been taking all your advice but tonight im feeling funny about it

so i upped my cals like you all said in order to rev my metabolism and get out of starvation mode.  i made the mistake of weighing myself this morning.  well i went from 300 to 600 to 900 to 1000 to now about 1300 cals a day (still under the 1800 i am asked to do) and in 3 days gained 3 lbs.

im sure its water bc i know 3500 cals over makes a lb.  but what if my metabolism is so messed up that i gain on 1200 or so or even below.  is this possible?  how do i stop it?  im getting hungrier the more i eat so i would like to keep increasing cals but not if i am gonna gain so much.  i was only trying to do 1 lb a week.

someone calm my silly fears.

Hi,

Had to reply as I am in a similar situation. I am 5ft 6 and weighed 76 pounds and was told to increase my cals and gain weight or be hospitalised. I was eating about 1000 - 1200 cals a day. About four weeks ago I jumped from that number to 1800 and now I'm averaging about 2000 - 2100. At the end of the first two weeks I had gained 6 pounds, I was horrified as this was way way too fast for me, but at about two and a half to three weeks I saw my ankles again and yes this weight was just WATER WEIGHT. Since taking in 1800 I have been gainning a 1pound to 1.5 a week. The more I eat the hungrier I find myself and now I know I could easily take in waaaay more food, although I am struggling with this at the moment as my t and n are happy at my weight gains at 2000, now that I want to eat, I wanted to be told that I could take in 3000cals like some others do just to gain weight!

Sorry for the long rant but what I really want to say is that the weight gain at first is just water weight and that the weight you will start to gain is just from your organs expanding. Our bodies are also very clever and naturally your body will hold on to the cals as it is scared that it will go into starvation mode again, as you gain more weight this will ease off and the cals will be used for energy!! You will also have to keep increasing your cal intake when this happens as you will need more just to gain. I once read a post that said "if your gainning on x amount why the heck not increase your intake and enjoy yourself" this is what I remind myself of everyday...also when I'm stuggling I think about having to start again from square one and that scares me. Oh and another help for me is setting rewards, for example when I get to x amount I will get a manicure or I will get my hair done. Something for me that is not food related!

Hope my ramblings have helped a little! Keep going, you can do this!

You will gain a lot of water at first.  Don't step on the scale for a few weeks.

But your metabolism will recover.  It is impossible for it to be ruined permanently.  There was a famous starvation study in which Keyes 'starved' men for 6 months and then brought them back up calorically.  All lost extreme weight, and then regained the weight in the weight gaining period, although it took awhile for their bodies to recover.  But by 6 months after weight regain, they were back to their old weights and hormonally fine.

i hope so.  thanks. keep you updated.

Original Post by danamichael:

so i upped my cals like you all said in order to rev my metabolism and get out of starvation mode. ... in 3 days gained 3 lbs.

 

 Your metabolism doesn't rev up until you actually feed it normal+ amounts, plus get to a healthier weight.

 Even at 1800 calories, which seems like a lot to you, you're not at what is truly a "Lot" or the extras [beyond normal] that it would need if it was working normally.

In other words, even when 1800 seems like a lot and is progress compared to where you've come from, physiologically it's still sending "diet level" signals to your body and metabolism that lead it to get better and better at making ever calorie stretch a loooooooooooooong ways.

If you keep moving forward you can get there--but you have to keep adding the calories and the weight before you get the rebound.

i cant seem to move past 1300.... help!  i need strength.  i want to do this right and be able to have more.  but i am gaining on 1300... ahh.  ok.  did anyone else have this problem at first?

DANA-i agree, recovery is very very hard, psychologically and physically, but think of youre future and your health.  there is a thread a few posts down, "gaining or 2500 ..." i suggest reading it.

good luck

thanks agruskin... your'e always so helpful.. i feel like a pain in everyone's side.  i just read it and im still confused.  its diff for everyone it seems.  some gain on low cals some on high so how do i know which one i am? also is it bad that i seem to get my guts at night and eat the most cals then?

to be blunt, a gain is a gain, you might as well eat as much as you can and gain and be happy, rather than gain on a little and stil be hungry or malnoursiehed.  either way, 1300 is way too little, if youre trying to lose or maintain, is not enough, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOURE TRYING TO GAIN.  id say you might as well eat as much as you can, yes a history of binging you said, but you have the control, you want to gain and recover, i say eat.

i do want to gain but not binge and i want to gain slowly and healthy ya know.  how did you do it?  i mean the fact is at 1300 i AM gaining...

im 25, i was gaining at 2000, i finally said screw it a few days ago and went to 2500.  im not weighing myself b either way i want to gain, ill wait 2 weeks to see my progress.  im sick of this ED crap, the sooner i gain the beeter, i want life and health.  once i gain and reach a healthier weight, then ill see what comes next.  youre gaining on 1300, thats bc your body is clinging to food bc its starving, it needs more, youre gaining on that amount and clearly not happy about it, 2000 is maintenace for many, you need to eat more than that to recover.  its like a pulling off a band aid, the soonerthe better, just do it!

you are so strong.  i feel like a baby and i am 27!  thank you for being patient with me.  i hope if i need a pep talk again you'll be around:)