Expert: Dawn McNamara - 1/22/2011

Question
Hi, about 5 years ago I suffered from anorexia, although I never admited it. At 5'4 108 pounds I was 80 pounds at my lowest. This all happened in 2 years.

When my mum and strangers began commenting on how skinny I looked, I knew that I needed help. So, I decided to recover, and began eating anything and whatever was on the table. In an unbelievably short amount of time (around 3months) I gained around 20 pounds.

The mistake that I made was that I thought I had recovered, and thus began to eat 1200 calories a day for around 6months last year (is 1200 calorie anorexic?) and 2 months ago, I began noticing the number in the scales going up and up even though I was exercising 5 times a week, 40mins-1hr a day.

Now I'm exactly the weight I want to be. My parents tell me I look great, my friends tell me I look normal, and I don't get weird comments anymore.

However, I am gaining and gaining and gaining...
and I'm scared.
I don't want to be overweight :(
When will my metabolism return to normal??
It's so low that eating 2500 calories to go back to my original metabolic levels will definitely make me gain more and more.

Answer
Hi there!
I'm sooo glad you decided to take the first step in your recovery!
what is your long term weight goal? and what is your bone structure like?
are you large boned, small boned or average? Is 108 your current weight? and whats your age?
Keep this in mind, you exercise regularly and muscle mass weighs more than fat mass does.
So, as you develop muscle your weight will go up. But this is good muscle  weight, dont be afraid of it. 2500 calories sounds like a lot to me for your height, but this also depends on your exercise routine. You may need it. I take in 1500-1700 calories a day, but I have a bad back and cant exercise much. my weight is 108 too ( slender but not too underweight)  It sounds like you still have a lot of fear about weight and you may want to talk to a nutritionist like I do.
She helps a lot. I do think that an intake of 1200 cal a day is too low for you, because of your workout routine. too few calories will slow your metabolism.
Its takes around 6 months to a year to develop a normal metabolism. It will happen.
If you get scared, add a couple apples a day to your diet, these are wonderful little boosters
I know it sounds silly but it really does help. Also eating 6 small meals a day will help steady your blood sugar levels and regulate your metabolism faster
Hugs,
Dawn