Purpose of "activity weight"

I have to admit, while I know my lifelong health should be my #1 motivator, selfishly I want to be that strong an solid athlete so bad.  I have always been athletic and it is possibly my biggest passion--NOT to do exercise and burn calories, but because I love it, sports are "my thing."  This has been a huge motivator for me to get healthy, so I can be strong enough to be an athlete long term, and so I can reach my best potential.

I am a bit confused about my training right now, or lack thereof.  Is it beneficial to continue training while gaining in order to maintain fitness? Or does it do no good?

I swing back and forth.  One week I'll think minimal cardio and a couple strength workouts is good for me to "build an athlete" and the next [like now] I feel like I should just do nothing at all until the basics are in place--body temperature, healing, and so on.

Back when I was IP we had an "activity weight" where we were allowed to first walk, then exercise 30min/day.  But was the purpose of this for health reasons or just to make sure the calories were being used to gain?
I ask because I know I've had the same success or lack thereof when exercising and when not--so my real question is not which allows you to gain but rather which is better for building an athlete:

Which is better for "building" and athlete?
1. Waiting until you are at a certain weight to start training and basing levels of training on weight achieved
-OR-
2. Continuing to do fundamental training regardless of weight, as long as the gain is being achieved?

Also [Lala?]-

Should I post this on the fitness forum?  I'm not sure where it applies since it's about how to achieve my athletic goals, but also how that works with this weight gain process!

Posting the same topic twice is against guidelines. That said, if you'd like me to move it to the Fitness forum or Health and Support for you, I can. Just make it a bit clearer you're recovering from anorexia/a low weight if you want that.

There's a big difference between 'training to be an athlete' and 'being active for good health'.... If you're recovering from anorexia and principally need to gain weight you'll be pointed more in the direction of the latter - which would be gentle exercise e.g. a short walk each day, some light swimming, a little resistance work etc.  Vigorous exercise of any kind means you're burning off far too much energy and, especially in someone that is underweight and reluctant to eat, the 4000-5000 calories they'd need to counteract this and gain weight at the same time is just too daunting an amount.

My suggestion would be that you split the recovery into two phases

1.   Very low level of cardio activity plus some strength training coupled with sufficient food in order to gain weight..... primary focus

2.  Once you hit BMI 20 (the benchmark for a normal healthy weight) gradually increase your activity level but increase your food at the same time until you get to BMI 21 .... Since this is the area you struggle with, give yourself at least 6 months to get it right. 

Lala,
I surely don't want to do anything illegal!   I was just asking where the question would be appropriate.

GI-jane,
Thank you for responding! I was hoping you would a you seem to know a lot about the physical aspects of these kinds of things.

The thing is I actually feel the former more pertains [training to be an athlete] since this is the prime motivator.  I haven't really been labeled anorexic/recovering in years now, and when I was cleared to be active it was actually the best thing in my transition from the life of a recovering anorexic to one of an athlete.

The problem now is that despite being on a high calorie diet and lifestyle for years, I am still quite underweight--not like I was when anorexic perhaps, but not where I need to be as an athlete.  I've been "fine" but feel limited and certainly scrawny.  So I've decided to pause my training and "build a foundation" to be a longterm athlete at it's best.  I want to train according to what my body needs to complete building fundamental strength, function, and muscle, plus keep in shape or increase power and strength as much as I can be actually doing that and not just being too hard on my body.  I'm struggling with what this means though--completely stopping activity?  Minimal activity?  What would serve me best for building an athlete? 

cardio-any type, walking, running, vigorous weights even, will BURN calories, you weight gain weight, and the LONGER youll have to WAIT until you can get back to whatever training it is that you want to do.

STOP the cardio-any type, for a few weeks, youll gain, no harm done to you whatsoever, and you can get back to the training youd like to do.

only when i stopped cardio-and i mean all i was even doing was walking, only then did i start to gain and really see a hchange in my body.  i mean nothing, i dee very moderate free wegihts mabe 2/wk, no walking at all, then i really saw my body get healthy.

think of it this way, train your body now by letting it rest so that later, you can be your best w/the more active training.

got it?

Maybe I have posted this topic in the wrong place, but it really isn't a question about having appropriate calories, because historically I've gained the most weight when active.  I could potentially "gain faster" with more activity.

I am really, really just wanting to know what the process of building my body physically should be--assuming the calorie balance needed to support it is there.

