Ask Dr G: Eating Disorders and Metabolism [Podcast]
By Tabitha Farrar ·
In this podcast, Tabitha talks to Dr Gaudiani on the topic of metabolism in relation to anorexia and other restrictive eating disorders.
We talk about:
How the metabolism works
How restriction affects the metabolism
Mental hunger
Physical hunger
How to eat in recovery to boost your metabolism
About The Gaudiani Clinic
Dr Jennifer Gaudiani
The Gaudiani Clinic provides superb expert outpatient medical care to adolescents and adults of all sizes, shapes, and genders with eating disorders or disordered eating. The Gaudiani Clinic also offers comprehensive person-centered care to those who are recovered from an eating disorder. Through a collaborative, communicative, multi-disciplinary approach, the Clinic cares for the whole person, in the context of their values.
Under the care of Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS, FAED, patients receive expert medical care provided in a comfortable and highly discreet private practice setting. Dr. Gaudiani is one of the only outpatient internists in the United States who carries the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist designation and is internationally recognized as an expert in the eating disorder field. In her role as an expert outpatient medical doctor, Dr. Gaudiani can function as a patient’s primary care physician or as an expert adjunctive physician as part of a multidisciplinary team.
The Gaudiani Clinic is located in Denver, Colorado with both local and telemedicine treatment plans available.
Dr. Gaudiani also offers professional services including private and group consultation, professional webinars, and presentations.
These comments are archived from the original site. Commenting is closed — for support, see the coaching page or the podcast community.
LawrenceOctober 28, 2017
I so much wish hypermetabolism was true for me. Instead I gained exactly the amount of weight I had thought I would be gaining when I was in the depth of anorexia, like my metabolism hadn't changed at all. My anorexia was literally right. I so much hate it.
Tabitha FarrarNovember 1, 2017
Body diversity - we are all different weights. If your body returned to the weight is it supposed to be that doesn't mean your metabolism isn't working.
TinaOctober 25, 2017
Thank you so much for talking about this. I can relate to the hypermetobolic state that my daughter was in when she was in the beginning stages of her recovery from anorexia nervosa. It was so perplexing to me at the time because she was eating so many calories and not gaining weight. Her dietician was very helpful in explaining this to me just as you did in this podcast. It was only through persistent education that I was able to get to a place to really support her in the recovery process. The body knows what it needs in every stage of life and I will share this podcast with all my dieting friends. Being surrounded by a culture focused on dieting and weight loss makes it difficult to stay rooted in the truths. Thanks again Tabitha for this fantastic podcast.
bethNovember 19, 2019
I went on a wild, wild binge after losing 3stone. I didnt realise I had anorexia and this was accidental recovery, eventhough I relapsed (however, I considered the weight gain as a relapse, of course, as an anorexic.) I gained a couple of lbs... From a wild, wild binge for 10 weeks. I gained 15lbs of water and a few lbs of fat. I barely exercised. This was straight from a huge deficit. Hypermetabolism is insane.
JulietOctober 24, 2017
So why would this NOT work for someone? I have tried increasing under supervision numerous times over the last year and it has backfired leaving me more and more hopeless each time. Where does one turn to when it's not possible to eat anything without gaining weight leaving the person depressed, with a bleak future and no energy or focus?
Are there specialists that work in that specific area to find out what is wrong and if so who are they?
Thank you very much for the work you do. I would appreciate very much any suggestions.
Tabitha FarrarOctober 24, 2017
If you increase and then stop increasing when you gain weight your metabolism will fall again. You have to no yo-yo but commit to increasing. You will gain weight at first and then your body will catch up. You gain weight because you need to!
JulietOctober 27, 2017
But I don't need to and have been told I won't gain if I do the plan so what is wrong with me?
Thank you for you response.
Do you know of any Specialists that might be able to figure this out for me?
Juliet
MelinaJanuary 14, 2018
I am trying to recover from a restrictive eating disorder but I’m sure, or at least my eating disorder is convincing me, that if I immediately start eating a normal amount of calories straight away I will gain a significant amount of weight. Whenever I binge and eat calories than I usually do, the scale shows my weight has done up. It does end up dropping again within a day or two, but I feel like if my body weight temporarily rises from just a day or two of overeating more calories than I’ve been restricting myself to, that it will gain a TON of permanent weight if I begin eating consistently eating normal amounts of food again.
bethNovember 19, 2019
Water, glycogen
We store water like absolute crazy (upto 15-20lbs) at the start of recovery. It's nearly instant after the first day or after a binge or two.
![Ask Dr G: Eating Disorders and Metabolism [Podcast]](/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Adobe-Spark-12.jpg)
treatment plans available.
LawrenceOctober 28, 2017
I so much wish hypermetabolism was true for me. Instead I gained exactly the amount of weight I had thought I would be gaining when I was in the depth of anorexia, like my metabolism hadn't changed at all. My anorexia was literally right. I so much hate it.
Tabitha FarrarNovember 1, 2017
Body diversity - we are all different weights. If your body returned to the weight is it supposed to be that doesn't mean your metabolism isn't working.
TinaOctober 25, 2017
Thank you so much for talking about this. I can relate to the hypermetobolic state that my daughter was in when she was in the beginning stages of her recovery from anorexia nervosa. It was so perplexing to me at the time because she was eating so many calories and not gaining weight. Her dietician was very helpful in explaining this to me just as you did in this podcast. It was only through persistent education that I was able to get to a place to really support her in the recovery process. The body knows what it needs in every stage of life and I will share this podcast with all my dieting friends. Being surrounded by a culture focused on dieting and weight loss makes it difficult to stay rooted in the truths. Thanks again Tabitha for this fantastic podcast.
bethNovember 19, 2019
I went on a wild, wild binge after losing 3stone. I didnt realise I had anorexia and this was accidental recovery, eventhough I relapsed (however, I considered the weight gain as a relapse, of course, as an anorexic.) I gained a couple of lbs... From a wild, wild binge for 10 weeks. I gained 15lbs of water and a few lbs of fat. I barely exercised. This was straight from a huge deficit. Hypermetabolism is insane.
JulietOctober 24, 2017
So why would this NOT work for someone? I have tried increasing under supervision numerous times over the last year and it has backfired leaving me more and more hopeless each time. Where does one turn to when it's not possible to eat anything without gaining weight leaving the person depressed, with a bleak future and no energy or focus?
Are there specialists that work in that specific area to find out what is wrong and if so who are they?
Thank you very much for the work you do. I would appreciate very much any suggestions.
Tabitha FarrarOctober 24, 2017
If you increase and then stop increasing when you gain weight your metabolism will fall again. You have to no yo-yo but commit to increasing. You will gain weight at first and then your body will catch up. You gain weight because you need to!
JulietOctober 27, 2017
But I don't need to and have been told I won't gain if I do the plan so what is wrong with me?
Thank you for you response.
Do you know of any Specialists that might be able to figure this out for me?
Juliet
MelinaJanuary 14, 2018
I am trying to recover from a restrictive eating disorder but I’m sure, or at least my eating disorder is convincing me, that if I immediately start eating a normal amount of calories straight away I will gain a significant amount of weight. Whenever I binge and eat calories than I usually do, the scale shows my weight has done up. It does end up dropping again within a day or two, but I feel like if my body weight temporarily rises from just a day or two of overeating more calories than I’ve been restricting myself to, that it will gain a TON of permanent weight if I begin eating consistently eating normal amounts of food again.
bethNovember 19, 2019
Water, glycogen
We store water like absolute crazy (upto 15-20lbs) at the start of recovery. It's nearly instant after the first day or after a binge or two.