eating disorder

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I am a dancer and have been battling with an eating disorder for the past year (bulimia). I want to get better so i've decided to try eating really healthy and watching the calories i consume. I want to remain the same size for the sake of my dancing, If i do go by this program and eat the amount of calories it tells me to, might i gain weight?

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  • usmdancer88
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    I am a dancer and have been battling with an eating disorder for the past year (bulimia). I want to get better so i've decided to try eating really healthy and watching the calories i consume. I want to remain the same size for the sake of my dancing, If i do go by this program and eat the amount of calories it tells me to, might i gain weight?
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    HI,
    I'm no professional but I have had my own experiences with eating disorders in the past. You will likely find that eating maintenance amounts for your current body will cause you to gain weight. This won't last but it will happen because you have been depriving your body of calories for awhile now. Your body will cling to everything you take in, storing all it can in preparation for another bout of starvation. Eating disorders are really hard to overcome, and you may need some professional help. Even visiting with a nutritionist may be all it takes for you to understand what's happening with your body. Like I said, your body will cling to those calories and it is likely that you will put on some weight. Over time, however, your body will realize that you are not going to starve it again and it will let go of those extra calories and begin using energy regularly again.
    I also want you to realize that as a dancer you need quite a few more calories that most of us do. I eat about 1400 calories a day, and this allows me to lose about a pound a week at my current weight of 164 lbs. This means that I am under eating by about 500 calories a day. To maintain my weight I would need to eat about 1900 calories a day, more if I am physically active. Much more if I am VERY physically active, as you, a dancer, would be.
    I wish you luck, and please don't give up, the quest for health is never an easy one :flowerforyou:
  • whalomgirl
    whalomgirl Posts: 35 Member
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    I am also bulimic (16 years), although I actually gained a lot of weight in the last 3 years in spite of purging. When I finally followed the 1200-1500 calorie a day plan, I began to see the pounds come off. I Think it took 3 weeks before I saw any loss, but the loss has been pretty rapid since July. The key thing that I am doing is buying fat free dairy, adding as many veggies as possible and staying with whole grain pasta & bread. Sugar free soda or treats if I need them. There are days when I go over my calories, and yes-there have been times when I have felt the need to purge. overall, though, i am doing much better & I feel like with time, patience, and a little forgiveness with myself- I can do this. the site helps, and I really hope it works for you, too.
  • MissTamora
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    I can relate to your situation. I've been trying to eat healthier to see if I can 1) lose weight the healthy way and 2) stop destroying myself. I've gained a little weight and I'm not liking it... but I want to stick to it as much as possible and I hope that one day I will be able to live with it properly.

    You will probably gain some weight... but it will most likely go away soon enough if you continue to eat healthily. Good luck