weight gain in early recovery help!

hi im a female about 5'7' and i weigh six stone (85 pounds?) bmi 14

I have been in recovery for over a month now and am really unsure at what i should be eating and am really scared. i am struggling to eat as I am always full. I was slim before this anyway and a size 8.

can anybody in my similar situation or been through this give me any advice. I am always hungry but my stomach is full and bloated will not keep up. I eat about 1200 cals a day...should i increase this? Its not that I dont want to eat but is it safe?

is a drastic calorie intake safe at the start? im not excersising now so will this affect my muscle and fat ratio. what happened with everyone elses bodies. I am so lost and confused and need some help!

you HAVE TO eat more than 1200 calories if you want to gain and you desperately need to gain. your weight is so low that i would not be surprised if your heart was beating so slowly that any startle or physical activity could potentially stop your heart. you need to see a doctor. You should be eating AT LEAST 2500 calories to gain, you can do this in increments if you like, maybe 1600 for 3 days, then 1900 for 3 days, then 2200 then 2500. it is not unsafe to make the change in increments as indicated. at first, you will be extremely bloated and probably SUPER uncomfortable, but this is inevitable since you've been eating so little. You might look pregnant and feel disgusting, at least this is what happened to me, but the feeling goes away. I started getting more energy and I felt wonderful. I felt life come back into me, right now my body hasn't distributed the weight the way I would like it to because I have damaged my insides and now all of the energy i take in is being used to repair my vital organs, meaning more abdominal weight gain than i want. I know that in time it will fix itself but until then the best thing to do is to just let my body heal, meaning eat more calories consistently until my weight is in a healthy range. You are going to regret it  more in the long haul if you allow fear to stop you from making this change. Your weight is much too low to withstand any illness and you're essentially killing yourself. Being underweight is just as dangerous as being overweight, and i'm sure you're unhappy with being so small, at least that was the case for me. I felt disgusting, emaciated, and I didn't want anyone looking at me. I hated being watched while I ate, I hated being touched, and really i just wanted to be alone. This disease took my life from me, now I feel so much better. When I have a "fat day" where I'm bloated and uncomfortable I put on a sweater or jacket and call it a day. I move on. You can do this and if you need help, encouragement, support, have questions, please don't hesitate to message me. take care :)_

I want to have your attitude. I have been battling this anorexia and ednos for 25 years now back to anorexia and 5'4" 87-89 pounds fluctuates. I am tired of this at 39 years old and I look gross with loose skin and no muscle tone-not like when I was younger and did this. I am scared of most food groups but I want my 34 dd back and before this last round I weighed 127-132 and I have been as high as 185 which scares me.

Wow, I dont know how your weight got so low but considering your height you need to at least eat 2000 calories to just be healthy, but you are very underweight and should at least eat 2500 to gain some weight. If your stomach fills up to fast start choosing more energy dense foods such as granolas, cheeses, whole wheat muffins, fish, and dont be afraid to snack on high fat foods like nuts which are healthy for you, oatmeal cookies, etc. You should try to snack through out the day and drink juices and whole milk instead of water. Dont start excersising heavlily untill you have the energy for it. Weighing so little can put too much of a strain on you. You can do very light activity like taking walks but wait till youve gained more weight to do any weight lifting to build muscle or running. If theres a medical reason why you have lost so much weight you should consult with your doctor if theres a need to take weight gain and excersise at a slower pace than ive suggested. If you cant gain weight by yourself you NEED to seek medical help because the state your in is very unhealthy and life threatening. I hope you can accomplish this on your own and wish you the best of luck.

I would encourage you to go to the doctors for a physical because you are very underweight. I know with my nutritionist I was increasing every 2 days 200 calories. Right now I am aiming for over 3000 a day and in recovery many need more. Right now I don't think you should even think of activity because you are so underweight that it would be dangerous. Have you ever been in outpatient treatment?Anyhow to gain weight you are going to need to eat more then 1200 a day and you are going to feel full and bloated because your body is in a bad place and not used to having more food but it will get easier. Take care

1200 a day isn't helping you at all.  Listen to what is in the posts above mine, it contains some good advice.

thank you for all your advice. I just didnt realise it would be this hard.

It was not that I wanted to become an anorexic, it was that stress stopped me eating gradually and I found myself eating less and less and I drastically lost weight. Now I have the mind set of an anorexic and am scared Im going to get fat. But im so wanting to ge better and will do anything to get my old life back and beat what ana has taken away from me.

Im finding it difficult eat meat, is there any other way to get protein into my diet. I am seeing a cognetive therapist and a dietician but I havnt seen my dietician in 3 weeks and wont see her till wednesday which is why Im so clueless about my eating and need some help.

Im so scared but I definitly need to get over the fear...i will NOT let this beat me!

When I was put in hospital, they had me tube fed, and the first days were around 1600 calories (I was eating 600-1300 before), then straight 2500. Nothing bad happened to me except night sweats and heart pounding a few times, but I was monitored 24/7 by doctors and machines... And my BMI never dropped below 17.

And 1200 calories...oh god, you REALLY need to eat more! I know its very hard to fight the illusion you live in that you dont need calories or that they make you fat, but you really do need them to live, even if you were strapped in bed! I, personally, need over 3500 calories to gain weight, I am housebound and never do anything really. Im 15, female and 5'2, 95 lbs. You are a lot taller so you probably need even more.

