How can I recover from anorexia without gaining weight?

[Chaychay_97]

Hello... I am a 14 year old with anorexia... I have had anorexia for 7 months now and want to know how to recover from it. This all starting with wanting to eat healthy then slowly restricting food and counting calories and got to the point of eating 900 calories a day. I now have to use a calculator to count every single thing that i eat to get me up to atleast 1900 calories. So if you can,please tell me a way i can recover without gaining weight. Thanks

[Fluffymum]

Chaychay,

Well done for recognising your problem and starting your recovery. It will be a lot harder than you expect it to be though, so you need to speak to your GP to get some support.

At 14 you have probably upset puberty with your restriction so you will need many more calories than you think to really get better (2500 min) and get the essential nutrients to generate hormones. Your GP may help you find a dietician who can help you get healthy again and remember that at 14 gaining weight is part of development - gaining height and changing to an adult body so its not all bad.

I wish you really good luck and health and strength on your journey

[MEJones]

Hi Chaychay_97

Really well done for seeing that your behaviour isn’t healthy and has developed in to anorexia. This is a really difficult illness and recognising you have a problem is the first step. Please seek help through your Gp, a telephone service such as Beat or ABC and most importantly, tell someone who you trust and feel comfortable with, if you have someone supporting you, it will make the harder parts of recovery easier.

Ok, it’s not what you want to hear and I’m sorry but there isn’t a way to recover from anorexia without gaining weight. By trying to “recover” but not wanting to gain weight means you’re still fearful of weight gain

, which is active anorexia. If you seek help there are people who can help you with meal plans, so you’ll gain weight but in a way in which you feel more comfortable, obviously it depends on your start weight as if you’re very underweight the doctors will want to resolve this as quickly as possible. I know it’s scary and gaining weight makes you feel like you’re loosing control, but in order for you to regain control of your own life you have to loose the thing that’s controling you and this is your anorexia. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how dangerous it is medically and mentally to have an active eating disorder so the sooner you can recover the better, you’re still so young and have a whole wonderful life ahead of you, if you shake this as quick as you can, then you can go back to enjoying your life. I’m sure you don’t want to waste your time and energy on counting calories, being thin isn’t worth the absoloute awfulness of anorexia. As someone who’s been recovered now for many years, I can tell you it’s the BEST thing I’ve ever done & it’s entirely possible, but it does mean completely letting go of all the rules that anorexia creates. It’s scary as hell, but the fear can drive you to push even harder.

Like Fluffymum said based on your age 1900 calories is not enough for recovery, that’s not enough for a grown adult in recovery, let alone a growing teenager.

Most people would recommend 2500-3500 calories for someone your age in recovery, those seem like huge numbers, but it’s exactly what your body needs.

A dietician can help you plan these meAls so you don’t feel overwhelmed trying to think of things to eat.

Good luck with your journey, and I truly hope you find your happiness and a life free from anorexia. X xx

[Jwc290 in reply to MEJones]

Is there anyway to recover while keeping a six pack if you eat 3,000 calories a day

[crazycrossstitcher]

Glad you've found this sight - and that you recognise you have a problem. Anorexia is a serious illness and needs treatment - in the same way any other illness does - and you do need to seek some help and advice - either from your GP/practice nurse - or approach a school counsellor and talk to them - ABC also has a help line you can phone in confidence. If you are underweight - then recovery will involve getting back to a healthy weight - but more importantly you need to look at getting a balanced diet and at sorting out the background issues surrounding your problem - so do seek some help as quickly as possible.