How is it possible that I have gained 40 pounds in 3 months?

Question

I am a recovering bulimic and I have stopped drinking alcohol and taking diet pills a month ago.

My eating is on average normal but I have been on Prozac for 2 months.

Answer 1

I can think of two possibilities. Are you still eating the same amount you were when you were purging? Considering bulimia is partially characterised by binge eating, you're probably in the habit of eating much more than you're supposed to. Portion control is an important part of healthy eating, regardless of your current situation.

Another possibility is depending on the nature of your bulimia, your might've screwed up your metabolism. If your body has been in starvation mode for long enough it will hoard every calorie it possibly can even if you're eating what should be appropriate amounts. I did the same thing to my body with years of eating-disordered behaviour; based on my height/weight/body fat/activity level I should be eating about 3100 calories a day to maintain my body but if I actually eat above about 1300 I put on weight. The good news is that if you're careful about what you eat and work your way back up to normalcy; eventually your body will catch on and you'll be able to eat regular amounts again.

At this point I think your best bet would be finding a good nutritionist, preferably one who has experience working with recovering eating disorder patients. They'll be able to explain what your body is going through, what to expect, and what you need to do to stay healthy. If you're not careful and try to regiment your diet too much on your own, you might end up either restricting your calories too much or purging again. Keep in mind that it's nearly impossible to completely get over an eating disorder, and even if you relapse the next day is another fresh start.

Keep up your healthy behaviours, get help if you need it, and do your best to keep your head in the right place. Good luck!

Answer 2

Well, It is exactly related to u'r metabolism. Taking the pill slows down the metabolism + u'r body will absorb a lot of water. So all 40 lb is not fat; it's water as well. If u just gained the weight, u can easily get rid off it. The longer u carry the weight, the harder it will become.

U mentioned u were bulimic so I won't suggest loosing weight to u. Forget the diet pill. Do u understand what a great job u did recovering. Losing weight is nothing compare to that.

Just try to get more active even if u already are. U don't have to run 12 m per day. just be active. If u exercise is better. And do not concentrate too much on weight and food. Just try to make healthy choices with lower calories. Drink water + tea which helps u to get rid off water faster.

Stay healthy & happy. exercise & eat right. once in a while enjoy a well fatty food. Don't bing because that will really hurt u'r metabolism as well. good luck.

Answer 3

If you began keeping your food calories three months ago, had calories from drinking up until a month ago (two months of drinking calories with your food calories) and then stopped pills a month ago (I don't know if they suppressed your appetite or increased your metabolism or both). You had whatever calories you were getting for the first two months but you also had the "benefit" of diet pills until then. You added the additional factor toward weight gain in the third month.

If you gained 12 lbs a month the first two months (24) and then another 16 lbs the month you stopped diet pills, there you have it.
With a drastic increase in calories you have kept since you stopped getting rid of them after taking them in, and with increased metabolism and maybe appetite in the third month a weight gain of about 3 lbs a week is easy to understand.

Also, I don't know this for sure, but there is the chance that after your body had essentially been starving for x number of months or years maybe it did some kind of "rebound" thing, where it turned calories to fat more readily than they would be in a non-ex-bulemic person. You should look that up, but even if you can't find anything on it; I do know that most things we do to our bodies that are not natural or good for them result in our bodies "rebounding" and over-responding immediately after we stop doing what we were doing. (Nasal decongestants are an example. So are rebound headaches when people take aspirins.)

When bodies are in a state of "threat" (which is what is amounts to if your body was denied the nutrition it needed) certain chemical changes occur which make the adding of fat more likely to occur. Maybe because your normal body functioning had to get "up and running" again the first thing your body did was get to work on getting you some extra fat to help make up for some of the crisis your bulimia left your body in for however long.

Again, I'm not positive that such a rebound happens or if it does that it always happens; but you could look into it if you wanted. If that's what happened maybe you would have otherwise only gained 2 lbs a week.

There is some "set point" that bodies have when it comes to weight, and it is said that our bodies tend to gravitate (for lack of a more appropriate word) toward our "set point". Maybe that has something to do with it too. You could look up "set point" for more information on that.

Answer 4

Usually when people give up one vice, they replace it with another. Alcohol has sugar in it. Have you replaced it with soda, juice, or something else sweet? If you were a longterm bulimic, you probably have affected your metabolic rate. Also, it is difficult to judge how many calories you used to exist on. The toilet doesn't flash the total of calories after you have just purged.
Finally, did you start or stop some medication, stop smoking, etc.? I stopped drinking for three weeks while I was on some medicine. I lost nearly 20 pounds. My friend, who rarely drank, took the same medicine and gained nearly 10 pounds. Go figure!

Answer 5

Alcohol and diet pills create a neurological stimulus in the brain. Without actually taking notes on your eating style it is hard to tell. But in order to fill what the diet pills and alcohol have taken away, food or another stimulus is needed. Or it could be that these things sped up your heart rate and now without these your heart is less worked thus it is burning less calories. Your best bet is to cut back on amount you are eating and exercise, cardiovascularly, daily. This will burn a lot of calories. This should keep you at a desirable weight.

Answer 6

Prozac and other known depressants, tend quicken weight gain rather fast and extreme. However, if the 40 pounds makes you normal than stick with it, if not there are other depressants your doctor can put you on that does not have that side effect. Such as Zoloft and so forth. Another thing, is that your body and metabolism is stabilizing itself so changes in your body will continue until plateau, continue with your treatment until your body is stable

Answer 7

I think your body has to adjust to your new healthier eating habits. It's probably not used to having food and is hording calories. It will adjust and start using calories like it is suppose to, you just have to give it a little time. If your worried about your weight gain, definitely see a doc. Congratulations on stopping your bulimic activity!! You should be very proud of yourself.

Answer 8

Since a pound is 3500 calories, that means you have consumed an excess of 140,000 calories in 90 days, which means you consumed an excess of 1555 calories each day. Okay...that doesn't sound right.

It's probably just your body responding to your bulimia, or maybe your scale is messed up.

Answer 9

Well, the only reasonable explanation is that its something medically wrong.....so Id really see your doctor.....but it could be your bodies way of repairing itself from all that malnutrition from your bulimic past.

Answer 10

Well, maybe it is what you are eating. That is not healthy though.. to gain that much weight. You should go see a doctor.