AboutMeg Expertise I am recovinging from about nine years with my eating disorder and while I am not a psychologist, I`ve accumulated a good deal of knowlege about eating disorders as well as my own experience over this time. I`ve mainly struggled with anorexia, but have definitely had times where I have engaged in bulimic behaviors as well. I also struggle with over exercising, but am about to be certified as a personal trainer and have learned moderation as well as how to treat my body well so it can perform at it`s best. I promise to give an honest answer to anything asked, and I want to say that while it is a long, scary road---it is possible to get free of this and it is so important to keep on taking little steps and knowing that you are not alone.
Experience Sufferer for nine plus years. Also, my Mom has strugged with this issue- as have others in her side of the family.
Question Hi Meg,
i have been on a low calorie diet for half a year, and has lost weight from 115 pounds to my current 78 pounds/36kg. i guess this diet has goine way overboard and i havent had my period for 5 mths. i wan to get well and learn to eat normally again but i also understand that my metabolism is screwed up . i am afraid that my weight will just spiral up and go out of control, afer reading tt some people even go up 30 pds beyond their initial pre-dieting weight when they try to eat normal. i wan to eat till i reach 40 kg and maintain it right there. can you advise me on how many calories i should consume\? i am a student now so my lifestyle isnt that hectic or energy demanding.
also, i havent touched bread for a long time and i wan to start eatin it as well. will it make me put on weight very fast cause its all carbs?
my diet is like 99% fat free...and will beginning to eat more fat cause my weight to go up very fast?
i'm getting desperate this ED is ruining my life and famliy...hope to hear from you soon.
Lotsa of love and thanks, from meefael
Answer Hi Meefael,
Thanks for your question and I hope that I can be of some help. It can be very difficult (although not impossible) to recover on one's own and although it sounds like this is what you want to do, I hope that you will continue to educate yourself about eating disorders and stay open to getting some help further down the line if you need it.
As far as how many calories to consume in order to gain weight healthfully, I would recommend slowly upping your current intake until you get to about 1800 or so. Depending on how low calorie your diet right now is, this may take awhile and it really is better to do this slowly (for instance 1000 then 1200 then 1400 and so on) as it can be a shock to one's body to go from barely eating to eating a normal amount. Your optimal calorie amount to maintain that weight really depends on your body, how active you are, your metabolism, etc but I would guess that it will be at least in the 1700-1800 range.
As far as the carbs and the fat, I personally feel that calories are calories and the total amount is more important than if they come from fat or carbs. That said, as you probably know, fat calories are more dense and it is easier to eat more of them with a smaller amount of food which is why sometimes people get fanatic with cutting fat. I, too, at a very fat free diet at my sickest and my body actually responded very well to adding some fat back into my diet as it is a vital nutrient and important. So, I don't think that you're going to gain a lot of weight from adding either carbs or fat, but as with everything its important to keep a balance. The good thing about fat is that it causes you to feel more full (as can protein) so it has a benefit in that way. As far as carbs, I would try to eat whole grain and healthy carbs if possible and they shouldn't cause you sudden or drastic weight change.
That said, as you know (since you mentioned it) you do need to gain some weight. The reason why many people do get treatment is that it can be difficult to go against your eating disorder and the patterns that you have established over the last year and be okay with this. It is so important for you to remember that you are gaining weight that you need to gain, and if possible focus more on being healthy again than how much you are gaining.
Here are some web pages that might be of help to you:
