AboutMeg Expertise I am recovinging from about nine years with my eating disorder and while I am not a psychologist, I`ve accumulated a good deal of knowlege about eating disorders as well as my own experience over this time. I`ve mainly struggled with anorexia, but have definitely had times where I have engaged in bulimic behaviors as well. I also struggle with over exercising, but am about to be certified as a personal trainer and have learned moderation as well as how to treat my body well so it can perform at it`s best. I promise to give an honest answer to anything asked, and I want to say that while it is a long, scary road---it is possible to get free of this and it is so important to keep on taking little steps and knowing that you are not alone.
Experience Sufferer for nine plus years. Also, my Mom has strugged with this issue- as have others in her side of the family.
Question Hello, I have a question about my metabolism, and while I know that there is not a lot of information on the subject, I need to ask (because I am pretty depressed right now)
I was an overweight child who got little exercise. Then, one day I started severly restricting and over exercising. This went on for five years. I got down to about 110 lb. During the first year, it worked great. Then, I started gaining weight back even though I was exercising more and more and eating less and less. The next four years were a losing battle, my weight steadily climbing while I did nothing. When I did try to recover the first time, I gained weight even more rapidly (and then I started restricting again, and couldn't lose the weight). So I finally hit bottom and realized that if I starved I gained weight anyway, so why starve?
So I am on my second time recovering and I have been for about a month or two. My problem is that I can not stop gaining weight. I passed the average mark and am now about five pounds overweight, and it doesn't even stop there.
I am 5'6" and 156-160 lb. I have my period again (I lost it for about four of those years).
I know all about diet and exercise and I can rightfully say that I am a saint. I eat 5-6 small meals a day while getting the right amount of lean protein, good fat, and complex carbohydrates, along with plenty of fruits and veggies. I exercise every day (at least walking), I pump iron every other day for an hour, and I do 40 min-1 hr of cardio every other day. I never eat sugar or fast food.
The only wierd eating habit I still have is that I eat breakfast at midnight. I eat around 1500 cal a day now, I ate 200 cal a day at the lowest (even though I was at 150 lb at that time!!)
Honestly, I am at my wits end, I have seen a nutritionist (they tell me what I already know), I have trained with a personal trainer. Yet I continue to gain weight.
What I can't stand is that everybody thinks that I must binge or eat too much to be that weight, and it makes it hard for me because it is like they are encouraging me to start starving myself again.
What I am asking is, have you ever heard of a case like mine? How long will it take to get my metabolism back to normal (how long did it take you)? HOW can I get it back to normal?
Any help would be much appreciated, I don't think I can continue on like this.
Thank you
Answer Hi Alex,
I am so sorry that you are dealing with this and I can totally understand how you would be frusterated. It does sound like you are doing everything "right" and have done your homework in terms of the correct ways to get ones metabolism back in check.
I have definitely heard of people's metabolisms taking some time to get back to normal and even in my case, its taken years and I am still not sure that its totally normal. And, I know how incredibly difficult it can be to go from being sick and getting all that attention (albeit unhealthy attention) for being underweight and then being "normal" and how that feels. Honestly, while it might not be too much consulation, at least know that you are not alone in dealing with this.
First of all, I would recommend giving your body consistancy. Since you are only 2 months or so into your second try at recovery, your body is proably still "confused" and could be holding onto your calories for that reason. While this advice is going to be counter to everything that your ED involved, I would highly suggest working on just recovering and putting your focus on other things than your weight right now. I *know* this is a terrifying notion for most girls who have had eating disorders (myself included-when I was recovering)...but, the key is to let your body get comfortable and functioning again with consitancy before even starting to deal with the metabolism stuff.
Here are some other things that may work (or are at least worth a try). I know that you've consulted with a nutritionist and trainer, but have you had a thyroid test yet? Its possible that might be what is going on, and especially as you are doing all the right stuff. Secondly, maybe try mixing up your food and eating different stuff than you're used to. Sometimes, switching things up and can help get your body out of a rut. Also, have you had your body composition tested? It is possible that you have a higher ratio of lean muscle which will always weigh more but actually makes you look leaner (and I know, you may *feel* like you don't have lean muscle but most likely at this point of recovery, you are not seeing yourself accurately at all).
Also, 1500 calories is probably not enough to let your body recover. Since you are exercising and training quite a lot, your body might still be in starvation mode at that level and you might want to try upping your calories to 1800 or 2000 for awhile to see if that helps. Sometimes, eating more can actually help you lose weight (I know, this sounds crazy, especially when you are emerging from an eating disorder). Finally, maybe try tracking what you're eating and then analyze that there is nothing that is adding up or causing you to get more calories than you think. If there isn't (and there probably isn't, as we eating disorered folk do know our calorie levels and tend to be pretty good at this estimation), then use your food log to find how your body might be in a rut and then switch things up (*note, I don't mean eating less calories, you should never go below 1500 again) but like eating more protein sometimes and then the next week eating more carbs and lower fat and then the next week trying vegeterian, and so on.
Hopefully some of these tips help and please let me know how it goes and if you need any more.
As far as people thinking that you're eating a lot and encouraging you to starve yourself, this is really unfortunate and its a shame that SO many people are so uneducated about ED's. I've had similar conversations that left me feeling really crappy, but in the end you have to look at your overall objective (which hopefully is being healthy and having a happy and full live in which you can realize your dreams, find love or whatever it is that YOU want). And, even when people make stupid comments, you know that you are taking actions to make what you need to happen happen.
Stay strong and please let me know how you're doing.
