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Last updated on June 11th, 2024 at 02:36 am
Have you heard about overshoot weight when recovering from an eating disorder and wondering what that really means?
Overshoot weight is eating disorder weight targets above the “minimum” threshold of weight expectations. Overshoot is also the weight gain above set target weights that can occur naturally in eating disorder recovery.
Overshoot implies that:
- The goal recovery weight won’t necessarily match a rigid BMI standard
- Height does not dictate what the ED weight target will be
- Your body knows what your weight should be better than math calculations
- Your weight target might be different than a peer of equal height
- Your weight target will likely be a range
This can feel very scary if you are in eating disorder recovery and your ED voice is likely to have very loud thoughts about this.
After all, your eating disorder has likely convinced you that it’s only necessary to gain the absolute minimum amount of weight necessary to mark the checkbox of ED recovered.
In this article, we’ll explore why weight overshoot is often necessary for ED recovery and, what overshoot means, and how to work through some of the difficult emotions that can come with this.
What is Overshoot Weight In ED Recovery
Overshoot weight in eating disorder recovery is when a target for weight restoration is set above the persons pre eating disorder weight.
Clinicians will set a target for overshoot weight for several reasons including:
- Our body needs to rebuild the trust that we will feed it to carry out normal processes
- Often weight overshoot is required to get a period again
- Our gut microbiome will need additional nutrients to normalize
- For teens, the body is still growing taller in addition to weight restore
- There will naturally be some weight loss as a person moves away from a mechanical eating plan
Your target weight will be set by your healthcare team which typically includes a doctor, a therapist, and an eating disorder dietitian.
Why Do I Need Additional Nutrients In ED Recovery:
It’s important to remember that there is a lot of tissue and organ repair that the body needs to go through in eating disorder recovery. Overshoot can be critical for repairing the damage done to the body during an eating disorder.
Additional nutrients in recovery is required for:
- Loss of lean body mass (muscle)
- Hormones and digestive enzymes to resume normal function
- Damaged tissue repair
- Hair regrowth and repair
- Repairing bone mineral density as much as possible
- Dental damage and sores
What is an Example of Overshoot Weight
Overshoot weight gain can mean different things for different people.
Some examples of overshoot include:
- A BMI 5-20 lbs above the “minimum healthy BMI weight” for those we don’t have good weight history data on
- Following an eating disorder meal plan and restoring weight greater than a minimum target weight
- Honoring all types of hunger and naturally falling at a weight higher than the minimum target weight
- Restoring weight to a point above your UBW even if you are considered “overweight” on the BMI scale
Typically, the healthcare team will set a target weight range for a person between 10-20 lbs.
Weight overshoot will typically be critical in:
- Orthorexia recovery
- Anorexia recovery
- Atypical anorexia
- Binge eating recovery
- ARFID
- OSFED
When Will I Stop Gaining Weight After An Eating Disorder
Weight targets are typically set based on a person’s personal growth history if the data is available.
For example, if a person has always been in the 50th percentile for weight on growth charts, the target weight will reflect this.
It is important to remember that overshoot weight will likely be a normal part of recovery. It is not uncommon for overshooting weight to surpass weight targets set by the healthcare team.
Reasons overshoot weight occurs naturally include:
- Extreme hunger that often occurs following an eating disorder
- The body has not hit its natural set point weight even if it has hit the target weight
- Weight loss rebound tends to naturally direct the body to a higher weight for safety
- As a response to hypermetabolism
While overshoot might feel uncomfortable, you must trust your body to know its set point weight following recovery.
How Long Does It Take To Lose Overshoot Weight
It typically takes about 6 months to 2 years after all eating disorder behaviors have been discontinued to get to your set point weight.
For some people, the set point weight of the body is less than the overshoot weight that was a target during your recovery process.
How long it takes to get to your set point weight which could mean reducing overshoot weight will depend on:
- If you are intuitively eating after its safe to discontinue the meal plan
- If you still have food restrictions leading to frequent binge restrict cycles
- If you have a constant fear of gaining weight
- If you are avoiding fear foods
You will need to incorporate all foods and honor your hunger fully before your body will reach its set point weight. Your body might also have difficulty reaching a set point weight if it’s interrupted by co-occuring conditions to your eating disorder such as ADHD. ADHD can make it hard to navigate hunger cues and prep meals.
It is also critical to remember that your weight does not determine if you have recovered or not from an eating disorder.
If you are trying to lose weight after your initial recovery, this is an eating disorder relapse sign and means that you have more recovery work to do.
Dealing With Weight Gain In ED Recovery
Weight gain during eating disorder recovery can almost feel like a loss of identity. Weight gain can come with fear, grief, uncertainty, depression, and anxiety.
Recognizing that you are losing some of your thin privilege which is highly valued in this oppressive culture can feel traumatic.
Part of the recovery process will include learning to honor and trust your body and heal your body image.
Here are some things that can help with weight gain in eating disorder recovery:
- Keep a list of eating disorder recovery quotes for hard days
- Practice respecting your body every day physically and emotionally
- Take a look at eating disorder recovery books to share in others’ stories
- Take a deep dive into why you feel you dislike your body
- Stop body checking
- Practice joyful movement when it is safe to do so
- Question and dismiss diet culture
Your fear of gaining weight is not unique to you. Check out my anorexia story to see some of the challenges I had in this struggle.
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- Intuitive Eating For Eating Disorders: What You Should Know - September 3, 2024