was i in starvation mode or am i just gaining weight?

for background, i restricted calories to around 1200/day for about three years.  originally i dropped about 30 pounds in about four months, and then i just maintained.  i did not really exercise at this time, and my weight stayed around 105 pounds.  slightly over a year ago i realized i needed to make a change, and i started working out a bit, while increasing calories.  fast forward to december, and i was running about forty minutes a day followed by a half hour weight training session six days a week, while eating around 1800-1900 calories a day.  my weight had also increased to around 114 pounds in the last year, but as it was mostly muscle, my shape did not change in any significant way. 

i'm now following hal higdon's intermediate level 15k training program, which has me running 3 miles twice a week, 4-6 miles one day a week, intervals one day, and a long run of between six and ten miles once a week.  i continue to do about a half hour's worth of strength training afterwards.  i was eating around 1900-2000 calories while doing this, until i bought a heart rate monitor which reflected i was burning significantly more than i thought i was.  i began eating back my calories burned during cardio, meaning i eat anywhere from 2100 calories on a light day (3 mile run) to 2500 calories on a heavy day (9 mile run). 

in the last week or so i've noticed that i'm definitely getting larger around the midsection, and i've had major problems with water retention - some days my legs are so swollen my calves feel tight and it's hard to walk, or even stand when the water pools in my feet.  if i sit down for too long i get deep ridges in my skin from the chair, etc.  i'm also experiencing sharp hunger pains, even with as much as i'm eating - usually during the night after i've already reached my target, or early in the morning before breakfast.

so what do i do?  was i in starvation mode and my body was holding onto the extra calories and i should just stick to me supposed maintenance level and wait for the weight to come back off when my body stabilizes?  or am i just eating too much and i should drop down a few hundred calories or so?

any suggestions would be very helpful.  i also want to make note of the fact that i'm not suffering from an eating disorder or disordered body image - i know i still look good and am very thin regardless of the weight gain, but as i do print modeling in order to pay for college, i need to maintain a certain weight and i can't afford to bounce around too much.  thank you guys for your comments.

How long have you been eating the extra because it just be water weight from extra carbs at first and your body being confused. I am a little confused but dropping 30 pounds in 4 months is very fast. It sounds like you may have dropped too low and now the weight gain is because you need it. Your training schedule makes it so you need adequate calories or you will risk injury so on.

i've been eating the extra for about three weeks now.  and thirty pounds in four months is very fast, but that was about five years ago, so i'm not too concerned about that.  i don't really need to gain any weight - i am small for my height, but i've always had a small frame and the additional weight at that time was due to medication that i had been on.  i know my training schedule means i need a good amount of calories, but i'm not certain as to whether i'm intaking slightly over, hence the weight gain, or had been too far under.  thanks for your reply, i really appreciate it!

How tall are you and how old are you?

5'6" and 23

Your BMI makes you underweight. The physical dangers that come with being underweight are numerous. You put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, of loss of fertility if you lose your period, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common in undereaters, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

CC's tools determine you burn 2300 calories on a regular day. As such, you're not really undereating for your needs as far as I can see, but your body seems to finally be catching up from the starvation you put it through before. Perhaps you should give yourself some rest - a week off and of consuming 2500 calories - the sedentary minimum for a weight gaining female - to get yourself to a healthier weight. For more info: The Aim is to Gain: Advice on Weight Gain, Whatever Your Reason

I would expect the retention you see may be caused from working your muscles.

Underweight? That's a little extreme...
If she weighs 114, she's technically only underweight by a pound.

i really don't feel that i'm underweight - i have a small frame, but i've never lost my period,  never had heart problems, hair loss, low blood pressure, anemia, thyroid disorders, anything like that, and i don't feel that i'm effected mentally by any of it.  this is the first time anything really strange has happened, but i'm not sure if my body is finally catching up belatedly to the three years of restriction, or if i'm undereating for my needs now, or if i'm simply burning less than i assume... and why i'm so insanely hungry despite having increased my calories, and not having been hungry on a lower caloric level.  i'm guessing when you say the retention may be from working your muscles you mean water/glycogen retention? 

My concern is that you lost a lot of weight quickly. 30 pounds in 4 months when not extremly overweight to begin with is not a very healthy manner I would think.Water retention can be from working out or from increased carbs/calories until your body adjusts. If you are always hungry then to me you need to look at your diet and see if you are not eating enough or if you are working out too much or a combo.

i don't know that i even lost a lot of weight that quickly - i'm definitely not trying to be difficult, and i truly appreciate everyone's responses but thirty pounds in four months equates to about two pounds a week, which to my knowledge is about what you should aim for?  and that was five years ago, i find it sort of hard to believe that my body is still catching up after that weight loss, i suppose i'm more concerned about the prolonged calorie restriction, and i think more concerning than that to me is that my calories were probably without my knowledge about three or four hundred below maintenance level for about five or six months, and now that i'm eating up to what should supposedly be maintenance level, i'm gaining and having a lot of difficulty with very severe water retention.  i guess my question is is that normal and have other people experienced this and seen it level out, or is it more likely that my maintenance is lower than what calculators suggest it is/eating my sedentary burn plus what my hrm suggests i burn during cardio exercise?  does that clarify/make more sense?

How do your hair and nails look?  If hair is getting thin/dull and nails are brittle, you may have a vitamin deficincy.  Are you carbing up?  Might not be getting enough protein, fruits, veggies and dairy.  A multi vitamin and extra calcium supplement are always advisable.  Studies found little difference between the expensive and walmart store brands by the way.  You might want to have your body fat measured, you are awefully small...may not be in a healthy range for that.  Add stretching to your running routine and a weekly yoga class.  Do you have a normal period?  You might be over training and too thin- amenorea.  A physical by a doctor would really be suggested.  The water retention can be a number of things, you need to get checked out especially since it's painful it could be serious. 

i can't really tell with my hair because i believe in dying it repetitively (oops!), but my nails are defintiely getting brittle and breaking off for the first time in my life, so that's a good point and suggested reason that i didn't even consider.   and my period has recently actually gotten extremely heavy, but very short (it lasts about two days) - is that comprable to a normal length period that's very thin or not really?  i'll definitely get my body fat checked and visit my doctor, working in a multivitamin/calcium supplement, and the yoga class is a good idea.  thank you, i appreciate it!

Hello!  Lots of good suggestions.  I would probably mention something that I had done almost 2 years ago, and that will take ALL of your guess-work out of this.  Two summers ago I went to visit a nutritionist.  I scheduled a metabolism/calorie-burning test with her.  I can't really think of what it is specifically called, but it is a breathing test that measures EXACTLY how many calories you burn while at-rest.  And it is specific to YOU, and you alone.  How cool is that?  I had a talk with the nutritionist when the test was done (it takes about 20 minutes of sitting VERY still and breathing into this tube), and she would tell me how many calories to eat when very active (running, biking), and how far not to drop down to.  The test prints out, and it even gives a range as to what percentile your specific metabolism is compared to other females in your age-range.  I would recommend perhaps looking-up a nutritionist that offers this test, and perhaps having one done.  In any regard, I think it will specifically address your concerns with what you're burning and what you need to be taking-in. :)  Let us know what happens!