What happens next?

I know that there are a lot of you out there that are trying to gain healthy weight here on CC. I was wondering after the weight gain is acheived, what happens next?

Everyone talks about how maintanence is so easy, but sometimes I find it harder than gaining. Has anyone experienced gaining weight and then hitting a maintanence level and staying there??

If you have what are your successes? Any advice for gainers who eventually hit goals and are trying to maintain?

And to all of you gainers out there, what are your feelings toward what will happen for you once you hit your maintainence levels?

Thanks!!

I hit maintenance back in March and have gained about 5 pounds since then (I'm just a smidge under 125 lb at 5'4 now, and STILL wear a size 1/2). It bothered me a TON at first, but than I thought it over and gave myself a reality check. I'm still a perfectly healthy BMI, my body is functioning BETTER than when I was 5 pounds lighter, I don't look any different except for perhaps better weight distribution....and most importantly--IT'S FIVE FREAKING POUNDS! Five pounds is NOT a big deal!

People around me have not noticed a true size difference and I haven't either. I HAVE noticed improvement in my biking, however, along with more definition in my legs and a bit more meat on my previously twiggy arms. So muscle building seems to have come with maintenance and increased exercise (with appropriate caloric supplementing, of course!) in my experience. In order to maintain, I eat 2700 calories on average each day on top of biking 70 miles weekly, weight training 3-4 times weekly, stretching every day, and doing volunteer work at a public garden once a week for about 6 hours. I stay on my feet for most of the day and clean the house to de-stress. People comment that I eat a lot, but I also DO a lot! For a while I had issues with doing a tad too much biking at once because I simply adored and missed the endorphin rush...I quickly learned that that isn't a good thing to get addicted to and that I have to moderate exercise just as one must moderate treat-like foods. I lost some weight that I quickly gained back and created a routine/goals and limits for each week.

Maintenance isn't easy, since I don't like stuffing myself despite having reached my goal weight and I don't enjoy having my thighs rubbing together like they used to (this is only because I have biker legs... not that it will be an issue for everyone at a normal weight) and it's kind of odd to see curves on MY body. Basically, it feels like I'm finally beginning puberty at almost 16 years old! I get bloated off and on VERY often, and it notonly goes to my stomach, but my legs, too! That makes me feel like I've gained real weight, but it goes away in a day or two and I'm back to normal again. I've learned to have bloat pants prepared for these occasions. My body is still adjusting to being normal again which makes it do some crazy things (like retaining water) once in a while.

One thing that I've noticed is that my weight either stays the same or goes UP if I under-eat at any point. Weird, eh? It's good reason for you guys to restrict calories, though! Anything under 2000 really isn't necessary for those maintaining and exercising and is probably screwing with your metabolism/health. With appropriate eating and exercise, I've become EVEN HEALTHIER since March according to my doctors. My blood pressure is PERFECT and my heart is thriving, I'm over my hypoglycemia issues, my lungs are super-strong, and my body is actually taking shape and transforming into this rather than looking like this. I still have a smaller-than-average bust, but that kinda runs in the family.

So, my basic advice is:

• DO NOT weigh yourself if the scale will trigger a relapse. Just figure out what you need to eat to maintain and go hit the scale with the nearest sledge hammer, brick, anvil, directory, or other heavy object.
• When adding back in exercise, be sure to add it slowly and not over-do it. I started with WAY too much biking and ended up getting myself ill. I took a break and restarted fresh, riding 3 days a week for about 5 miles and adding one day each week until I was biking 5-6 times a week. Then I added miles on to my rides until I hit 70 per week, which I consider to be a happy medium. I'm not in training for anything, so I try not to go crazy with unrealistic bike routes. I change my goals often. I eventually plan to work up to the amount of biking that my dad used to do, which was 25 miles/7 days a week, but for now I don't want to risk screwing my body up after all that it's been through. That goal will be achieved in time. For now, I'm working on my endurance and aiming to ride for 25 straight mile on ONE DAY out of the week. Besides, I don't feel like eating more! lol Everyone needs to decide upon what THEY need to do for THEIR bodies. Oftentimes a doctor can help you with that.
• The above addiction of exercise will likely induce muscle gain...be prepared for that if you continue to weigh yourself (though it's really not the best thing to do). Also prepare for water retention after exercise....at least for a while. Some people always bloat after activity and others only do so sometimes. But either way, you can expect to see your muscles retaining water after the return of exercise.
• DO NOT UNDER EAT. You CAN eat a normal, 2000 calorie diet (or at LEAST 1800) as long as your exercise for 30-60 minutes a few days per week and weight more than 100 pounds. It won't kill you and is very unlikely to make you obese. Seriously, have you ever met a person who was obese from eating 2000 calories per day and didn't have some sort of medical problem that caused their weight? Your body NEEDS fuel. ESPEICALLY if you're a teen.
• Curves are normal to get, even if you're thin. Unless you're a guy, you will likely develop hips, boobs and a tiny "pouch" on your stomach. That pouch carries all of the organs required for baby-making and boobs and hips are for babies, too (maybe that is why the bible says that being the bearer of children was a punishment for Eve ).
• Weight re-distribution will take a while....up to two YEARS after weight restoration to occur, but if you treat your body well, it WILL happen! Don't loose hope and don't loose sight of your future, healthy, shapely body if ED ever harasses you! 
• Yes, ED DOES return for many of those recovered from his effect. It is important to be prepared and have the tools to KEEP HIM AWAY THIS TIME! ED doesn't HAVE to phase you, even IF he decides to rear his ugly head! Have a support group of family/friends ready to talk to the second that you need them. Put their names and numbers in a phone book and email them letting them know that you are a trusted member of your support group if you need help fighting ED. It is also helpful to read the Minnesota Starvation Study and show it to others to spread a better understanding of ED and what happens after it.
• Guess what? I ate Rita's Water Ice/Custard yesterday and I didn't blow up and become a huge whale. I think that anyone with/recovered from an ED can understand what I meant by that. TREATS ARE OKAY....EVEN IN MAINTENANCE MODE!! In fact, maintenance should be about maintaining a normal life...INCLUDING going out for cold treats when it's brutally hot outside!

