How to Gain Weight After Anorexia
The process of identifying and dealing with anorexia is only one step in the road to healthy living for a patient. Individuals recovering from anorexia need to mix immediate nutrient gains with a long-term diet focused on restoring normal weight. You need to develop a comprehensive weight gain plan following medical treatment for anorexia.
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Things You'll Need
- Calcium
- Multi-vitamin
- Exercise plan
- Notebook for food diary
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
Instructions
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Utilize a food diary to track your calories and food content for each meal. This diary doesn't need to be elaborate, but you should review it each day to make sure all of your meals fit your prescribed diet.
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Increase your caloric intake gradually after anorexia to avoid additional health problems. The tendency to rush back to a normal body weight may be hindered by indigestion, stomach cramps and other digestive issues associated with overeating.
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Note the effects of prescription anti-depressants and food supplements on your appetite as you try to gain weight. You should discuss potential prescription changes with your doctor in order to establish eating habits that are sustainable.
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Manage your exercise schedule carefully after anorexia to help you gain weight without resorting to excessive eating. Most anorexia patients should work out less than the 30 minutes each day recommended by doctors for maintaining a healthy body weight.
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Consume multi-vitamins with one meal each day to cover all of the essential vitamins and minerals needed in your diet. Your diet should be as balanced as possible, but a multi-vitamin takes the pressure off in terms of fulfilling every vitamin requirement down to the milligram.
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Focus on high-protein meals to help you build strong bones and muscles as you begin to exceed 2,000 calories each day. Doctors will often recommend that anorexia patients consume more than 3,000 calories a day after the initial risk stage to help get to an ideal body weight. You should utilize skim milk, unsalted peanuts and other protein-rich foods without high-fat content to achieve this goal.
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Strengthen your recovering body's immune system and bones with a healthy dose of calcium and Vitamin D. It is important to focus on these aspects of your diet beyond the amounts in multi-vitamins. This is especially true for children and adolescents who are at risk for brittle bones due to anorexia.
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Tips & Warnings
Insert zinc to your diet in order to gain weight after anorexia. A small dose of zinc used each day as part of your diet can help increase your appetite while amplifying the weight gain aspects of the food that you eat. The recommended amount of zinc hovers between 10 and 15 mg each day.
