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A questionnaire for recoverers. O:
Jul 08 2008 16:57
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I've sent this to a couple of you already (and thankyou to those of you who have replied, you've been extremely helpful :]) as I am trying to get an idea of what I ought to be doing to gain and how much I should be eating alongside my own personal experimenting with increasing. Per the suggestion of butterfly_in_the_sky (thankyou, butterfly :D) I'm going to post this publically, as it will likely benefit more than just myself for others recovering or starting recovery to get a good idea of how others started off. I've added a couple of questions to the one I first sent out, but here we go:
Your height? (Now and at the start of recovery, if it differs)
Your age? (Same as above - now and at the start of recovery, if it differs~)
Your weight when you began recovery? You don't necessarily have to post this one if it makes you uncomfortable. x:
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? What was it before/after? How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?)
How much do you maintain on now?
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength)
Do you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a hectic, mobile job? Were you overly active before you chose to recover?
This isn't an obligatory questionnaire, obviously P: But it will likely be quite helpful to those who need it. Thanks, guys! x3
Reason: Locked per OP request.
deleted
Ah! That's what I forgot - age! I'll add that to the OP. x: Thankyou, lilminime!
Your height? start of recovery, 5'9 1/2. now. 5'9 3/4
Your age? 16 at start, now 17
Your weight when you began recovery? 103
How
quickly did you increase your intake initially? slowly, cuz i didn't know how to recover "correctly"
What was it
before/after? anywhere from 0-1000 before, now around 2000.
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at
what rate?) i just kind of gradually upped them. i don't know how much i gained per week because i didn't weigh myself.
How much do you maintain on now? i don't count but around 2000.
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength) i do ballet. i don't do strength training.
Do
you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a
hectic, mobile job? nope.
Were you overly active before you chose to recover? no, i was so tired i could barely move. the most i could do was force myself through ballet class.
your age? 12/13 at start, 17 now
your weight when you began recovery? 75lb
how quickly did you increase your intake initially? about 100 cal/week
what was it before/after? before was about 500, now around 2000
how much do you maintain on now? about 1800
exercise!? initially nothing, when i got to 85lb 30 mins of light strength training 2-3x / week, now same plus 20-30 mins cardio 2-3x / week
were you overly active before recovery? nope...i was when it first started but i soon lost all my energy
your age? 16 now, 14 at start
your weight when you began recovery? 84-86lb
how quickly did you increase your intake initially? didn't count at the beginning, but when i figured it out it was around 1600 daily, or maybe less, for a while
what was it before/after? before i was going for days and days on 0. Thats how bad it was. I don't even want to remember the feeling that black tea was a 'treat'
how much do you maintain on now? anything from 1700-2000
exercise!? I try not to let exercise dominate how i eat/my mood is, but I cycle, jog, walk, anything to make me feel refreshed most days of the week.
were you overly active before recovery? not really. In the months prior to anorexia, I began jogging, to get healthy, but I didn't obsess over it, just a little bit...but then it began spiralling down when i decided to restrict as well....DURING anorexia, i barely had energy to move, so exercise would've floored me.
Your height? during ED, 5'3-3/4".. now, upwards from 5'5"
Your age? 16, 17 in August; 15 at start
Your weight when you began recovery? low-90s
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? [see next!]
What was it before/after? I was eating less than 1000 for a few months in the first months of 2007 and wasn't losing at all, so I upped to around 1300 and was still losing weight, then 1300+exercise, then a solid 1500 during my "self-recovery", then 1500+exercise, then a solid 1800 as appointed by my nutritionist in November, which had me maintaining at around 100-105.. then, I lowered to in March 1600 and gained about 30 pounds, and finally I upped to 1800-2000 and am sitting pretty at 116-120
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?) After I bumped up my calories to 1500+exercise, I got up to about 100 pounds in a matter of weeks. My nutritionist wanted me to get to 118 on 1800, which I was terrified of; I ended up only gaining about 5 pounds with her during the 3 or 4 months I saw her.
How much do you maintain on now? 1800+2000
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength) As I was losing weight I did 45 minutes of cardio every day and virtually no strength training. I kept that up until October, then started light strength training while I was gaining. In February/March I added a little bit of cardio in again, about 3 times a week. That lasted until May, and in May and June I hardly did any exercise, and now I've found time to fit it in between baby-feeding sessions [my niece and nephew, lol] and do cardio when I can [never more than 30-45 minutes] and do strength training 3-4 times a week.
Do you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a hectic, mobile job? nope, but I'm always running or jumping or dancing around (:
Were you overly active before you chose to recover? Only when I was actually exercising. Day-to-day life was a foggy, tired struggle.
