how much is "eating normally"? I eat between 1000 and 1500 a day, meant to be in recovery. But I'm still gaining weight. So what is normal?

Just something I was wondering about - i'm 16, I exercise quite a bit, and I'm 5'1...

hmmm...xx

I believe the only thing normal in this world is the settings on my washing machine. Every person on this planet is unique in their own way so placing a normal status on it just doesn't seem fair.

Have you been to a doctor recently and asked him what he thinks you should weight at this age and what amount you need to consume to stay healthy.
Everyone is different. Some need to eat more at that age because their body is in a growth spurt and the brain needs the extra help. Others don't need it until they are 17 and have that growth spurt. Your genetics play a big part also. If mom or dad are shorter and heavier, you may need to keep a more watchful eye out then someone whos parents are tall and thin.

If you are comfortable with how you see your self, your healthy, and you are exercising. Try cutting back a little and see if it helps. You might just be going through a growth spurt and no matter what you do eat or dont eat is going to change that.
Good Luck,
C

Carat- "cutting back a little"? if truth is eating btwn 1000-1500 Cals per day, how much are you expecting her to cut back?? I don't think this is wise advise

Truth- you say you're in recovery, so I'm assuming youre trying to restore your weight to a healthy place..what is your current weight, so we can get an idea of how much you need to go still. 1500 is a good start, but at minimum you shoudl be eating about 2000 Cals per day..it's true that everyone is different, but this is generally the LEAST amount that a teen girl should be eating...

I don't agree that 2000 is the least a teen girl should eat. I'm 16, and would most definitely gain weight by eating that many calories a day.
If you're exercising on the other hand, you should eat a few more. I would say 1500 is good. But your doctor should help you determine the right amount of calories.

no i agree with girlygirl. a young teen gurl who is active needs more calories to burn thruought the day. 2000 - 2500 should do the trick. the more active u are the more calories u burn. the more calories u bunr the more faster u burn cals. therefore ur metabolsim is speed up and yah.

hi hi

oh my word,that is the exact question that i came to post tonight actually....i was going to ask all of you "what is normal eating to a healthy person"....wow...thats very ironic!

i know its supposed to vary from person to person,but could any of you maybe give a sample menu (if you have recovered and are normal/healthy) of what you eat and what is okay to eat?
i feel terribly guilty for what i've eaten today...but maybe if i had to say what i ate "normal" people would say its little...so.....
but honestly i dunno how many calories i eat a day,because i try not to calculate all the calories,cos i think it will make matters worse(i'll compete with myself to not take in more,and if i do,i'll feel supercrap).

anyway....so could any of you enlighten "what is truth" and myself as to what you consider normal eating?

Talk to a doctor or nutritionist - if you have been anorexic for a long time and are severly underweight you will continue to gain for awhile - that is not unreasonable to expect even though its damn scary. Your body is going to hang onto every single calorie you put into it - not in a bad way either although again it can seem like it. Everyone is different and what you have done to your body with ED will be different from every single person who responds to you here. I don't think any us should be advising you how many calories you should eat - we all have various ED's and there is a reason why we have them. We could tell you how many not to eat - like less than 1000 or less than 500 and be very accurate....myslef included :)

I apologize, for some reason I didn't see the words "meant to be in recovery"

If you are in a recovery state from a ED your body needs those calories to help heal. Until your doctor says that you are physically healthy again, try not to step on that scale. Gaining a little weight during the healing and recovery process is hard on you mentally I know, but is good for you physically.

aah i'm sorry, it's probably my ED talking. the thought of 2000 calories being normal just scares me a little.

yeah...but I am at a healthy weight now.
My nurse did say that I am able to now eat what I want - not worry about meal plans etc.

I don't know. I'm just confused really! It's bean ages since I came out of hospital, and yet I still seem to gain - lol,it's not fair!

take care xx

Hey!

Ive always been told that eating 2000 calories a day you will maintain the same weight and eating 1500 is what people usually consume if they are on a diet trying to lose weight. This is only an average though so if you are young, still growing and quite active you will need more and to be honest I think it is better not to be too concerned with calories as all they are is a measure of energy. The more active you are the more you will need so it is probably better to focus on eating the right balance of food rather than just counting calories- easier said than done I know!

Anyway, the amount of calories you are consuming is certainly NOT too much so even if your weight fluctuates up and down for whatever reason as everybody's does, the overall change over time will not equal a big weight gain at all!!

Hope this helps,

Suzanne
x