Recovering from Anorexia. How Can I Gain Weight Quickly?
It started with me going on a diet last May. I’m female, 21, started about 58 kgs (121 pounds?), and I took it too far. I’m 40 kgs (88 pounds) now. The anorexic behavior got me somewhere in the endings of July and all through August and September. Yesterday I binged badly and was in great pain. It snapped me awake. I found that I have loose skin all over, and my belly button is purtuding in loose skin (does anyone know what that is? I’m afraid to ask anyone). Anyway, I don’t want this ana-shit, and so I’m highly motivated. Today I’m bloated and passing foul gases like crazy from eating the following:
A big bowl of soup (it was the lunch for today)
4 eggs
some bread and nuts
two big glasses of Coca (full fat milk with real three tbs of sugar—not artificial sweetner)
two and a half small cakes from the bakery
Three slices of cheddar cheese
an apple
if I could eat more I would’ve. I need five kgs (about 10 pounds?) to reach the minimum weight in my normal weight range. I can’t talk to anyone, I’m from the Middle East and I live here, and stuff like disordered eating isn’t really understood or known around here. I need all the help I need. I’m desperate, if I could take it all back I would. I already missed a period, the definition of my lean muscle isn’t there, and I know I have to load up on calcium… Any snacks that I could get that would help? Are cereals or chocolate milk juices or snicker bars any good? Does anyone know what the deal is with my belly button? Help, I’m desperate and alone!
August 5th, 2011 at 11:29 am
I just answered a similar question. Here was my response there, which should fit here too:
First off, you need to see a doctor and/or nutritionist ASAP. If any advice I give is different from them, go with them. They will help you better than Yahoo Answers.
Next, I’m a bodybuilder. I’m very amateur, but I still know how to gain healthy weight.
I’d also recommend doing a Google search on Pauline Nordin. She’s a female bodybuilder. She doesn’t look like a male, like you see the bigger Mrs. Olympia girls. She looks like a pretty woman with muscle. The reason I mention her is because she used to have an eating disorder as well. Eventually she took her obsession with how she looks and turned it into a positive.
You don’t have to be a bodybuilder yourself someday to do the same. But with proper research on how to make your body healthy (which you are beginning to do right now), you too can turn your drive into a positive direction.
To figure out how many calories you need to gain healthy weight, I’d recommend finding out the maintenance level of calories required for your desired end weight. From there, add 500. I’m betting that will be under 3,000 calories for you, and it might even be less than 2,500.
See my source for a calorie calculator. This is not normally used for someone recovering from an eating disorder. That’s why when you enter you information into the calculator, I suggest entering your desired weight, not your current weight.
I’m not sure if you can make it to 80 pounds by November. But you can keep going after November. Setting that month as your make it or break it time may be a bad approach. Just focus on a week to week progress until you get to a healthy weight.
Your food sources should probably stick to healthy things. You’ll still gain weight if your calories are in a surplus. (Healthier food makes for healthier weight gain.)
Carbs: Oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato, and just about all vegetables
Protein: Lean meats, eggs (especially egg whites), and protein powders
Fats (in moderation): Almonds (great snack, btw), olive oil, flax seed oil, peanut butter. (Adding more peanut butter is great for adding calories!)
The owner of the site of the calorie calculator I gave you is named Lee Hayward. He is a great person to talk to as well. You can email him, or join his message board (I’m Cylith there) with questions. We at the message board love helping people with diet questions. If you’re too shy to see a doctor, at least try to get in touch with Lee Hayward.
August 5th, 2011 at 11:37 am
As someone else said you’d be better seeking advice from a doctor. Eating 4 eggs in one go or one day won’t do you much good. That could explain the bloating and wind. You could try Complan or ‘invalid’ food that may help your body recover from what is really starvation. The bloated tummy can also be caused by protein deficiency.
Both of the links below suggest building up gradually from sweetened water to milk and gradually introducing solids. Small amount of food often would be the best way to recover and should take about 3 months to recover.
Best Wishes