Calorie Count
Health & Support
Moderators: bierorama, nycgirl, ksylvan, peaches0405, autopilotfrank193


Weight maintenance at anorexic weight?


Quote  |  Reply

I'm 19 years old, female, 5'10", and I weigh 110 lbs. I started out at nearly 170 lbs. in February of 2011, but starved myself to get down to 125 by November of that same year. That same month, I started seeing a nutritionist and following a 1200-calorie-minimum meal plan that she gave me, and I stopped exercising. However, despite all that, I kept dropping weight; as of yesterday, I'm down to 110 lbs. I live in New York City, and I do a LOT of walking and dancing on weekends, but it's still surprising: for the past month or so I've been increasing what I've been eating a lot-- some days I'll eat up to 3000 calories, and I'll have spans of a few days where my intake hovers around 2200 calories, but on average I eat 17-1800 calories (of course, I do walk a lot, so I burn a lot). I am lactose intolerant and a vegetarian, as well as somewhat of a health nut, and I eat a lot of lean protein (soy, protein bars, etc.), healthy fats (nuts), fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It's not like I get these calories from junk, so maybe that's why I haven't gained. My question is, is it possible that my metabolism has gotten so fast that I can maintain this low weight on 2000 calories a day without exercising? Like, is it plausible to believe that I can eat this much and not work out and not gain weight? Does the fact that my calories come from healthy fuel rather than junk food make a difference? I think I like the way I look (even though I'm told that I look terrible and far too thin), and I don't want to gain, so I'm wondering if this pattern will make me gain and I should cut back a little bit for a while.

Edited Mar 31 2012 01:02 by coach_k
Reason: .
4 Replies (last)
Sorry I don't have an answer for you and I'm not much help hopefully someone with more knowledge and experience will have the answer, but what did your 1200 calorie intake look like?

You need to gain at least twenty pounds. Period. This is a recovery forum, so you are not going to get many supportive replies when you ask if you can maintain an unhealthy weight. I don't know why on earth your nutritionist would have given you a 1200 calorie meal plan to follow. You should be eating at least 3000 calories per day and refraining from exercise until you gain weight. You are currently at a dangerously low weight and could begin to have related health issues at any moment. I know it's scary and you don't want to gain weight, but you really need to. Are you in therapy?

#3  
Quote  |  Reply

I am. Also yeah she was a pretty bad nutritionist.

#4  
Quote  |  Reply

A lot of soy protein: tofu, edamame, stuff like that. Also fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and nuts.

4 Replies
Advertisement
Recent Blog Post
Planters NUT-rition Sustaining Energy Mix Plus Giveaway
Protein has become a big marketing buzzword these days, especially when it comes to snacks. And when I saw Planters had come out with a new NUT-rition Sustaining Energy Mix boasting 10 grams of protein on the front, I wasn’t impressed by the package claim. But I was happily surprised with the snack within.


Advertisement