Sudden weight gain? Help.

I've been trying to gain and i seem to be gaining really really rapidly. Its so overwhelming.

I can see it on myself and the scale shows it. I'm so freaked out, even though i know im going the right thing, i dont want to get so freaked out that i begin restricting again.

Any Supportive words or advice.

I'm not allowed to exercise, though i sneak in walks...i dont know if im consuming to much for a gradual increase. Im taking in about 2000 calories.
I just feel so confused...

 btw, ive gained 6 lbs in the last week

It will depend on what your eating habits were before, and how much you weighed as to how fast weight comes on.

If you were eating in severe starvation ranges previously then your body would have greatly reduced its metabolic rate as it entered into a "starvation mode." So your daily calorie expenditure is both really low, and your body is storing everything you eat above it immediately as fat which adds up to a very fast fat gain.

However not all that weight will be fat. When you start eating lots again the volume of food inside you goes up, so that increases your weight, AND water weight goes up along with that as your body replenishes glycogen stores which are often depleted during starvation (body needs water to maintain glycogen stores).

Hopefully that explained it a little for you?

The most important thing is to keep eating lots of calories, because if you fall back then you'll never repair your bodies metabolism. ): ~!

thanks!

I really dont want my metablism screwed up forever! I want my life back.

Well prior to this "stick to it" recovory that i have devoted myself to, i want recently eating around 1300-1500.

any other support/advice.

I have experienced the same thing happening to me! I have gained 10 pounds in the last 2 weeks, (from 110 to 120 at 5'7"). It seems like a lot, but we need it!

Your metabolism will probably recover and your weight will stabalize.

Good luck! You are beautiful and you deserve to feel it!

I fully agree that your metabolism is more than likely trying to figure itself out and lets face it, your body has been forced to function on far too few calories in the past and as you probably know it needed to shut down a few non-essential functions to do so. Now that you're eating well (Good for you by the way. It takes a lot of courage and I'm proud of you) you're body may not be convinced that it can start to run normally again and may be storing the extra for the next time it feels deprived.

When I was your age (I'm 40 now) I  too had an ED - started by not eating, couldn't do that very well and so I moved to the binge and purge. Fortunately for me my parents found out and sent me to get help.

When I started eating normally again I hated my body because I gained so much weight. My body was at a point in which it didn't digest food on its own and I had to take enzyme pills to help me digest. And my weight gain, like yours, was quick and very disturbing. So I can fully appreciate where you are right now. Counseling, mild antidepressants and knowing that I was at risk of serious bodily harm kept me moving forward. By 18 I had kicked the habit -- but like any addiction the feelings come back. I slipped up a few times in college, and after.  I'm finally healthy, but it's been difficult.

What I'm trying to say is two things: first, I found that I was most at risk when I tried to handle the feelings (they can be overwhelming) alone. As soon as I told someone that I was having trouble, the power of the whole disease weakened and I was stronger at finding alternative ways to deal with it;  second, it's a long road and you need to be careful because an ED doesn't just go away because you stop the behavior. It can take years. Heck, it's been over 10 years since I've succumb to the temptation to purge when I think I've eaten too much or am disappointed in myself but perhaps only 6-8 years that the temptation isn't right around the corner.

The upside is that the weight you are gaining right now will even itself out and your body and metabolism will begin to function normally. The other upside is that you have the chance to correct the destruction now and before serious damage occurs. As I said before, I'm proud of you. For taking care of yourself. For asking for help. For your commitment to heal.

My heart is with you.

it's my weigh day today (i'm recovering from anorexia) and i have gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks, and i am so disappointed. my psychiatrist didn't expect me to have gained that much weight... i'm pretty irritated since this is the first 'weigh day' into my recovery. i've been eating about 900 calories per day for 2 weeks, when before i was eating 200-400 per day. it scares me that i'll just keep piling on the weight and that it won't level out....! ahhh, i feel ur pain babe! xx

I feel your pain right now! It really is overwhelming but I made a list of all the reasons I need to gain weight (physically, mentally, et c) and try and look at that for inspiration. Also, I try and tell myself that anorexia is not sexy and everyone liked me with a bit more weight on my bones. I'm sure your friends have said/feel the same. So I just try and tell myself that I'm looking hot :). Everyone wants to see you healthy so good luck!

I think a lot of that 6 pounds might actually just be water weight. If you think about it...it takes 3,500 calories to gain a pound of fat-and that's 3,500 extra calories in addition to what your body burns off. So to gain 6 pounds you would need to consume 21,000 calories plus your maintenance calories. You were eating 2,000 calories for 7 days...that's 14,000 calories. So even if your metabolism was completely shot and you were burning NO calories at all (which isn't possible), you still couldn't gain 6 pounds of fat in a week.

I know gaining weight is scary...I myself freak out all the time when I see the scale go up. But you have to keep a logical mindset and know that body weight flucuates a great deal from day to day depending on the time of day, what you are wearing, when you last ate, how much you drank, when you last went to the bathroom, whether it's TTOM, and so much more.

About water weight, does it go away (so to speak) after a certain amount of time? Just unsure about how much I really have gained and how I know if that number isn't just water weight.

thats a great question toridl, i was wondering the same

if you have lost weight by starving yourself

keep your calorie intake at 2000, you will gain weight for a bit, but not for too long

it'll level out, just chill out and accept it, then lower your calorie intake properly and you will lose it again OR alternatively just take up excercise or both

dont undereat it's bad for you