Recovering from 'Malnutrition'/slight Anorexia, but haven't gained much weight yet! Eating 1600 - 1900 everyday!

Hi, everyone :D!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to helping those posting in this forum.  Your messages, information, encouragement, and support really mean a lot to those of us who are currently trying to get our health back on track.

Anyway, here's my story... I "shot myself on the foot" by going on an unhealthy diet about 7 months ago.  I stuck to a "vegan" diet and ate almost no FAT at all.  I never let my calories drop below 1,200, though.  I exercised, and ate 5 to 6 times a day so I didn't think I was harming my body.

My period actually stopped since I started the diet, but I didn't think much about it at the time.  After all, I thought I was being healthy, and got misinformed.  I lost weight, and I went down to almost 80 lbs.  I am 5'0" and now currently 83 lbs.

I realized my diet was unhealthy around late June when I looked at the mirror and found myself too thin, and that having no period for more than a few months is a BAD THING!

I started a healthier diet around a month ago (July 1), aiming for 1600-1900 calories a day and LOTS of good fat, but so far, I've only gained about 1.5 to 2 lbs!!!  Shouldn't I be gaining a pound a week? I'm not even doing that much exercise anymore.  I just wanna get my weight back up to at least 90 lbs and in a healthy way.

I would like to know if this is normal, or if my metabolism's going out of whack or what :(!  Have any of you gone through this same problem before while trying to gain weight during recovery?

Thank you very much, and may you have an awesome healthy day :D!

Edited my original post (above).  I accidentally submitted it before finishing my message :(.  Sorry if I caused any confusion.

Hey! I'm a vegetarian, and also really screwed up my stomach when I was really restricting calories, so now I'm pretty intolerant of most dairy, and have a sensitive stomach in general so I know it can be hard to get in everything we need.

Honestly, though you're just going to have to eat more. I'm not sure what the medical basis for this is, but in my experience I've found that I need to eat WAY more than any calculators have told me I need to even gain slowly, and I had to cut down on most exercise to jumpstart the weight gain too. I have to eat over 3000 calories a day to gain less than a lb a week and that's with minimal exercise. Since my lowest I've gained about 10 lbs so I've just started adding in some cardio, but even now I just do 20 minutes on the elliptical or stationary bike a few times a week and focus more on strength and stretching. At first I only did some yoga 2 or 3 times a week, otherwise the weight woudl drop off.

Some things that I've done are add in a lot of good fats, tons of nuts and nut butters. I can go through half a jar of pb in a day :X A lot of olive oil on salads, pasta, or used to stir fry veggies. I eat a lot of greek yogurt and or whole milk yogurt, but you can try adding in a lot of soy yogurt. I also go through a lot of soymilk. You can try protein shakes and make those with soy milk too. Fruit juice and dried fruits also add lots of calories, beans, granolas, etc. Just dig through the weight gain forum and you'll find tons of great ideas.

Best of luck and message me if you need anything!

HI, GIBBIT :D!

Thank you so much for posting that message :D!  I've actually been a vegetarian for the past 7 years :D!  And I love being a vegetarian :)!

As for my efforts to gain weight, I'm just surprised I'm not gaining yet, since I've always been "chubby/fat" (before I started exercising 8 months ago with the diet).  I was never an over-eater during my chubby days (though my choice of foods weren't healthy), but I was never really "slim".  In fact, my original weight, which I kept for a long time was 135 lbs for my 5'0" small frame.

And now that I'm eating generously but with healthy foods, I'm finding it tough to gain weight.  Ironic, isn't it?  I don't wanna go back to being 135 lbs, though!  I'm aiming for at least 90 to 95 lbs :)!

My current main "diet" is composed of whole grains, peanut butter, mayonnaise (The healthy Omega Balance one), and other healthy stuff.  Hmmm...So I guess I need to eat MORE then, eh?  So is the reason why I'm not gaining much is because my stomach's currently "recovering/healing"?

Also, I wanna get my period back ASAP!  This past month of eating lots of peanut butter and healthy fats hasn't caused it to resume yet :(.  Perhaps I have yet to give my body another month or two or three to "fully recover"?

Once again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GIBBIT!

heyy girl. I'm in a position pretty similar to yours. I'm vegetarian, but only started eating really healthy and exercising 3/4 days a week at the beginning of this year... Welllll, all of a sudden I went from a pretty 105 to an 87. I realized I was restricting too much, and I had slight anorexia for a few months. I'm seriously trying to recover and I've upped my cals up to 2500+. Yes, your metabolism is probably messed up because even when I eat all this, I have not gained .5 lbs a week somehow. I meannnn after malnutrition I'm pretty sure your metabolism does go pretty out of whack. Some people gain fast, others need to eat like 4000 to gain. I'm in the end where I need to eat a lot, I guess. But you knowww, we can do this. You just have to choose high calorie density and healthy foods! keep it up

hey gohealthygirl...First off it's good to see a fellow member of CC trying to get back on the right track.  I'm probably not going to be much help, but I just wanted to comment that you are not alone.  I am currently the same height and weight as you and strugglng to make it to atleast 90 lbs as well.  Athough for my age (20) it says im supposed to be atleast 94 for a healthy BMI. I went through the same exact thing of being slightly chubby and wanting to start a healthy new lifestyle...as we can all tell that backfired (obsessive overexersize). 

