What is this 2500 calories to gain?

I see when people post in recovery from anorexia some of you say eat 2500 cals to gain-How long have you had your disorder? I have had my on and off 25 years and never been told to eat 2500 cals. My nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders started me at 800-900 cals a month ago and this week increased to 1350-1500. She said I will possibly gain on this. I was a heavy restricter down to 400-600 cals 10 months this time around. I am 5'4" and 87-89 pounds at 39 years old-maybe at my age I do not need that many to gain. Is my nutritionist wrong?

Your nutritionist likely started you on 800-900 because you were restricting to 400-600, it's all relative. when we begin recovery our bodies are at risk of electrolyte imbalances which can be deadly, and when we are outpatient, we aren't being supervised so it can be dangerous to drastically increase calories to 2500 if you were restricting to 400 calories. you will likely gain on 1350-1500 because you were restricting for so long and effectively starving yourself but that does not mean that you shouldn't eventually shoot for 2500. it would be detrimental to your metabolism for you to never increase beyond the 1350-1500 because either way your body will learn to adapt and you can make the choice to have it adapt to the 1500 or you can increase to 2500 and have a huge metabolism boost. after you get to the 1500, i would suggest that a week later you bump it up to 2000 and a week after that try 2500. you can always make modifications if it doesn't seem beneficial for you but i think you will be plesantly surprised. of course, you might gain faster if you get to this amount but the faster you gain the faster your body and metabolism will recover. i would discuss this further with your doctor, but being in recover myself I would suggest you try the changes i've suggested. when i was in recovery at an outpatient facility, my meal plan started in the 1200 calorie range, which was the absolute minimum they would allow for anyone, but the other meal plans which I would have progressed to had i stayed in the outpatient facility got up to about 3000 or so i believe. however, our meal plans were based on exchanges and they ranged in calories by 100-200 depending on what you chose to eat. anyhow, i hope this helps you!! :) message me if you have any questions!!  

Thanks very much-but once a week I was eating over 1000 cals and have wine once per week. I have been to the doctor for blood work and I have mild anemia and very low hormones-they have put me on Junel1/20. I do not need birth control anymore but they are trying to protect my bones. I wish I could think of things to eat -I have eliminated so may food groups before and I get very bloated and gassy everytime I eat. When I get my calories up near 1500-I hope I do not gain too fast-I want a metabolism boost and be able to have snacks besides fruit.

http://caloriecount.about.com/aim-gain-advice -weight-whatever-reason-ft121680-1#23

You are not an exception to the rule. You are cheating yourself and your ED is what is telling you you need less. If you really want to improve your bloods and your health and quality of life then you need more.

We can't force you to do it. But if you choose not to do it don't complain about it on here at a later date and wonder why it didn't work out for you when others manage higher amounts but the same rate of gain. By staying so low you're not really supplying your body with what it needs to fire up and really heal.

Why is my nutritionist setting it so low-she said I would see significant weight gain in 2 weeks when she ups it to 2000 cals-I thought I would be able to eat more by now.

Perhaps you could get a second opinion from somewhere? I also used to heavily restrict but when I went to live in a residential eating disorder facility I was immediately put on a 1650kcal menu, and that was gradually upped to 2000kcal, which I was gaining on. Yes, there is a risk of refeeding syndrome, but this means you should be under close medical supervision, not that you shouldn't be eating. When I began eating again my appetite came back, so there is no way I could have survived on an 800cal menu plan, I would have been too hungry! I am not an expert but I think she may be wrong putting you on such a restrictive menu. All the seems to be doing is prolonging your recovery. 800cal is not recovery!

Ahh, this is something I so ignorantly believed not even that long ago..yes, one recovering from an ED may easily, and probably will easily initially gain on something so extremely low. This is clearly because our bodies are so starved that they are going to cling for dear life to anything we give them..but honestly, at 1500 calories you are cheating yourself to fully getting your body healthy again. I made this mistake after a few lapses and although I gained to a healthy weight quickly after each lapse, it is pretty clear here that my body may look fine on the outside, but on the inside things still..haven't fully gotten fixed properly, I guess is a good way to put it. You will benefit in so many ways by raising your intake to 2500, honestly.

