This is the story of my recovery from anorexia in chapters.

Chapter 21: Listen to your body: it knows what it needs!

Severe starvation can cause your stomach to essentially shut down, as it knows that it is not going to get any food. Your body learns to survive on less, and it gets to the point where you can’t eat too much at one time, because the size of your stomach has shrunk, and it physically hurts to eat , and also your digestion has decreased, such that everything moves more slowly through the system, and you feel full. A funny thing happens when you start to eat again, though; you begin to feel hungry, your metabolism speeds up, and then you feel even MORE hungry! There is a danger to eating too much too soon (it is called re-feeding syndrome), where your body can not hand the sudden influx of nutrients. However, this is usually monitored by providers either in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Another possibility is hyper-metabolic syndrome, in which you eat more, burn more calories, and actually end up losing weight. This happened to me initially in recovery, and ED was of course quite pleased with this process. Eventually, though, my weigh stabilized, and I slowly gained until I got to a weight where I was able to have my period for the first time naturally (I had been on the pill for years, which chemically induced it). At first ED was outraged, but then “essential Heather” acknowledged that this was a sign of good health. In recovery, I have realized that my body is very good at telling me what it needs; fuel, hydration, sleep, fun, challenging work, outdoor activities, or rest. The more I actually listen to it, the happier I am.

I have served on the Board of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) since 2013, and collaborate with my NEDA colleagues on Eating Disorder research studies, papers, and presentations. Through my position at Brown University Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, I also collaborate with my local Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders programs. I had Anorexia Nervosa for 23 years, and I have been recovered since 2012.

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