You seem to be on the right track with the healthy fats and such, but I would reccomend increasing your calories (2000-2500 to start).  You can eat the same foods you are enjoying now, just increase your portions.   It will take some time to get your body out of starvation mode.  The lack of fat has caused you to lose your period and so that might take quite some time before it returns.  Keep up the good work!!

To angeleyes and aeropink161, THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH for replying to this thread :)! Posting here to ask for advice/help/info may have been one of the best things I've done today :)!  You gals/guys rock :D!

Though it sucks that we had to/going through this, it's a good thing to know I'm not alone.  Seriously, I don't feel THAT scared about my current state anymore  and it feels comforting being able to talk about it openly with someone.  None of my family/friends really thought I was "malnutritioned", since I did eat a lot and often too.  I just cut back on fat too much (and probably other nutritients), hence the malnutrition :(.  And to think that we all started out wanting to be healthier and slimmer too!

Hmmm...So I guess I'll really need to increase my daily intake to 2000 to 2500, eh?  I'll definitely start tomorrow!  I'm hoping to gain about 4 lbs by the end of August, and I'll update you all through this thread :D!

Btw, important question...Once I gain the weight back, let's say up to 90 to 95, should I continue consuming 2000 to 2500 calories, or go back to the normal 1600 to 1800 calories for my frame?  I'm a little worried about getting used to consuming a lot, and then later on have to cut back again :( (Though I shouldn't really be worrying about that at the moment).

Once again, much thanks to everyone sharing their personal experience!  You gals/guys definitely made my day :D!  Now onwards to better health!

Oh, no problem! Feel free to talk/ ask questions whenver you want to :)

Well, the idea is that we're young so we probably burn 2000 calories. Well, at least I know I maintain at around 2000 because if I eat 1700 or less I lose. You just pretty much have to figure it out as you gain. I'd think 1800 is a pretty realistic calorie intake for you. And I know, I worry about having to cut back again, but it won't be so bad. I mean, if you just add let's say 4 T of peanut butter a day, it's already 400 calories, but it's not a lot of food ya know? You could also eat like 10 cups of salad for like 100 calories. But you should obviously choose the pb because you'll gain weight that way. Once you're back to normal weight you can add foods with greater volume again. But right now we need the calorie density so that we don't get full!

Hi, angeleyes137!  Thanks for the support :)!  Yeah, I don't think cutting back once I actually need to won't be that bad.  And you're right about adding calories at this stage.  I don't have to literally eat "more"...I just need to add a little bit of good high-cal foods to make sure I'm getting enough cals in.

I just find it so weird how back then, I ate probably around 1700 - 2000 cals a day and still ballooned up to 135 lbs!!!  I guess I'm really just naturally "chubby", or perhaps my food choices weren't really that healthy (Heck, I ate brownies and donuts everyday!!!).  As for my age, I'm actually 25 y.o. :)!

Oh well, I'm all about being "generally" healthy from this point on :)!  I'm also more educated now about health and nutrition.  So for as long as I'm "getting better", then that's all that matters :D!

I'm also currently doing some weight-lifting 3 times a week, so hopefully I'll gain muscle in this stage too, though I guess my body really needs more fat for my period to come back...So complex!

hey, i had a really similar situation to you, i wouldnt say i was anorexic but i ate no fat too and had a very restrictive diet for a couple of months back in april time i think. my period stopped for 2 months but literally when i ate a lot of good food for a month i got my period back. i then got it again the next month but after 6 weeks not 4, but thats better than nothing.

i think you may not be gaining because the food it being used to replenish lost muscle mass and organs e.t.c. when you deprive our body so much, atleast i foudn that i started bigneing almost and only gained a couple of pounds, i think your body just takes it and uses it for parts of your body that were suffering. i found after a couple of weeks i started gaining more, and i luckily didnt gain anymore once i wa sback to my normal pre diet weight.i now mantain at abut 8.5 - 9 stone, but i dont weigh myself anymore.

id say dont worry about it, weigh yourself once a week or go by your clothes. its good to ehar you are inckuding lots of healthy fats, these seemed to help me get my period back so hopefully it will help you. avocados are great!

can i jsut ask you did you experince hair loss? i have been since my stupid diet, it is very latent but appretnyl my docotor said it was related to the hormone change when i missed my period.

good luck on getting back healthy, id give it a good few months to reallt see the results but your body will be thanking you.

hey gohealthygirl,

i have not battled an ed before, however i worked on an ed psych unit for three years and this is what i learned about recovery....

