If I’m Not Losing Weight When I’m Hardly Eating… Won’t I Gain a Ton if I Eat Normally?
Clients recovering from eating disorders often tell me something like:
“I barely eat anything and my weight doesn’t go down. So if I start eating… won’t I just blow up? Won’t it all spiral out of control?”
It’s a completely understandable fear. And it’s also incredibly confusing.
Because what your body feels like it’s doing… and what it’s actually doing… are often two very different things.
Let’s break it down in plain language and let’s use an analogy, because I loooove a good analogy.
How does a restricted intake affect metabolism?
Think of it like this: Your body in restriction is like a dried-out sponge.
When a sponge sits unused for too long, it becomes stiff, brittle, and unable to absorb much. It even repels water at first and needs slow, steady rehydration to soften again.
And if you keep squeezing a dried-out sponge without adding any water back in, eventually:
there's nothing left to give
it stops releasing moisture
and if you keep squeezing, it doesn’t give you more water; it simply starts to crumble
Your body responds to restriction in the exact same way.
There is only so much your body can lose before it has to protect what’s left. This isn’t failure; it’s survival mode.
Your body isn’t “broken”, it’s trying to keep you alive.
When you’re barely eating:
your metabolism drops significantly
your body becomes extremely good at holding onto whatever tiny bits of energy it receives
hormones like thyroid, cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin shift dramatically
digestion slows
body temperature drops
Your body isn’t “refusing to lose weight”… it’s refusing to let you die.
If my body holds onto everything now, won’t it blow up when I start eating?
When you first try to rehydrate a dried-out sponge, it doesn’t suddenly gush with water and expand to ten times its size. It does the opposite:
it feels overwhelmed
it takes in just a little at a time
it softens slowly
it absorbs more only as it becomes safer and more flexible again
Your body, after restriction, does the same thing. As your “sponge” (aka your body) slowly comes back to life:
your cells gradually pull in water
glycogen stores refill (and glycogen always carries water with it)
your digestive system wakes back up
hormones begin to reboot and recalibrate
temporary bloating or fullness can happen
This is why many people *may* notice a small weight increase early in recovery, even on a modest meal plan.
This is often water, hydration, and restoration; not fat gain, and not “things spiraling out of control.” This weight typically levels off as the body turns the systems back on.
When will the weight gain end?
Bodies do not gain weight endlessly just because you’re eating enough to live. Just like a sponge only absorbs what it structurally needs, and no more, your body stabilizes when it’s nourished adequately and consistently.
What About Real Weight Gain?
Sometimes, especially after long-term restriction, some true tissue restoration does happen and it’s deeply needed.
That might mean:
rebuilding lost muscle
restoring organ tissue
adding back essential fat stores
healing bone density
rebalancing hormones
This is recovery. Weight does not continuously climb unless intake continues increasing (which is why us Eating Disorder Dietitians have to continuously increase meal plans.)
Bodies settle when they feel safe. Sometimes that safe point is higher than you’d like, this is your biology doing what it must to protect you.
What about refeeding symptoms?
A quick note: when you start eating more, you may experience temporary:
bloating
constipation or slower digestion
fullness that feels “too intense”
early water-weight shifts
These are normal parts of waking the system back up and not signs of dangerous refeeding syndrome.
(And yes, refeeding syndrome is very different, rare, and occurs under different medical circumstances. Not what we’re talking about here.)
Why eating more eventually helps your weight stabilize
As you consistently nourish yourself, the “sponge” transforms:
hormones normalize (thyroid, leptin, cortisol)
metabolism speeds back up
body temperature rises
digestion becomes smoother and more responsive
muscle mass and energy increase
hunger cues become more accurate
Your system stops behaving like a brittle sponge and becomes a living, flexible, responsive body again.
You don’t stay swollen or waterlogged. You don’t expand endlessly.
You regulate.
You find balance.
Your body settles.
So… will you gain a ton of weight?
In almost all cases: No. (If your body needs to gain weight, it will do so gradually, not explosively.)
You may gain temporary water.
You may restore lost tissue.
You may rebuild to the place your body feels safest.
But bodies don’t spiral upward forever. They stabilize when they’re nourished, supported, and out of survival mode.
Your body isn’t waiting to betray you. It’s waiting to trust you again.
A Closing Thought
I know the fear is real.
It’s loud.
It’s convincing.
It tells you restriction is the only thing keeping your weight “under control.”
But the physiology is clear:
Restriction keeps you stuck.
Nourishment helps your body find equilibrium again.
Your dried-out sponge of a metabolism isn’t the enemy.
It’s a protector doing the best it could with not enough for too long.
And with steady nourishment, it softens.
It rehydrates.
It comes back to life.
Your body isn’t broken.
It’s waiting for you.
Rebecca Adams RD, LD, CEDS-C is a Registered Dietitian specializing in Eating Disorders and the Owner of Balanced Nutrition Therapy. She has over 15 years’ experience working with all types of Eating Disorders from residential to outpatient settings. Rebecca’s thoughtful, compassionate, and science-backed approach has helped hundreds of people heal their relationship with food.