Height: 5' 7"
Age: now- 20 start- 18
Weight when began recover: 97
how quickly did you intake initially: by about +900 calories
what was it before/after: when I began treatment I would refuse to eat more than 300 calories a day... now i eat around 1800 calories
how much do you maintain on now? 1500-2000
exercise: I run 4-6 miles 6 days a week and i strength train three days a week
were you overly active before recovery? no, i was pretty much sedentary... just the normal everyday stuff :-/
Your height? 5'1"
Your weight when you began recovery? 79
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? All at once. I went from 900 to 3,000. Probobly not the greatest idea, but my mom was threatening to put me in-patient if I didn't gain a certain amount of weight that month, so I went all or nothing.
What was it before/after? I'm embarassed to say that I ate only about 300-400 calories during the ED, but now I'm happy to report that I get to have about 2,200-2,500 daily since I love exercising so much!
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?) I counted calories and planned a nutritionally sound diet, and ended up needing about 3,000 calories (I was nearly sedentary though), now if I tried to gain I'd probobly need more like 3,500. I gained about a pound and a half or more a week.
How much do you maintain on now? 2,300 most days.
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type?
Before: Swam for about 30 minutes daily; sometimes took walks outside with my mom. Not much.
During: Nothing. I wasn't allowed and I just didn't care.
Now: I do two 30-45 minute cardio sessions (either swimming or walk-jog intervals) daily, along with a strength training and toning routine that lasts about 45 minutes as well.
Do you do any other activities? I try to stay as active as possible throughout the day, and sit as little as possible.
Thank you all SO much so far - this is proving quite helpful for me and I hope it is for others, too :D I'm going to need to gain at least 40lbs (possibly more, if I want to get into the midrange of healthy BMI) in all of this, so... seeing how others have done and reached goal weights is somewhat comforting to me. Please feel free to keep posting! :]
Your height? At the start: 5'3 3/4 Now: 5'3'' :(
Your age? 13 at the start, now 16
Your weight when you began recovery? 90's.
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? Well I went from basically nothing, all the way up to the 3000's (from bingeing) then back down to mid 2000's to make the weight gain gradual.
What was it before/after? I would have a pattern of going starve-starve-eat under 500, then repeat. Now I'm up around between 1600-2000. Depends on my sports season.
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?) I was wanted to gain about 20 pounds, which would have been "ideal" for me. I gained on average about 1-ish pound a week.
How much do you maintain on now? 1600-1800 most days.
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type?
Before: During the height of it, I had track practice (3-6), and I would come home and make myself run on the treadmill for another hour. Then I'd do various ab workouts. It-was-hell.
During: Absolutely nothing. I had to stop winter track because of injuries the ED was causing, and I basically had just enough energy to shuffle back and forth from my bed to the bathroom to the kitchen.
Now: I run at least once a day, most days I average about 3-6 miles. I run 5-6 days a week, with sunday off. I don't do weight training.
Do you do any other activities? I like to go swimming in our pool, and run around with my cousins, and jump rope and all. All the usual summer fun, but nothing as demanding as it was before.
Your height? 5'7"
Your weight when you began recovery? 91
How quickly did you increase your intake initially?uhmm still workin on it i need to drastically bump it so i start gaining 2 lbs a week like im supposed to or else it's inpatient
What was it before/after? not over 600 when i was suffering and now about 1500.
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?) I am still unsure, I had a nutritionist ho specialized in obesity and knew nothin bout anorexia... so im kinda on my own
How much do you maintain on now? again i dont know i still have weight to gain
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type?
Before: chherleader, gymnastics, ran at least once a day about 4 miles then and hr or weights and a bazillion abs... then went out all the time( i was in college).
During: NONE NOW I HATE IT I WANNA MOVE
Now: see above
Do you do any other activities Not really. I work in an office at a desk for 9 hrs a day sitting i HATE IT
Just thoguht I'd add my age as well - I'm 22
Hmmm this needs more questions or somethin its pretty random and all about food intake...
My ed started in college(diet turned obsessive) AND I CAUGT AMMONIA bleh after fallin in a bon fire(dont ask it was draft day lol) somehow i caught it got real sick then was tiny after about 5 days and kept goin with it
Ah, I was asking questions based around food intake and exercise because they seem to be what lots of people ask about initially. <_> I know I had (and have, in places) lots of questions about how much to increase by and how much exercise to do and such, plus it's nice to see variations between people of differing height and weight and so on.
