Expert: Joanne - 7/18/2006

Question
Hi Holly. I'm 15 years old and I have just recently begun
treatment for anorexia. I had my ED for a little over a year, and
at my lowest I dropped down to 100 lbs, standing 5'7". That was
about two weeks ago. I have since been eating more and trying
to gain weight. In the past week, however, i gained 7 pounds!
that seems like an awful lot to gain in such a short amount of
time, when my caloric intake isn't extremely high (it is usually
around 2000 calories now that I'm seeing a nutritionist). is that
weight mostly water? will my weight continue to sky rocket?!?! it
makes me very nervous to see the numbers piling on so fast! i
would be much more comfortable with slower gains of a pound
or two a week! i mean i don't feel like i can even attempt to add
any of my "fear foods" back into my diet because i'm gaining so
much without them! please help set my mind at ease!!!

Answer
There is a good chance that it is just water weight.  Everything you eat contains water as well as what you are drinking which means that there will be a lot of water around.

There is the chance that this isn't water weight, but your weight won't rise as quickly as this all the time.  If you have only just started eating 2000 calories, it will take your body a while to get used to this food and needs to adjust your metabolism.  It is completely normal for someone starting in recovery to gain quickly in the first few weeks, but this soon settles down when your body has replenished all its stores that it depleted when it wasn't receving the nutrition that it needed.

Don't worry, this will sort itself out.  Don't be scared to eat because of this.  You will be on this meal plan (I'm guessing!) just until you are back at a healthy weight, after that, your meal plan will most likely be reviewed and will make sure that maintain a healthy normal weight and not become overweight!

If this is a real fear, I think that you should bring it up with your nutritionist or therapist and see what they suggest, but I reckon that they will tell you that this is only short-term and your body will soon be able to deal with the calories!

If you need someone to talk to, or have any other questions, please feel free to some back!

All the best
Holly