overcoming ed but gaining weight

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2003
overcoming ed but gaining weight
3
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 10:47am
Hi y'all. I hope everybody's doing well. For the past few days I've really been working hard on eating healthier meals, hoping that will help my wanting to purge afterwards. The thing I've noticed though is that after I eat anything at all, the number on the scale always go up a few pounds. It doesn't matter what I've eaten I seem to gain weight directly afterwards which makes me anxious to get rid of it. Does anybody know why that happens? I've read that it takes a number of calories and even days to gain a pound...but I seem to gain after even a small meal. Then I'll get rid of whatever I ate and weigh myself until the scale shows the number I was at before I ate. The more this cycle continues, the more discouraged I get that I'll ever be able to put this behind me. It's taking its toll on my whole life...my relationships w/ friends, family, my boyfriend, school...everything. I know not weighing myself will probably solve part of the problem, but it's like an addiction and it eats away at me if I don't do it. Is there an explanation as to why this happens and maybe any advice on how to go about overcoming this "obsession"? Thanks for listening and sorry if it seems a little confusing.

Good Luck to all of you,

Amanda

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-27-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 2:12pm
Amanda,

I am right there with you! First thing...throw the scale away!!!!!!! I know that will be hard to do, but you have to do it if you want to get better!!!!

3500 calories equals one pound. What you are seeing on your scale after you eat is water retention or whatever. If you wanted to gain wait, you would have to eat 3500 calories/week over what you burn just by breathing to gain 1 pound.

So, as I said....throw the scale away....they are never right and people always weigh themselves at a time that it won't show their accurate weight. My understanding is to get your accurate weight is to weigh yourself in the mornings as soon as you get up...any other time is water retention, etc.

Hope this helps....be brave...throw the scale away!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 4:23pm
What hellawyer said is absolutely right. The increase you are seeing right after eating is one, the weight of the actual food you have eaten, and any liquids you consumes. It's not weight you actually gained as in on your body. It is impossible to gain weight immediately after a meal. I agree with throwing the scale away. If you are not able to right now, weigh yourself first thing in the morning only, after going to the bathroom and before you eat anything and ideally at the same time. And even then you WILL have fluctuations because you could be retaining more water one day then the next.

Love & hugs, Kristina


The opinions I have expressed here are from my own experience and are not intended as medical advice or to take the place of your own physician's advice.

Love & hugs, Kristina

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 10:03pm
Thanks so much for y'alls replies. They really helped set my mind at ease. I guess I let the paranoia of gaining even a few pounds get the best of me. Throwing the scale out is a good idea and I noticed that a few weeks ago when my friends borrowed it, and I didn't get to step on it numerous times a day, I felt better about myself and what I ate. I noticed how during that time I only ate when I was hungry and not every five minutes because I just got rid of whatever I had just eaten and was hungry...again. Why I don't do that again if it worked so well is beyond me. I guess just the fear of not knowing is terrifying (not to sound TOO dramatic). Anyways, I just wanted to thank y'all and I hope things are getting better for everyone.

Thanks,

Amanda