Anorexia/Eating Disorders/restoring metabolism

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Expert: Joanne - 4/7/2007


Question
I am recovering from an eating disorder and have gained significantly more weight than my pre eating disorder weight.  I have been in recovery for 2 months and have had my bmr tested.  According to the test my metabolism has been returned to normal, but now I want to safely lose a few pounds.  I don't want to harm myself, but I do want to take off the extra pounds.  If I start to diet now would that be bad for my body, will it "freak out" and start slowing down again?  How long do I have to be stable before I can safely lose the extra pounds?

Answer
I would say that if  you have been eating about 2000 calories a day, you are safe to decrease to no less than 1500 calories.
However, if you have been professionally treated for your eating disorder, I would talk to them and see if there is a way that they would recommend as I would like to ruin their work!

Holly

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Joanne

Expertise

I am a medical student and have suffered from anorexia and bulimia myself, I am willing to answer questions based on my own experiences. My advice, however, should not be used as a substitute for that of a qualified medical professional.

Experience

I suffered from anorexia from the age of about 10. By the age of 13 I was suffering from bulimia. Now after 10 years of suffering from an eating disorder, I feel that I can say that I'm well on my way with recovery and would just like to be able to share what I have learned with those in similar situations!

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