I hear ya. The thighs are rubbing more than I’m used to. I’m thinking that if I have to worry about the thigh-rubbage while wearing a dress, I will probably invest in some Spanx, or something like that.
I’m definitely having days where I think “when will this weight stop coming on”, but from reading some of the posts on the forum, it may be a long time. I’ve also noticed that more of the people on here are starting to relax more about the whole refeeding thing. When I first started, I thought I had to gorge myself. I actually got to the point where I didn’t want to even look at food. At the point I’m at now, I have no cravings for anything I used to crave. I pretty much only eat when I’m hungry now, rather than because I’m bored or craving something. I’m not going crazy on the junk food, but I’m not totally restricting myself either (I do try for organic/grass-fed/low PUFA, but I’m not always perfect). I’ve pretty much gotten to the point of not worrying about the types of food I eat, but I’ve always loved home cooking, fruits and veggies, so I’m not consuming too many over processed things.
I’ve noticed that I get tired easier during my workouts, but I just relax about it and not beat myself up about it. The beauty of callanetics is that it is gentle while still isolating the deep muscles. Because of this workout, my body is fairly toned for my size and the weight-gain is pretty evenly distributed. I try to look for the positive; I have a nice bubble butt now (which I’ve never had) and my boobs are the biggest they’ve ever been and the bf sure appreciates that as well. From reading some of the posts on here, I’ve decided that I don’t really want to leave this whole weight gain thing up to chance, so I’m going to start doing some bodyweight exercises. I think the biggest thing is to just listen to your body when it’s tired and be gentle with your body. Seven years ago I was hit by a car while crossing the road and I wasn’t allowed to exercise for two months afterwards, until the doctor gave me the green light. I had a fractured pelvis, so when I was able to do weights again, I started at the lowest weight possible and slowly increased the weight as my body was improving. I’d say it took me about 5 months to get back to the same strength I was at before my accident. I think this is the same in our case now. Just slowly increase your stamina and agility and don’t beat yourself up about the fact that your not at the same energy level that you were before you started. Remember, you are healing your body from stress. You’ll get there. I believe if I start doing some weights, I’ll see improvements with the PCOS (because increasing muscle mass helps with regulating blood sugar and blood sugar problems are what cause PCOS) and I’m thinking the weight will stabilize eventually and I’ll tone my body further. I’ve always looked my best when doing weights.
I’ve also looked at some photos of myself at my perceived ideal weight of 125 pounds, and I don’t look very sexy. When I was a teen, I always had a fuller face and a little fuller body at around 130 to 145 pounds and I thought I looked fat. I’m at 165 right now, but I still think I look sexier now than at 125. I’d say a sexy fat. I wish I had never started worrying about what I weighed, because 130 to 145 is where I look best and where I’m healthiest without worrying about what I eat.
I hope that you can find something to help you sleep, because I think you’ll really start seeing more benefits. I wish I had the answer for you (maybe try Adrenasmart rather than Adrenasense. Adrenasmart is produced by the original developer Lorna Vanderhaghe. I noticed a difference in my results when I changed from Estrosense to Estrosmart, as I believe the formulas may be different). I’m going to start meditating again to help with stressful thoughts and hopefully, by not stressing my body with too much exercise and too much worry about gaining weight, I’ll be able to see even more improvements (plus I’m in the process of improving my financial situation which is stressful in itself). One thing is for certain, though, this refeeding has totally eradicated my anxiety and feelings of panic. I suffered with that for two years and I’m sure my body needs to repair from that as well.
I think the magic happens when everything is balanced. Mind, body and spirit. Be kind to yourself and remember to listen to your body. As women, we are naturally intuitive but in order to connect to that intuition, we have to slow down and relax about life. Stop and smell the roses. I’m still learning this, but I’m getting better.
I wish you all the luck and I hope you find that balance :)