Weight Gain

In about August last year I weighed 150 pounds, my highest ever weight which was due to an entire summer spent abroad. I then started to eat restrictively and exercise until I got down to 115 pounds which was in about December. Then, in January I decided to start eating normally again as I had lost my period and wanted it back. I went back and forth between restriction and normal eating. There was a period of about 3 weeks where I ate normally and now I weigh 145 pounds?! I shouldn't gain weight on the amount of calories I eat but I am? Ps I was never diagnosed with anorexia or anything. I would just like to know why I'm gaining so much weight

First of all, if you have a normal height, then 150 pounds is a very healthy and normal weight. Maybe it's your set point weight, and maybe it's not. That being said, overshooting the set point weight is very common when you have periods of restriction. This is because your metabolism slows down to save energy before the next "expected" famine. If you want your metabolism to return to normal you need to stop restricting (includes exercise and purging)! Try to eat at least 2500 kcal for a while until every single sign of starvation is gone, and then continue eating by hunger cues (which often should lead to somewhere around 2100-2700). If you don't have any signs of starvation, you can start directly with eating by hunger (as long as that leads you to a reasonable amount). By doing this, your metabolism will normalize and your weight will stabilize where it should be.

I wish you good luck

Hello. I'm 5"7. My period returned last month but not this month but I feel that is because I have been trying to restrict as much as possible even though I am probably eating quite a lot, maybe between 800-1400 calories. I also try and go to the gym for an hour a night. so even with eating the calories stated and exercising (I also walk to school every day which is about a half hour walk) I am still gaining weight? I don't find eating as big a problem anymore, I feel I have almost fully recovered but I just feel now that I am gaining weight that I don't deserve to eat breakfast or lunch? I also find I am constipated and there are days when my nails turn blue until I eat something and then I'm fine. Thank you so much for your reply, it was incredibly helpful

You do deserve to eat lunch and breakfast! And 800-1400 is not much! Actually, from all the stories I've heard, it's the most dangerous amount to eat, because it makes people believe that they still eat, but it is to little for your body to live on. This causes damage to the body and since people can "live" this way for years, it's very dangerous! Your high activity level in addition to this low amount makes your intake critically low. Please, you need to feed yourself more, or you'll end up with osteoporosis due to lack of hormones

I know you're afraid, but you have to make a choice: to battle your own body for the rest of your live, causing damage to both body and mind, or stop the war and try to play on the same team as your body. It only has one purpose in life: to help you get a long and healthy life. But it can't do that if you don't give it what it's asking for: food and rest.

Please write again if you need more support. Also check out the tumblr account if you haven't already: letsrecover.tumblr.com.

You suggested I eat to hunger queues which is what I tried and I usually skip breakfast or have a boiled egg (no yolk) and at lunch I usually just have a cup of soup because I find that fills me up? Even though soup isn't high in calories I feel satisfied whereas if I was to have a sandwich I still feel hungry after it and would want more? The same goes for dinner. If I eat a tiny amount such as a salad and some chicken then I feel full but if I have a big dinner with potatoes etc I still want more. I'm confused and not sure how much is too much because all my friends eat much smaller than the smallest meals I eat

You should not compare yourself with yoir friends. If the eat less than that, then the clearly have disordered eating behaviors. Because what you describe here is extremely little food! It's not even enough to feed a small child! I think the reason you get more hungry when you eat more is because you get more connected with your hunger when you are a bit less starved. A starved body will shut it self down and prepare for famine, but as soon as you give it some real food, then it gets like: "oh, is there finally food around? LET'S EAT NOW! " I also experienced this. I wasn't hungry when I ate less than 1000 kcal, but as soon as I increased above that, I got extreme hunger right away. It was very scary, but the only way of making it go away is by eating what you crave! More hunger is a sign that your metabolism is speeding up, and that's something you want right? So don't avoid eating real food and connect with your hunger, because that's a sign that your body is speeding up its processes again.