hypermetabolism - what, how, and when?

1. Feeling bloated & lethargic all day

2. Your temperature is rising; sweaty palms and feet

3. Your heart is racing insanely fast

4. Insomnia

5. It as if you are in "panic" mode 24/7

6. Ravenously hungry --> never satisfied 

Hypermetabolic mode is a true theory and usually is evident during the beginning stages of recovery. From my experience, I never forced myself upon this, but as my extreme starvation grew stronger and stronger, my body forced itself to eat such large amounts, which eventually entered itself into hypermetabolic mode.

Before recovery, your body shuts down because it is not receiving the adequate amount of calories that it needs to sustain itself. It cannot keep burning energy throughout the day, so your metabolism would significantly decrease to preserve the organs or fat. When you enter recovery and are eating over 3,000+ calories, your body sees this as a shock to its system. Individuals recovering from anorexia nervosa need to eat more calories to gain or even maintain their weight. Using my experience as an example, I was only gaining a pound from eating 3,000-3,500+ calories, and when I was eating over 5,000+ for a month at my initial stage, I was only gaining 1.5-2.5 lbs. However, hypermetabolic mode tends to last between 3 - 6 months after restoration, and you will notice as time passes by, your appetite will die down. Hypermetabolic mode is a good sign because it is basically "resetting" your body by replenishing its deficient storage and boosting your once-slow metabolism into a machine. I must note that the symptoms coming with this mode can be quite severe, and if you were ever considering to start recovery or go down this path, you must consult a doctor. I, myself, made this mistake and faced numerous downfalls from this path.

Hypermetabolic mode was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. My dreams of eating a lot and not gaining as much were coming true. However, as I went further into recovery, I realized that life was so much more and that continually eating this large amount was just a blockage from my goals.

IMPORTANT (KEY TO EVERYTHING):

Note: I was typically very hungry in this mode, and thus, I had countless "binging" scenes from my large appetite. However, it WILL die down. In recovery, your goal is to release yourself from your old habits, thoughts, and actions. Stop thinking about calories, the type of food you are eating, and when and what you are going to eat. Just stop and let it go. Let nature take its actions. That was the mistake I made while I was in recovery - though I was eating more, I still was not letting go of these rituals or schedules. Let them go. It is worth it. Trust me.

 It is the KEY to everything.