Anorexia and weight gain?

Question

Being anorexic makes your BMR slower. that is, your body takes less calories to operate while your not doing anything, (just sitting etc.) then it normally would. So after recovery, let's say an anorexic is over their disorder, would they gain excessive weight even if they just eat normal?

Answer 1

I've found that a lot of people I know that have had eating disorders do put on weight after they start eating. But I think thats mostly because they don't know how to properly keep weight off. As long as the person knows what to eat, when to eat, and excersizes they won't put on the extra weight.  

Answer 2

haha funny you would ask this question i just got out of the hospital yesterday for anorexic and my doctors are regulatoraly checking so i keep at a perfect weight and not over..and i just eat what my body needs for calorie im not gain a ton like just slowly and healthy and i don't have to eat gresey foods just normal

Answer 3

I don't ever think an anorexic is completely "over" their disorder, it's there always.

and it's not something that anyone should want to get involved in.

Answer 4

HI there,

It's a great question. The short answer is yes, and it's good insight to understand on your part, in the short term they might have a hard time (it depends on how you define "excessive"). But this situation is temporary, and very quickly the body will balance out again.

I wasn't Anorexia (I don't think), but years ago I would only eat 400-600 calories a day and ran 8 miles a day in order to lose weight. While it worked for weight loss, I found it really hard to eat lke a "normal person" afterwards without freaking out about the weight gain (due to sustained starvation mode - and my body hanging onto everything I ate) when trying to transition to maintaining my weight.  

Really it's a mental struggle. An obstacle. If you can get through that period, your body WILL balance out.

The other thing to remember is that Anorexia is a disease, and it does not define you (there  is so much more to who you are). And this disease-part of you will try to trick you into remaining in the disease out of fear. The stronger, most genuine part of who you are must be able to distiguish the voice of the disease which seeks only to keep you sick. Fears like excessive weight gain can keep you in the throws of the disease.

Trust that your body will balance out even if it did hold on to some weight initially... keep your eye on the long term goal, and less on the short term.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I suffered from anorexia for 11 years, but am luckily healthy again now.

I am a very sporty & active person, so I use a lot of energy. I consume 2200 kcals per day now and I am NOT fat. Actually I am still below the recommended weight and I have been eating completely normal for the past 2 1/2 years. Of course I gined weight, but not rapidly at all. It was all very controlled and therefore did not scare me. Your metabolism will adjust if you exercise at the same time. Please increase your intake slowly so that the weight gain does not scare you. But don't stick to a low calorie diet. You need the nutrients and at some point you will regret it and definitely feel the consequences. Even though I feel very healthy again my periods never came back (I haven't had one for alomost 10 years) and the longterm effects are shocking.

Now that I am eating well I am a completely different person and enjoy life like I never have before. I personally can't understand why this happened and would never want to go back again.