Thank you for sharing this! I started recovery two weeks ago. I was terrified, I gained 7 kilos. I freaked out, started to miss my ED (anorexic bulimic). Although I didn't want to give, started looking for explanation, what is happening to my body and found your channel. Thank you so much🌹
This is one of the few videos that validate what I’m going through. One doctor tried to diagnose me with a connective tissue disease without even acknowledging my previous anorexia. It’s been a year now since the swelling began. It started when I started eating real food again. The last 5 months is when I stopped restricting completely and I have come a long way in some of the other symptoms. Also I’ve noticed recently my face is been a bit less swollen than it usually is. I’m going to keep going strong in my recovery and really absorb all the life lessons I’ve learned in this journey.
It's crazy that doctors don't really understand many of the symptoms of under eating. We often have to do our own research. I am glad this video helped!
My feet look like tugboats, and my calves like little tree trunks (bigger than my thighs) : it's heartbreaking (water pills do nothing). I was never dehydrated
Hello! Thanks so much for your videos, they're so helpful and inspiring! I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions I have? I've been following a lot of body positive instagram recovery warriors/coaches/advocates and though it's wonderful that they're demonstrating the wonderful life one could have despite their size, I noticed that a lot of them are obese and it made me wonder why the body would settle on that as its happy weight? It just seems biologically unhelpful for the body to be so heavy. I know set-point can increase with yo-yo dieting but then there are others like you who recover from an ED but remain slim. And on the flip side, I have several friends who have gone on a diet, lost weight and kept it off for years without any sign of disorder. Is it just genetics? Are some people just less tolerant to restriction? It's the one thing scaring me and keeping from fully embracing going all in, I'm scared I'm going to end up obese... Thank you.
Hi! I am so sorry I did not see this message earlier! This is a very touchy conversation but one that I do think is good to have. Boy..... so much I want to say, don't know where to start. First off, I preach with my clients finding BALANCE. To me that is were health lies. It's not about going from over exercising and only eating vegetables to never moving your body and eating fried food and doughnuts all day. I think this concept gets lost in the recovery world. I 100% advocate for eating your fear foods and stop obsessing about how "clean" your diet is but that doesn't mean have no dietary principles and let everything go. Recovery is hard because it asks us to REDEFINE and change the relationship that we have with food to hopefully one that is more balanced, nourishing, and beneficial for us. Like you, I do not see going to the other extreme as beneficial and it can be just as damaging to the body. Now I am 100% not saying that everyone needs to be a size 0 and have ripped abs to be healthy... hardly. There are a wide ranges of weight that a person can be healthy at and I do believe that a lot of those weights are not the "model thin" ideal that our society has-- far from it. With that said though whether it be under of over weight there are health complications to that and for optimal health its best to say somewhere in the middle. So now, why have some people gone the other way? Well as you mentioned there could be a lot of medical things happening-- damaged thyroid or imbalanced metabolism-- from the restriction but I also do see a lot of damaging behaviors from many people as they go too much the other way and become obsessed with junk food instead of focusing on eating a balanced healthy diet with lots of nutrient dense unprocessed foods. When you eat well, and that includes enough (aka not just salads for lunch), the body should want to stay in a healthy weight range for you, one that is not too extreme in either direction. *unless there is a medical complication. This is a very complicated topic indeed but from my stand point I do not think it is necessary to go into the obese category to heal and that health can be found in a comfortable weight for your body. If you are wanting help in finding that balance and ultimately food freedom yet healthy dietary and life principles (in a non obsessive way) then I would recommend looking into my coaching services as this is a large part of what we focus on.
