Expert: Leigh-Anne Persing, PA-C - 10/23/2008

Question
Hi,

I'm 1.55m and 36kg. I've gained about 3kg in the past 3 months, and am currently consuming around 1700 calories per day. I really want to be free of anorexia and get back to a healthy weight (aim is around 42kg), not to mention get my periods back!
However I'm worried that once i reach my target weight, I'll keep putting on weight because i'd have gotten used to eating this amount :(
I know I have a long way to go in terms of weight gain, but am starting to worry about this now, and i don't want it to get in the way of recovery, in that it might make me restrict. Would really appreciate your advice.

Answer
Even 42kilos is not an appropriate weight. Eating a healthy amount of healthy foods will get you to a healthy weight (not to be confused with target weight). 1700 calories per day is a good number if you are not also exercising... then you need to be taking in more. Throw away the scale and just eat healthy and make smart choices... don't worry about what the number on the scale says (I know... easier said than done).