I know I have seen many nutritionists and some who deal with ed but still had me on a plan that was not for my body and either I just eeked out a low weight gain or did not at all. I am not sure what you were at before the start of 800 but I can't imagine anyone being started out on that. So to me that is a sign. Even ip they start you regardless at 1200 and at one place it was 1600 and in a week I was up to 3000. Right now I am working op with a nutritionist and every 2 days we are increasing by 200 o get over 3000 but this is due to more refeeding issues. I am 30 but know people older and shorter then you who were on very high calorie diets. The food is not only there to regain weight but to repair your organs and tissues which after that many years you actually may need more calories then someone younger that is what my nutritionist said that because of how long my ed was.

You can eat more by yourself, you do not need a bloody nutritionist to tell you to do it!

Maybe I do need help. How long have you had your ed-everyone is different. We can ask questions and for support.

Yes everyone is different but the 2500 minimum is the perfect goal for everyone trying to gain to get to and eventually go wayyyy over.  This minimum will make sure your body actually recovers....just because you are gaining the weight back doesnt mean your healthy again.  And take a chill pill lala lol but yeah your nutritionalist doesnt really know when youre ready to up so i say up by 300 extra cals today.....do this for a couple days then once your comfortable eating this amount of food...preferably within a few days...a week at most...then up another 300.  Keep going like that until you are at a steady gain of around a pound or two per week

Sometimes you might find it takes a while for you to start gaining, or you will gain ALOT in a short amount of time...do not freek when this happens because it is simply water weight and it goes away...or you might be gaining steadily then find you stop or start loosing again..this would be due to the fact that your metabolism is back!!! yay a good thing health wise but bad gaining wise...this would mean you need to up your cals again

i  havnt had an ED long...just a couple months like a little after thanksgiving actually....started recovery uhmm almost two months ago maybe??? not sure exactly and i misplaced my journal at the moment so i cant check the day....but im here if you hav nething to say/ask/etc.

thank you. I was wondering if I need mostly protein because I have muscle loss and hanging loose skin. I was mostly eating 22 cal rice cakes for months with 0 cal waldenfarms products. I want my curves again and just do not want to become a bulimic and gain up to 185 pounds like I have in the past with other ednos issues.

oh well since you have a past history with other eating disorders then i deffinetely suggest taking it slow...not like tooo slow but a comfortable rate where you push yourself just a tad each day you know. 

you should still be having a balanced diet, the muscle will build back with this .  but you can add a little excess protein if it makes you feel comfortable...like for instance i eat a protein bar every once in a while and lots of pb and nuts and stuff.  but you still want to have alot of calcium and fats are very important as well as the grains of course fruits and veggies....but dont eat your fruits and veggies plain cuse well they are very low cal which is what you want to avoid....along with those rice cakes.  But if you want more protein please dont sub your snacks and stuff with high cal protein shakes and stuff....have them WITH your snack cuse you dont want to become dependent on your shakes...you need REAL food

Zopta t does not have to be anorexic or 185 pounds. You have to look in colors and stay in the moment. I know this is hard and I am one of the worst at this but I am working on it. So what can you do TODAY to be healthy and recover?As for someone who has done every form of treatment in every different way and also done it solo and from what I have seen others approach in treatment is what works for one may not for another. It is finding what works for you. I know after years of a nutritionist break I went back and will once I get to my calorie level see her monthly. I could write the book on nutrition recovery from all my ip and op therapy but still felt the support is helpful. I do feel that a bad nutrionist regardless if they say they work with ed is more harmful then none. I am concerned with your nutritionist plan for you. So I think you need to talk to her or possibly see someone else if you are not progressing. Ultimatly it comes from you because you have to do the work and fight through the fears. If you want you can email me anytime. I know how hard it is after so long of an ed to make healthy changes.