NO IDEA how many calories to eat after surviving on 1000...

Hi, so I recently figured out I should probably eat more than 1000 calories a day.  For some reason my disordered tendencies forced my mind (and belly, really), to completely cut out all meat (well, I used to only eat fish), animal products, and grains.  Yep.  REALLY SMART.  Especially since I'm at college and don't have access to the nutrients I really need. So although I thought I was eating a ton, the fruits and vegetables and soy products in reality added to maybe 900-1100 calories a day :(

I've been doing this since probably December, and before that had pretty "college" eating habits (bad), which is why I wanted to lose gained weight.

But...I keep gaining.  Or at least maintaining.  I chucked my scale.

I used an online calculator to determine how many calories I SHOULD be eating as a 19 year old female, 5'10", who exercises usually 4 or 5 times a week.  I estimate my weight around 140-145.  The answer was something ridiculous like 2330.  I can't even IMAGINE!

So I've upped my calories to around 1500-1700 a day, and feel awful.  I feel like I've gained weight INSTANTLY around my hips and stomach and face (yeah, first place I gain weight), but I think a lot is boating and maybe water retention?...I'm hoping that my body is just adjusting to me lovingly feeding it whole grains and oats and fish,etc again... I notice during the day I've started feeling very hungry again, and eating more is very uncomfortable due to bloating, but I make myself.

I upped my calories 4 or 5 days ago.  I don't expect my metabolism to speed up instantly, but this is so discouraging.  How much weight will I gain before I can start a HEALTHY deficit again?  And how long before my "post-starvation mode" weight stabilizes??

And I'd really like input on how many calories I should eat, and if I should up my calories slowly or quickly.  Unfortunately, I'm a very impatient person, but I realize this needs to be done.  Take into consideration that I probably burn 300 calories per workout doing cardio, and since I've upped my calories I've been doing some light weights, squats, lunges, push-ups, that kind of thing.  Nothing too intense.

Thanks!

Ways to speed your metabolic rate -

• Eat frequent meals and spread out your caloric intake throughout the day - eating more calories also increases your overall burn.
• Strength train to build muscle (therefore speeding metabolism) and do intervals during cardio.
• EAT YOUR PROTEIN. Seriously, protein is the magic bullet for burning calories and building muscle. Your body actually burns more calories digesting protein than any other nutrient. However, you're going to need a good amount of it, and the best quality complete protein you can get to really kick-start your metabolic rate. White lean fish, skinless poultry breast, lean beef or bison, egg whites, Greek yogurt, and low-fat cottage cheese are all great choices.
• Toss out the junk. EAT CLEAN. Stick to only unprocessed, unrefined foods. I'm serious about this one.

Your body is probobly "refeeding" because it thinks it is getting a chance to come out of "starvation". This is no one's fault but your own. The best thing to do now is just grin and bear it and do the best you can to give your metabolism a good kick in the pants. 2,300 is not a rediculous amount. I'm 5'1" and also very active and I need at least that to maintain, so seeing as you're 9" taller, it would make sense.

Original Post by p0llyanna:

 I'd really like input on how many calories I should eat, and if I should up my calories slowly or quickly.

 2330 isn't a ridiculous amount for someone with your stats and, in short, the quicker you get up to that amount the quicker your body will get used to the extra nourishment, the metabolism speeds up and the quicker you'll feel back to normal. 

If you're not used to big meals choose more energy-dense, nutrition-dense foods to help you get to your target without feeling over-full.  Things like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, olive oil, oily fish, avocados.... there's a good list at the top of the weight-gain board.

How long does it typically take for the body to get used to these foods (I've been doing it for acouple of months now, and, well everything doesn't feel GREAT. I still think I may be gaining on 1300-1500 calories, or maintaining, when I usually was eating around 1,000 calories (although I was always eating meat/fish, fruit, vegetables, and olive oil/beans). Now I've been trying to add a little whole grains, and more types of carbs like peas, lentils, sweet potato, etc. But anyway, how long does it take for metabolisms to get better (should I expect to start losing weight at some point in this process? Or will I just forever be gaining?)

weffyy... if you're still undereating (and 1300-1500 cals would be undereating) then your metabolism is still running slowly.  The typical reasonably active, adult female aged 21-50, 120-160lbs can maintain her weight on 1900-2100 cals a day, for example.  I think, like the OP, you have to bite the bullet at some point and get up to that kind of level.

Your calorie intake is still too low =/ I hope you know that. And consuming more calories doesn't necessarily mean eating MORE food. Just eat foods that are healthy but have a higher calorie intake. Such as avocados, peanut butter, nuts in general, etc. These foods will make you feel less full. It's an easy way to increase your calorie intake. Take small steps... when I was recovering, I had to do it during my summer vacation to Korea D: I refused to go, but the plan really helped me. I had lunch and dinner at the "hospital." It wasn't really a hospital, just a building. Anyway, I first started off with half of full serving portions, then after about 3 days or so, my doctor increased it to a full serving. I ate with her every day, with other kids that had anorexia as well. I freaked because I didn't know how many calories were in these foods, but really, does it matter? You are who you are, and I realized that image isn't everything. No one cares about how you look, maybe YOU do, but is ruining your inner body worth risking just because you're horrified by food? I don't think so... anymore that is (:

The thing is, I think I eat a pretty good amount of stuff, so I just wonder if maybe I'm not measuring it right?

I eat nuts, I have olive oil, avocado, beans/legumes, hummus, sometimes oatmeal or yogurt or cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and protein (eggs, chicken, cold cuts, fish etc.). I don't just eat little portions of them either, so maybe I am eating over 1500 calories? I don't really know how it works.

But when I started adding more calories through like sandwiches and oatmeal, at first I was like losing weight, and then I started gaining weight (around 7 pounds). Is this typical of someone who was eating under 1000 before? (i was mainly eating a lean protein, fruit, vegatetable, olive oil/some beans, etc. for a long time. And I definitely gain from foods that most people would maintain with (like acouple of slices of bread or something)...is this abnormal?

It's 100% normal and predictable.  Anyone that has been severely undereating or crash-dieting for any length of time will find that even a small amount additional food will be squirreled away by the body as fat, fluid and muscle and appear as extra weight on the scales in the short term.  If your diet was 'low carb', the reintroduction of carbohydrates (which are essental for good health, of course) will bump your glycogen (short term energy) stores back up - mostly fluid.  Many people who do the Atkins Diet find that they gain weight rapidly once they stop eating nothing but protein, fat and vegetables.  However, we're healthier with wholegrains in the diet than not.

If you don't measure what you're eating (and I would only recommend it as an occasional spot check if someone has eating issues so that it doesn't become an obsession) then you can't know if you're eating 1500, 1000 or 2000.