You are so underweight you are in danger every minute. Please see your doctor, recovery is hard but you wont regret it!

Oh, and I too suffer from the meat-phobia! :S I have no problem eating 400 calories worth of cereal, but to think of a chicken breast or a meatball... I have cried because of it. Im a carb addict and dont like to "waste" my precious calories on protein, because I dont enjoy it that much. Luckily, thats not my decision anymore, I eat by my meal plan and no arguing about that...

Hi I am glad you are in treatment. I understand the mixed battle but if you stick with the ed you will just continue to loose more. I have done refeeding in the past and it is hard and scary but you need to push through those fears and it does get easier. As for meat I know for me when I added more protein and fat it took awhile to not feel icky because I was told it is harder to digest. I am not sure what you mean by meat if you mean all animal products or just red meat but things like eggs,turkey,chicken are easier to digest I feel then red meat. Also cottage cheese,peanut butter,yogurt,string cheese,veg products for protein. Try to eat every few hours too.Can you see if your nutritionist can get you in early? I hope she is informed about eds and ask her to set you up with a mp to follow so it takes the confusion out. That is your medicine. If you want an email buddy I am here too.

thanks abbi, im feeling strong most times but then I get scared about excessive weight gain but I really need to get healthy.

What do you mean by mp? yes she is, shes at the clinic I go to for therapy...although I dont like her all that much shes a bit negative. They count portions there instead of calories which I am finding very hard cos I know about calories. If they counted those then I would know whether Im eating enough or not. No shes on holiday untill then and there isnt another dietician...

I eat every three hours at the moment, its hard and frustrating when my brain is telling me im hungry but my stomach is so full and wont digest my food.I just wish I wasnt so scared and clueless, there totally isnt enough information on the net about the food aspect of it.

Thanks for talkig it really helps me keep positive!!

I am sorry mp is meal plan. I am working with exchanges and calories so to speak with my nutritionist. She would rather me do exchanges and me too but the calories are so ingraned that it is a transition and right now the most important is getting my cals up. I would tell your nutritionist what you stated here and how you are confused and can she lay something out in a more direct fashion. Have you thought about going inpatient? I just ask since you are so low and confused it may help you get to a better place and then to progress op. If not then I hope you can get your calories up and if you want an email refeeding buddy I am here just an email away

that would be great thank you, do you want my email addy?

ill give you an update.

I havnt gained any weight but I havnt lost any and they said im on about 1300 cals a day and i need to up it 300 so they might give me another suppliment drink. i think id rather eat it in peanut butter though lol.

Is not losing any meaning im getting enough cals to keep me stable but just not gain weight. Is this not a bit low to be stablising my weight at this point?? I thought I would need more than this just to keep me alive?? im so confused.

I am going through the same thing-refeeding and my nutritionist has me at 1350 per day. Sometimes I lose a little or stay the same. I want to be one of those people who need to eat 2000-2500 to gain.

Zopta this is the THIRD time I will tell you now: you CAN eat that much and gain. Ignore your nutritionist. Increase.

what do you mean lalabanana?

can you gain on 1350 do you mean, or are you telling her to increase her calories to gain?

what are your stats zopta? like weight height LW CW? how long have you been in recovery.

by the way people. is drinking with a meal helpful for digestion??

I have been trying recovery for 5 weeks and yes I am experienced-I am not someone in their 20's or a teen who can eat massive amounts. My stats are 5'4" and 87-89 pounds it varies. My lowest weight was 68 pounds. During other recovery times my weight went up to 185, 148,etc. and I am trying to avoid this.I do not think I need to worry about refeeding-that is why the nutritionist was going slow and especially since this has been a 25 year battle. I was always thrown into psych wards who did not address eating disorders head on especially nutrition.I was even left alone to eat in these places-near a garbage can. If I had insurance for a real clinic I would go.

I am 30 and have had my ed on and off for 14 years and back refeeding. I am sedentary due to other health complications non ed and regardless agree with other excercise and underweight don't mix but will still need way over 3000 a day. The high calorie diet is not only for weight gain but repair of tissues and organs that you have damaged. It takes a lot to heal. I am not one to say how much another person needs and of course one should follow the guidelines set for them. I will say I have seen many docs and often they can be clueless if not specialist in ed. To me when a person who is severely underweight is put on a 1300 calorie level other then for a very short few days while increasing that is a weight loss diet there is a problem.

Teck you can pm me and I will write you back. Your body right now has slowed down probably to keep you alive. The goal needs to be to gain when you have that low of a bmi not to stay the same. You are at risk of many health complications. I say this as a person who was in cardiac units a few times from her ed. It can happen to you and you don't want that. I understand you can't go right to high cal meal plan but steady increases are key or how can you get better?

Teck, I meant she needs to increase to gain. She has been losing on 1350 but refuses to increase even though her health is at risk.

I have decided to go back to my docs for blood work again and not do the nutritionist -can not afford. I have never been explained any of this stuff before and I want my life back-I did it before. I just want to do it right and not get up to  185, 145,etc. like I did before because now I have really loose skin. I do not want to become bulimic because I really do have a big appetite and have been doing 3 larger meals.Any meal plans would help-I do not eat red meat or nuts.

 thank-I am glad to have found you guys-my first accidentally support was pro-anorexia site. I had never heard of them before-very scary. I deleted my account there.thanks