1. take your time gaining... if you gain too fast it will freak you out!!!

2. when you severly restrict cals you loose muscle mass... so keep excersing because you need muscle to maintain health, just do it in moderation... some light walking, jogging or swimming.

3. it is a long term change.... just as i must make a "life change" to loose the weight i want too... you are going to have to commit to changing yours!!!

4. lastly you might seek advice from a nutrionist who specializes in ed... they are out there!!!

GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES!!!

HI, JESSLIMA!  Thanks for sharing your experience and for your words of encouragement :D!  Sounds like we definitely were on the same boat!  Mine wasn't an "eating disorder" either, more of like misinformation  and 'stupidity' in my part for thinking all fats are bad (which I now know are essential to women!), and for being too restrictive with my diet.

Yeah, I guess it really is possible that my body's currently in a stage of 'repair' for being deprived of 'fats' for too long.  Hopefully I'll start gaining more this month (August), and gain around 5 - 8 lbs by late September :)!  I'm currently taking in around 50g of fat per day and upping my calories upto 2,000 :)!  With my small 4'11" frame, I hope that's enough to gain healthily.

As for the hair loss, my hear didn't thin out, BUT I noticed that my roots have gotten weaker, and so has my hair :(.  It sucks, but I know everything's gonna get better from this point onwards :)!

YELLAGIRLJAY - Thanks for the tips :)!  Much appreciated :D!  I don't really have an ED, so I don't need to get a psychologist or something, but I will definitely start eating healthier from now on, and make sure I get all the essential nutrients my body needs :D!

Hi gohealthygirl!

So I usually don't post on these things, but reading your story really moved me to since my story is almost the exact same as yours. I went for about five months eating a pescatarian diet - the majority of protein was from tofu and occasionally fish. I went from about 127 lbs. to 105 lbs. which was way to small for someone who is 5'6." And, like you, I wasn't really trying to be "skinny" I just wanted to be healthier and eat less fat. Well, I guess I'd call it stupidity too because like a lot of people who have posted here, my period stopped and my hair started falling out and even my veins were sticking out of my arms because I had such little body fat -- not very pleasant. Since then I've started eating normally and I've gained to the point of being 120 lbs. Everyone is right saying that it is best to eat calorie-dense foods. Also drink milk and fruit juice instead of water, coffee, tea, etc. But I think in the long run the only way to really feel better about yourself is to not focus so much on calories. Don't think of it as a numbers game - just try to rely on your body to tell you when it is full and when it is hungry. I know this is hard when you're recovering and your metabolism is all out of whack, but have faith that you're body will figure it out eventually. I hope you start gaining and feeling better soon! Trust me, it feels so much better once you can start relying on cues from your metabolism again :)

i'd just like to say it's not just girls its boys aswell i went from being a healthy weight teenager to being underweight,pale,and health problems all from being obssed about my health.i vertually cut fat out of my diet completley and was on a 1000-1200 calorie diet,and for being 5 ft 10/11 thats not healthy also i was running 2 miles every day.i thought the more i ran they healthier i was gonna be.BUT BOY I WAS IN FOR A SHOCK.One day i woke up and i had no energy , getting dizzywhen standing also suffering from heart plapitations.I juat thought one dat this had to stop!!!. i went from eating 1200 and 2 mile runs a day too 3500 calories a day and no exercise untill i was a healthy weight and boy did it work!! i gained 2lbs a week and by week 8 i had gained round about a stone. this was from eating healthy fats(fish,olive oil,peanut butter,flax seeds) and whole grain bread,rice,pasta and 3 portions of fruit 3 portions of veg daily and a daily multivitamin also protein with every meal.also beleive me i was getting complements on how good i looked and how better i looked im not anxious anymore about being healthy im alot more healthier now than what i ever was now im training in the gym and i look great.so just remember this is my biggest advice!! not all fat is bad!! i was eating 5 tbl spoons of olive oil a day for   for my fat and cut all the saturate dout thats round about 10g of saturated from the oil but loadddddddds more unsaturated and essential fats from fish..just keep at it and u'll gain u'll need to eat more than 2000 calories at the start,once gained weight then cut down to 2000 and do exercise .

hope you meet your goal I HAVE LOL!!

I have to say, notsoskinnynow - it's great you reached your weight gain target and pulled yourself out of your disordered eating, but be aware the OP - and any gainer for that matter - may need a lot more than 2000 calories after severe restriction. Especially if you, taking an example, were eating 3500 before.

It's usually a lot better on your system to gradually decrease by 250 calories at a time, and then see after a week of that 250 decrease if you're gained, lost or maintained. Still, too late for you now but I'm posting that for general viewing.