How Many Calories do I Need a Day? (kind of new)

Hi, I'm kind of new and recovering from an ED.  I was wondering how many calories I need a day to gain on a day that I don't do much.  I'm a 5 ft 1, 13 y/o girl and weigh about 80 pounds.  I've been told by different people to eat anywhere from 1800-2500 to gain.  I don't want to gain the weight to0 fast and have been sticking to a little over 2000 calories and have seen some weight gain.  Is this ok and normal?  Also is 80 that underweight?  I've always been small and can really imagine myself being much heavier until I grow taller.  Thanks.

Generally 2500 is the minimum requirement for gaining, but I would recommend even more. I know it seems overwhelming and like a lot of calories, but I am also recovering from an ED and our bodies need more calories to repair our organs AND to gain weight. You will NOT get fat. You are 13 and you are growing, and you don't want to delay getting better any longer. If you resist the weight gain, you may never grow to your full height and you can mess up your body. 

So, I'm not sure about exact calories, but I'd shoot for 2500 at first and see how it goes. I currently eat around 3000 a day and am still only gaining about .5 pounds a week. It takes a LOT of nourishment to fix our bodies! Enjoy it. Make a milkshake or smoothie every night. It's an easy and healthy way to sneak in lots of extra calories without feeling like you are eating too much. You can find lots of yummy recipes for them online.

I know it's super freaky at first, but soon enought you'll find yourself maintaining on 2000. I remember coming off of 800 calories/day AND exersise and gaining a bit on like 1200 calories. Long story short, it all balances out within a few days, a week MAX. The important thing is to not confuse your body and slack on the calories. Just stick with it.

Also, there are many sediatary people for whom 1800 is a MAINTAINING amount...esspecially since youre 13. Even after being in recovery for a while, youll likely need upwards of 2000 to maintain.

As for 80 lbs being underwieght or not, bluntly put, yes, it`s underweight. I know the feeling of thinking how much bigger can I really get ("Where does all the fat go?!?"). But again, it WILL balance out. It won't all be layered as fat on to on your limbs. You'll not only be healthier, but you'll look healthier.

You're doing a great job getting back on track with your life so far. Best of luck to ya

x

Original Post by bellathepug419:

Hi, I'm kind of new and recovering from an ED.  I was wondering how many calories I need a day to gain on a day that I don't do much.  I'm a 5 ft 1, 13 y/o girl and weigh about 80 pounds.  I've been told by different people to eat anywhere from 1800-2500 to gain.  I don't want to gain the weight to0 fast and have been sticking to a little over 2000 calories and have seen some weight gain.  Is this ok and normal?  Also is 80 that underweight?  I've always been small and can really imagine myself being much heavier until I grow taller.  Thanks.

I would recommend calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), adjusting it for your activity level.  This will be a good 'maintain' number. Then, add about 500 calories per day to that figure.  This should give you a fairly close estimate of total calories per day you would need to gain weight at a reasonable rate of about 1-2 pounds per week.

Also, as you do gain the weight, recalculate the BMR for the new weight.  Do this maybe every 5 pounds of sustained weight you gain.

Best of luck to you in reaching your objectives.

Original Post by goodform:

I would recommend calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), adjusting it for your activity level.   

 Goodform, do you know of anywhere on the web that I could use a good, reliable BMR calculator?  I have tried several and they all give differing results!

Thanks so much.

Also if you want to continue to grow you need to be nurished and healthy weight. Can you ask your parents for help? What are you eating now and I agree with everyone that you will need a min of 2500. You need this for weight gain,being young,repair etc. Do you know some of the reasons you have an ed cause that needs to be looked at as well

Original Post by waycat:

Original Post by goodform:

I would recommend calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), adjusting it for your activity level.   

 Goodform, do you know of anywhere on the web that I could use a good, reliable BMR calculator?  I have tried several and they all give differing results!

Thanks so much.

I personaly use one from a site called 'muscleandstrength'... in the Tools Tab.  It allows for activity considerations in determining overall BMR.  It may not be perfect, or 'the one' but that's what I use.  If you choose to use it, I hope it helps.