gaining weight when anorexic

[marchlefty]

Hi I'm 16 years old 100 pounds and I dance 6 days a week 15 hours a week. When I was in 9th grade I started restricting my food and last year I hit a low of 79 pounds. I spent most of last year going to dietitionist appointments and doctors offices. Last March when I turned 26 I was 84 pounds. After
That though I started gaining weight. What I don't understand though is why when I was losing weight and maintaining a low weight I consumed around 500-700 calories a day but now I weigh
100 pounds and I can't eat anything without gaining weight. I'm currently 5'5 and 100 pounds which I know is still slender, but it's really both puzzling and discouraging to dance so much and consume 600 calories every day now but unlike last time I'm maintaining or gaining rather than losing. I even spent $100 on top notch diet pills last spring and all I did from them is gain weight. I honestly have no idea what's going on with my body. And now that my parents think I look fine they think I'm ok. So I no longer see a dietitionist or therapist. I've asked my parents if I could see them again but my mom sees no reason, also they are extremely expensive. Please I need to lose weight. I need to get back at 90 pounds but I don't know what to do. If anyone knows what is going on with my body please comment!! Advise needed. Thanks:)

[zigzag70]

Hey marchlefty,
I just wanted to let you know i have tried almost every diet pill on the block and could not find a single one that worked outside of adderall, Ali (although not really), hard drugs, and caffeine. And even caffeine is very skeptical. You can spend tons of money on those and not see any result at all. I'm kind of curious about your question w/ weight loss as well. I am not anorexic (i don't think) but i am bulimic and i used to go 2wks without eating a thing, seriously nothing at all except water or gatorade and i would lose maybe 3lb at most. So i'm not sure maybe your body is just in starvation mode, but i think maybe it could have to do w/ getting older. I know i used to fluctuate 50lbs here and there back in high school and now dropping 10lb is a big deal, and i'm only 20. It could just be more difficult for you to drop the weight now? Let me know if you figure anything out b/c i remember i was horribly frustrated when i couldn't drop weight like i used to. good luck  

[marchlefty]

Hey:) thanks for responding I really appreciate it! I have a question though. When you relapsed after gaining weight how did you do it?? Since both of us exercise for hours every day I know in dance I burn around 400 calories. And I know in just walking around I burn calories too. I don't understand how my body couldn't lose weight. The statistics don't even work out.

Also I was wondering if you have ever taken diet pills? Because when I took them I lost no weight at all. I just gained.
Thanks

[BeeFree]

I know exactly how you feel. When I first slipped into anorexia, my weight plummeted quickly. I was able to maintain it for quite some time, but with enormous effort. I worked out obsessively and consumed about the same amount you do now. Then I tried a new type of diet, called the "Cheat Day Diet," which allowed me one day a week to eat whatever I wanted "without gaining a pound" as long as I was strict every other day of the week. Well, because my body was so starving for nourishment, it grabbed ahold of everything I ate on those cheat days. Eventually my clothes were getting tighter, I freaked out, and relapsed. This time took a little longer to lose weight.
The body will do what it needs to do to survive. It may be harder to lose weight now, and if you weren't active, it would make sense for your body to continue storing calories. But considering how active you are, gaining weight is pretty unlikely. At most, it will maintain. Don't forget water retention is common with anorexia. And if the calories you are consuming are coming from protein, the muscle built from it may be the gain you are seeing. (Which is a good thing!)
I know this might be frustrating to hear, but you couldn't possibly cut back any more calories without putting yourself at an even higher risk for heart failure, etc etc.. I don't want to brainstorm ideas for you to drop down to that dangerously low weight again. You are too thin as it is.
If maintaining is all you can manage right now, then at least do that for yourself. And your family. With time you will realize how unimportant weight is to the people who know you and how important health is to live the life you want. Gaining weight won't seem like the end of the world when you realize how amazing it feels to be healthy!