A typical Monday in recovery

I haven't really done anything all that exciting today but I though it would be nice to give you all a quick update about of how I am going anyway.

I have been awake since 3:30 this morning so it gas been quite a long day for me but surprisingly im not too tired. Something I have noticed since starting to eat so much more is all the energy I now have. I wake up every morning feeling completely energized and ready to start my day. I almost feel like a child who is 'hyped up' after drinking too much red cordial. It feels amazing to be full of so much energy and it is simply because for the first time In a long time I am providing my body with exactely what it needs.

I worked at the bank all day today and got home in just enough time to walk Tess before tea which was great. Since tea I have eaten an extra yummy dessert of hot apple pie with vanilla custard as well as a vanilla milkshake (as I didnt want a hot chocolate as I am already feeling super hot).

There are a few negative effects of refeeding that I am currently experiencing but I am trying not to let them get me down. Firstly I have been overheating at various times throughout the day, particularly in the mornings, after my meals and of a night. As I mentioned yesterday I think that this is due to something  called hypermetabolism.

The reason anorexics commonly suffer from hot flushes is because their bodies start to use energy quite inefficiently whe they are reintroduced to large amounts of food. THIS site explains that while a normal person will only use up 15% of the total energy consumed to produce heat, 30% of an the energy consumed by a person being refed is used to make heat. This is why so many calories are required for a recovering anorexic to gain weight as a smaller proportion of the energy they consume is actually available for muscle rebuilding and fat storage.

Feeling so hot all the time is very different for me as I have always felt extremely cold at all times throughout my illness so far. While I used to wear jumpers in summer whenever I left the house, I had to take my jumper off this morning while I was walking Tess, even though it was only 8 degrees celcius. Its not a terrible side effect of recovery but these hot flushes can still feel really uncomfortable and they make me sweat a lot which can be quite embarrassing.

Another effect is that my skin is not very good at the moment. I have had pimples at various stages throughout my illness but It had gotten a bit better before I started eating so much. My acne has always been much worse whenever I have been feeling particularly stressed or anxious which explains why my skin is not great now. I obviously do feel worried and anxious at various times while fighting my anorexia but so far it hasnt been anything I cant handle. I also know that my hormones would be going crazy as I refeed my body which could also quite easily contribute to my pimples.

While I wish I was not experiencing these negative effects of refeeding, they dont make me want to stop what I am doing for even a moment. Who cares if I get a few pimples or if I need to take a cold shower to cool myself down when I start to overheat. At the end of the day those tiny little things are nothing compared to what recovery would mean for me. We must also always remember that these types of effects are only temporary. I hope that everyone has had a great weekend and that you are feeling ready and energised for the week ahead!