Recovery: eating below 2500 calories
Do you think that eating around 2000 calories/day instead of the 2500 recommended is so bad in recovery, even if you still gain weight? Even for a person who has eaten around 1000 for years? I know that with the 2500+ not only weight but also damages can be repaired - this means that going below 2500 you gain but it's not a 'healthy' gain?
I wonder why nobody (i.e. doctors) has ever told me to eat that particular amount of food, keeping saying just to 'eat more'...
The 2500 amount, like you said, allows for repairs and gain. I think it's also supposed to aid in metabolism restoration. You can read more about here if you haven't already. That being said, I think as long as you are eating a decent surplus, you should be able to make some progress. However, the progress will likely be slower, and I'm not sure about the ultimate effects it could have on your metabolism.
I'm in my 20s so according to this sight I should have been eating around 2500cal/day and that's actually the initial amount my dietitian gave me if I do recall. It may have been higher. I honestly can't remember. :/ However, she later recommended 2800cal/day. I confess I was never able to do that, but even so, I've been able to gain about 25 lbs and lack only around 3 lbs until I reach the weight my dietitian recommended.
So, I guess to summarize, I think 2500 cal/day would be a good idea. It would help you to get better more quickly and might even help your metabolism. That being said, if you absolutely cannot find it in yourself to do so, I think that as long as you eat a decent surplus, you will be okay. Disclaimer though: I am no doctor, nurse, dietitian, or anything else that would give me the credentials to really say. I'm just guessing.
Check out this page:
http://www.gwynetholwyn.com/blog/2011/9/14/do -i-need-2500-calories.html
It explains everything about why 2,500+ is necessary for full recovery. It is not just about gaining weight, but repairing the unseen damage done by years of starvation. That site can answer any questions you have about what you read there too.
Thank you for your advice :). Yeah I understand that it would probably be better to eat 2500+... I managed to do that for almost a week, but I find it very hard (damn ED) and I often end up around 2000 instead. I was wondering if this might be harmful for me, but maybe it is at least less dangerous than restricting to 700 or 1000 kcal, I hope...
I'll try to eat the more I can, anyway. With the recommended amounts, what is the expected rate of weight gain? 1-2 pound/week? I read somewhere that more than that could be unsafe, but I guess that water retention makes it difficult to determine the actual progress...
I have wondered about this for a while, as somebody who has been diagnosed with EDNOS rather than Anorexia, I have consumed 1000 cals a day for around 4 years, not had a period for 3 and a half, but my BMI is 19.5, which is not technically underweight, therefore... I don't understand whether the 2500 calorie thing applies to me or just anorexic people. I don't want to suddenly start overeating and becoming overweight, but I do want to eat a 'normal' amount of food, and get my period back.
Sorry for hijacking your post, ellevu, but I think it's a very good question :o)
Don't worry! :) I guess that these doubts are common among those who (want to) attempt recover. I wonder what is 'normal' and what it's not, too...
(Btw - in my opinion and from what I read here and on Gwyneth Olwyn's website - the rules for recovery may apply to everyone who is involved in a harmful relationship with food, even if not 'clinically' underweight...)
