Eating normally yet gaining weight?
16F, 162cm, now at my end weight for my recovery from being underweight, and now that I’ve started eating normally (tracking still) I seemed to have gained so much weight in such a short time?
Will I just keep gaining weight forever? Do I have to restrict again?
In August 2025 I was 41kg, then January 2026 (47kg?) was when I properly started recovery and eating a normal amount of calories. So fast forward to now, may 2026, I am now 54/55kg, and in 8 months I have managed to gain nearly 15kg… from eating a normal amount of calories.
I started going to the gym in February this year and it had been the best thing ever. It has helped my mental health so much. It was probably what helped me choose recovery as I started to view food as necessary fuel. I try to emphasise getting stronger and feeling better (but of course the muscle is a plus). I am focusing on strength and muscle rather than thinness.
But I’m scared that I am just going to keep gaining weight. I was eating up to 2500 calories as a pretty active teenage girl from march to April but in fear I have reduced it down to 1700-1900. My weight seems to have stabilised a bit, maybe even a loss. But I am still opting to omit normal higher calorie options at meals because if I eat it I will just gain more and more weight (e.g. if rice is on the meal alongside a chicken curry, I won’t have the rice… or if it’s a burger and healthy fries I won’t have the burger bun- but it’s not a fear of carbs because I will have other options of carbs).
I have found that I’ve definitely gained muscle mass and strength and that motivates me a lot. But I’m scared that I will just keep on gaining weight (fat) and not stabilise.
I train 4 times for an hour in the gym, and 90 minutes of volleyball on a weekly basis, and usually get 8000-12000 steps depending on the day.
I am trying not to control my food as to improve my ideas surrounding it, but it just feels inevitable.