Your height? 5 foot even Your age? I was 12 during the eating disoder. The day after my 13th birthday was when I want to see the docter and she told me I needed to gain weight, and I am 13 now (Obviously)=]
Your weight when you began recovery? 68 (People pretty much knew I had a problem just by looking at me...)
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? All at once. I went from consuming an average of 600-800 calories a day to 2,00 to 2,500.
What was it before/after?I am ashamed to report that a norm for my ED was 600 to 800. Now I find that my body is comfortable with 1,800-2,000; on days that I exercise I consume about 200-500 more.
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?)I started out counting calories. The first day I had made it up to 1,400; in the following days, I ate about 2,000. I gained about a pound every 2 weeks.
How much do you maintain on now?1,800-2,000 on the average day when I just do light exercise
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type?
Before,I swam everyday in the summer, played soccer 3x a week in the spring and fall, and took long walks about 3x a week when it was nice out.
During: I still walked often, but since it was winter I didn't swim or play soccer.
Now:I walk daily, swim at the least 3x a week (Basically breaststroke for 20-40 minutes), and run occasionally.
Do you do any other activities? I try to stay active, whether it means cleaning my room or walking the dog.
Your Weight? Current 120, low 107.
Your age? Current: 18-in-two-months, 16 during most of ED
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? What was it before/after? How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?) I started losing weight by eating 1000 cals. this lasted only a short while and then I upped to almost 2000 but while exercising like a fanatic. That was how I lost most of the weight. At first in recovery, I gained fast (5lbs the first month) on 3000. But the last handful of lbs took up to 3200 to gain. It took about 8 months to get to 120, I have maintained it for 4 now.
How much do you maintain on now? It has been 3000 for a while, now I'm less active and its about 2900.
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? As I was losing weight, I would do light/endurance cardio for hours - walking long distances. It was burning up all my muscle:( As I recovered I did more and more strength and also tried to decrease total time exercising. Currently I lift weight - heavy as I can! - 3 days a week and do lower-body stuff or walking the other days. It is now down to 45/50 min a day (from 2.5 or 3 hours a day at my worst.)
Do you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a hectic, mobile job? Were you overly active before you chose to recover? I was always fairly thin and active my whole life. Now my jobs (cashier and receptionist) have me standing for hours - not active but not sitting down exactly.
**
Remember, LALA, that everyone is different. While I do think it is helpful to be aware of other people's experiences, this is a personal problem with such a personal solution. What works for somebody else (whether it be "mind-games," strategies like whether or not to weigh or count, or simply the right timing for things) may or may not be right for you!
Your height? Now-5'4 Then-5'2
Your age? Now-15 Then-14
Your weight when you began recovery? 76 pounds
How quickly did you increase your intake initially?I went from about 1000 to 3000 overnight. That got me refeeding syndrome. Not fun. I learned later (from an RD) that a safe pace of increase is 500 cal/day. :x
What was it before/during? Before recovery, I ate a few baby carrots every other day. That was it. During recovery I ate 3500-5000 calories daily to gain, at one point eating 5000 simply to avoid loosing.
How much do you maintain on now? 2400 cal/day without exercise added in. I eat about 3000 a day right now since biking is in season!:)
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength) Before recovery I did as much exercise as possible; an hour or more of pushups, walking instead of standing (even when talking to people...I'd do little loops around them), biking for an hour or two each day, exercise ball routines at least once a day, and running in place for as long as possible without getting caught. Yes, that was each day. I aimed to burn AT LEAST 4000 calories and would freak if I went under 3000.
During recovery I did no exercise, but I did have weird leg shakes/twitches occurring constantly. After having a grand mal seizure they stopped, but until then I couldn't control them. A doctor once told me that I was burning probably 500/cal a day just from that. That aggravated me so much, because that only made me need more food. Towards the end of recovery, I was allowed to walk or slowly bike ride for 30 minutes a day. I also used 5 lb weights for light lifting exercises.
Nowadays I bike about 70 miles per week, walk 5-10 miles per week, weight train for 20 minutes every other day, and stretch every morning and every evening.
Do you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a hectic, mobile job? Were you overly active before you chose to recover?
I volunteer at a historical garden one day each week and I do various maintenance (weeding, digging, planting, hoeing) for about 4 hours. I'm often on my feet and moving around throughout the day, as well. I like to keep busy.
Before I chose to recover I was WAY overly active; I couldn't focus on anything except for exercise. At least that is what my friends say. My best friend said that whenever we would go out walking I would circle her and act very uninterested in her actual company. Endorphins can be so evil--I was a slave to them. They made me forget my stomach pains and the issues at home that resulted from my ED.
