Gaining back muscle

[ariaadams]

Hi everyone~

I'm in the process of recovering from an eating disorder (I was never really bad to the point of hospitalization or anything, but I did restrict and stopped my period and had a BMI of 17). I'm sure because of all of this, I lost all or most of my muscle. I'm in the process of gaining about 10 pounds and I'd love to put on some muscle again, the problem is, my parents won't let me go to a gym or weight train or anything like that. I'm not allowed to do excessive cardio either--the most a nutritionist will let me do is go for walks. If I eat excess calories and a diet high in protein, can I get any of my muscle back with just that and walking? If not, is there anything else I can do such as yoga, or anything not done in a gym? I obviously need to put some fat on as well, so I don't need to be super muscular, I just want my natural muscle back. I appreciate any suggestions-thank you!!

 

[Jrahien]

First off, what exactly is your nutritionist's scope of practice? ("Nutritionist" is a vague term that has no real professional definition.)

Secondly, they may be right in not letting you do more than walking just for the time being. You need to ensure that you have the body mass and enough fat before doing any intense exercise. It's much better for your health to take things slowly and be sure of the way your body will react.

That being said, muscle gain will occur slowly, but don't be dissuaded. You are in a recovery phase, so just take it easy. If you're allowed, then sure, yoga might be a good option to take up soon. It will at least allow you to gain some strength back, even if it's not by way of muscle mass.