I am in recovery for about a week now. I wasn’t underweight but during the last year I’ve went from overeating and eating everything to cutting out any sort of sweets and carbohydrates. I started counting calories and ate from 1200-1300 sometimes 1400 calories per day whilst walking 11 kilometers per day and exercising half an hour a day. I couldn’t sleep without sleeping pills. I felt numb and I lost my period. I ate so much during the last week. I feel so helpless because I can’t stop and every time I eat something I start to sweat so much. Like my shirts are literally wet and my heart starts pounding very fast. It’s so hard. I want to go to a hospital but I don’t think they are taking me seriously because I am not underweight... this Video helped a lot and still I am scared of gaining the weight
I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. If you are in anyway feeling unsafe please go to the hospital to make sure everything is okay. There is a thing called referring syndrome and you want to make sure you don't go through that. On the other hand wanting to eat lots of food is a natural phenomena after restriction. Its like holding a balloon under water. Theres only so long you can hold it down (restrict food) until it POPS up to the surface (you eating lots of food)
@@flowwithchlo thank you so much for your reply! It really means a lot. I am working on getting help as I also heard about the referring syndrome and it’s consequences. Thank you for calming my fears a little bit and also thank you for making those videos, as they are really helpful. Have a wonderful day!💕
Does this also apply to women who have gone through the menopause or pseudo menopause. I’m 58 and my periods literally stopped. There is so little info about chronic restrictive ED this channel is totally brilliant,thank you x
Thanks for your kind words :) Could you get more specific about your question? What exactly are you talking about when you ask if this applies? Sorry I just want to get clear on the question so that I can better answer it!
Thank you for offering to answer me. I will try to give you the shortened version of my ED but bear with me. I’ve had restrictive - anorexia for 50 years. I’ve had periods when things have been ok enough for me to produce 3 boys but still restricted throughout pregnancy and post partum. I’m now severely restricting again. I’m now past the menopause I think, so will hopefully not have periods again- it would be a bit of a shock. My question is a lot of women gain weight in middle age and I understand that could be reduced activity, tiredness etc but are there any papers that provide evidence, anecdotal or otherwise that discuss anorexia recovery and post menopause? Do you have any clients who might be able to demonstrate a trend?? There is so little info about older women and recovery Many thanks again for your excellent channel. You looked really pretty on your latest video, mind you, you always do xxx
I am gaining weight so fast more than 1kg per day and my legs and belly are also really puffy and bloated and it’s really hard for me because it’s so overwhelming and I feel fat but I know I need to continue because it will be worse if I don’t and I need to get a fast metabolism i also want to recovery because i want my life back
The unfortunate side effect of restriction. Foods not the problem here, restricting for long periods of time is. As you restore your body back to health, by eating more food and resting, the fast weight gain and edema will start to go away. Best of luck to you on your journey!
Yes!Facts over fear!!🙌🏻🙌🏻Are you familiar w dr Jen gaudiani?that Wonder Woman saved my life almost 10 years ago,her videos are filled with this sort of goodness. Thank you for this ❤️💕
Hey, Did the puffiness just go down on its own or was it also helped by you adding in moderate gym workouts? As i think i remember you saying you went to the gym after 2 or 3 cycles?
I took about 8 months off of exercise so it was more around 6 cycles that I introduced it fully back in. After 3 cycles I started doing just light stuff like walking and yoga. The puffiness went down on its own but then of course eventually getting back into a routine helped out with it. But I wouldn't be using exercise to be the thing that helps it get back down... it really truly is just a good functioning metabolism that does that.
so I went the hospital because of dehydration I went threw a hard divorce 12yr .became bulimic and anorexic my body is holding on to the iv fluid water weight? no one ever talks about that ?
@@flowwithchlo much better its honestly being honest with myself and that my body is literally healing the tissue no more for me. I choose my life me then to be stuck in the past hurt or release by throwing up.
Different for every person! Sorry but I really can't give a specific number for you but what I can say is that the inflammation, water weight, and puffiness does go away once you reach full recovery. It's important that we don't rush the body threw this process as it is an important step though. Some people feel puffy for a month or so, some for a year or two. I felt pretty puffy and in my overshoot weight for around 6-7 months before it started to slowly change. In the end it is completely worth it as you will have greater health both mentally and physically from allowing your body to restore :)
I had a quick question about dairy! I’ve left veganism and have been taking you recommendations to consume dairy and meat. However I don’t have the funds to always consume grass fed dairy and I think conventional dairy has been messing with my emotions! (I’m talking meltdowns, crazy anxiety). I didn’t have these when vegan but I really don’t want to go back to oat milk and fake cheese after having the real thing. Any suggestions for what I should do? Also! How long should I expect to feel like the Michelin man lol. I seriously feel like that and it’s been about 2 months.
