Expert: Ginger M. - 10/31/2008

Question
I know a girl who was anorexic for a year. now whe is once more eating normally and seeing a doctor. She went from 87 to 70 pounds from around november to june, and then maintained that low weight (she says her fat was 7,5%) for two months by overexercising and basically burning off what she ate. I think the only reason she didn't die is because her metabolism slowed down to save her. all her bloodwork is normal and now she is 83 again (she is 5 foot, and now 15 yrs) when will her metabolism fix itself and how much of a rebound effect can she expect. Even if she gains and extra 10 pounds more than she was before, she would still be healthy because she did not grow while she was starving and the normal child's growth rate is 5-10 pounds a year, but doctors say she must gain the weight FIRST so her body will know it has enough energy. So in this case a rebound may actually help her. You said you suffered this sickness, what sort of rebound did you get, if any? when did your metabolism stabilize?

Answer
Hi There,

Thanks for your question! I remember the doctors saying the same thing to me/my parents when I was 15- that I wasn't growing because I was starving. I was admitted to hospital and got better for a few years, and had a growth spurt, but like doctors are saying to you, I had to gain weight and stabilize it first.

After the most recent time I relapsed ( a couple years ago), it didn't take too long for my metabolism to get back to normal- maybe two months. I didn't have any rebound at all. I gained back the weight I had lost, and once I was back to my pre-ed set-point weight, I stayed there. That being said, it did take me a few months to get back there. I suspect it might be quicker than this for the girl you know, since she's still a teenager, but I think she will have to not only gain some weight, but stabilize it before her metabolism fixes itself. If she gets back to 87 for a bit, but goes through phases of overexercising/starving to lose 10 pounds, then back up again, her metabolism will stay as slow as it is now. Her body needs to be reassured that it won't be starved again before it will allow her metabolism to speed up.

I hope this helps! Feel free to write again if you have any more questions!

Ginger