u/Distinct_Star9990

I started weight training arms about a month ago and I'm really happy with my progress! I'm starting to see a little muscle definition in my upper arms which I've never had before. I've also stuck to a good structure of 4x per week for about 1 hour, and I've worked my way up from using my old COVID-era 2kg dumbbells to some newer 3kg dumbbells and now I'm using 5kg for 80% of the session!! Feeling stronger in myself which feels awesome. I've also been swimming 3x per week in that time and I've gone from doing 30 25m lengths (so 750m) in about 50 minutes to today doing the same distance in 28!! Really happy to be sticking with it I'm absolutely loving it.

What I'm unsure about is the pace at which to progress from here? I'm definitely not quite ready to increase beyond 5kg yet, but at some point I will - would I move to 6kg dumbbells? Or maybe stick with 5kg for even longer to then graduate to 7kg instead (to avoid the cost of buying every single next interval in weights)? Also with swimming, should I increase the number of lengths I do in an average session? I'm weary of not overdoing it but equally I'm feeling strong and I've improved a lot since I started.

Last thing, can I assume that I'm relatively active with this? I also walk 3-5 miles daily. Thanks all!

Backstory: diagnosed AN Feb 2024, discharged March 2025, did well until end of 2025 then beginning of 2026 until essentially now have basically ended up back in a dieting mindset.

Its this mindset I'm deeply struggling with because it ties so much to my (terrible) body image. Its weird because I don't feel deep down dissatisfied with my body size/shape, and yet I can't seem to bring myself to stop eating essentially with the aim of losing weight (albeit not crazy restrictive, just not enough for sure). Its driving me crazy, I don't want this but I'm really struggling to stop - and then all I end up doing is having a handful of days a month where I finally listen to my body and eat more except that turns into eating quite a significant amount.

My next strategy is one I've evidently put off for way too long - just eat enough in the first place lol. I'm getting really nervous about embarking on this, it almost feels like when I first had to increase my intake in early recovery (except I'm struggling now with feeling like I don't 'need' to because I'm further along). I also enjoy being active - I've loved swimming since I was a kid etc - and its something I really want to protect my capacity to do well.

Any tips in keeping going through this last push? Its really hard but I want to let go of the ED so badly

I've just finished my BA in Politics and Sociology at the uni of Sheffield 😄

I was discharged from ED services over a year ago and I've been doing I think half-decent? My weight's fluctuated here and there but never gone back below healthy etc, but because I'm so used to my meal plan-esque items and amounts of food I'm finding it really hard to be spontaneous and eat a little more intuitively because it all feels 'outside of the meal plan' in a way I'm struggling to 'justify' as necessary. But I also feel simultaneously I'm so so nearly ready to the point where surely I should just take a leap of faith - like, is anyone really ever that ready? Surely I just have to do it a little scared, like in much earlier recovery.

To be clear, full intuitive eating wouldn't work for me both for ED reasons (I think I'm still at risk of ending up under eating), but also because I'm autistic and have ADHD which means I can get obsessive with eating the same thing/can eat for dopamine/can forget to eat. So I'd want to keep a baseline structure of 3 square meals and a minimum of 1 snack per day. What I'm after more specifically is the ability to eat different amounts every day without freaking out - eg. sometimes I could have a bigger cheese toastie for my lunch and thats okay, its normal, its nothing to even think about.

Does that make sense ahaha? Any advice would be so so much appreciated ❤️

Hey everyone, I started lifting (super light!) around 3 or 4 weeks ago and I'm really happy with my progression as I wasn't expecting to feel noticeably stronger so quick! I started with 2kg dumbbells because that was all I had leftover from COVID haha, then moved up to 3kg and now I use a combination of 3kg and 5kg depending on the exercise :D lateral raises staying at 2kg for the foreseeable tho omg those are hard. I feel like I can see some increased definition in my upper arms, not masses because its light weights etc etc, but considering I'd never trained consistently before and now I do 50 minutes-1 hour 4x per week I think there's smth there!! super happy to be feeling stronger and I'm really enjoying it too

Ahhh, can't believe it but so relieved - best of luck to everyone in final assignments and essays!