subsisting on so little, it will adapt to consuming more. Perhaps, it would be beneficial to post what you eat so people can make recommendations. Without knowing what you are already eating it's difficult to help you with the specifics. I eat six times a day, no matter what. The odd thing is, sometimes I feel so horribly full before I begin to eat but the fullness subsides as I eat. I still rarely get hungry but I know that will come in time. Take the plunge! It is so worth it!

keep up the great work everyone!

TUFFSTUFF-thanks for everything and i replied to waht you wrote but i think its on the previous page.

oh guys!!!!!!!!!!

i did it .........last night i was about to go to bed.......had eaten 1800 calroies......

and than i just got up and got a glass of whole milk......... i dont even drink the stuff mum does !!!!!!!!

she was amazed..........so was i!!!!!

well i finished the milk and thought why not have one of mums nut bars too!!!!

haha so i had one too and one has 250 calories!!!!!

so i added a total of about 400 calroies to my day just like that!!!!

im blown away.........sorry to go on.............

Yeah spek! That's awesome, keep up the hard work! And go on all you want, please. All victories are worth celebrating!

You guys are all doing amazing.  I have to admit, I've been on "ED support" forums before [one of my first clients relied on them], and for the most part they tend to be an ED community.  Oh everyone wants to get better and has their token victories, but not a lot of real progress and action.

Yet the way ya'll are going...I'm just waiting to see Charlie care less about exercise as her body hapily puts 3000+ calories to good use and her personality and physical best flourish.  Any day  now I bet agru will have the guts to take the next step, bringing on another round of challenge foods and a higher intake--then realizing [after the action] "oh yeah, eating more = setting up for better" rather than listening to any ed lies about that [eating too much?!] being the thing to fear. 

Take it all the way you guys--I have a lot of hope for you and can't wait to see what life has in store for you as you take it back over from the demon. :)

love it!

thanks and im so printing out more of whats been said tomm morning.  yes, im hopme but i had to watch the debate, rt?!

TUFFSTUFF-so, im so set in my eating pattern and i think its beneficail, perhaps, for me to follow plans at this point-eventho i feel like ive gained tons already this past week on 2500 but dont know bc im not weighing, but i also wantto be able to try and "listen" to my body and eat what it wants, ofcourse also making surepretty often throughout the day that i am eating enough.  its just that im so used to following my plan its really hard to break it and i guess im just wondering if their are any techniques to i guess letting go a bit? 

do you think i should be eating more than 2500 now, or wait till its been 2 weeks and i then weigh?  im not hiungry on this intake like i was on 2000, which is good, but i know that if its needed i could just choose even denser foods so being full/full is not even an issue.

i feel more energetic and i think i can see a physical diff and my clothes are getting tighter, but sometimes my knees hurt, i dont know?

on w recovery and life! woohoo!  ugh, i knw, eating too much, this ED is whacked! lol

thanks!!!!!

you guys have no idea how much im needing and so apprehiating all this support...... i could not or would not even be thinking let alone doing any of these things...... you guys inspire me....... wow amazing you all are!

im still followin this post even tho i only posted here once....agru an spek an charliebo ur all doin amazin keep it up :) i iish i cud do as well as u guys are doin in time. and tuffstuff you give great advice an are really helpin ppl here :)!!

Wow! Tuffstuff, thank you! I have cut way back on the exercise with surprising results. Better sleep, increased appetite, more energy, more interest in fellow mankind. Unfortunately, I still let ED get in the way more often than I would like. I do have a few questions, if you don't mind.

I never weigh myself. I know I need to gain so the rate does not concern me. I have been eating 2500-2700 calories and realized yesterday that I'm not that full so I could push it further. Do you recommend taking it to 3000? Also, fat remains a phobia. I know what dietary recommendations are as far as fat intake goes but is it different for someone trying to gain weight. I realize that focusing on numbers is a symptom of the ED but I think it would help convince me to eat more fat if I had some sort of guideline. Thanks a million!

Aussiegirl! Don't wish! DO! (I need to follow my own advice, huh?)

CHARLIE-i have no guidelines or numbers, but think about this for the fats-

do you want kids in the future, maybe?  or to at least have your period and be a woman? lol

well you NEED fats for this, no i dont know exactly how much, but a lot, more than other ppl esp. bc most ED ppl cut out fats during their restriction so not only do you need to make up that depletion, but also to get your peiod etc you need a lot.

so nuts, avocado, nut butters, oil, cheese-its goooooood! lol

Charlie-

Fat is such an important part of the diet, whether your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, be an athlete, or just plain be healthy!  “fats” don’t = body fat, they just plain play a role in serving your body: your bones, your brain, your satiety, your injury resistance, your thinking, your organs, your fertility…

As for recovering fro ED I wouldn’t say your fat “needs” are higher in terms of daily recommendations, but it IS extra important for you to make sure you MEET those recommendations.  A lowfat diet triggers amenorrhea, which leads to crumbling bones.  Your body is extra sensitive to this [it’s harder to keep that period coming] with an ED history.  Plus athletes with higher fat intakes are more resilient to injury than those who’s intakes drop below 25% of their intake.