Hi Taylor! Congrats on leaving veganism and starting to incorporate more foods into your diet! Yes, unfortunately grass fed dairy and meat are a bit pricier and out of reach for many people. Do your best to find good products that you can afford and don't stress if not. Although I would rather purchase organic dairy and meat products I think that ANY animal products are better than none and I would do my best to purchase those nutrient dense foods. Maybe this means you don't purchase them as often so that your spending doesn't change much from when you were vegan. I have no idea your financial situation and would never want anyone to purchase something out side of their means but maybe you could look at some expenses that you currently have that can be reduced. Do you go to Starbucks every morning and purchase a $5 coffee? Do you spend $7 for oat milk? Do you buy a b12 supplement that you can stop purchasing (with the intention that eating enough meat would be what gives your body an adequate amount of B12 and therefore could ergo the supplement)? Do you pay for youtube subscription? Think of some areas in your life where you could save a buck or two. Other things that you could do is focus on eating eggs. They are super super nutritious and are definitely cheaper than meat and dairy products. In regards to how the conventional dairy is making you feel and your hormones feeling whacky, this can be due to a lot of things besides just the quality of the dairy. As you eat more and progress further into your recovery, along with incorporating animal foods back into your diet, you can have an influx of hormones made which can feel quite dramatic and intense. This will subside as your body normalizes out and becomes more and more nutritionally rehabilitated. If your body is really hating the dairy though then forgo that and focus on the meat, fish, and eggs instead until your digestive system heals more and dairy then would hopefully be more tolerated. Also you can just start with adding in butter and ghee which should not cause as much digestive distress (especially the ghee) and pack in a lot of good nutrition to help you heal. As far as how long you will feel puffy that is completely different for everyone. I felt puffy and weird for about 6 months and after that 6 month mark it was a slow but steady progression to getting to where I am at today where I no longer feel that way. Hang in there! I know it is uncomfy but I promise you in the end you will have such an INCREASE in health that will be so worth it! I hope that this little ramble helped!
hi! i have a question about sodium/salt, im recovering from a ed and for about the past 2 months i’ve been restricting my sodium intake to about 1700 mg of sodium a day bc i was scared of it, i want to increase my sodium intake because i’m tired of not eating the foods i love but i’m scared once i increase it it is going to make me retain water. do you think if i increase it in small amounts gradually i should be fine? i’m also a athlete so i already sweat a lot on top of that. a response would really be helpful!!!
Sodium is so important in our health it baffles me that society says that it's bad. Start eating the foods you love and don't over think it all. Your body will thank you for it :)
@@flowwithchlo i agree. but i’m just worried my body will make me retain water if i start adding a bunch of sodium in at once that’s why i’m asking if i should just gradually increase it so that won’t happen and my body will have time to adjust. what do you think
@@flowwithchlo oh my ughhh, I’m just bouncing back after a relapse, I was almost 2 years clean but I just am noticing it more this time because there is no hiding in lock downs, I’m moving for university tomorrow and my face is just so puffy and my parotid glands are enlarged as well like wtf!!!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this wonderful encouraging, incredibly helpful information! It is also life-giving and sparing me on!
Thank you
Thank you for sharing this! I started recovery two weeks ago. I was terrified, I gained 7 kilos. I freaked out, started to miss my ED (anorexic bulimic). Although I didn't want to give, started looking for explanation, what is happening to my body and found your channel. Thank you so much🌹
i feel you. 10 kgs in 6 days. I feel so puffy and it hurts..
@@welcometoreality2648 same omg thank you so much for this comment it really made me feel so much better 🥺❤️
Hy did you lose it
@@welcometoreality2648 does it also hurt when u touch ur skin, even the slightest?
@@vqxm7 did it go away by now?