Assuming you're consuming sufficient calories, the process of building your body will be helped by doing some resistance exercise work and some gentle activity in other respects.  But there is a fine balance between doing enough to build muscle and not doing so much that you end up burning all the energy up.  I think, by your standards, you'll find that it means doing a lot, lot less than you're used to.  And that's the part you're struggling to accommodate.

Original Post by gi-jane:

 And that's the part you're struggling to accommodate.

 Thank you--that really sums up the confusion for me here.

Yes, I'm used to heavy training.  Since high school it's been almost daily, often twice a day, workouts up to 2-3 hours.
 Not your standard fitness training, but elite athlete type of training.  While recovering from anorexia I was out of sports for a while, even not allowed to walk, but it was actually when I got back on the team that I made a real recovery.  With activity I gained much faster than I had IP on bedrest and more importantly that is the point where I achieved "mental recovery" because I saw myself as an athlete, not an anorexic who was supposed to be afraid of certain foods or have a life governed by eating.

Anyways, the thing is, while I'm not being told by any of my Dr.'s [sport or PCP] to abstain from activity, I do feel like my long term potential as an athlete is being limited because my weight is still too low.  But it's the inbetween I don't know how to deal with.  Currently I'm just flat out taking a break, but I'd like to start something up next week.  What do you advise?  Once I do get back to the 2-a-day workouts and all that I'm used to, I want to get the kind of results I'd expect, rather than just being "ok" while my teammates head to the Olympics.

But how to get there?  I was thinking some sort of fundamental cardio to maintain fitness, while Pilates and weights to build a foundation to work off of.  Should I base my hours/week off of how much I weight perhaps?  That way my physical state could work with my training to get me to the body of an athlete that can support the training of one.

You may have 'gained much faster' whilst you were very active but it clearly hasn't lasted......  You haven't worked out how to eat enough to counteract two or three hours training a day and you're back to square one by the sound of it.   Why not turn your competitive nature not to the athletics for a few months but to weight-gain?  Be the best at weight-gain....  The quicker you get to a healthy weight, the quicker you can resume your athletic career.  As I keep saying.... building your body with light resistance training, keeping active with light exercise.  Half an hour a day at the most. 

When you're at a healthy weight, gradually increase the exercise and the food in tandem... so that you learn how much you need.

The longer you take to get to a healthy weight, the longer you'll take to get to full strength and the further away the Olympics will be....  Seems like a no-brainer to me

I guess I wasn't too clear again!  I didn't lost the weight I gained, I just didn't finish gaining.  I was okay with that because my performance was doing well and improving, and I was eating fine--more freely and amounts than most around me.  It's only recently that I suspect I am still limited by not "finishing the job."

I completely want to apply some competitive tenacity to this process--now my question is how should I train to go with that?  If the purpose of another big gain is to build the foundation I need for the athletics i love, what kind of training will aid in building that--the physical body and a at-least-decent stamina baseline?

The main purpose of an "activity weight" is to ensure that your body is in a safe enough place to exercise. Even if you feel fine and have good vitals, being underweight can put you at risk for so many dangers, especially while working out.

I held off on all exercise until I hit my target weight range. This was SO HARD, seeing as I'm a competitive Irish Dance and Long Distance Runner. However, it felt much better to go back into sports with a healthier body.

If your doctor gives you the OK to workout, then go for it. But if they advise against it, I would listen. You wouldn't want anything crucial to happen.

Even though your doctor cleared you for activity, I know how frustrating it can be to feel so weak! You're probably- at this moment- pushing yourself too hard for the weight that you're at. Maybe try doing some light activity, like a half an hour of walking daily, to maintain your current fitness. As your weight progresses, WORK your way back up to the current training level.

Prior to my ED, I would be training an average of 2 hours daily, aswell. I began with a half an hour of activity once I resumed it, and each month, I am adding another half an hour until I reach my ultimate training level.

Hi  

I don't know the answer to your question but I just wanted to say you sound almost EXACTLY like me!!  I need to put on a bit of weight to help me reach my potential at my sport but definitely don't want to stop training - not because it will 'help me lose weight' but because I actually love it more than anything else!!  I've decided I'm going to have a go at putting on weight while still doing all my training ( usually twice a day 1 - 2.5hrs at a time).. if that doesn't work for me I'll have to think about it again.  Hope you find a way that works for you!!