Extreme Hunger
I’m not sure if you guys have heard about extreme hunger, but it’s an essential and necessary part of ED recovery (and also the scariest part of it).
https://edinstitute.org/paper/2012/5/22/extreme-hunger-1-what-is-it- “Extreme hunger is a common experience for almost everyone undergoing recovery from any kind of eating disorder. Next to the presence of edema (water retention), extreme hunger is one of the most anxiety-provoking elements of recovery.”
“During this time you will want (and very much need) far more than the Homeodynamic Recovery Method intake guidelines and may find yourself consuming anywhere from 6000-10000 calories in a single day. That causes panic for pretty much everyone in recovery and they lock down on the incorrect thoughts that they are eating for the wrong reasons.”
So, during my initial recovery I started to respond to my cravings. It was spring break that I started recovering (from my very low BMI after a year of intense struggle when I lost 20 pounds) I baked a LOT of food and I didn’t exercise at all during this time. I was ALWAYS hungry which is extreme hunger. I was craving a lot of sweets, such as cookies and also carbs such as bread, rolls, pizza etc. I also ate a lot of snacks. I felt helpless because I was still hungry no matter how much I ate. My body was so deprived of all the essential nutrients that I missed out on for around the year. During this phase, please don’t give up. I constantly ate large amounts of food. Of course, people may say that I was eating “unhealthy”; however, this was only temporary when my body was trying to return to a normal metabolism and to become healthy enough to maintain my energy levels again. During this time, it was difficult dealing with my body gaining weight. Also, I really felt fatigued when I changed my mindset: I never really observed that my body needed rest. However, after I gained weight, I fell in the same hole again and lost the weight again. So, I went through extreme hunger once again after I relapsed.
If you are going through extreme hunger, please know that you need this energy that your body is crying out for. This will stop soon after you are recovered.
“As you begin eating to the recommended minimal guidelines, the digestive system has quite a bit of catch-up. And if that coincides with the cells throughout the body demanding a massive infusion of energy to repair damage, then you end up experiencing fullness and hunger at the same time, which is disturbing of course.The digestive system is frantically sending messages to the brain “I’m going as fast as I can here” and the cells throughout the body are screaming at the brain “More energy now!” Again, the science behind this will be revealed in Part 2.Respond to the hunger always and never allow any restriction to creep in. To deal with a digestive system still getting up to speed, eat very calorie-dense foods (lots of ultra-processed, fast food options are great for this phase), snack on nuts and seeds constantly and eat tons of small meals to help the digestive system cope as it gets back to normal.”
“Extreme hunger happens because your body is not just addressing the need to restore weight to the optimal set point, it also has to repair a lot of physical damage that occurs when you create energy deficits within the ecosystem that is your body.When you restrict energy intake and/or create energy deficits with exercise and exertion, then the body does two things in response to that vacuum you are creating: stops whatever biological functions it can to save energy and takes energy from fat tissue, bones, muscles, organs and nerves to fill the void.”
I think my extreme hunger lasted about for a month ish each time, and after my hunger cues started coming back. I could perceive when I was full and when I wasn’t. Now, I eat intuitively: I eat when my body asks for fuel and I stop eating when I am full. I don’t eat until I’m uncomfortable on something I have always wanted to eat and restrict myself the day after to compensate for my acts : I want to live a happy life, if I want that ice cream I will eat it regardless of its nutritional facts.
Listen to your body. Give your body the energy it needs. You can do this because you are strong and I believe in you<3.
-C.
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