Social Butterfly's weight restoration process is a slow one. The pattern of weight gain during the re-feeding process varies from person to person. SB's height means that putting on the weight is taking even longer, and requiring more calories. I won't use numbers for her weight, but her pattern is very much a gain, followed by a loss of most of that gain, followed by a gain, followed by a loss of most of that gain, followed by a gain . . . well, you get the picture. We persevere and take comfort that the high number is higher with each round.
To get better numbers we continually add calories to her daily diet. Right now she is at 3,100 calories per day. That, my friends, is a hella lot of food. Imagine a day when you are on vacation, indulging yourself in a break from discipline and enjoying the culinary bounty of your destination. Now imagine that if you didn't even like food.
We soldier on and this past week has brought several breakthoughs in the form of takeout food for dinner and the upping of the nighttime snack to 500 calories--which, as she points out, is really more of a meal than a "snack." Our next, likely inevitable, step is Haagen-Dazs. That should be fun!
We are all becoming so much wiser through this process and I think the overall long-term benefit of this experience will be positive; it's the tough times that make us strong people and strong is a very good thing to be.
Fingers crossed, its a long process!
Posted by: gary rith | April 15, 2012 at 05:39 AM
Very true. The hard times make us appreciate the easy times that much more also. You are both doing great!
Posted by: Jenrantsraves | April 15, 2012 at 09:13 AM
I was just thinking of you and SB this morning. Great to hear about her progress! I have a question though: I've heard that after weight loss through fasting or dieting one often simply re-gains that weight(and more)so much faster when resuming a non-restricted diet. What makes the loss/re-gain process with anorexia so different? Thanks.
Good luck with further progress SB!
Posted by: ~annie | April 15, 2012 at 09:55 AM
Three steps forward, two steps back... but your positive attitudes point to the important thing: there is a gain! To you and SB: Keep up the terrific work! You ARE doing this!♥ And you are in my prayers, that you will have strength and perseverance and good health.
I'm also interested in the answer to ~annie's question.
Posted by: Karen (formerly kcinnova) | April 15, 2012 at 11:08 PM
If she needs to keep gaining has she been allowed to exercise. I can't imagine such an active girl being happy if she couldn't exercise. For my daughter, that is her main way of dealing with anxiety.
Posted by: Little Miss Sunshine State | April 16, 2012 at 08:53 AM
it's good that she has supportive and sympathetic voices around her - because I'm pretty sure that regardless of how loving other people are, it's hard to understand the true struggle of "and then I have to eat a slice of chocolate cake too"
I have a friend whose sister struggles to keep on weight - and I know that even when people are aware, it's just so easy for women to just fall into the "I would kill to be so thin" or "I wish *I* could eat that and not worry" talk... we bond over hating excess weight, and then there's so much to re-learn to have healthy relationships with food and with our bodies...
Posted by: Cocobean | April 16, 2012 at 02:44 PM
I hope she likes peanut butter, as that's currently my greatest source of "You've got to be kidding...there are THAT many calories in a tablespoon?" Perhaps peanut butter cup Haagen-Dazs?
The process of taking stock what's in each food is a huge one, as no matter which direction we're coming at our bodies from (want to be bigger, want to be smaller), it's always a shock to realize how much needs to go into the body to keep it regulated. I wish SB a ton of nutritious peanut butter! Perhaps with a cup of granola stirred in!
Posted by: Jocelyn | April 16, 2012 at 03:38 PM
While I cannot phathom how hard it must be to struggle to eat so much when you feel negatively about it - I do wonder why so many calories? I sure don't eat that much when I gain weight. There is a difference for anorexics? Fascinating.
Posted by: Brightside-Susan | April 16, 2012 at 11:07 PM
I am glad the 'gain' part is at least happening.
Kudos to SB for persevering....and for her family cheering her on!
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Posted by: trefucrarie | May 19, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Im so glad I came across this site. My daughter is going through the same thing and I was so excited when she gained weight and so disappointed when she lost the next week I was worried. She two gained three lost two but were moving our way up the scale. How long has SB been in recovery and did she have to go thru medical treatment.
Posted by: Joyce | November 05, 2012 at 09:21 AM
To get better numbers we continually add calories to her daily diet. Right now she is at 3,100 calories per day.
Posted by: calotren | December 11, 2012 at 02:59 AM