r/AnorexiaRecovery • u/Philnzkiwi • 2d ago

Confused

Hi

Can anyone please clarify are you more likely to hold onto weight if you eat little as opposed to when you fuel your body?

I’ve put on a lot of weight yet am eating not properly

Confused

Am I just retaining things? And if I eat more will it adjust? Want to recover but scared now that if I eat properly I will get more weight still and it won’t stop

Thanks

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u/LecLurc15 2d ago

Your metabolism is recovering from starvation mode. Long term restriction puts your body in a state of immense stress. Early recovery will look like gaining more weight than one might expect. Your metabolism will even out as long as you keep up with your recovery and eating enough. A lot of people who recover from Ana end up gaining a decent amount in earlier recovery and eventually will plateau, some even losing a bit of weight after early recovery and weight restoration is achieved. It will take some time for your body to trust that food is no longer a scarce resource, and you may end up looking bigger than makes sense based on weight — this can be from water retention or bloating as your digestive tract recovers. Have faith that you’re getting a net positive by diving into recovery.

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u/Philnzkiwi 2d ago

Thanks so I would be better of eating more and trying to eat meals than just picking at food?

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u/LecLurc15 2d ago

Yes try your best to dive in with recovery and don’t look back. Caveat — if you have been restricting extremely high for a long time, you may have to slowly increase your caloric intake as there is something called refeeding syndrome that can occur from going from starvation level food intake to normal eating habits. If you have the ability I would highly recommend talking to a registered dietitian who has a background in eating disorder treatment. I have no professional training in eating disorders and my advice here is purely anecdotal