Expert: Joanne - 1/20/2008

Question
Hi There.

Prior to anorexia (of which i have seriously suffered for about 2 years and more minor before that) i had a good size 10  (UK) body with a fairly small waist and ample breasts and butt. I must admit at the time i hated this curvy figure i had but now I'm trying to recover i want my old body back.
However i worry i wont get the same figure back - that my breasts will remain tiny an instead il get a huge tummy.
I was wondering what you had witnessed to be true?...will i get my old body back or will it be different?
I'm 22 by the way.

Thanks for your time
Kel

Answer
Kel

I think that it is very difficult to predict things like this as it is different for everyone.

Thankfully, in most females, we are predisposed to store fat in breast tissues, and around your hips.

Providing that you are eating 'normal' diet, exercising regularly, and watching your saturated fat and refined sugar intake (you do need some fat intake daily though!) your should put weight on healthily, and it shouldn't be too concentrated around your waist if at all!

Just be careful that when you are putting weight on, don't panic and return to cutting calories.  It is normal for you to gain weight, maybe slightly overshooting your original weight initially, but once your metabolism recovers and your body knows that it is going to be fed properly and regularly, your weight should stabilise, and possibly fall naturally.  If you do try to cut calories during this recovery process, you will slow your metabolism and have to go through this whole process again, risking gaining more weight, cutting calories, etc.  This is how many people end up yoyo dieting for life!  Please don't fall prey to this!

Holly