Expert: Joanne - 9/23/2007

Question
I'm 5'6", 19 years old and have been in 'recovery' from bulimia and restricting for about 4 months. I walk at least a couple miles a day, take six dance classes a week, and bike about 15 miles a week. For the past month or so, I've been trying to eat healthier by cutting out processed sugar and getting more protein (I'm a vegetarian), but my weight has slowly been creeping up no matter what I do. Right now I weigh about 128lbs, which is the heaviest I've ever been in my life (I was about 20lbs less in January). I am incredibly uncomfortable being this big, and no matter how often I tell myself that this is a normal weight and that I'm not really fat, it doesn't stick. I've been eating between 1000 and 1600 calories a day because I know I don't want to start restricting or purging again, but I'm really getting desperate and I dont know what to do. How can I lose weight and fat without being unhealthy? Thank you for taking the time to help.

Answer
Your weight is healthy for your height, so try to focus on that, although I know it is not easy!

Unfortunately, when you restrict, you send your body into starvation mode, meaning that when you do increase your calories, your body will store a lot of what you are eating in order to repair the damage that has been caused, but also so it has a fuel source incase it is staved again.

Eating 1600 calories or more a day should allow your metabolism to recover, meaning in the future your weight will stabilise, maybe even decreasing slightly first - but this requires you eating enough everyday to avoid switching your body back into starvation mode, meaning that your body will have to start the whole process again.

Are you getting any professional help with your recovery?  If not, I suggest maybe looking into getting an appointment with someone such as a nutritionist who can advice you better on exactly what you should be trying to eat.

Please also be aware, that exercising as much as you are may be causing your body to build more muscle, especially now that it is getting the nutrients necessary to do that - and muscle weighs more than fat!

Please come back if there is anything you want to discuss!

All the best
Holly