missmagill-

you are so inspiring. i've been trying so hard to accept my weight but i freak out everytime the scale jumps up a pound or 2. im 5'7 and trying to maintain between 113-116lbs. i run/ bike/ other cardiio activities about 60-75 mins a day, with strenth training 3 times a week for about a half hour. i also swim with my friends, play frisbee, and so and and so forth so im fairly active. yet im so busy during the day i have to eat most of my calories at night so my weight jumps. im trying to eat 2000 calories everyday, but i either over do it, like 3000 or am at like 1300-1500. i love readin your post though. thank you!!

Wait... I'm confused. I thought you [Linny] said you were shooting for 130 in the "what did you eat today" weight gain thread? Am I wrong?

Edit: I just double checked and I was correct.

oomboo your right....i am trying to learn how to maintain and not gain too much..i am at where I want to be at the moment. My nutritionist wants me to aim for 130, but I am not that far away (few lbs) and I am trying to find a balance with my body....but on another note...

disco how could you possible maintain between 113-116? We are the same height, that is not a healthy weight....

positivelinny-

yeah i want to go up to 120. but im scared. im still recovering and right now i like the way my body looks. i want to learn to maintain here for a while. (i have body image issues too. i gained from 105 where i was last summer) once im comfortable here, then i want to go to the next level. i just always think im fat i know its such a lie. but its something im working on.

missmagill, you are amazing!  I always love reading your posts.  I was just reading your profile and I noticed you are 15.  I can't believe how insightful you are at such a young age.  Your family must be very proud of all the strides you have made and how strong you are now.  Well done!!!  Thanks for all the maintance info, it is really helpful.

Good idea for a post, positivelinny.  I have really been wondering about this as well, since I am also very close to my goal weight.  Looking forward to what everyone else has to say :)

i wanted to stay at 125, but it's really hard, especially when I'm around a lot of family in the summer. Temptation gets me sometimes....now I maintain between 130-5 and I still think I look pretty amazing...and that s GREAT. I did freak out over it a few times, but I got used to it. And as a plus, it's not like I actually got Bigger. I'm still fitting into my clothes...and they are just right; not too little or too tight. (didn't mean to rhyme...lol. It just kinda happened) :) But anyway, sometimes we have to just let our bodies tell us where to stop gaining instead of ourselves, because it knows what feels better. And BOY to I feel better than I did just 5 lbs ago...which is pretty weird, but ya know? lol. I wasn't even eating over my maintenance either. And if I was, it really wasn't enough to gain 5 lbs, so I ended up measuring myself height wise and I grew up a bit. So that was relief to me. PHEW! lol. I really don't want to weigh myself anymore. It's soooooo notworth it. I think I'm gonna try (as hard as it is) not to weigh myself but only 2x a month. We're gonna see how that works. :)

hey everyone,

i've been maintaining in and around 108-109 right now at 2300 calories/day.  i exercise every day.  i find that the second i eat under 2300 i lose precipitously, even if its just a few hundred calories, i see a drop of at least a lb. the next day.  similarly, if i eat late the night before or have a lot of salt, i often see a gain the next day, but it always comes back down.  my original GW was 115 (i'm 5'3") but i think that for my own mental sanity, i'm going to stay here for a while and try to let the weight redistribute.  i'm not underweight, so i think this is fine.

miss magill and linny, you guys are really inspiring to me.  you have worked through so much and i hope that someday i can get to the place where you guys are. 

the way i see it is that i just have to take it one step at a time.

I'm going to need a lot of help with this when I get there! I think fear of not being able to maintain is what's sort of holding me back right now. That and my insane metabolism since I do eat between 3000-4000 calories a day now and barely gain. I went on vacation for the last week and a half and probably ate about 2500 a day and maintained. I'm also not sure how I'm going to do this because I kind of just estimate and dont count calories anymore.

I'm also really afraid I'm getting used to eating this much and getting lazier from restricting my exercise. I know it should in theory be easy to maintain by just cutting out the extra calorie sources and switching from full fat to low fat products, that sort of thing and simply adding in more exercise. But what if I'm developing really bad habits now?

