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Gaining Weight After Anorexia
Gaining Weight After Anorexia – Live Again & Enjoy Eating
Anorexia is eating as little as possible, starving yourself and causing severe weight loss. Often, anorexia is associated with psychological issues, physiological problems, a trauma, or someone trying to gain some type of control in their life.
However, their body and what they eat will always have control over them, and in some cases, this is how anorexia can start. But then again, everyone is different, and different triggers can cause your eating disorder.
When you have admitted there is a problem, one of the hardest steps in ‘recovery’ is eating, putting on weight and accepting it because you have taught yourself to avoid eating and that you do not deserve food.
Anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder, more specifically anorexia, will find it difficult to eat in general; even having basic meals can create anxiety, dread, and fear.
When you want to start eating properly again, there’s that voice in your head that keeps telling you that you don’t deserve to eat, this voice can be strong and exhausting to fight with every day.
But you have to listen to the realistic side of your mind telling you “you have to eat to get better, or your body needs nutrients.”
Food is fuel for the body. So maybe you can think of it this way; would you drive a car without fuel? No? So, why would you do it to your body?
Everyone Deserves and Needs Food
When you start eating again, you will have overwhelming feelings, and there will be so many questions you begin to ask yourself. Questions like, what happens if I can’t stop eating? What if I get fat? What if I start to feel worthless again? What if I lose control?
Realistically, there is a part of you that knows what will happen. You will feel full and uncomfortable because your body is not used to being fed.
Your Body is Designed to Eat
As you begin to eat, you will start to notice changes in your body. You may get stomach pains, constipation or even feel bloated. You may look at your stomach when it’s full and think you are fat, but being full is not being fat, it merely means there is food in your stomach, that is it.
Learning to eat properly and healthily can be incredibly tricky because you have to break your old anorexic routine and let go. Breaking this detrimental repetitive behavior will be a huge mental challenge to overcome.
Some days you will want to give up, refuse to eat, and fall back into your anorexic “comfort zone,” but if you genuinely want to ‘recover,’ you need to accept that your body will change. However, this time it will be for the better. You want to live not just survive.
Although it is challenging for most anyone to accept that their body is changing, within time, you will grow to be comfortable with the changes to your body.
Whether it is weeks, months or even years, the changes, growth, challenges and so much more will be worth it. You will start to love yourself, begin to appreciate food, and even start to enjoy eating again.
Learn to live again, and remember that food and eating healthily is not a bad thing.
About the Author: Kathryn Moyes has suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder since she was little. She then developed anorexia nervosa in her early 20’s had been battling with anorexia for 4 and a half years. During her recovery, she started to study and practice yoga, which has helped her through the recovery process. She still continues to practice. Kathryn developed a website that has been up and running for almost 5 months, www.mymentalhealthandme.com. This is where she discusses everything she has gone through, hoping that one day it could help someone else in the same situation.
Kathryn lives in a Cottage, with her partner and works at a Veterinary Hospital. She also has a dog walking business and loves losing herself in a good book, going to the gym and socializing.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Published on June 14, 2018.
Reviewed on June 14, 2018 by Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC.
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