This is one of the few videos that validate what I’m going through. One doctor tried to diagnose me with a connective tissue disease without even acknowledging my previous anorexia. It’s been a year now since the swelling began. It started when I started eating real food again.
The last 5 months is when I stopped restricting completely and I have come a long way in some of the other symptoms.
Also I’ve noticed recently my face is been a bit less swollen than it usually is.
I’m going to keep going strong in my recovery and really absorb all the life lessons I’ve learned in this journey.
It's crazy that doctors don't really understand many of the symptoms of under eating. We often have to do our own research. I am glad this video helped!
My feet look like tugboats, and my calves like little tree trunks (bigger than my thighs) : it's heartbreaking (water pills do nothing). I was never dehydrated
I wish I could like and love this video 50 times over
This video is helping me so much. I am currently struggling with recovery and found this video on a bad day of mine. Thank you ❤️🥺
Hello! Thanks so much for your videos, they're so helpful and inspiring! I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions I have? I've been following a lot of body positive instagram recovery warriors/coaches/advocates and though it's wonderful that they're demonstrating the wonderful life one could have despite their size, I noticed that a lot of them are obese and it made me wonder why the body would settle on that as its happy weight? It just seems biologically unhelpful for the body to be so heavy. I know set-point can increase with yo-yo dieting but then there are others like you who recover from an ED but remain slim. And on the flip side, I have several friends who have gone on a diet, lost weight and kept it off for years without any sign of disorder. Is it just genetics? Are some people just less tolerant to restriction? It's the one thing scaring me and keeping from fully embracing going all in, I'm scared I'm going to end up obese... Thank you.
Hi! I am so sorry I did not see this message earlier! This is a very touchy conversation but one that I do think is good to have. Boy..... so much I want to say, don't know where to start. First off, I preach with my clients finding BALANCE. To me that is were health lies. It's not about going from over exercising and only eating vegetables to never moving your body and eating fried food and doughnuts all day. I think this concept gets lost in the recovery world. I 100% advocate for eating your fear foods and stop obsessing about how "clean" your diet is but that doesn't mean have no dietary principles and let everything go. Recovery is hard because it asks us to REDEFINE and change the relationship that we have with food to hopefully one that is more balanced, nourishing, and beneficial for us. Like you, I do not see going to the other extreme as beneficial and it can be just as damaging to the body. Now I am 100% not saying that everyone needs to be a size 0 and have ripped abs to be healthy... hardly. There are a wide ranges of weight that a person can be healthy at and I do believe that a lot of those weights are not the "model thin" ideal that our society has-- far from it. With that said though whether it be under of over weight there are health complications to that and for optimal health its best to say somewhere in the middle.
So now, why have some people gone the other way? Well as you mentioned there could be a lot of medical things happening-- damaged thyroid or imbalanced metabolism-- from the restriction but I also do see a lot of damaging behaviors from many people as they go too much the other way and become obsessed with junk food instead of focusing on eating a balanced healthy diet with lots of nutrient dense unprocessed foods. When you eat well, and that includes enough (aka not just salads for lunch), the body should want to stay in a healthy weight range for you, one that is not too extreme in either direction. *unless there is a medical complication.
This is a very complicated topic indeed but from my stand point I do not think it is necessary to go into the obese category to heal and that health can be found in a comfortable weight for your body. If you are wanting help in finding that balance and ultimately food freedom yet healthy dietary and life principles (in a non obsessive way) then I would recommend looking into my coaching services as this is a large part of what we focus on.
Thank you so much; I needed this explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you!!!!!🙏❤️
I am in recovery for about a week now. I wasn’t underweight but during the last year I’ve went from overeating and eating everything to cutting out any sort of sweets and carbohydrates. I started counting calories and ate from 1200-1300 sometimes 1400 calories per day whilst walking 11 kilometers per day and exercising half an hour a day. I couldn’t sleep without sleeping pills. I felt numb and I lost my period.
I ate so much during the last week. I feel so helpless because I can’t stop and every time I eat something I start to sweat so much. Like my shirts are literally wet and my heart starts pounding very fast.
