I'm sorry, but i can't help it.

I'm trying to recover from anorexia. I am now 95lb up from my lowest at 81lb. 

Now I am trying to get rid of anorexia, I fear I might be entering bulimia. You see, I know i need to gain weight, and I WANT to gain weight, so that is not the problem. The reason I  (sometimes) purge is not to get rid of the calories, but simply to get rid of that feeling of fulness that doesn't let me move. I eat on average 7000 calories a day- I don't gain if I go below that. 

So I make up most of my calories on caloric milkshakes. But all that liquid in my stomach, combined with all the food- is what sometimes causes me to regurgitate. Not wanting to get rid of the calories!

Is there any way to solve this problem? please take into account i cannot eat less than 7000. That's the problem.

Thank you. I'm sorry.

I have a feeling that you're lying to yourself here... telling yourself you're not doing it to get rid of calories but really you are.  I hope I'm wrong.

You can eat 7000 without getting too full pretty easily.  Eat a serving or two of nuts with every meal (that's about 200 calories per serving and its not that many teeny, tiny almonds), eat peanut butter, put oil and butter in things you cook and on the things like toast, add things like wheat germ into cereals or oatmeal, drink full fat milk, eat energy bars (some are like 500 calories), make sandwiches using healthy high calorie breads... you can bump up the calories of most things with small additions (hence the reason so many people are over weight).  I guess you haven't met with a nutritionist?  They really provide you with a ton of ideas on how to bump up calories.

I don't know you and don't mean to be condescending, but I fully expect the response to this to be "I'm allergic to nuts, don't like the feeling/taste of oily or buttery things, don't eat cereal due to a wheat intolerance, and am lactose intolerant."  Sorry if I'm wrong about this, but that is the response 99% of the time when somenone posts this.

If I'm wrong (and I hope I am) then you obviously need to go to a doctor, explain the situation, and go into inpatient treatment where they refeed through an IV.

Thanks for the reply.

In fact, I love nuts, dairy and cereal. My milkshakes are composed of baby cereal, granola, ice cream, weight-gaining chocolate vanilla supplement, a couple of digestive biscuits, full fat milk and hazlenuts. I have about 5 or 6 of those in a day. 

I know how to bump up the calories, that's not the problem. I eat a minimum of 7000. The problem lies in the feeling of fullness that accompanies such a huge ingest of food. 

I seriously don't purge to get rid of the calories. I only do it to reduce the bloating in my stomach and actually allow me to move from my bed.

Im not seeing a nutritionist. I've tried before but it did not work out, so I just figure I gain the weight and thats it (i know thats not the right approach though..)

Thanks for your help.

I was eating 4000-6000 calories a day and didn't get the feeling of fullness, actually I was always ravenously hungry and felt empty, so I guess everyone is very different.

Sorry to be so assumptive, but so many people post the same thing you are and then have a response of why they can't incorporate any of the suggestions.  I really do apologize if you aren't purposely purging.

Babies have tiny stomachs, but need to gain weight in order to grow. So they eat small meals high in calories. Without being stuffed by the parent.

If you take that same approach to eating, you should feel less stuffed, more comfortable.

I wouldn't drink that many shakes. There is this foodie test that shows that soups and the like keeps a person fuller for longer.

You'd be amazed to find how many calories little things like nuts added to stir fry dishes or salads, cream instead of skimmed milk to mashed potatoes, or pancette pan fried and added to a pasta dish can add to your daily total.

I wish you all the best. Gaining weight for someone recovering from anorexia seems just as hard as losing weight is for a morbidly obese compulsive overeater like me.

Could it be that you're lactose intolerant?  I can eat cheese and yogurt, but milk and ice cream can leave me feeling bloated and seriously uncomfortable.

You need 7000 calories to gain weight and you're 95lbs?

I'm 165lbs and I run 3-4 days a week and I'll gain weight if I eat over 2500 calories.

Are you perhaps working out too much? The reason I ask is that if you do work out a lot, perhaps you can cut back some on that AND your caloric intake, so that you'll still gain but not have to eat quite as much. I certainly am hesitant to say to cut back on calories, but it just doesn't seem quite right that you should need that much to gain.

If you're not working out then perhaps there's something else the matter physically, like having a parasite or tapeworm, in which case you would obviously need to see a doctor.

If you're not already doing so, another thought is to eat smaller meals every couple hours, rather than three larger meals a day. That way you might be able to avoid feeling very full.

Good luck! Its so good to hear you're working on recovery, best wishes to you!

Original Post by phutaction:

You need 7000 calories to gain weight and you're 95lbs?

  very common with people refeeding after an ED.  Well usually more like 4000-5000, but I guess that depends on the person and how fast they need/want to gain and how much they exercise.  P.S. exercising during refeeding is so counterproductive - I tried for months and it didn't work no matter how much I ate...

Your food for refeeding sounds very healthy.  Wow, I can't believe that it takes so much for you to gain, that's just amazing to me.  I'm totally rooting for you on your effort, but maybe you could gain weight more slowly? 

If you are gaining with 7,000 AND purging, then if you could eat 5,000 and keep it all down, it would probably add up to the same calories in the end.  You might slow down a little, but you might not.  Also, even though you aren't hurting yourself emotionally with the purging - there are still the physical aspects which I'm sure you have heard.  It would probably be better to accept a slow-down on gain than to invite all the physical problems that come with bulimia.  Just my 2cents.