------
EDIT: I agree with Catgirl and I hope that this thread will prove how individual EDs/recoveries are; nobody here has answered the same for ANY questions. While it may be reassuring/comforting to those considering recovery, it is not a good ideato base yours off of somebody's answers to this questionnaire. REMEMBER that you need to do what's best for you, and don't get discouraged if you aren't the same as someone else during recovery!
Cat-girl: Heh [: I'm aware of everyone being different, but I like to have a general idea - even if it just helps me to stop feeling alone in a situation. x: Thankyou, though.
EDIT - Missmagill: Woah! @__@ That IS a heck of a lot of exercise! I don't like to be still either, but obviously stationary as much as possible is what I need right now. \: What bums me a little is today I was meant to just do some strength with a light warmup, but ended up having to put it off a day because I needed to walk to my blood test this morning - I'd normally choose weights over cardio but the blood test was, well. Neccessary. <<; Thankyou for your reply! x3
It IS honestly the best to avoid exercise right now, and I applaud you for realising that. Missing a day of weights and replacing it witha walk won't kill you by any means.:P One thing that I noticed was that I was REALLY obsessed with my weight-lifting/exercise allotment for a while during recovery...I made sure to stop that, because it was clearly unrealistic and abnormal to obsess over. ED tends to enjoy trying to pull recoverers back in discrete manners at times. Don't worry about a small change in routine!:)
Your height? (Now and at the start of recovery, if it differs): 5'3.5''. i'm pretty sure i haven't grown since then.
Your age? (Same as above - now and at the start of recovery, if it differs~): start: 14, now:16
Your weight when you began recovery? : 94 that i'm aware of. that's the lowest i saw on the scale.
How quickly did you increase your intake initially? What was it before/after?: so slowly. it took me about nine months to get over the 1800. i was scared that because my body was definitely in "starvation mode" i would gain at an uncontrolable rate.
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at what rate?): i think originally i started gaining at about 1600-1700 and that was about a quarter to half pound a week
How much do you maintain on now?: i'm not sure because i randomly snack on almonds or carrots or whatever and don't really log those extra things, so my rough estimates of things i do log is usually around 1800, give or take. but i'm pretty convinced that my real intake is around 2000 (hopefully more)
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength): i had an over-exercise disorder (self-diagnosed) where i would do 6 miles a night (i'm realizing now after reading all the others that mine really wasn't that bad). i would also walk in a circle around my couch while watching TV (i've caught myself doing it recently and had to stop myself because it had become so habitual). i was also fit in a few minutes of pilates a day, but eventually stopped because i realized it didn't burn enough calories for my liking. now, still in "recovery" i do pilates about twice a week, lift weights three times a week, and walk about 90ish minutes a day.
Do you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a hectic, mobile job?: YES! finally! i work at a bakery anywhere from 3-8 hours about 4-5 days a week. i may also be taking up a kickboxing class in the near future. i have horses too, so i ride occassionally.
Were you overly active before you chose to recover?: definitely. there's no doubt in my mind that i was addicted to the endorphines and the control that it gave me. i realize now that it was extremely dangerous, which at first really confused me. how could exercising be unhealthy? but i'm so thankful now that i have all this knowledge now. :)
Your height? 5'9"
Your age? 17
Your weight when you began recovery?104
How quickly did you increase your intake initially?it fluctuated 100 every two week
What was it before/after?200-400 calories, now 1000
How much did you end up needing to eat to gain (and at
what rate?) not sure
How much do you maintain on now? I'm not there yet
How much exercise did you do initially, do you do now, and how much of either type? (Cardio/strength)running 6 days 30 minutes, strength 30 minutes 6 days
Do
you do any other activities (Calorie-burning, that is!) or have a
hectic, mobile job? Were you overly active before you chose to recover?not really
I'm still working on recovery. So this isn't very good info.
i found it quite triggering, i also found the information i would need if i were interested in losing a LOT of weight in an unhealthy way.
i know that it was ppl's decision to answer or to not. but dont forget that many ppl might be looking at this and not replying but based on what they read about other ppl, feel that they must exercise more, or try and get down to a certain cal level.
we all know there are ppl out there who would like to lose weight to the point of anorexia and that they would go to any lengths to do it.
im sorry coz i know this will irk the OP, but i really found it very triggering and i haven felt triggered in a long time.
i also must ask the question of the OP why exactly she needs this information.. is it not just another serious form of control to an excessive degree? surely you know you need to eat a lot more to gain weight, and stop exercising. and i have a feeling you are waiting to push on with recovery until you get enough replys on this that make u feel safe?
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