[spow]

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.

[Liinu]

This is just my common sense, not some actual research or experience, but.. If you had an ed and your intake of calories was really low for a long time it's definitely not healthy to suddenly start eating 3000 calories? Your body will freak. It's like when you recover from a stomach flu and can only eat light food in the beginning. Your stomach isn't used to it and takes time to adjust.

I'd think building up to 3000 calories sounds pretty normal. Since that's more than an average person needs so it should give your body some extra.. stuff. For building the body back up, I guess.

[spow]

Well I wouldn't have expected a person with ED to go from, example, 1000kcals to 3000kcal in a matter of days. I think it would take a few weeks to be able to eat that much.

The guideline for average adults is 1800 to 2000 for females and 2000 to 2200 for males, something like that. So a person recovering from an ED should be eating more than the average healthy man? Hmmmmmmm....

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by spow

Well I wouldn't have expected a person with ED to go from, example, 1000kcals to 3000kcal in a matter of days. I think it would take a few weeks to be able to eat that much.

The guideline for average adults is 1800 to 2000 for females and 2000 to 2200 for males, something like that. So a person recovering from an ED should be eating more than the average healthy man? Hmmmmmmm....

I highly doubt that.

What is the current state of your nails and skin?

[hamster-bamster]

Oh, and hair.

So hair is on "left-over funding" by the body. It is more or less optional and if you do not have enough nutrients, the beauty of the hair would probably be the first to go. I have been hospitalized for (suspected at that time) bipolar on the same unit with anorexics who were tube-fed. The most horrible outward manifestation of their disease (to my untrained eye) was not the thinness, but really, really dull hair.

So I would first assess the state of your hair to determine how far you have progressed towards recovery.

This is not scientific, either, but just common sense.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by spow

Well I wouldn't have expected a person with ED to go from, example, 1000kcals to 3000kcal in a matter of days.

I do not know the exact numbers, but I do know - the issue is very very old - that when relief comes to famished victims of wars, the relief workers feed the famished victims very carefully and very slowly, so as to not cause MORE harm.

To me, going from 1000 kcal's to 3000 kcal's in a matter of days sounds dangerous. I realize that famished victims of armed conflicts eat much less than 1000 kcal's, but still, the point remains - you need to be careful and slow.

[spow]

Hey I have been averaging 2000kcals in the past week. My nails and skin actually look better. My skin is a little less dry and my nails seem less brittle. Having said that, I have to add that the tap water where I live is very drying for the skin.

As for my hair, I cant tell. I don't pay much attention to it. I have naturally thick hair and it doesn't seem to have gotten much thinner. I did notice increased hair-fall a month ago but that seems to have lessened now.

I can handle more food now and I actually feel better eating more through the day. I get less cravings for sugar and don't binge-eat much now