- This topic has 13 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 4 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I have had a crazy appetite for the past two days. I mean HUNGRY. What the frick is going on? I have done nothing really different but include more variety of food. Could this mean some of the ED damage is being reversed?
Sounds like your body is getting to get to work! It needs energy and supplies! Eat, my friend. (Commas save lives)
It’s very normal. Here’s more information: http://www.youreatopia.com/blog/2012/5/22/extreme-hunger-what-is-it.html
To sum up what that article says: extreme hunger is very common when refeeding, and it is best to eat as long as you are hungry. It is a good thing because you are providing your body with the much-needed energy to heal.
I also experienced the ravenous hunger when I first started upping my calories. The hunger can be maddening, especially when you can’t eat enough to keep up with it, but I also kind of enjoyed it. The hunger made me feel healthy and strong, like I was really alive. It’s like your body is waking up.
There were times that I was so hungry I thought I might eat my arm. I just ate though, when I felt like I needed it, and tried not to worry… it did eventually pass. David what you said resonated with me too… I did enjoy the eating during that time and I felt better physically because of it.
I’m not so sure about this guys. I don’t think I am prepared for more weight gain. Although, it is nice to hear my stomach growl… it hasn’t done that in years!
A growling stomach is a great sign! True appetite is a sign of health!
Take it out of the “diet industry” context, and think about it in an old-school basic health context, because that’s where you’ll find common sense:
Think about if someone you cared about, a good friend, a child, a grandparent, or even a beloved pet, were very sick. They probably wouldn’t have much appetite. They would feel weak, lose interest in work and play, and look pale and drawn … if it went on, they’d start to look thin, too. Everyone around them would be trying to get them to eat, but they just wouldn’t or couldn’t. Then, if they started to be hungry, and to show interest in food, this would be great news! Their family and friends would smile and relax, and delight in feeding them! It would be a sign that the illness is passing, and that the body is building back up to participate in the rigors of life. Even if some extra fat came along as the person got their strength back, everyone would say to each other, “Good! Better than wasting away!”
I’m typing this to you, but I’m also talking to myself. I don’t think I was ever in full-blown ED territory, and I was never clinically underweight, but ended up too low calorie for several months while giving up grains sugar & dairy. Going back to normal eating, my hunger has been incredible! I think it’s hard for me to completely let go of internalized social shaming against eating “too much.” Yet my boyfriend insists I eat to fulfill my appetite, because he says this is the healthiest, strongest and most energetic I’ve been in the last few *years*. And, he points out and I agree, how do you expect to actually accomplishing anything important on an empty stomach?
Great points mighty. I agree, this is a sign of health. I think I am nervous because I am already weight restored and what I feel is my LIMIT in terms of weight gain. Hopefully I can get over myself and realize that some more weight may be just what I need, hence the hunger.
mighty m said it well. Hunger is a very good sign of healing. Weight gain is also a sign of returning health. It is not only unavoidable, but it is quite desirable. We live in a very unhealthy culture that promotes disordered eating attitudes and perspectives, one that glorifies starvation. I say, reject the cultural values of starvation. Learn to love and accept yourself at any weight, even more so if the extra weight brings with it other benefits. Your body knows what it needs, and it creates hunger as a way of accelerating the healing process. Trust in it. Your body never did you wrong. The restricting was the problem.
@BauerPower- One of the things Matt and Gwyn Olsen write about is that while in recovery, it’s often the last ten or fifteen pounds gained that are the most important. It’s at that point the body is restoring not just the fat mass it needs, but the fat-free mass it needs for stability. Things like muscle, organs, and bone tissue come along later in the process.
So see it through. Otherwise you may end up gaining the fat but not completing the restoration. And when the restoration runs its cycle, the fat mass often adjusts on its own. I think the figure was that after full recovery, 90%+ of ED patients end up with BMIs under 25 (in the “healthy” range), but only so long as they saw recovery to completion and did not restrict during that process.
Hmm…maybe I am at that last phase. I am going to have to take a break from my usual exercise as EVERY bone in my body literally aches. UGH.. I guess my body is telling me something. I am not good at listening to my body either. I will have to finally listen to my fianc? who says take a FREAKEN break because its not normal that you are sore and achy so much.
Rest and nutrition sounds good to me in theory but I am definitely in fear of possible weight gain. I am still not eating in a completely unrestricted fashion either, I still have some restraint and major control issues with food. Obviously I have exercise obsession issues as well. Guess I need take a step back and really look at my idea of health.
This thread has made me feel much better. I’ve been having a rough day (or past few days) adjusting to my bigger body and trying to find outfits that I feel okay to go out in. One minute I’ll convince myself that it’s okay. That I tried everything in the world to regain my health and my period and so it’s okay that I’ve increased my calories, stopped working out and gained weight. I really needed to be reminded that it’s those last 10 pounds that can be really healing. I thought once I started to eat for heat (prior I was already eating 2500+ per youreatopia) I wouldn’t gain any more and would loose weight but I don’t think that’s happened yet and maybe I’ve even gained a bit more. Allowing myself to eat and gain weight has been the hardest thing ever but I know it is worth it. Resting and eating is where it’s at. It’s very healing. Good idea BauerPower to rest as your body seems to be asking for it. I love exercising and know that I’ll return to place where I move my body more but I want to make sure I’m really healthy when I do. I am determined to see this through!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.