The recommended fat intake is 24-35% daily value.  For a 3000 calorie diet, that comes to about 100g.  Another way to look at it, without counting obsessively, is to try and get 5 full fat servings per day: 1oz. nuts, 2tb peanut butter, 2tb oil, and so on.  And the more variety you can get the better!

thanks, i didnt know a range that would be good but i just looked at what i was at today at its 31%. 

i have no clue what percentages are good but does it really matter?  i mean as long as its not all 1 thing bc i dont really look at the percentage part.

thanks!

hey beautiful girls......

i ate 2,200 calories yesterday..........thats the good news

the bad news....... i threw up for one hour at 10 at night......without meaning to......i felt so sick?

i feel like i failed?

spek: If you didn't mean to, how could you have failed? Maybe it's just your body adjusting to the increased intake. It is wonderful that you ate 2200. Most days after lunch and night snack I lie down with a heating pad on my tummy to help settle everything. Maybe try that and see if it aleviates some of your discomfirt.

agruskin: Thanks, sweetie. I know I need fat but I still tend to shy away from it. I know having a calorie goal helped me increase and I was thinking the same might be true for fat. (And yes, I so want a family!)

tuffstuff: Thank you, like I said to agru, I just need somewhere to aim towards. You are so much more helpful than the dietitian at the residential program I was in. She had us follow the exchange program which calls for 1 tsp. oil, 1 1/2 tsps. PB, 6 almonds, etc. Very anal and reinforcing to my already rigid patterns! Besides, who (other than an anorexic) uses such a pitifully small amount of oil or PB?

the heating pad!!!!!!!! omg i do that 24/7 i am obcessed with my heating pad b/c it makes my belly feel better after so much food!!!!!!!!! im glad im not the only one

MALIBU-hi, how are you doing?  have you increased your cals?

yes arug i have... and i gota thank YOU for it... you and tuufstuff have been my true motivators,.....as much as i dont post on here i do keep up and read i just work 50+ hours a week AND take 2 college classes to finally get my degree and it is like taking up ALL my time... ill post when i gte back from church this morning but i am still running into the gettin cals in a t night deal and it annoys we cuz i go to bed bloated ANDD wake up bloated which isnt helping with the whole eatting more thing but i have been!!

k be back soon THANKS GUYS!

MALIBU-hi hun, glad youre doing well, eating throughout the day was a step for me but it really works and energizes me.

deff update when you get a chance-take care!

k im back... had to altar serve this morning..

well im eatting more thats for sure but i need to start spreading it out during the day... im not eatting the same foods everyday or really repeating things besides like cheese or cottage cheese or the obvious stuff people use most days... i hope im gaining i stopped weight myself but i can see me getting bigger lol some days its not as watery as others i guess thats just digestion and how it works...

i have like ED mindset all day i dunno why then at like 10pm im like FU*(@^$@ i need to get these cals in and ya know i was thinking if i would just eat a normal way all day i wouldnt even have to think about it at night nor would i really even have to worry about gaining... i hate allotting blah blah for this time this time this time, and being a mechanical freak... but i dont get hungry and when i crave something then i have it at my next meal and lemme say its ALWAYS CHEESE i can eat cheese all day long lol mozzarella, sharp cheddar melted velveeta i love it all

the best choice ive made is not repeating ANY food or meal unless its leftover dinner for lunch(which i use to NEVER DO) it was the hardest thing ive done but the body gets use to processing the SAME food day in and day out and the nutrients arent used as efficiently so if i have eggs with cheese and ham for brekkie one day itll be a BLT the next mornin and if i have a chicken samich of lunch itll be ham and cheese the next day... same with nuts if i do almonds one day ill do pistachios the next... whether i want it or not im trying to have a HUGE variety

again thank  you SO MUCH tuffstuff and arug

hi MALIBU!

sounds like youre doing really well.  i tend to eat a lot of the same foods daily and its tough to change, altho today i did, lol, and i do really like the foods i eat, but i guess it is partly an ED routine that im doing.  i also tend to have to have a certain amount of cals at each meal and i cant hear or dont allow cravings yet, i like cant process them.  but, i am eating mroe during the day but i think its also bc im eating so much period, that i have to eat more during the day.  are you counting your cals?  are you above 2200?  at least to count that youre eating enough.  i dont think about food that much anywhere bc im not hungry so i dont really obssess over waht i can and cant have like i used to bc i can eat so much, that i dont need to worry about that.

if you havent, deff increase to 2500 or so and keep it up!