Increased calorie intake, lost 11 pounds?!

Hello again,

Im 6'3 male, 19 years old, i was 165 pounds while actually looking too thin, hearing from everyone calling me "anorexic". I was anorexic few years ago, but for the past 2 years i haven't, i was eating 600-800 cals a day, and my lowest weight was 150 pounds~ where i looked totally skeletal, though still classified as "healthy" according to my BMI that was about 19. When i was 165 three months ago my BMI was about 20.0 - 20.5, while i still looked too thin, with hollow cheeks, dark circles under eyes and everything else. I was eating 1800-2600 calories a day while working out each day with various exercises at home(including yoga,aerobics) and not at home(swimming). approximatelly 1h or a bit more.

Then I created thread here about being in healthy BMI and looking too thin, and I saw that i should be eating about 4,000 calories a day...

Anyway as being anorexic in past that sounds like really way too much, and I increased my intake from eating 2200 each day, to about 3000 or even more a day.

What happened, that in 3 months I lost 11 pounds. From 165 to 153. I couldn't believe when in 3 months i stepped on the same scales. I thought it might be wrong surface, i tried weighing myself in various different positions, but it still says 153-154 with 10.1% of body fat. My bosom size dropped from 103cm to 99cm, my waist lost from 80 to 76.., and I can't believe how this could happen when i literally increased my calorie intake to that much ?

As always i've been hearing from people that I look too thin and things like that, even though after eating 3000~ a day i felt like im getting fat since some of my body parts did change a little bit and i thought i was gaining weight, and i was afraid to weight myself.. But I didn't expect to LOSE and to lose that amount..

So my question is.. How this is possible? What can I do ? I wanted to increase calorie intake without gaining weight or gaining a little bit of it, but not losing and looking even more sick.

i would just go with it, i lost weight on 2000-2500 calories cause i was at my aunts place and wasn't really bothered but i did track my calories and was surprised to see that i lost 5 pounds in two weeks 110-105. i would up my Cal's for a couple of weeks and see what stops the scales from moving to find a number of cals that takes you into maintenance. 3000 doesn't seem like much if your 6 feet tall and active try 3500. i normally eat 3000 and I'm lightly active a walk here and there and harder stuff when I'm bothered. just experiment and see what works for you.

There are some good ideas of higher calorie foods or meal plans in the weight gain forum  It seems like you need to increase your calories. However, there might be a medical reason behind the weight loss, so visiting your doctor would be good. Also, with your ED past, is it possible you have been distorting your calories and overestimating? That is just a possibility though. It is likely you just need more calories than you think!

what was your old name??

When someone has had restricitve eating patterns and they begin to eat more they quite often find that they will at first gain weight because the body holds on to the nutrition in food to fuel the body. When your body starts using the food that you put in, your metabolism will speed up and this is often why many people find that they have to eat a large number of calories to gain weight. 

Your body needs alot of calories to fuel it, its already using everything you are giving it just to function. To gain you need to be eating alot more. Whoever told you that you need to be eating 4000 calories a day is most likely right. This may even be to little for you when your body gets used to that number.

please remember that when you exercise as much as you do you are burning up every calorie that you eat.  Our bodies are funny in the sence that if you don't eat enought it thinks you're starving it and will hold onto every thing you eat as fat because it doesn't know when it'll get feed again; when you eat you're daily calories say 3000 would be to lose weight (at the amount you need for your height / weight / activity) then it will lose; increase that amount and you will regain.  But be careful, think about when superman wanted to save lois lane,,, the earth was spinning in one direction, he had get it to stop, then get it to spin in the opposite direction... our bodies are kind of the same, the momentum to the loosing direction has to be stopped, then we might maintain for a time, then we begin to gain; so once you start to see the gaining of weight re-evaluate you calorie intake to your active level. 

Best of Luck on your journey.

Im quite scared now, because over ~2 days I lost from 152 to 149... and it all happened over maybe two nights, i dont know what the hell, but the day when i lost i felt terrible headache in the evening.. i also see my skin is much more dry than before.. i just dont know what can be happening, should i see doctor? i thought its SCALES again, but its electronic scales and it shows other people weight perfectly.. and i weight in the same place every day.. and about in 2 days weight dropped by 2-3 pounds when eating really enough.. what the hell?

i was eating over 3,000 these days.. like 3,200 or so..

Original Post by yatenkun:

i was eating over 3,000 these days.. like 3,200 or so..

Very simply, if you're losing weight on 3000-3200 calories a day it means that it's not enough food for your energy needs.  http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html 

Put your stats in the above link and you'll find that a very active man your size needs 4020 cals as standard to maintain his weight.  3000 is a weight-loss amount and represents severe undereating.   Therefore you need a lot, lot more to eat (4500+)  and you need to cut out the exericse completely until your weight starts to come back up again.  Many people who have eating disorders find that the introduction of more food sort of 'jump starts' their metabolism.  Young men naturally have very fast metabolisms anyway.  So you need a lot, lot more to eat than you've been getting.

Aim for 4000-5000 cals a day... Eat often and choose plenty of energy-dense, high-calorie foods.

thank you very much for reply, i will try to increase my calorie intake slowly to feel more confident with new eating habits. it is just a little bit difficult to increase intake to such a high amount with a past of anorexic/bulimic, but i managed to increase from 1800 to 3200, so 4000 shouldnt take too long 

Original Post by yatenkun:

i will try to increase my calorie intake slowly to feel more confident with new eating habits.

 Really, if you're losing weight hand over fist you need to turn this around a little quicker than 'slowly' increasing your intake....   At 4000 you'll maintain your weight, not regain, unless you completely drop the exercise.    Are you getting some help with your recovery?  People that are qualified in the treatment of eating disorders may be able to help you devise a meal-plan and also overcome some of the fears you have.