Hi everyone, I am new to this site but not new to eating disorders! I have had really disordered eating habits since as long as I can remember, but it has progressed to anorexia and compulsive exercising/exercise bulimia for the past seven years or so. About six months ago, I hit a wall when I realized I had been eating [very few] calories a day and exercising 9 hours a week for the past year and was starting to GAIN weight. So I started working with a nutritionist on gradually increasing my calorie intake... at first, I actually started losing weight! But now I [eat] a very balanced amount of carbs, fat, protein, and I have been steadily gaining weight for the past three months and have gone up [several sizes] and I don't even know how many pounds! I was not underweight when I started increasing my intake, due to the metabolic shutdown, so I actually didn't NEEd to gain at that point. My nutritionist says that I should be eating around [removed] calories due to the 10 hours a week I now exercise (weight training plus intense cardio on machines, spinning, step, and kickboxing), but I'm having trouble finding the motivation to continue eating when I've just been gaining so much weight... and have honestly felt MORE exhausted and weak and ill since I've eaten more! I don't want to name my actual weight/height because I don't want to trigger anyone, but I had it confirmed that I am now overweight, and my body fat percentage has increased, so my feelings are not just body distortion. Did anyone else experience this, and if so, what helped you? Thanks for listening.

Hi, Iv been struggling with anorexia for about four years now and I am turning 21 in about an month. I too experiences what your going through now about two years ago. I was severely underweight and saw a specialist about it. She put me on a program as well, inceasing my calories and fat and actually not allowing me to excersice. I was pretty much bedriden for about a month until I gained [weight]. Now I am more, still slightly underweight but better and I find I cant loose any weight anymore, no matter what I do. I know I shouldnt be trying to loose weight or anything but it seems Im having the same issue as you. My metabalism was somehow damaged I think and is in constant remission.
I can totally relate to how you are feeling as well. When I had to gain [weight] and couldnt excerise, it was the scariest thing I ever went though. I hope mabye with time and with your counceler you can do whatever changes to your diet that is needed to help you feel your best. Mabye staying at your current calorie [removed] would be best for you, [removed] is a lot to handle. But I am no doctor as well...but know what they say and stuff lol.. Talk to her about it, tell you how you feel, and this isnt working for you the way you intended it too.
Hope this helps at all?...Let me know how things go, good luck with everything!

I'm sorry but I don't have any advice for you because I am in a somewhat similiar situation. My metabolism has shutdown due to my body getting used to such a low amount of calories. I tried increasing a little in hope to jump start it a little but have been gaining. I'm still underweight and still at a low amount of calories but totally freaked because of the weightgain. I want to eat normal but I'm petrified since I'm gaining on so little as it as. I'm also more exhausted, tired and feel sick since increasing. It frustrates me. I have never in my life been overweight. I've always been average/a little underweight, had a great metabolism ate a lot but healthy foods and never exercised now I think I've screwed up things forever (and I've only had an ED for a little over a year). I just keep thinking....what the hell have a done to myself?

Please call your attention to the sticky post at the top of this Board: "Avoiding Triggers".

i have been dealing with disordered eating for the past 2 or 3 years. looking at me, you'd never know. i believe i am now considered obese according to my BMI!!! i am continually gaining weight even though i'm eating a pretty balanced diet and exercising 3 times a week.

i'm so devistated. everyone used to tell me i was so hot a year or two ago (they didn't know i was having issues). now i just feel frumpy and weighed down. i'm also way low on energy. that could be due to other medications, but i can't be sure.

anyway, i'm struggling with the same metabolism issue y'all are. i would really like some advise as well. just wanted to let you know that i can relate...

i hope metabolism gets back in gear for all of us.

I assume you've had a thorough physical recently, including thyroid tests?

Otherwise, I think yes, your metabolism is probably messed up. A doctor or nutritionist (or specialist) could tell you what to do, I guess.

And - are you eating enough to increase your metabolism? If you're eating too little, your body will remain in starvation mode.

How uncomfortable this must be for you. I hope you find an answer soon.

what exactly is starvation mode? you'd think after having this disease so long i'd understand, but don't. why do they say it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound when i dont even meet my daily needs and gain?? and how does a person ever get to eat normal again without gaining massive amounts of weight???

I SO know exactly what you're going through. I dealt with anorexia for 5 1/2 years, before starting to recover when I was a freshman in college. Yes, I gained a lot of weight too. I went from being the stickly little girl to ... well ... pretty overweight.

I know how hard it is, but struggling with anorexia for an extended period of time slows down the metabolism. At this point, the hardest thing not to do is relapse. That is what happened to me ... I thought I could fix it all by purging. Believe me ... it did NOT fix it all, so I beg all of you not to go this route! Instead I yo-yo'd second semester freshman year, and all of sophomore year! I would go from being thin to overweight (and vice versa) in a week!

I had a few wake up calls at the beginning of my junior year in college ... and my boyfriend and two best friends were as amazing and supportive as anyone could get. Well, it took awhile, but eventually my metabolism regulated out. I am actually petite (not skinny though) again. (And another reason not to go the route I did ... I now have permanent health problems resulting from my illness.)

The moral of the story: as much as we all hate it, weight gain is a part of recovery. And there's a chance that you will gain more than you want to. However, if you wait it out, your metabolism should regulate out. And you will be back to you beautiful, natural, fabulous self!

starvation mood is when your body pretty much thinks its dying it knows its not getting enough food and so when you do eat it snatches up what it can and stores it in your body as it doesnt know when the next proper meal will be its a very basic survival skill our bodies have...so when we dont eat enough our bodies automatically go into starvation mood and when we do eat it does store it for awhile but the more regular your meals become etc will retrain your body to understanding that this will be a regular process again and stop storing..my doc said to me you will gain weight at first due to this and fluid retention as 99% of ED suffers are serverly dehydrated so they retain alot of fluid weight at first but it will balance out maybe even drop a little again...this stage will pass its just your bodies been starving for so long it needs to see that it will be fed again :)