Recovered Anorexic back on team

Over the last two years I struggled with Anorexia Athletica.  I was running well at 5'9 108 pounds but very unhealthy and starving!! NEVER bulemic though.  Over this past summer I gained 20 pounds and am much healthier ( eating about 2000 calories daily) but now that summer has ended it is cross country season again.  I came back to college and my team is emaciated!  EVERYONE is around 110 pounds or less (two girls are 90) and I want to feel secure but I feel i am at risk to relapse. 
Can I run fast at 125-130 pounds?

Of course you can.

I have found I have more energy just for the walks I am allowed at present having gained some weight (6'1 up from 105.5 at my lowest) and will be allowed to swim again in a couple of weeks. I know that, in the state I was in, I would have collapsed halfway through a few strokes before.

Honestly, your body will be SO much happier with you. :D Who cares if those girls are lighter? Your run time will be measured in seconds, minutes and miles, not by lbs, inches and cm. :] Enjoy your running, rather than dwell on that. Remember, though, if you are maintaining you'll need to eat back your calories burnt in exercise. If you're still worried, post a reply, I'll be about to listen! :D

oh man, that must be SOOOO difficult. i'm so sorry you have to go through that. but just think of it as you being one step ahead of them. just remember what it was like to be that unhealthy and frail and unhappy, and try to give them as much support and incentive to get healthy as they need.

you will gain so much will-power by resisting such strong temptation! keep it up! :)

Yeah...the fastest girls on my cross team weigh from 110 to 120 ;)

RUNNING THE FASTEST IS NOT WORTH DYING OVER.

anorexia will kill you. losing a race will not.

and anyway, a healthy person has more strength and speed than an emaciated one. be strong, relapse is a choice, and you can say no.

First let me tell you how proud I am of you for being in recovering from the Demon Ana.  She's an evil monster and I say this from experience (a little shameless plug now, I invite you to my group "Ana-No-More--designed to help people NOT to slip into a relapse).

I'm NOT a runner but as a person who is disabled and been fighting many illnesses, although I still have the pain and anxiety attacks at least I can MOVE now that I am closer to my goal weight and if you're 5'9" it looks like you're at your perfect weight and should be able to run like a Giselle.

You have the strength within yourself to keep from slipping into a relapse.  I'm working on mine and every day it's "one day at a time" for me but when you run, remember you are turning those 2000 calories into lean MUSCLE mass and you'll  be the most gorgeous runner on the team.

You GO girl!!

Blessings,

---,---'-<@ RAL

ANA-NO-MORE!

Ugh. It should be a policy that anyone underweight cannot compete, seriously. Just like models in someplace (Milan??) now need to be at a healthy bmi--not a perfect system, but a step in the right direction.

If no one was permitted to compete when underweight, then no one would have an incentive to be underweight (as far as the running goes, that is), and everyone would have the same chance starting at a healthy weight. The advantage that comes from being underweight would be eliminated.

Of course, that time has not come and you have to deal with the realities. Yes, you can be fast at a healthy weight--compare yourself to yourself and you'll see improvement. Although the ribbons and medals might go to some stick, remember that she is "cheating," cheating herself out of good health and using a dangerous and unfair advantage for the sake of winning. I would not feel the least bit upset about losing to some stick because in the bigger scheme of things, YOU are obviously the winner!

Congrats on your recovery. Hang onto the positive messages you have received and prove that normal weight runners can compete and have fun both on and off the track. Remember how obsessed one is with Anorexia and thank your lucky stars you have your life back!!