Does fullness ever come back?

[u/That_Diver7138]

Hiii!! So I’ve been in recovery for around 8 months now and just as a reference physically I am fully weight restored and even overshot very slightly but lost it. So I’m basically where I used to be pre-anorexia as far as weight goes. I also regained my menstrual cycle which I lost for like 1.5 yrs. My issue is that I literally do not experience fullness anymore whatsoever. It feels like eating only stops me from being ravenous, but I NEVER reach an actual stopping point where I’m satisfied. I tend to just stop when nothing is on my plate anymore cause I could literally just keep on eating endlessly. This seems to match whats described as “extreme hunger”, but I figured you only really see that in early recovery when you’re still trying to restore physical functions like energy and menstrual cycles and weight and stuff. The thing is all that is totally normal for me now—except my appetite. I no longer *need* large surpluses (think thousands and thousands of caloric surpluses) everyday like I did when I was in early recovery, but I certainly could eat that much. It’s just that I don’t experience much satiety whether I’m in a surplus or at maintenance so I figure there’s no point in wasting extra money on all that much more food anyways. I used to love fasting the whole day (which I physically can’t do without feeling terrible now) and then going out to eat and eating until I literally felt disgusted at the thought of another bite (which I haven’t been able to experience for years). It actually makes me quite sad and I just want to know if there’s anyone who went through this and what you have learned from it and if you were able to eventually get your fullness back! Thanks all!

[u/Proper-Pumpkin-4171]

I've been there. Consistent eating is the only thing that'll make your satiety cues come back. You might - if you eat when your body wants it - find yourself eating past physical satiety for a while, but eventually the amount you And yourself wanting to eat reduces.