It’s so hard. I want to go to a hospital but I don’t think they are taking me seriously because I am not underweight... this Video helped a lot and still I am scared of gaining the weight
I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. If you are in anyway feeling unsafe please go to the hospital to make sure everything is okay. There is a thing called referring syndrome and you want to make sure you don't go through that. On the other hand wanting to eat lots of food is a natural phenomena after restriction. Its like holding a balloon under water. Theres only so long you can hold it down (restrict food) until it POPS up to the surface (you eating lots of food)
@@flowwithchlo thank you so much for your reply! It really means a lot. I am working on getting help as I also heard about the referring syndrome and it’s consequences.
Thank you for calming my fears a little bit and also thank you for making those videos, as they are really helpful. Have a wonderful day!💕
i love this idea of type of videos!!
More to come!
Does this also apply to women who have gone through the menopause or pseudo menopause. I’m 58 and my periods literally stopped. There is so little info about chronic restrictive ED
this channel is totally brilliant,thank you x
Thanks for your kind words :)
Could you get more specific about your question? What exactly are you talking about when you ask if this applies? Sorry I just want to get clear on the question so that I can better answer it!
Thank you for offering to answer me. I will try to give you the shortened version of my ED but bear with me. I’ve had restrictive - anorexia for 50 years. I’ve had periods when things have been ok enough for me to produce 3 boys but still restricted throughout pregnancy and post partum. I’m now severely restricting again. I’m now past the menopause I think, so will hopefully not have periods again- it would be a bit of a shock. My question is a lot of women gain weight in middle age and I understand that could be reduced activity, tiredness etc but are there any papers that provide evidence, anecdotal or otherwise that discuss anorexia recovery and post menopause? Do you have any clients who might be able to demonstrate a trend?? There is so little info about older women and recovery
Many thanks again for your excellent channel. You looked really pretty on your latest video, mind you, you always do xxx
I am gaining weight so fast more than 1kg per day and my legs and belly are also really puffy and bloated and it’s really hard for me because it’s so overwhelming and I feel fat but I know I need to continue because it will be worse if I don’t and I need to get a fast metabolism i also want to recovery because i want my life back
The unfortunate side effect of restriction. Foods not the problem here, restricting for long periods of time is. As you restore your body back to health, by eating more food and resting, the fast weight gain and edema will start to go away. Best of luck to you on your journey!
I’m in the same situation as you don’t feel alone! 🥺❤️
Yes!Facts over fear!!🙌🏻🙌🏻Are you familiar w dr Jen gaudiani?that Wonder Woman saved my life almost 10 years ago,her videos are filled with this sort of goodness. Thank you for this ❤️💕
I do not know about her! I will check her out!
Hey,
Did the puffiness just go down on its own or was it also helped by you adding in moderate gym workouts? As i think i remember you saying you went to the gym after 2 or 3 cycles?
I took about 8 months off of exercise so it was more around 6 cycles that I introduced it fully back in. After 3 cycles I started doing just light stuff like walking and yoga. The puffiness went down on its own but then of course eventually getting back into a routine helped out with it. But I wouldn't be using exercise to be the thing that helps it get back down... it really truly is just a good functioning metabolism that does that.
so I went the hospital because of dehydration I went threw a hard divorce 12yr .became bulimic and anorexic my body is holding on to the iv fluid water weight? no one ever talks about that ?
Yes that can for sure happen. Sorry to hear that happened to you! I hope all is better now
@@flowwithchlo much better its honestly being honest with myself and that my body is literally healing the tissue no more for me. I choose my life me then to be stuck in the past hurt or release by throwing up.
About how long does this weight start to taper off/ down?
Different for every person! Sorry but I really can't give a specific number for you but what I can say is that the inflammation, water weight, and puffiness does go away once you reach full recovery. It's important that we don't rush the body threw this process as it is an important step though. Some people feel puffy for a month or so, some for a year or two. I felt pretty puffy and in my overshoot weight for around 6-7 months before it started to slowly change. In the end it is completely worth it as you will have greater health both mentally and physically from allowing your body to restore :)
I had a quick question about dairy! I’ve left veganism and have been taking you recommendations to consume dairy and meat. However I don’t have the funds to always consume grass fed dairy and I think conventional dairy has been messing with my emotions! (I’m talking meltdowns, crazy anxiety). I didn’t have these when vegan but I really don’t want to go back to oat milk and fake cheese after having the real thing. Any suggestions for what I should do?
