Gaining weight

Hey guys, I think I need some reassurance, here.

A couple weeks ago I decided I really need to eat more.  1,200 calories a day was like "a ton," but now I'm back at home (from college, for Thanksgiving break), and I eat massive amounts.  Actually, not really, but that's the thing.  To me, "massive amounts" has MAYBE been like, 1800 calories at the VERY MOST.  So why is it that I've already gained like 3+ pounds in the 5 days I've been home?  I've even been going to the gym almost every day.  I mean, I know the whole POINT is for me to gain weight (which, of course, I'm not tooooo thrilled about), but honestly, this fast?!  Because as soon as I start going up, it's like, I don't stop.  And THAT is what scares me.

I don't really know what I'm looking for, here.  Anyone want to tell me that it really is OK?  :-P

Hi there, first off how tall and how old are you? 1200 is pretty much the bare minimum you should be eating so it's possible that you've hit starvation and the calorie increase is being clung to by your body, hence the big increase. It could also be water retention if you've had more salt or alcohol than usual?

 I should say it's only three pounds- my weight can go up and down by this much overnight- so don't worry too much. 1800 cals is not a huge amount, particularly if you are working out a lot and as you're hitting the gym it's likely that you'll make your weight gain in muscle, not in fat. Chill out! Give yourself a break, and try to stay off the scales and only weigh in once a week, you'll get a more accurate idea of your weight that way.

 And yes, it really will be ok!

Your young it sounds and need 1800 at least but when you increase your calories your body will retain water at first because of more carbs and because of a slow metabolism. To gain a pound you would have to eat 3500 extra. I would stay off the scale for awhile while you increase. Its about a trend. Let your body adjust. Try to focus on energy and health

Hi rmgarcia -   First off all, try to keep in mind that you need to gain, and that you are making the right moves in the right direction.  What you are doing right now is healthy - 1800 is a healthy amount of food!  Those 3lbs are a temporary jump - don't think for a moment that your trend line will gain that fast! I worried about the same things, though.

From my own experience, when I was at my thinnest I was more-or-less maintaining on 2000 cals (with lots of exercise) and now I would actually drop weight at 3000 (say maintainance at 3100!).  I think a lot of it has to do with "starvation mode" which I think I fell into even while eating way more than 1200  - your body tries to function on whatever calories you give it, but it also has the capacity for more efficent burning of those calories.  Because you were eating so little, some amount of sudden "recalibration" will obviously lead to sudden apparent wegiht gain.  But it will even out and I think you'll find you can eat a lot more than you would expect looking at it rationally.

Hope this helps! And happy Thankgiving

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.  I know what I really need to do is just chill out and get over it, but that's hard.  ;)  I weigh myself in the morning, and today I'm a whole pound more than what I was yeterday morning.  Sometimes I think "no, that's ok, it's good, it'll even out" but then other times I completely freak out about it and it sort of ruins my mood.  Over the summer I ate more and gained weight up to about 118, and I know I wasn't eating over 2,000 a day, by any means... so that's another thing that bothers me.  I just mentally haven't accepted this.

Oh, and you're right, I forgot.... I'm 19, 5'4" and as of about 10 minutes ago (hehe), 108.2 lbs.  I know I need to gain the weight, so I appreciate your encouragement! :)

So you've gained 3 lbs. Can you see the difference? Weight fluctuates all the time due to food in the body, urine, bowel movements, water retension, etc. I would use the mirror or clothing as a more accurate measurement.

Your body has adjusted to run on the lower caloric intake, so your metabolism has slowed. Once you are eating enough food regularly, then your body's metabolism should perk right back up. Also, as you gain weight, I suggest doing strength training. It helps you gain healthy muscle weight and also boosts your metabolism. The more muscles you have, the more you can eat in a day without gaining weight. That's why football players can eat like cows but still stay very lean! :)

Yeah, see, that's what's so depressing.  I really CAN see the difference.  Normally I'll go up and down a couple of pounds throughout the day, which is totally normal.  This is different, though, and I honestly FEEL huge, and can see myself that much bigger.  Of course, this could also be my own very screwed up image of myself (and the fact that I just ate about 2,000 calories for Thanksgiving, which is more than I've had in a LONG time, doesn't help ;) )...

Strength training, I agree, would probably be good.  Right now, it's like sure I'm gaining weight, but I feel like it's all fat and flab and bleh... not good muscle, or anything.  When I go to the gym, I'm all about the elliptical, though, and I don't feel like doing any of those weight machine things or anything afterwards.  When I'm back at school, too, I can't go to the gym as often... And don't your muscles start to atrophy after just a day or so?  Or maybe I'm completely ridiculous in thinking that, haha.  I guess I should look into that.

Cardio, such as the elliptical, only burns calories for THAT particular day. When you build muscle, the muscles in your body burn calories all day long, even if you lay in bed all day. In other words, they raise your basal metabolic rate. I'm not dissing cardio, but weight training is very beneficial, especially if your muscles have wasted during your ED.

If you don't eat enough protein or calories, then your body will not be able to build muscle from the strength training exercise. You need to consume enough calories for your body to function on PLUS extra for creating muscle. You should also consume about 15-30% of your calories from protein.

When you undereat for a long time, then begin eating the right amount, very often there is a weight gain.  It's a kind of correction as your body frantically tries to replenish what it lost while it was underfed.  This weight gain does level off. 

I learned all about it right here at CC, after years of yo-yo dieting.  When my weight loss stalled, as it has on every diet I've ever tried, My CC friends told me to try eating more.  That sounded completely nuts, but I was desparate.  I did gain a few pounds, and consulted a nutritionist.  She put me on a 2000 calorie regimen and told me I would gain.  She assured me that the gain would level off, and it did.  Once my weight was stable for 2 weeks, she started cutting calories until I was losing.

Now my weight loss intake is 1400 to 1600 calories and my maintenance is 1800 to 2000.  This is a lot more than my maintenance when I was dieting - back then I'd gain weight on 1000 a day.  I found this advice, from the CC+ Library Q&A to be absolutely true!

In order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced diet, it takes about 1200 calories a day. With careful planning, you could have a balanced diet on 1000 calories, but the restrictiveness of a very low calorie level can lead to binging and weight cycling, which will take you further from your weight loss goal. What's more, very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight.

Thanks so much for that...  I keep hearing it, but I need to constantly be reminded.  Maybe one day it'll sink into my brain.  ;)

As far as the strength training goes, yeah...  I do need to start that!  Sigh.

You can start doing some simple weight training without doing weights at the gym.  Pushups do great things for your arms and chest. Lunges and squats do great things for your legs and butt.  You can find directions on how to do them online.

Do 10 if you can to start, but if 5 is all you can do, then do 5 and try to do 5 more later in the day.  If you need to do them on your knees, or make other adaptations until you're better at them. You can work your way up and see how you feel.