started spin--bmi 17.2--eating back calories...ok?

Okay, so I started doing spin...it's a 1 hour class that's twice a week. On these days I figure i could eat an extra 200 calories to offset the burn and not undermine my weight gain efforts. I am getting close to the healthy weight range and my calorie intake on the non-spin days is the same as usual. I'm not doing any exercise other than this besides yoga, which isn't really a calorie burner. I feel so strong and energized when i'm done with the class so i don't want to stop and it's only twice a week. is this okay? what are your experiences with exercising while trying to recover from an ED? I also don't want to fall into the trap of becoming addicted to exercise. any thoughts? advice? 

If you are trying to gain weight, I don't think 200 cals would cut it for those classes.  An hour of spinning can burn 400+ calories.

am i worng but i do not think u should be taking that or any cardio class

I dont really know what bmi is healthy to start doing cardio again (lol sorry i cant help there)... im sure there are guidelines around but even those can vary between people, so i guess if you want to be sure you could always ask your dr or someone similar? I know my physio told me that even when you put on weight after an ED your bone density can be really low and theres a chance that anything strenuous can cause serious damage cos your body is still recovering. if you are allowed to do it though, id guess that youd probably need a bit more than 200 extra cals a day. those step classes can burn heaps of calories, and cardio exercise also revs up your metabolism so you burn more during the day (even when ur just resting). anyway id check with your dr or someone if you wanted to be sure. sorry i cant really help more!

thanks guys...i love the way it feels but i also love getting well and that's more important to me than exercising. i don't want to do anything stupid and undermine all of my efforts. i really just want to be normal. i am getting over my fear of foods and i want to be able to exercise like a normal person, but i realize im not quite normal yet. i figured spin would be okay because it's low impact. i don't know though.

LALA...any advice would be greatly appreciated!! also, anyone else who have gotten recommendations about exercise during recovery please tell :)

I frequently spin... I think I started when my BMI was about a 17.1... basically the same as yours. In general, I started exercising at a really low BMI. I haven't had any problems with it.

Spinning for anhour burns WAY more than 200 calories though... closer to 350. 

As a student nurse I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you don't do this spinning class. 200 calories is an underestimation, you will loose at least 450 calories. You can still work out, but you should more moderately. Do a 20 min jog, or something equal to that (burning 150 calories). You should be concentrating on getting your BMI to 18.2 before you consider heavy exercise.

Just try to be safe. If you are underweight heavy exercising is not healthy. Moderate of Light exercise is okay if you are keeping your calorie count up.

the class is more like 45 minutes with some stretching and a warm up--i don't up the resistance too much so it's more like moderate cycling than hard core spin...does this make a difference. the calorie estimation for light spin for 45 minutes is only 231 per hours, which is about 180 for 45 minutes, which is why i estimated 200 calorie increase. I prefer spin because it's low impact and jogging is harder for me. I'm doing it because i like it, not to burn calories, which is why i don't just jog or something.

Well, if that is that case then I would say it's okay. But I would keep it low resistance. Also, you wouldnt just have to make up the extra calories for the exercise, but also to increase your BMI. That is ALOT of calories. If you are 100% willing to commit to that, then go ahead. But if you slack off on your diet it won't go over so well.

I hope you make a smart choice!

thanks everyone..any other experiences with spin or maybe ellipticals, etc. when trying to gain weight?? what were thee benefits/detriments? did you eat back your calories? did it take longer to gain once you incorporated the exercise? what about your appetite? i feel like my appetite increased which is obviously good!! :) thanks, any comments are welcomed and appreciated!!

I can't speak for Lala.....but I'm pretty darn sure what she'd probably say.  It's the same thing I'd say.

Hard cardio while still recovering is not really advised.  But if you really really want to do it, you need to make sure you eat back ALL of your calories.  At minimum, it's going to be 400 calories...minimum.

Original Post by peaches0405:

I can't speak for Lala.....but I'm pretty darn sure what she'd probably say.  It's the same thing I'd say.

Hard cardio while still recovering is not really advised.  But if you really really want to do it, you need to make sure you eat back ALL of your calories.  At minimum, it's going to be 400 calories...minimum.

i understand that but it's not "hard cardio" by any means...you can adjust the resistance and I'm doing it for about 45 minutes not an hour as mentioned earlier. so, anyone who has experience in the area or advice!! please speak up!!

I used to take spin classes.  Unless you have a wussy teacher, it's no leisurely ride in the park.  It's fast, hard, and at the end of my 45 minutes I was literally ghasping and jelly-legged.  Maybe that was just my class though....

Google it.  I'm telling you.  It's a serious calorie burner.  And I stand by the fact that if you are recovering, there is no way that eating an extra 200 calories is going to be enough on the days that you spin.  You asked for advice, and here it is.

my point is not to be combative it's to hear from people who can related or have valuable advice. with spin the intensity and essentially calories burned are determined by the resistance and speed, both of which i have control over. since it's 45 minutes, i entered my info and it said that for light stationary biking you burn 231 calories in an hour, so for 45 minutes this would be less than 200. i'm not TRYING to undermine my weight gain efforts, that would be stupid. PEACHES i value your advice but try not to assume the worst and be so critical. i need support not condemnation. and by support i don't mean telling me what i want to hear, just understanding and unbiased advice [not that your advice was biased or completely off by any means]. thanks for the response :)

hi, ok, experience, here-

i only started to look normal and healthy once i stopped my daily walk/slow jog, thats it, no where near spin and ive taken it many times.

really, my suggestion-NO cardio, none.

all this denial is your ED talking, in MY opinion.

I wasn't allowed to do any exercise until I reached BMI 18.5. And then, I got 1 day of yoga (50 min, non-intensive), 1 day of weights (1 set of 10 reps on each muscle group), and 1 day for a walk (25 minutes).

the prospects are looking pretty grim for me to be successful incorporating spin while trying to gain. darn..any success stories anyone?

just as an update for you, because ive been speaking to my physio about when ill be able to start cardio exercise again (I cant wait to get back to sport, but for the right reasons)... she said that, when I reach a bmi of between 17.5 and 18, and am able to keep it above that for 3-4 months (meaning not drop my bmi, and either maintain or keep gaining), then I can introduce some proper cardio stuff. But the reason I have to keep it like that for a few months is they want my body to recover so that if I play contact sports I wont be fragile or at risk. It might be different with a spin class, coz its not contact.

Original Post by chrissy1988:

the prospects are looking pretty grim for me to be successful incorporating spin while trying to gain. darn..any success stories anyone?

No, because it is downright dangerous when you are underweight!

You want my 2c? Okay. I'll keep it short.

Stop exercising.

okay, i think that just about solves it. no more spin...pretty  simple i guess. *sigh* i wish there was someone with a success story but I guess wanting and being realistic are two very different things.