Written by: Carolee Hannah, MS, RDN, LD
Registered Dietitian at The Renfrew Center of Georgia
Eating disorders affect both physical and mental health, and true recovery requires healing in both areas. Your body constantly manages various processes, such as building bones, delivering oxygen to organs, and keeping your heart pumping blood throughout the body—each one dependent on consistent energy intake. When recovering from an eating disorder, a lot can change on the inside that we may not see, but there are signs that healing is taking place. One of those signs is changes to our metabolism, which can become slowed in individuals with an eating disorder. This is a protective mechanism to prevent starvation when energy intake is low. As food intake increases during recovery, your body may enter a hypermetabolic state—meaning it is using food at a rapid rate for repairing and healing. For many, this is a normal part of the recovery process and is nothing to fear.
What is Hypermetabolism?
Hypermetabolism is defined as an extremely fast metabolism, meaning that at rest, your body requires more energy to maintain the metabolic processes. It can be the result of illness, infection, or eating disorders. To keep up with your body’s heightened energy demands, your food intake must increase accordingly. Each person who experiences hypermetabolism has unique energy needs; however, on average, energy intake is 2-3 times higher for those recovering from an eating disorder.
How Do You Know if You Are Hypermetabolic?
The body signals us, letting us know that higher energy needs are required. These indications may include increased hunger and thirst, night sweats, fatigue, elevated heart rate, or even continued weight loss if nutritional intake isn’t yet meeting the body’s heightened demands. These changes reflect a temporary hypermetabolic state as the body works hard to repair and restore itself.
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Understanding Hypermetabolism and Eating Disorders in the Recovery Process
Our bodies are amazing and smart; they have mechanisms in place to prevent starvation when an individual restricts intake. Our bodies will naturally try to preserve energy by slowing down metabolic processes such as digestion, hormone production, hair growth, and direct energy intake to life-sustaining functions. As intake increases, the body will begin the rebuilding process to repair and support deep healing. The repairing process includes hormone production, which can include the return of hunger and fullness cues as these are controlled by hormones, repairing and rebuilding muscle, stimulating bone growth and preservation, all of which require a significant amount of energy. This time of healing will require high amounts of energy intake to complete, which will mean a larger amount of food is needed to meet the demands of the body just to maintain weight. This process will vary for individuals, but will typically last 3-6 months, and can continue for up to a year.
Common Myths and Misunderstandings
For those with a history of a restrictive eating disorder, weight restoration is often a necessary step in recovery, but it can lead to increased anxiety and fear. If you are experiencing hypermetabolism, it is important to remember that eating and nourishing your body is the best thing you can do for your recovery – even when it feels like ‘a lot’. Being hungry does not mean you are doing something wrong; this is a natural process. It is our body’s way of communicating with us and isn’t something to fear. This period of hypermetabolism won’t last forever.
Honoring your hunger is one way to ensure the repair process can be completed. Research shows that individuals recovering from restrictive eating disorders often require more energy to maintain weight than those of similar weight without a history of disordered eating. This is a normal part of recovery, not a sign that something is wrong.
It’s important to remember that even if weight gain seems slow, your body is doing a lot of internal healing that isn’t immediately visible – and that healing takes a significant amount of energy.
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Supporting Recovery During Hypermetabolism
Everybody requires different energy needs during this phase of recovery, so it is important to trust your body. Our bodies don’t need to be micromanaged; they are amazing, smart, and resilient. If you feel hungry, give yourself permission to continue to eat. If you have lost touch with hunger and fullness cues, look for other signs of hunger such as irritability, low energy, headache, and lightheadedness. Don’t try to control what you eat – honor your cravings.
Here are some tips for managing this phase:
- Avoid counting calories or tracking food, as this can lead to increased anxiety and can interfere with the healing process.
- Work with a dietitian who can help determine your energy needs and support your recovery with individualized meal plans.
- Remember, you are not overdoing it; you are healing. Treat your body with kindness and compassion and be patient during the recovery process.
When to Seek Help
It may be time to seek help from a medical professional if you notice continued weight loss despite eating larger quantities of food consistently throughout the day. You may also want to seek help if you feel fatigue that interferes with daily functioning or notice a rapid heart rate. These symptoms may require monitoring from a health professional.
If you are unsure how to meet your energy needs or find it difficult to plan meals out, seek professional support to help you move forward in recovery.
If you or someone you know has increased fear and anxiety around eating, begins skipping meals, or becomes preoccupied with body size and shape, it may be time to speak with an eating disorder specialist, therapist, or doctor.
Conclusion
Hypermetabolism is a normal part of the recovery process, and eating freely without rigid rules is an important part of supporting your body’s healing. Our bodies manage countless internal functions, and during this phase, energy needs can increase by up to 50%. Be gentle with yourself and continue to listen to your body. Hypermetabolism does not mean your metabolism is broken; it means your body is working hard to repair itself. Restoring your physical health and improving your relationship with food takes time, and hypermetabolism is one meaningful step along the way. Trust the process and your body.
Struggling with disordered eating or body image? The Renfrew Center provides compassionate care for all bodies. Contact us today to get started.
If you, a loved one, or a patient is experiencing an eating disorder, help is available. Contact The Renfrew Center’s team by phone at 1-(800) 736-3739 or complete our online form.
