@gailsie I don't think most trainers recommend daily exercise. More like strength train 3 days or even two days a week and keep your steps up. Exercise doesn't really impact weight loss very much. Strength training can increase muscles-but movement throughout the day > impact on weight loss than cardio.
I’m 20 and 5’2” but very stressed about maintaining my weight
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bubblegum2021
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@gailsie I am an M&A Partner in one of the largest law offices in my country. I know a thing or two about sedentary work places. I also work anywhere between 10 and 16 hrs a day. I am also 36. I am 108 lbs and 5’4 and a runner for passion. This is not a brag. This is just an example that your concern is fictional. If you want to make it work, you can. Also, exercise is not torture. It’s fun, it creates endorphins, it keeps you youthful, happy and radiating. It’s a mindset issue.
@gailsie Hey, you don’t have to exercise every day to stay slim. How long have you been in recovery? It can take a while to adjust to weight gain.
People have vastly different metabolisms and also different frames of reference when it comes to appropriate amounts of food. I’m not in the US, but I know from visiting (and YouTube) that their portion sizes are gigantic. So lots of Americans who have never had an ED will overestimate how much food their bodies need. This is less likely with you because of your ED history your perception of portions will probably be on the low side.
What job will you be doing? It’s worth noting that lots of jobs burn a lot. For example any sakes job where you’re on your feet. But also the brain uses a lot of carbs and so brain power at work, even when sat still at a desk, does burn calories.
People have vastly different metabolisms and also different frames of reference when it comes to appropriate amounts of food. I’m not in the US, but I know from visiting (and YouTube) that their portion sizes are gigantic. So lots of Americans who have never had an ED will overestimate how much food their bodies need. This is less likely with you because of your ED history your perception of portions will probably be on the low side.
What job will you be doing? It’s worth noting that lots of jobs burn a lot. For example any sakes job where you’re on your feet. But also the brain uses a lot of carbs and so brain power at work, even when sat still at a desk, does burn calories.
@minhduc I’m not in proper recovery at a hospital or anything but I’ve been trying recovery for a few months. I’m also Australian so thankfully I never had those gigantic portion sizes lol. I currently work in retail so I’m worried transitioning to a graphic design office job will make me gain heaps 
miracle2015
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@gailsie I’ve been thinking about this post a lot.
I saw a nutritional therapist for awhile, and I said the exact same thing to her. I was crying thinking, “how am I going to get more than 3k steps in every day? (I also have a desk job) For the rest of my life? I don’t want that life…” I had just spent 3 years eating really restrictively, no grains, dairy, etc, over-exercising, only to see my weight go up and I was trying to reset my relationship with food and exercise.
I was particularly stressed because all the things people said like, “Oh if you eat healthy long enough you’ll crave it. Oh if you build a good exercise habit, you’ll wonder what you did without it.” Like I said - I was super restrictive/healthy and high exercise for years and like a light switch I could turn it all off, and I did. For about 3 years I just did whatever I wanted food wise.
She was honest with me and reframed it - “It looks like that may not happen for you. But there are other things you do that you don’t crave - you don’t crave brushing your teeth, taking showers, etc, but you still regularly do it. What would it look like if you thought of eating well and moving your body like brushing your teeth. It’s awesome if you find a great toothpaste that you love, you can keep trying new things to see if that will help you love it more, but you don’t have to love it to do it a little bit everyday.”
And I can’t tell you how much that helped me. I just get up, get a 20-30 minute workout in, I build my meals with a few vegetables. Sometimes I really love the healthier meal I make or the workout I did, but I’ve accepted it will never compare to a s’mores cookie for whatever reason my taste buds/body just don’t grow to love it like others do. But, I will literally tell myself, “You’re brushing your teeth!” and somehow that makes it seem not so bad, and doable for most days for the rest of my life. I’ve hit at least 8k steps for a year now, workout 5 days a week and walk most days, and it’s just part of my life. Would I drop it in a heartbeat? Absolutely.
I saw a nutritional therapist for awhile, and I said the exact same thing to her. I was crying thinking, “how am I going to get more than 3k steps in every day? (I also have a desk job) For the rest of my life? I don’t want that life…” I had just spent 3 years eating really restrictively, no grains, dairy, etc, over-exercising, only to see my weight go up and I was trying to reset my relationship with food and exercise.
I was particularly stressed because all the things people said like, “Oh if you eat healthy long enough you’ll crave it. Oh if you build a good exercise habit, you’ll wonder what you did without it.” Like I said - I was super restrictive/healthy and high exercise for years and like a light switch I could turn it all off, and I did. For about 3 years I just did whatever I wanted food wise.
She was honest with me and reframed it - “It looks like that may not happen for you. But there are other things you do that you don’t crave - you don’t crave brushing your teeth, taking showers, etc, but you still regularly do it. What would it look like if you thought of eating well and moving your body like brushing your teeth. It’s awesome if you find a great toothpaste that you love, you can keep trying new things to see if that will help you love it more, but you don’t have to love it to do it a little bit everyday.”
And I can’t tell you how much that helped me. I just get up, get a 20-30 minute workout in, I build my meals with a few vegetables. Sometimes I really love the healthier meal I make or the workout I did, but I’ve accepted it will never compare to a s’mores cookie
for whatever reason my taste buds/body just don’t grow to love it like others do. But, I will literally tell myself, “You’re brushing your teeth!” and somehow that makes it seem not so bad, and doable for most days for the rest of my life. I’ve hit at least 8k steps for a year now, workout 5 days a week and walk most days, and it’s just part of my life. Would I drop it in a heartbeat? Absolutely.