Recovery

Hey there  I would really appreciate if you could help me with this, anyone? -

I´m almost 20, 5'4 1/2'' and 105lbs. I´ve been on 1000 - 1200cal diet for some time, light activity, plus exercising almost every day (but not too much - burning off about 160cal), now I feel it´s time to just maintain. I´m afraid, however, that at some point my body got into the "starvation mode" and my metabolism just really slowed down...Sure, I wish I had known better, but the damage is done and as I cannot afford to get chubby again, can you give me some advice on how many calories should I eat in order to raise my metabolism but also not gain the weight back? How long will it take to recover?

Thanks so much for any help!

Well, you may have to pay the price for now, but if you do gain a little bit of weight, it'll come off easier once you are HEALTHY.

Use the tools above to calculate your burn meter and go from there. Don't undereat again...what't the point now that you "may" gain weight?

Your body isn't going to just maintain at 100 pounds if you're 5'4"... that's very  underweight, so to stay there you'll have to keep starving yourself.  Its just not healthy for you to weigh 100 pounds so your body isn't going to stay there just because you want it to.  If you really want to "maintain" and start eating normal again you're going to have to gain a few pounds and then maintain at a higher weight. 

You raise your metabolism by a) eating the right amount of food, b) eating regularly and c) being reasonably active.  For someone your age and size that's about 1900-2100 cals a day.

Because you're in  recovery, you really can't start thinking about maintaining until your BMI is safely past 20.... so that's around 120lbs.  To get there you'll need to increase your intake to 2500/day, possibly a little higher if you're exercising.   In the course of gaining weight you'll be better nourished, your body can start to repair itself and your metabolism will be boosted.  When you get to a healthy weight, trim your intake down a little.... you should be able to maintain on 2000-2200 cals a day ultimately.

You may not be able to afford to get chubby again but you equally can't afford to carry on subjecting yourself to being chronically underweight and malnourished.  That's no life at all.

I agree with gi-jane.

Stop worrying about your metabolism and instead worry about your overall health.

You are underweight right now, no where near being "chubby", and you are also undereating by a considerable amount. Over the long-term this can cause long-lasting damage, and not just to your metabolism.

Will you increase your calories?

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