Also! How long should I expect to feel like the Michelin man lol. I seriously feel like that and it’s been about 2 months.
Hi Taylor! Congrats on leaving veganism and starting to incorporate more foods into your diet! Yes, unfortunately grass fed dairy and meat are a bit pricier and out of reach for many people. Do your best to find good products that you can afford and don't stress if not. Although I would rather purchase organic dairy and meat products I think that ANY animal products are better than none and I would do my best to purchase those nutrient dense foods. Maybe this means you don't purchase them as often so that your spending doesn't change much from when you were vegan.
I have no idea your financial situation and would never want anyone to purchase something out side of their means but maybe you could look at some expenses that you currently have that can be reduced. Do you go to Starbucks every morning and purchase a $5 coffee? Do you spend $7 for oat milk? Do you buy a b12 supplement that you can stop purchasing (with the intention that eating enough meat would be what gives your body an adequate amount of B12 and therefore could ergo the supplement)? Do you pay for youtube subscription? Think of some areas in your life where you could save a buck or two.
Other things that you could do is focus on eating eggs. They are super super nutritious and are definitely cheaper than meat and dairy products.
In regards to how the conventional dairy is making you feel and your hormones feeling whacky, this can be due to a lot of things besides just the quality of the dairy. As you eat more and progress further into your recovery, along with incorporating animal foods back into your diet, you can have an influx of hormones made which can feel quite dramatic and intense. This will subside as your body normalizes out and becomes more and more nutritionally rehabilitated. If your body is really hating the dairy though then forgo that and focus on the meat, fish, and eggs instead until your digestive system heals more and dairy then would hopefully be more tolerated. Also you can just start with adding in butter and ghee which should not cause as much digestive distress (especially the ghee) and pack in a lot of good nutrition to help you heal.
As far as how long you will feel puffy that is completely different for everyone. I felt puffy and weird for about 6 months and after that 6 month mark it was a slow but steady progression to getting to where I am at today where I no longer feel that way. Hang in there! I know it is uncomfy but I promise you in the end you will have such an INCREASE in health that will be so worth it!
I hope that this little ramble helped!
hi! i have a question about sodium/salt, im recovering from a ed and for about the past 2 months i’ve been restricting my sodium intake to about 1700 mg of sodium a day bc i was scared of it, i want to increase my sodium intake because i’m tired of not eating the foods i love but i’m scared once i increase it it is going to make me retain water. do you think if i increase it in small amounts gradually i should be fine? i’m also a athlete so i already sweat a lot on top of that. a response would really be helpful!!!
Sodium is so important in our health it baffles me that society says that it's bad. Start eating the foods you love and don't over think it all. Your body will thank you for it :)
@@flowwithchlo i agree. but i’m just worried my body will make me retain water if i start adding a bunch of sodium in at once that’s why i’m asking if i should just gradually increase it so that won’t happen and my body will have time to adjust. what do you think
I'm grateful to know you i just liked and subbed, want to be youtube friends?
I weight gain 8 kg on normal calories . Is it possible so it is Water weight ?
I am not sure of your exact situation but yet you can gain a lot of just water each day
how long did fluid retention last roughly for yourself?
The intense part lasted just about 5 months. I would say it took over a year to get back to fully normal.
@@flowwithchlo oh my ughhh, I’m just bouncing back after a relapse, I was almost 2 years clean but I just am noticing it more this time because there is no hiding in lock downs, I’m moving for university tomorrow and my face is just so puffy and my parotid glands are enlarged as well like wtf!!!
@@paigecollier8217 how much water weight did you gain
@@stephaniwinzeler25 haven’t weighed myself but probs a lot lot
@@paigecollier8217 has your facial puffiness gotten better?