About Joanne Expertise I am a medical student and have suffered from anorexia and bulimia myself, I am willing to answer questions based on my own experiences. My advice, however, should not be used as a substitute for that of a qualified medical professional.
Experience I suffered from anorexia from the age of about 10. By the age of 13 I was suffering from bulimia. Now after 10 years of suffering from an eating disorder, I feel that I can say that I'm well on my way with recovery and would just like to be able to share what I have learned with those in similar situations!
Question QUESTION: Hi Holly,
i've lost about 15 kg in a year and reached a minimum of 32kg 3 months ago bef i decided i wan to get better and out of this ED crap. i'm eating about 1500 kcals now but i'm gaining weight super fast, i went from 32 kg to 38 kg within a week, thats like a 6 kg gain in 7 days with normal eatin. i'm gettin scared and i dunno if i should start restrictin again but it seems like i will continue to gain and end up overweight? i dun wan to be like tha past when i'm really fat and now i'm 36kg, its weird, i can be 38kg in one day then the next i'm 35 then it fluctuates whether i eat anything. i know i'm stillunderweight but i'm so scared of crossing the 40 kg mark abd then not bein able to stop the weight increase. i am so tempted to get back into my ED mode and start eating only yoghurts and apples but i know i cannot live this way foreva since i really love to eat! could you advise me on a sensible diet plan that could let me reach a healthier weight and how to maintain it and prevent myself from goin back to 50kg, my pre-ana weight> i'm a recovering ana and struggling so badly...its lk overrestrictin and then bingin a lil...maybe tts the weight gain?
i read somwhere that the body tries to store what it can now that i am introducing food back into my body but after it realised that it receives food it will stop holding back and i will lose a bit of weight and then maintainance would began...is it true/
thanks soso much i have no one to turn to already...
ANSWER: What you have read is true! When you restrict, your metabolism slows so that your body can survive on as few calories as possible. When you start feeding your body regularly, it recognises this and then your metabolism will begin to recover and will speed up, allowing you to burn more calories. In time your weight will stop increasing and may even decrease before stabilising.
Huge flucuations in weight can be due to water retention, which can be a problem when you first begin to eat again - especially as you most likely are taking in more salts.
I really can't advice you on a healthy diet plan, and would rather you made an appointment with your Dr to try and get a referral to a nutritionist.
All the best
Holly
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi holly
thanks again for your reply. its a lot of help.
i have a few last qns... about how long of eating do i have to maintain b4 i can reach a stabilized weight? i know this is diff for diff ppl...
also, this is regarding weight allocation...my arms and legs are growing bigger now but it seems my tummy is startin to poooch out too..like bloated...i dunno y? will i eventually go back to the shape i was in the past or will it all change? weight redistribution?
also i would like to know for foods, will eating an all protein diet help in weight loss? i know proteins has 4 cal per gram but wun the excess get deaminated? thats what we learn in sch so the body doesnt store them?
thanks!
Answer Unfortunately, it is impossible to say how long it will take to reach a stable weight, as I can't say how long it will take for your metabolism to recover.
Your body should return to the way it was more or less. When you lose weight, you don't lose fat cells, they simply shrink, 'empty' even, so when you put weight back on, these cells just return to the way they were, or similar - so your arms and legs seeming bigger may just be those cells storing fat first.
I keep writing fat, and I know that it is hard to see and hear, but please believe me when I say that your body needs fat to function properly and keep you warm.
A protein diet can be good when trying to build muscle and stay lean, but there are health risks associated with high protein diets. High protein foods can also be high in fat, leading you to increase your cholesterol levels, putting you at risk or heart disease. Many on high protein diets also tend to cut out fruit, veg and complex carbohydrates, which are needed to have a healthy diet.
Some high protein diets do include fruit, veg, wholegrains, etc and these are the ones that you should aim to follow if you want to continue with this, just please research it carefully first!
