A Tad Lost...

I haven't worked out the values of your calories exactly but it looks like you are doing a huge amount of cardio for the small amount of calories you are eating. I am trying to lose weight and I ate 1900 Cals on Wednesday when I did lots of walking. Either reduce your cardio or increase calories. Good luck x

Dezpy wrote: »

I'm currently attempting to recover from an ED and honestly feel a bit lost, especially when it comes to how many calories I should be consuming a day. Recently, I've been eating roughly between 1300-1800 calories a day. I'm 5'3 and 109 pounds at the moment, and I exercise seven days a week, 3-4 of those being weight lifting (nothing intense, just enough to get some decent upper body and legs in). The other days I'm doing between 48-87 minutes of cardio, generally hiking (depending on the weather (: ), walking, or jogging/walking. If I'm working, I'm also on my feet for several hours at a moderate walking pace.

I guess my question is, will my current calorie intake cause me to gain more? My body seems to stay at around 109, but I honestly can't remember the last time I ate regularly and I'm really trying. I've done solo research and for the most part have found that my calorie intake could be around 1300, and have it stuck in my head that if I go over 1300 I'll gain. I can't remember the last time I ate a maintenance amount of calories so this is all new to me and I apologize for my ignorance.

Your current BMI is at the extreme bottom end of the normal weight.

A cursory googling of minimum weight criteria to be discharged from inpatient treatment yields: "However, a minimum of between the 10th and 15th BMI percentiles, the 50th BMI percentile, and an adult BMI of 20 or 21–25 (a healthy weight range) were also quoted as targets used in practice".

Depending on your age and gender, you may possibly currently meet the first of these criteria; but, you do not yet meet the rest.

So, at this point of time your real risk does not lie in the very unlikely possibility of gaining weight (while doing all the exercise that you currently are), even if you consistently eat 1800 or more.... the real risk is on backtracking from your 109lbs on the days when you DON'T hit the 1800 cal range (which your post heavily hints at).

There is also, apparently a phenomenon where when you first initiate re-feeding your body goes into over-drive and actually it is very difficult to gain weight for a goodly amount of time (weeks) and you may actually lose weight again even though you're eating more: http://ed-bites.blogspot.ca/2009/01/more-on-hypermetabolism.html

"recovering anorexics undergoing nutritional rehabilitation, or refeeding, often demonstrate a dramatic increase in caloric needs, followed by a normalization at approximately the sixth week of hospitalization"

Anecdotal evidence based on n=1
an MFP friend who is actually currently in recovery and has very similar stats to you: (5ft 3" 109.2lbs currently)

She figured out that she had a problem at 104lbs.
Her goal weight range is 115 to 120.
She increased from netting in the 600 to 900 range.

Don't know the initial steps she took to get to at least 1800 (assuming you're netting as opposed to grossing that) and I am aware that there were some health risks associated with this process and she had several blood tests done.

I do know that she was ordered to stop all exercise till she had regained a significant amount of weight and she still has not been allowed to resume.

By all exercise we are talking everything including being asked to walk as little as possible.

I do know that she hit 108lbs at 2600 Cal a day (zero exercise so this is net calories)

And that she has now increased to "only" 2800 even though the dietitian wanted 3000 because it has actually taken three months+ for her to get to 109.

So it is extremely unlikely that you could get caught unaware by a gigantic weight increase other than an increase in transient waterweight (associated with sodium, TOM and even exercise). And such increases happen to be normal and a part of normal weight fluctuations people are supposed to have. Happy Scale (iphone), Libra Android may help you figure out your actual weight range.

So: in recovery you probably ought to be thinking about a caloric FLOOR, not a caloric ceiling. You don't have a ceiling... you're supposed to be trying to gain weight.

Which brings us to the most important part. It might be really really really helpful for you to try and get some help if you don't already have some.

Having talked to my MFP friend a little bit... she has certainly internalized that attempting to remain at an ultra low goal weight is probably not the best idea for her.

Best of luck.

Search online for a local support group. Those are often free to attend and you will have face to face with people struggling as you are, as well as sage advice with education. If there is more than one group, visit a few a pick what helps you to gain and then maintain.

I did a spiritual pathway project on the morbidly obsese as part of my chaplain training. The support groups helped them for awhile, then I heard comments from many about getting past "fear of eating" and learning how "to cheat" post bariatric surgery. So if you find a support group that later is unhealthy for you, remember I give you permission to leave for your health. The things we latch onto we can let go of.

I'm glad you are here an letting go of undereating. Here's to your new weigh being healthy.