I know that we are not allowed to mention numbers here. But I am hoping this post will be allowed since the numbers mentioned here do not pertain to me or any particular person.

I am trying to do my research into the amount of calories required for the body to recover from an eating disorder. Of course, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. A few sources point to 2500kcals a day as being a good number to start at for recovery. I am not sure if this only applies to restrictive eating disorders or to binge/purge eating disorders as well.

Here is an excerpt:
"If you eat 3000 calories every day and stay completely sedentary, then that's 21,000 calories that go into you for one week.

That may sound like a lot however we have to subtract the 7,000 needed for the actual fat and muscle rebuilding that has to happen each week. Fat is not an energy storage unit, it is the largest and most critical hormone-producing organ in your body.

That leaves 14,000. But then there is the amount just to keep you breathing, heart beating—that basal metabolic rate thing that just keeps you alive. Estimating, that assigns another 7,000 or so.

To repair damaged heart, skin, nails, hair, kidneys, digestive system, brain areas, bone and blood formation systems...you are actually giving your body only 1,000 calories a day to go to that effort. That's if you dependably eat 3,000 calories each day.

The less you eat, the longer it takes to recover as the harder it is for your body to find any excess energy to repair the damage."

Source:Your Eatopia - Blog - Phases of Recovery From A Restrictive EatingÂ*Disorder

Is all this really true? To anyone undergoing active recovery or weight restoration, is 2500kcals the guideline that you have been given too? I am also not sure if it makes a difference whether a person is only several pounds under the 'normal' weight range.