Expert: Nafeesah - 3/3/2009

Question
Hi, how are you?  I am a 20-year-old, 5'4" girl.  I currently weigh around 78 pounds.  Throughout my entire life, I have been skinny, but never this skinny.  At this height, I was always around 96 pounds or so.  However, this past summer when I moved back home from college, I started to monitor what I was eating, and I began running and exercising everyday.  I cut my calories down, and when I moved back to school in the fall, I really began restricting my food intake.  Ever since September until now, I have been eating 500-700 calories a day, sometimes less.  I mostly only eat cereal, fruit, Nutrigrain bars, and other light snacks.  Occasionally, I have days when I eat A TON.  It seems as though I can't stop eating.  Since December, I have fallen into the pattern of eating very little for a couple days, then binging a couple days a week.  I never throw up though.  I just feel really sick and guilty afterwards.  However, during the past two weeks, I have had really bad heart pains, so I have decided that I need to start eating more and healthier.  I haven't been having as many days where I binge.  I've only had two in the past two weeks, so I am trying to get away from that.  I have been eating about 700-900 calories this past week, and I have already gained two pounds just in one week.  I feel so upset because I don't want to gain weight.  I know that I need to gain a little, but I don't want to gain a ton, and I am not even eating a lot, so what will happen when I start increasing my calories even more?  It is so important for me to be skinny because I have always been, just never this skinny.  I want to get back to my old self and my old metabolism, but I am worried that I have destroyed my metabolism.  I was just wondering if you can please tell me when weight gain will eventually stop and if my metabolism will ever stabilize and go back to normal?  I have read so many articles on the Internet published by other girls recovering from anorexia saying that once they started eating normally again, they put back on all of the weight and can't stop gaining weight.  I don't want that to happen to me.  Can you please help me?  I am a nervous wreck.  Thank you very much for your care and time.

Answer
The only way you'll know the condition of your metabolism is to see your doctor, but look online at what the weight for someone your age and height and if you're having issues about gaining weight at a healthy level talk to your doctor about these concerns. Part of eating disorders is that your body has to regulate itself back especially after a girl is overcoming anorexia. Weight gain is expected, but it's also when one is having to get used to a sensible eating pattern. Talk to your doctor and have them give you a referral to a endocrinologist to test your metabolism and see what you can do to help your situation.