I guess I should worry about this more once I'm actually near my goal weight. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing so great since I eat so well  and have really managed to overcome a lot of those stupid ED thoughts, so I feel like I can finally stop worrying about this weight gaining and lead a normal life, but then sometimes I'll look at myself and realize I still look way too skinny so I need to keep pushing myself harder.

I also really want to build up more muscle regardles of what that does to the numbers on the scale, but how do all of you find the time or energy to exercise so much?! Mismagill- i would love to be able to keep biking like i was doing in the spring but I live in houston and we'll have 105 degree weather for the next few months :\ I also know I need to do more weight lifting and strenght building exercises but don't really know how to do that.

Sorry this isn't really an answer Linny! but thanks for posting this and I'd love any advice I can get on this too.

GIBBIT-so much of what you said is how i feel.  like you said in an other post, you sometimes find it hard to eat when not active, i feel the same, its as if im not excercising, so my body doesnt need food!  logically i know thats nuts, but i cant comprehend and accept it for some reason.

also, not being at a healthy weight, being too low, is like a "safe" feeling for me, that i dont need to worry about maintaining like other ppl bc im too light so if for some reason im in a situation where im forced to eat a lot-gd forbid! lol- its like, well im so light i have this buffer, so im safe.  its deff holding me back from gaining, this fear of what maintenace of a healthy weight is, bc ive never done it.  i was over weight, not obese but deff chunky, then spiraled out of control when i lost, so i cant imagine what normal is!

this is more specifically for Gibbit-how did you know how much you needed to gain and how often do you weigh to gauge your progress?

thanks!

hi guys,

i was really afraid that i wouldn't be able to maintain either once i got here and i had many breakdowns along the way where i would call my best friend crying about how scared i was.  as some time went by i realized i was more in control than i thought i was, and it seemed that the more i ate and let myself relax a little, the more the ED thoughts stopped.  its important to remember that "normal" people usually eat what they want all the time...sometimes they're a little less, sometimes a little more which is how they maintain.  a big part of ED, at least for me, was fooling myself into thinking that i would gain TONS of weight from eating ONE cheeseburger or ONE meal at a restaurant while still exercising.  i realize now that that's unrealistic and that as long as opt for healthier things 90% of the time, i'm allowed to have that less healthy 10%. 

Agruskin- Omg the buffer zone! that's exactly how I feel! I feel like if I do eat too much it's ok because I need to gain weight anyways, but what about when I don't need it anymore? I'm really afraid it will send me back into restricting.

I've never been overweight, in fact my bmi was usually between 18 and 19 at my heaviest, but I just didn't think about it. Now I don't even remember what that's like, I have no idea how to not think about food. Even now that I'm eating more than enough and not giving in to those destructive ED thoughts, I'm now obsessed with eating healthy foods and making sure I get enough nutrients, and eating clean, etc, etc. I don't know how to not be compulsive with my eating habits.

I actually hid the scale from myself because I'll of course get ocd with that as well. I have it tucked under all my winter sweaters in a box in my closet. However, i do dig it out every 2 or 3 weeks to check my progress. I weighed before going on vacation a week and a half ago and checked again this morning to see what eating out for every meal had done to me, but nothing had changed. My metabolism is a little crazy so it was really just a trial and error thing to figure out how much I need to eat. The nutritionists had told me for my stats that I needed 1700 to maintain, but I continued to lose well into the 2000's and above. I didn't see any gain until I started eating about 4000 a day. Crazy, huh?

I think we just need to learn that small variations in our diets and weight are not that big a deal. As jbruno said, normal people may eat more one day, less the next, exercise more one week and lay around the next. We do have more control over this than we think. We're not going to balloon up after one unhealthy meal, and like normal people, for example if they notice their pants are a little tight after the holidays, they just cut back for a while and exercise more. To them, it's not the end of the world when your body changes a little.

hey, so yea, its crazy how were all from diff places and still have many of the same thoughts.  i know that like my mother for instance, will indulge 1 day and then eat very little the next, im so scared that i wont be able to do that.  then i try and think logically, ok, if im at tht point ofcourse i could just modify my diet a few days if i want to lose a lb or whatever. 

i dont know waht normal eating is and dont know what to copy.  i also really dont understand how much i need to gain.  i know that how much i eat now is not enough and that even if i start gaining a lot i wont stop increasing until i get to 1800 cals bc thats what i see as ave maintenance level for an adult female who is moderately active.  i cant imagaine needing 4000 cals but dont know how to figure out how much i need, so frustrating!

I have also wondered about this topic. MissM(that is what I am going to call you :)) you really are an inspiration. I just worry about me wanting to count calories. I am a growing teen so I do not think that maintaining  calories would work plus I do not want to count. My nutritionist really has helped me and I have stopped the counting, but now that I do not need to drastically gain I feel the need to control something and that is what got me in my ed, control! I need to listen to my body and what it tells me and I will be fine, but I got so out of tune with it, it is just hard sometimes!

Does anyone feel like they are going to miss having to eat SO MUCH?(I eat around[I do not count it] 4000 calories on weight gain days) I hate to even type that because I feel like a failure for saying that.  But I think that you are gonna understand!